A Killing Affair (1986) Reviews

• The Devil in the Woods

  sol12182004-11-09

  ***SPOILERS*** Pink Gresham, Bill Smitrovich, wasn't exactly a model citizen or loving husband he was a down-right lowlife scoundrel. Abusing and flaunting his infidelities in front of his long-suffering wife Maggie, Kathy Baker, and his two children as well as ripping off those who worked at the Parrish Mill, where Pink was the manager, of their hard-earned pay the fact that he ended up hacked to death hanging upside down at the smoke-shed on his property was no surprise to anyone. The surprise was how under the circumstances and who committed it, Pink's murder! even more sinister the real reason behind it. A movie that takes you to places thats, as far as I know, never gone before in a horror movie and ends up with the unleashing of the dogs of hell that put a gory end to the devil incarnate who was responsible of the murderous acts in the film. Maggie finding her husband Pink murdered is in a panic as she runs to her only neighbor Vinia, Rhetta Hughes, on the almost deserted island in W. Virginia that she lives on for help. Only to be told that there's nothing she, Vinia, could do with a pack of vicious dogs running loose on the island that already killed one of her children. Back at the house Maggie is startled to find a stranger knocking on her door looking for her husband to get work at the Parrish Mill. The stranger Baston Morris, Peter Weller, comes across as a strange and somewhat innocent person at first. But before Maggie can compose herself from the shock of Pinks death he, Baston, lets out the fact that he indeed murdered her husband. Terrified of the creepy Baston and what he can do to her Maggie is trapped with nowhere to go for help and a prisoner in her own home. Then something happens that is so startling, by what Baston told her about Pink that it turns Maggie's fear and panic of him into sympathy and even has her falling in love with him! To where when her Brother Sheb, John Glover, a local preacher came with the sheriff, to see if everything was all right with her and Pink She hides Baston in her bedroom. Protecting him for being arrested by the local police for her husbands murder! little did Maggie know what the truth was about Baston and that truth instead of setting Maggie free was going to free her of her life and the lives of her two children in what Baston's sick mind had in store for her and them. Very good debut by director David Saperstein who gives the movie a very professional look. But it's the eerie and rural Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde performance of actor Peter Weller as Baston Morris that really pushes the movie "A Killing Affair" to the front of the line. Makng it one of the most scary and effective, as well as unknown, horror films of the 1980's. Weller in his portrayal of the dangerous as well as at the same time almost likable Baston shows that evil can come to us in almost any kind of package or appearance.

• Three intense days.

  rsoonsa2002-05-11

  Based on Robert Houston's potent novel: "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday", this film relates of Maggie Grisham (Kathy Baker) who finds herself espaliered to a man who has just killed her husband, and who then takes shelter with her from his pursuers, in her rural West Virginia home which is nestled in a jungle of trees and brush, surrounded by packs of feral dogs. Obviously not terribly pleased with the interloper, Baston Morris, played pungently by Peter Weller, Maggie is inexorably drawn physically to him, partially since her late husband, Pink (Bill Smitrovich) was not faithful to her and was widely recognized before his demise as a man of inferior character who preyed upon the wives of those he supervised at the mill where he was foreman. From flashbacks, we discover that the wife and children of Morris were slain shortly before the death of Pink Grisham, and that the fugitive believes that the foreman was their murderer to avoid becoming entangled with the family as Morris' wife had decided to leave him for his boss and this, therefore, is why Morris had killed him: an act of retribution. The substance of the narrative becomes an attempt to determine if Morris is what he claims to be, a wronged man bent upon revenge, or something either better or worse, and Maggie is increasingly swallowed by her curious dilemma of finding herself possibly in love with her husband's killer who may, in fact, be a madman. There is a baroque quality to this work, with an appropriate thematic score electronically organized by John Barry, and a goodly amount of symbolism borrowed from the novel, as adapted by director David Saperstein, especially relating to the river which borders the Grisham property and which serves also as a cinematic boundary. Although an entry at the AFI Festival in Los Angeles, the film has been sadly neglected since; its almost balladic nature is strengthened by the fine editing of Patrick McMahon, the production design of John Jay Moore, and the costumes of Elizabeth Seley, with the latter pair accurately reprising the scenario's 1943 setting. Weller performs nicely in a role which allows for dramatic development and Baker is convincing as a mother and sudden widow who is unexpectedly exposed to circumstances and emotions of which she has no experience, and the action is most effective when these two are alone together; the remainder of the players are well cast, with only John Glover, as Maggie's brother, lacking his customary steam in his portrayal.

• Cold Characters

  Hitchcoc2006-12-05

  I got some of the same feelings that I received from watching "Cold Mountain." There is an overriding threat throughout. People don't trust because there are people who usurp authority and control others, even though they have no real right to. Mr. Grisham is about as despicable as a man can be. He uses people, capitalizing on their poverty, uses women, and mistreats his family. Eventually he gets to pay for that. But, coming into the picture, is an enigmatic man who is seeking revenge. He claims that Grisham killed his wife and family. He admits that he killed Grisham in retaliation. This is where things get dicey. I will say no more about the plot. The acting is bleak. The setting is a morass of trees and vines, a river with no escape, and a pack of dogs that threatens the characters at every turn. Threre is bitterness from the black family that is, of course, mistreated and abused. There is the woman who has had to depend on a bastard of a husband, not knowing what to do and who to trust. She is victimized by her husband's reputation and his evil. This movie really captures a time period and a group of Virginians during an unhappy time in our history. It is gut wrenching and believable. A bit of a diamond in the rough.

• Not exactly an island paradise ..............

  merklekranz2010-01-19

  With a vicious and unpredictable wild dog pack running loose, and a killer in her house, Kathy Baker is trapped on an island, and in one terrific predicament. To complicate matters, it was her abusive husband who Peter Weller killed. The setting for this steamy psychological thriller is 1943 rural West Virginia, and everything is well depicted, and seems quite authentic. Adding to the realism is interesting music and sound effects. The acting and accents are top notch, and the script has several twists and turns, along with a few short flashbacks that tie things together. Eventually the past catches up with all the characters, and the conclusion is totally acceptable. - MERK

• Worth seeing for Kathy Baker.

  Hey_Sweden2016-03-17

  WWII era West Virginia. In a rural area, there's a thoroughly despicable character named Pink Gresham (top character actor Bill Smitrovich), a mill foreman who not only screws over his employees, but cheats on his wife Maggie (Kathy Baker) to boot. Shortly into the story, Maggie finds Pink dead, and is then visited by a stranger, Baston Morris (Peter Weller). Maggie finds herself drawn to Baston, even after he informs her that he's murdered her husband. The balance of "A Killing Affair" shows how their relationship develops, as she struggles between possible feelings for him and an understandable amount of distrust for the man. Is Baston really on the level with her? He hides out on her homestead while the law searches for him. This marked the directing debut for screenwriter David Saperstein ("Cocoon"), who adapted the novel "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday" by Robert Houston. This viewer didn't mind so much the fact that it is a pretty sordid story (with some interesting revelations along the way), but overall it lacks any truly intriguing features). It's got some decent period atmosphere, some mild titillation (a brief flashing of breasts), a draggy pace, and no on screen violence, but what it does have is a sympathetic, appealing performance by Ms. Baker. Weller is passable as the earnest, somewhat enigmatic Morris. Smitrovich is perfectly vile in his brief time on screen. And John Glover is solid, if not utilized to his full potential, as Maggies' brother who is also the local priest. The film does also have a lush, lovely score by ever reliable John Barry. Not bad, but not very memorable either. Six out of 10.