Customer Reviews

All The Kind Strangers (1974)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Jimmy Wheeler (Stacy Keach) is a writer who travels all over the country looking for a story. In Tennessee, while driving on a backroad, he comes along a seven-year old boy walking with a sack of groceries. He inquires to the boy where he lives. Gilbert (Tim Parkinson) says that he lives on a dirt road about a mile. Jimmy offers him a ride home. Five miles goes by with the boy giving directions. Each road becomes worse than the last. Jimmy ends up in the backwoods and finally comes across the splendid house Gilbert lives in. The rain is pouring and all that Jimmy can think of is getting back on the road. Gilbert mentions that his big brother can help him find the road back and would invite him for dinner. Reluctantly, and with the rain pouring heavy, Jimmy decides to accept the invitation. Three dogs are at the entrance. In the house are five children (Robby Benson, Arlene Farber, Patti Parkinson, Brent Campbell, John Connell) and the older brother, Peter (John Savage). They seem to be alone. Where are the parents? This is not a horror or macabre movie. This is just an interesting backwoods family drama. Some suspense and twists. Samantha Eggar plays "Carol Ann". Robby Benson sings "All The Kind Strangers".

In this film, a family of children living by themselves way out in the swamp seemed so innocent.However,there is a secret to their existence.A traveling photojournalist STACY KEACH(The Ninth Configuration),gets involved,and finds out the hard way that the kids are NOT alright.In this exciting,frightening film,everything that seems normal is not.JOHN SAVAGE(Deer Hunter)and ROBBY BENSON(Invasion of Privacy)are the oldest children,and their idea of how to get and keep a set of parents is so terrifying that even their victims can't believe the extent of the deadly trap they are in.SAMANTHA EGGAR(The Collector)has been "Mom" for five years,but there's been an opening for "Dad" for awhile...and Keach is the obvious candidate.Although, what's happened to the last "Dad"?...and the one before him?...The secret lies down at the bottom of the swamp...and with the trained dogs...and in the locked rooms.A superb all-star cast in this exciting film will keep you captivated all through this amazing story!!

John Savage (The Killing Kind) is Peter, the oldest brother of six children in a family of backwoods folk. Peter is looking for a replacement for his dead "pa". This involves luring in potential candidates, holding them against their will, and voting on whether to keep them or get rid of them! Stacy Keach (Slave Of The Cannibal God) is a photographer who happens to get caught up in this situation after giving one of the kids a ride home. Samantha Eggar (The Brood) is "ma", a woman who made the same mistake as Keach's character some years before! ATKS is a decent 70s TV movie w/ enough suspense and a few nice surprises. I was never a fan of Robbie Benson (his movies or his singing), but even he is tolerable in this one! Worth a peek...

Excellent print and excellent film. Stacy Keach shines as does John Savage and Samantha Eggar. The supporting cast are also fine.
Beware of giving strangers a ride when you are driving along country roads!

This was a true suspense film at its best. A creepy story about a group of farm kids who will do anything to get a set of parents at all costs! It makes you think about not picking up hitchhikers, even if they are six years old! Excellent purchase!

Unfortunately I was not able to watch DVD. It would not play on my "regular" dvd player or my Blue Ray player. (yes, I have both) I was looking forward to watching it as Robby Benson as always beem my heart throb!

The other reviewers got the base line story right, i.e. It is a movie about a group of kids who abduct Stacy Keech to be their father figure but they left out the sudden and abrupt nonsense ending, not to mention all of the awful acting done by these fine actors in their youth! This movie was not worth the $5.50 I paid for it and once I had it, it was impossible to unload on any one else (just to nice I guess). It was a made for T.V. Movie from the early to mid 70's that alone should tell you something. John Savage from Hair (Claude), Robbie Benson from the Waltons T.V. show (John Boy) and of course Stacy Keech are a few of the all star cast I remember in the film.