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Reviews
Play for Today: The Flipside of Dominick Hide (1980)
Plot summary
A young man from the future arrives by flying saucer in 1980s London, and finds it an interesting experience. This is enjoyable and interesting drama, rather than mainstream science fiction.
Nightshade (1995)
Summary of plot
A mysterious and haunting film, it is set in England in the not far off future. A family escape from the city with its pollution and urban chaos for a peaceful holiday in the country, where they stay in an old cottage. The location is idyllically peaceful, deep in ancient woodland, and the father hopes it may provide an opportunity for members of the family to settle some of their problems: the marriage seems on the point of breaking down, and the teenage daughter and her younger brother have both been in trouble. However, the children experience supernatural phenomena which focus attention on ecology and the future of the Earth.
Emily's Ghost (1992)
Summary
A girl living in England during the Edwardian period has a great ambition to become a doctor, but the society she is living in does not encourage young ladies to aspire to anything more than a comfortable marriage. By supernatural means, she comes into contact with another girl of the same age, but living in the 1990s, who is unhappy in her present life. The two girls swap places. A nicely made production, probably intended chiefly for older children; many adults will enjoy it too.
Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive (1992)
Perhaps disturbing to some, but rather shallow in content
A couple move into their dream home, unaware that it and its neighbours have been built over land formerly used as a cemetery. The film is said to have been based on a true story, although how much of it is supposed to be true is not disclosed. The plot is hardly unique - see Spielberg's 'Poltergeist' (1982). Within a short time, they experience various supernatural phenomena: these range from the disturbing - mysterious shadows, the serious illness of the daughter - to the frankly ridiculous - toilets continually flushing and garage doors going out of control. There is little depth to the story: once it has become established that the land had been used as a cemetery, we do not learn anything more. The plot does not seem to develop. The characters are not particularly well drawn or in any way memorable, nor is the atmosphere particularly special. The film could be disturbing to some viewers. There is no sense of catharsis or any kind of positive message from it.