PERRY MASON RETURNS

Della (Hale) is comforted by Perry (Burr)

PERRY MASON RETURNS (1985). Director: Ron Satlof.

Twenty years after Perry Mason went off the air, Raymond Burr returned as the character in what would turn out to be the first of many telefilms. Della Street (Barbara Hale) is now a private secretary to a difficult wealthy man named Gordon (Patrick O'Neal). In what would become a typical development in these movies, Gordon is killed by a hit man (dressed as a woman) in order to frame Della, who goes on trial for murder with Perry as her defense lawyer. Mason, who is now a judge, quits the bench to come to Della's rescue. The many suspects include members of the dead man's family as well as assorted business rivals and personal enemies. There are good performances from Kerrie Keane [Incubus], Holland Taylor, Richard Anderson, James Kidnie, and William Katt [Carrie], Barbara Hale's real life son who plays the son of investigator Paul Drake. Frankly, there's a little too much of Drake Jr. running around hither and thither, probably to pad the running time, but this still emerges as an entertaining TV flick.

Verdict: It's good to have Perry back. ***.

INCUBUS

INCUBUS (1981). Director: John Hough. 

In the small town of Galen a series of women are being attacked, sexually assaulted, and murdered -- along with some male friends and relatives -- by an unknown assailant. Dr. Sam Cordell (John Cassavetes) notices some very inexplicable things about the condition of the bodies, while reporter Laura Kincaid (Kerrie Keane) wants to find out what, if anything, the authorities may be hiding. Then there's Tim Galen (Duncan McIntosh), the boyfriend of Cordell's daughter Jennie (Erin Flannery), who has visions of the murders and thinks he's going crazy, and his grandmother Agatha (Helen Hughes), who is one weird old lady. This is based on Ray Russell's ingenious and creepy horror novel, but it doesn't do the novel justice. There appears to be a lot of post-production tampering and a lot of stuff has probably been left on the cutting room floor. If you haven't read the novel, you may be scratching your head at the conclusion -- huh? Still, this is an eerie, strangely compelling picture, and some of the gruesome assault scenes are well done. Well-acted by all, especially Cassavetes, who is excellent. John Ireland plays the sheriff, Hank. Mr. Sardonicus is a better film based on the work of Ray Russell. A better film directed by John Hough is Legend of Hell House. 

Verdict: Not in the best taste, but creepy. **1/2.