Week 13 (Sept 13 – 19) – Cult Movies: Oh, you thought I meant the other kind of cult movies? Sacrifices to the gods of entertainment must be made, so hop up on the altar!
Released after the book became an international bestseller, Servants of Twilight brings Dean Koontz’s 1984 novel (originally written under the pseudonym Leigh Nichols) to the screen with a solid made-for-TV movie sheen.
Single mother Christine Scavello (Belinda Bauer) is having a terrible week. Actually, a terrible life. Her six-year-old son, Joey (Jarrett Lennon), has been targeted by a fanatical religious cult called the Church of the Twilight. Their unhinged, charismatic leader, Mother Grace Spivey—played with absolute perfection by Grace Zabriskie—is convinced that little Joey is none other than the Antichrist.
Naturally, a mother isn’t going to let a bunch of zealous doomsday cultists kidnap her kid. Enter Charlie Harrison, a weary private investigator with rugged charm, played by Bruce Greenwood. Together, they take a cross-country flight for survival that culminates in a mountain cave, where supernatural intervention steps in to settle the score. Director Jeffrey Obrow keeps the pacing tight, and while the production values certainly betray its TV origins, the cast elevates the material well above expectations. I kind of like the different ending than the book — no spoilers! — but I also kind of dislike it because it invalidates the entire movie.
Director Jeffrey Obrow also made The Power, The Kindred and The Dorm That Dripped Blood, working alongside writer Stephen Carpenter for nearly all of them.
You can watch this on Tubi.
