Cast: Stacy Keach, Samantha Eggar, John Savage, Robby Benson
Genre: Thriller 1974
Running time: 73 mins
Rating:★★½
A photojournalist, Jimmy Wheeler (Stacy Keach) is on his way to California for his story. During his journey, in the middle of the country, he passes a seven year old boy carrying grocery bag that is bigger than he is. As the kind stranger that he is, Wheeler offers the boy a ride home. However, unbeknownst to Wheeler that in the middle of nowhere that's in the middle of nowhere, a group of orphan's who plan on making him their "Pa". And he is alone on this particular honor nor the first.
For a television film, it brings a backwards Lord of the Flies quality while dealing with how parents' beliefs and discipline can affect there children. Well, especially if the parents happen to die five years prior and no neighbors around. What is interesting and a huge relief is that it doesn't hold your hand or completely spells it out for you of what happens to Jimmy Wheeler(Keach) or Carol Ann/"Ma" (Samantha Eggar) each time they attempt to escape. You witness the aftermath and this ignorant-savageness with something very wrong about these kids, especially the eldest and leader Peter (John Savage).
Aside from the eerieness of the orphans, the sometimes a little to vagueness of what exactly happened to their real parents or how they came to decide to lure and imprison adults to become their new parents or why no one came to find these adults or whatever happened to Wheeler's cameras, this film is a pretty good example or taste of a Seventies' Thriller. Stacy Keach is, well, Stacy Keach...enough said (on of the greatest American actors). To have Samantha Eggar (The Collector 1965) as a co-star is all you need as reasons to watch this film.
