The Astral Factor
Demonstrating that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, a convicted strangler studies the paranormal and finds a way to render himself invisible. Once he escapes, he sets out to find and eliminate the five women who testified in his prosecution. A police lieutenant (Robert Foxworth) sets out to safeguard them, and bring the invisible killer to justice. Review Great hairstyles and interior decoration First things first, no one should watch mid-70s supernatural police procedurals for their aesthetic rigor. No, you won't find that in these films. Instead, you'll find Stephanie Powers in a mink coat with Farrah hair, while Robert Foxworth rocks the Jewfro (he's probably not even Jewish) and everyone drives around in cars the size of a small house. Elke Sommers has a strange bowl haircut that makes her look like either the Fourth Stooge or perhaps the sole Swedish Stooge. She drinks poolside, throwing herself at Robert, who refuses her. (We forgive him. Stephanie's at home, after all.) Oh, the killer? The plot? Those details hardly matter in this film. Suffice it to say, there is a killer. He kills woman by strangling them, either invisibly or telekinetically. This is all upfront and revealed, for me, by the title THE INVISIBLE STRANGLER, which is the name of this movie on Netflix. Ultimately, murder is just an excuse for Robert Foxworth and his sidekick and hot babes to drive around and eat meals and say things to each other. I loved this movie. I heartily recommend it, unless you're a filmic artiste or a heavily aesthetic voyeur of existential-revelation masterworks. In that case, you probably want something more substantial. Better than Expected This film was dark and unsettling. I think the idea that one could use their mind to make themselves invisible made it believable and, therefore, all the more eerie. Therefore, in spite of the obvious low production values, the movie had me on the edge of my seat. Frank Ashmore is the standout as Sands, the "Invisible Man". And Robert Foxworth is respectable as the chief detective. The women are fairly nondescript with the exception of Elke, who was over-the-top. This was far better than the Invisible Man and definitely worth a midnight viewing with the lights out! Nice Take on the Invisible Man Story A convicted strangler, studying the paranormal in his jail cell, learns to make himself invisible. As an invisible man, he escapes from prison to stalk and strangle the five women who testified against him at his trial. This film is interesting in that it seems to be like "The Invisible Man" or "Hollow Man", as it follows a criminal who can become transparent. But the plot is quite different -- he can turn solid or clear through the power of his mind, and is actually already in prison when the film begins. This does not involve any sort of scientific experiment, but rather more of a spiritual ("astral") approach. Although this is a low-budget crime mystery thriller, it is certainly entertaining and better than I would have expected. I actually found it pretty clever, and really enjoyed the unique angle. Does the killer leave fingerprints? How does he turn his clothes invisible? Although I saw the movie on Netflix, it is readily available for anyone who wants to track it down. The DVD has been released into cheap box sets and I think you might even be able to watch it for free online. Whether or not it deserves a new DVD or BD release with features is debatable, and if it is in the public domain, it would probably be hard to convince anyone to do that. Bonus: Genre fans might be happy to see Elke Sommer ("Lisa and the Devil") and Marianna Hill ("The Baby").
