Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 1, 1994 TAG: 9312310006
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's working with some of the same concepts that were used recently in "The Lawnmower Man" and "Shocker." Like those two, this one has some unusual special effects, but it's never very involving or frightening.
The driving force behind the plot is another of those darned serial killers. But this particular fellow needs help when it comes to inspiration. Instead of going out and finding victims of his own, he steals other people's address books and kills the folks he finds listed there.
He manages to copy a page from Terry Munroe's (Karen Allen) book onto a computer file right before he wrecks his car. The accident, in turn, puts him in a hospital where a piece of fancy testing equipment inadvertently zaps his mind or soul or whatever into a big mainframe computer.
Then, according to the script by William Davies and William Osborne, he can get into any computer and go anyplace that electricity can go. Of course that means we get to see several inventive murders involving microwave ovens, dishwashers and the like. Those tend to be more humorous than disgusting.
Director Rachel Talalay, who also made one of the "Nightmare on Elm St." sequels, handles the material competently enough without any flash. A few computer-generated special effects are the highlight, but there's not much to them, either.
Given the obvious limits of its budget, "Ghost in the Machine" is an effective little B-movie, no worse and not much better than the ones that show up in your video store every week.
Ghost in the Machine: **
A 20th Century Fox release playing at Valley View Mall 6. 92 min. Rated R for graphic special effects, violence, strong language.
by CNB