It takes forever for this campy TV melodrama to really get going, even starring the queen of daytime misery, Susan Lucci. Borrowing "Dynasty" Star John James from fellow daytime diva Emma Sams, Lucci goes on a vacation to a small town and discovers the spirit of an executed woman (another daytime diva, Finola Hughes, utilizinga Scottish accent) and finds out some shocking secrets about her past. This shock turns her into an alternate personality (something Erica never went through), basically taking on a very loose personality, shocking James and her friends Marcia Strassman and Robin Thomas. There's a very theatrical old man (Douglas Seale) who knows the truth about the apparition, advising James on how to handle the evil spirit that threatened him.
Fans of "All My Children" will enjoy Lucci here, appearing with future costars Hughes and James. She's low key compared to Hughes who plays a Barbara Steele like character, and is quite commanding. Early daytime star Susan Douglas has a touching role as Lucci's adopted mother. This is particularly chilling when Seale narrates the flashback, showing her in the dress thar Lucci had looked at earlier in the film. Madeline Sherwood has a key role as the town historian. Entertaining for the most part, but the second part is definitely more enjoyable once all the explanatory details are revealed.
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