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Films In Review announces the forthcoming publication of David Del Valle's first collection of Hollywood memoirs based on his Camp David columns. CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER

FEAR NO EVIL: AN OBSERVANCE

FEAR NO EVIL was one of those films I had taken for granted, along with its talented director, Paul Wendkos, for many years, until I was reintroduced to the title at a private screening (along with another Wendkos feature, THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BELL) giving me a chance to view this gem with a fresh, mature eye.

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14 Responses »

1. david del valle on September 5th, 2009 at 5:03 pm:

   Richard

   this is great genre work on your part, very welcomed by those of us that remember these two films with affection from the time we first saw them on TV all those years ago.

   Please keep this up and give us more from your perspective…well done!

2. Richard A. Ekstedt on September 5th, 2009 at 5:41 pm:

   Thankyou David. Your comment is most welcomed and hope to hear more. This is, believe it or not, an edited version from a 27 page piece that goes scene by scene of the entire film (because of its ‘lost’ status, I felt it was the only way to do justice to it). Hopefully, the powers to be will realize the importance of this film and bring it back!

3. Colleen Margaid O'Grady on September 6th, 2009 at 8:15 pm:

   Richard, I remember this and have always liked Louis Jordon. Your comment re the archives of universal and the state of the precious negatives housed there, I was under the impression that there were two poeple employed there solely to check over the negatives, as…I think its nitrate…of the films can be explosive literally if the ‘frost’ up. Being closer to the source, you might be able to verfiy that

4. Richard A. Ekstedt on September 7th, 2009 at 8:44 am:

   When I contacted Universal Pictures I was confronted by what appears to be a beauracratic nightmare of being bumped from one dept. to another! As for the negatives there? Another mystery!

5. Tom M. on September 10th, 2009 at 2:23 pm:

   Richard,
   This is a great article on a true “lost” classic. Fear No Evil was a feature film quality production in every respect. I still enjoy my grainy VHS copy, taped off a local television station in the 1980s, to this very day. It’s a chilling film and Lynda Day George is mesmerizing.

   It’s a shame its TV movie label has pushed it into the long lost category. Hopefully the right person at Universal will read this and issue a definitive DVD before it disappears entirely.

6. Richard A. Ekstedt on September 11th, 2009 at 12:53 am:

   I keep writing to TCM, under ‘Suggest A Movie’, to run this gem! Maybe we can all suggest it to TCM!

7. Richard Ekstedt on November 16th, 2009 at 11:26 pm:

   Paul Wendkos died on Thursday (Nov. 12, 2009) at age 84! He was a talented director and will be missed.
   We all wish to express our sympathy to the Wendkos family for their loss!!

8. Mark Crepps on December 1st, 2009 at 12:32 am:

   Richard
   Bravo!!! I have been searching for these films for years and I’m glad to finally see some serious material written about them. I’m happy to see that my interest is not solitary.

   There are still some of us folks out there who DO remember the “bits of magic” from those glory days of television adolescence–especially the made-for-tv films. I remember when I first saw DUEL…what an experience. And how about A COLD NIGHT’S DEATH? Well. I could just go on and on…

   Thank you for that wonderful article. I hope we can “rattle the cages” and breathe some life into this genre.

9. Richard A. Ekstedt on December 4th, 2009 at 11:33 am:

   Thankyou very much Mark! I’m always trying to ‘think outside of the box’ in my entertainment by seeking and sharing the obscure and forgotten!!!!

10. Kevin D. F. Highnight on December 30th, 2009 at 10:27 pm:

    So happy to see this project Richard!!! Is there anyway I can get a copy of your original full draft? We’ve spoken before about the film through email AND snail mail I believe over the years. I’m so glad you contacted people and did some research regarding the preservation of this film. I think that you need to contact Anchor Bay Entertainment. I’ve been meaning to for years – wanting to send them a copy of the film and let them know the historical significance it has. Your background research on the film qualifies you more than me to contact them. I’m sure you are aware of them – they specialize in releasing the rare and obscure – especially horror and cult films. They spend so much time and money on restoring neglected films. They are now owned by Starz – I don’t know if that has changed their practice much or not. I would love to see Anchor Bay finally release this MASTERPIECE for the world to finally see and enjoy.

11. daveg on June 9th, 2010 at 8:43 am:

    hadn’t seen fear no evil in about 30 yrs., since it ran on NYC local tv as a 4:30 movie. all i can say is WOW! – they do NOT make them like this anymore. the script was hyper-intelligent and way ahead of its time for 1970 (erotic fantasies in prime time!!) brilliant cinematic shot compositions and use of muted colors to evoke mood … and the mirror scenes, while not horrific, were just skin-crawly. a modest film but one of a kind, sort of like a cooler, more sophisticated Night Stalker or even an X-Files precursor. if there’s a remake, they should cast Duchovny as Sorrell

12. Tony on August 31st, 2010 at 7:28 am:

    Loved the movie when I was very young.
    would love to see it again if possible.
    can someone help me find a copy?

13. Tony on August 31st, 2010 at 7:33 am:

    Tony again forgot my e-mail address.

    watpace3@bigpond.net.au

    hear from you soon

14. Raymond on June 7th, 2011 at 10:25 pm:

    this movie was so scary when I saw it, and much better than most of the theatrical releases that year, its a shame that it is languishing in some vault. this would be great to be seen on the big screen at some midnight screening at an independent cinema somewhere. I’m sure it could be turned into a cult favorite. Lets hope it can be resurrected soon

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