All the Kind Strangers

This is a surprisingly good made-for-TV thriller and it wins props for originality points. Stacey Keach plays a photojournalist, on the road for an assignment, which takes him into the woods of the rural south. A chance encounter with a young boy, who Keach sees carrying groceries down a desolate dirt road, leads him to the boy's home, nestled very deep in the backwoods. Once he is thoroughly "in the hollar," Keach's car breaks down, and he has no choice but to spend the night in the house of the young boy, whose three brothers and two sisters respond with eerie approval. What follows next is a strange and pretty cool story about a family of dangerous orphans, who entrap Keach and a woman in a perverse plan to reaquire surrogate parents. Despite his efforts to escape, Keach is unsuccesful, and he quickly discovers how clever and intelligent the kids' plan really is. (He also discovers that he isn't the first to be taken in by the group). Can Keach escape before it is too late? This is a story that, despite its perverse absurdity, could actually happen, I suppose, and the picture's scenarios are consistently interesting and unpredicatble. It is a good script and the cast all fit their roles well. Particularly good is John Savage (e.g. "The Deer Hunter"), who plays the group's oldest brother and de facto father figure. All in all, this is a pretty obscure, minor little film, but I'd recommend it to fans of 70's cinema, as well as anyone who enjoys a thriller involving kuntry folk. This one surprised me. (PS: In this same vein, I'd recommend the highly underrated "Hunter's Blood." It is OOP, but worth seeking).

The film does get a bit interesting - it hits a couple of lulls but that doesn't last long then it picks right back up again. There is a creepiness to these kids -- not like Children of the Corn creepy but more of a subtle creepiness to them.

Fun little trivia: The $60 shoes in 1974 would cost about $316 in 2019 according to the inflation calculator.

5/10

I really love TV-horror/thriller movies from the 1970s. They are short, straightforward and usually compensate in atmosphere and plot- ingenuity for what they lack in action footage or make-up effects. "All the Kind Strangers" is a decent example of such a 70s tale with a very murky and unsettling premise and a thoroughly unpredictable atmosphere of tension. Macho freelance photographer Jimmy Wheeler is driving through rural roads in his fancy and brand new convertible when he stops to give a lift to a 7-year-old kid carrying large bags of groceries. He quickly regrets this, however, as he ends up at the backwoods equivalent of the Von Trapp family with seven parentless children living in the middle of a swamp. Unfortunately, they don't sing of Do-Re-Mi and – under the eerie leadership of the oldest brother Peter – they have the nasty habit of forcing random helpful strangers to become their reluctant ma's and pa's. They already reverse-adopted the terrified Samantha Eggar as their mommy, and now they see the ideal role-model father in Mr. Wheeler even though he doesn't share their enthusiasm. "All the Kind Strangers" is very compelling and ominous throughout the first hour, with notably uncanny scenes at the dinner table or during the boat trip on the creek. The hopelessness in Stacy Keach's eyes, the fear in Samantha Eggar's eyes and the madness in John Savage's eyes are extremely realistic and make even the most hardened viewer feel uncomfortable. In fact, "All the Kind Strangers" easily would have ranked in the top 10 of greatest TV-thrillers of the 70s if only it weren't for the daft and utterly disappointing anti-climax. The bad ending alone costs this otherwise fine TV-thriller a mere 2 or 3 points in the rating.

A couple traveling through a backwoods area are held by a a group of orphans who want them to become their parents.

Unfortunately, the kids have a habit of killing adults who refuse that particular honor.

TV movie from the 70s when harder, more adult film work was possible.

Stacy Keach at the height of his coke habit.

It's a pretty good movie.

TV doesn't make good anything any more so cherish this.

It's very well made and directed. The 70s were a good time for TV movies

"A family of seven children are living without parents is (sic) a swampy backwoods area all by themselves. Some of the children get the idea that it would be good to have parents or guardians to look over them so, they take in two strangers and make them the parents they so desperately want. The couple finds that getting away from these children will be more difficult than they imagined," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

Creepy TV movie featuring game performances from: Stacy Keach (as Jimmy Wheeler), Samantha Eggar (as Caroline Henderson), John Savage (as Peter), and Robby Benson (as John). Mr. Keach sets the tone, with a perfectly balanced characterization of a strong and steady man, who must focus on sanely escaping from the trap he drove into. Keach is as good as the role gets. Ms. Eggar and Mr. Savage respond in kind. And, Mr. Benson wisely plays his character as endearingly dimwitted, which is exactly how to handle the scripted part; his singing of the title song "All the Kind Strangers" hits a sour note, however. The lower credited kids are good.

Burt Kennedy's direction and Clyde Ware's script set a good pace. Indeed, the events on-screen seem to add up to more than what actually happens; which is not much, actually. Mr. Ware writes quite tightly; for example: note how smoothly the biscuit argument between Savage and Tim Parkison (as Gilbert) fits into a later event. And, Savage's digressions about life off the farm fit, also. Moreover, Arlene Farber (as Martha) is directed to show some attraction to Keach; this, and the pick-up of young Parkison, helps multiply the underlying uneasiness.

****** All the Kind Strangers (11/12/74) Burt Kennedy ~ Stacy Keach, Samantha Eggar, John Savage, Robby Benson