John Shiban Movies
One year after unsuspecting road trippers Jesse and Nicole were drilled, ripped, and splattered into oblivion, the same psychopath responsible the gruesome deaths of those two young girls returns to refine his torture skills on the three travelers who have come searching for them. Forever roaming the old highway in his Winnebago full of creepy living corpses, the killer finds himself struggling against the forces of the undead when Jesse and Nicole's ghosts return to exact their bloody revenge. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Salinger, Joey Mendicino, (more)
A small town supermarket serves as the setting for this suspenseful sci-fi thriller about a malevolent alien seeking to take over the human race. Nothing unusual ever happens at Hastings Market, so when a heavily armed gang enters the store guns blazing at closing time, the terrified shoppers and employees at first assume they're the victims of a violent armed robbery. But appearances can be deceptive, as they're about to find out. Something inhuman has gotten loose inside Hastings Market - something that, if allowed to escape, could bring about the downfall of humanity. Now, as the police surround the building, a mysterious man begins scanning everyone inside in an attempt to root out the alien invader. Within one of these people dwells an extraterrestrial with the power to claim our planet as its own. But the worst is yet to come, because when an off-duty cop attempts to play hero, he inadvertently destroys any chance of determining which one of the hostages is serving as host to the alien. Now, the only way ensure the survival of our species is to kill everyone in sight, or die trying. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Daniel Stern, Ileana Douglas, Kevin Pollak, and Jere Burns headline director Tony Krantz's black comedy detailing the meltdown of the typical nuclear family as they attempt to rescue their little princess from a notorious serial killer. Otis Broth (Bostin Christopher) needs a date for the prom, and Riley Lawson (Ashley Johnson) is just the type of girl he's been searching for. Unfortunately for Riley, Otis has a rather sinister method of charming the fairer sex - it's got something to do with power tools and other assorted sharp objects. When the authorities fail to deliver in their promise to bring Riley home unharmed and the young girl miraculously manages to break free of Otis' dungeon-like cellar, the Lawson's decide that the family that slays together stays together and sets out to seek vengeance against the hulking serial killer on their own terms. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Stern, Illeana Douglas, (more)
The Blair Witch Project co-director Daniel Myrick returns to the helm to tell this tale of two paramedics kidnapped and held hostage by a mysterious cult. David Vaughn and Victor Hernandez were on the road when they received a call about a young girl whose mother has lost consciousness. Upon arriving at the remote area to administer treatment, however, both paramedics are kidnapped and confined in an isolated building. David is determined to discover the true motivation of the cult that now controls his destiny, while Victor suddenly finds his entire belief system crumbling as the fine line between religion and science is inexorably crossed. Now, come sunrise, something big is about to happen. Perhaps if David and Victor can escape the compound before dawn, their lives will be spared. But their chances for survival are growing slimmer with each passing hour, and as the first rays of sun shine over the horizon David and Victor's desperation quickly turns to terrified determination. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Messner, Jon Huertas, (more)
Admitted to the surgery ward for a routine colonoscopy, forty-year old George Grieves (Thomas Cavanagh) finds himself forced to confront his greatest fear when his surroundings take an unsettling shift towards the surreal. Immediately after awakening from his anesthesia, George is horrified to discover that the surgeon has performed the wrong operation on him. Now, as George's mental and physical condition begins to deteriorate rapidly, he discovers that something is horribly amiss in the hospital's East Ward. But in order to find out the truth about what's been happening in the East Ward, George will have to come face to face with the most sadistic nurse around, and make a difficult decision that promises to alter the course of his entire life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The Hollywood dreams of two runaway lovers are suddenly transformed into living nightmares when a momentary pause at an abandoned roadside rest stop turns into a struggle for survival against a predator who sadism knows no boundaries in this tense nail-biter from X-Files writer and executive producer John Shiban. The west coast was a long way off, and when Jess and Nichole decided to stretch their legs at a deserted rest stop they could never have anticipated the terror that awaited them. Now Jess has disappeared, and a savage stranger with a penchant for cruel games has turned up in her place. This is no coincidence, however, and before the day is over Nichole will be forced to fight for her life against a murderous maniac whose creative use of power tools will have her screaming for mercy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jaimie Alexander, Joey Mendicino, (more)
This made-for-cable Frankenstein was originally intended as the pilot for a weekly series based on Frankenstein: The Prodigal Son, a novel by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson. The story is set in modern-day New Orleans, the home of demented scientist Dr. Victor Helios (Thomas Kretschmann). Helios is in fact the original Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who has kept himself alive these past 200 years by a series of diabolical genetic experiments. During the same two centuries, Frankenstein has managed to keep alive the original Frankenstein's monster, and has also created dozens of other synthetic humans capable of reinvigorating themselves whenever they are "killed." Of course, the doctor's experiments require that a number of innocent people unwillingly give up their own lives -- and when the bodies start piling up in the Big Easy, detective Carson O'Connor (Parker Posey) and Michael Sloane (Adam Goldberg) start putting the clues together. Ironically, in this story it is Frankenstein who is the villain (in standard serial-killer fashion he tantalizes the cops by planting cryptic clues), while the doctor's main monster is the nominal hero, and a good-looking one at that. Dissatisfied with the finished product, Koontz and Anderson took their names off Frankenstein, as did the project's original executive producer, Martin Scorsese. The unsold pilot film made its USA network bow on October 10, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Parker Posey, Vincent Perez, (more)
- 2003
Definitely a series for the post-9/11 generation, ABC's Threat Matrix detailed the exploits of an elite task-force unit of the Homeland Security division. Headed by John Kilmer (Jamie Denton), the unit, comprised of the cream of the FBI, CIA, and NSA, was dedicated to stopping terrorism before it started, using the multitude of threats and warnings received on a 24/7 basis by the White House as their guide. Kilmer's multicultural, multiethnic team included his ex-wife Frankie Ellroy Killmer (Kelly Rutherford), as well as Tim Serrano (Kurt Caceres), Lia Larkins (Melora Walters), Jelani (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), Mo (Anthony Azizi), and Holly (Shoshannah Stern). Created by Daniel Voll, Threat Matrix debuted September 18, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Denton, Kelly Rutherford, (more)
- 2002
One of Scully's former Quantico students, an extremely bright FBI rookie named Hayes (James Poe), has an amazing gift for profiling. Hayes not only provides Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Reyes (Annabeth Gish) with several valuable leads on a mysterious serial killer, but also insists that the culprit is the same man who murdered Doggett's son. Remembering that her ex-student was something of an obsessive-compulsive, Scully begins to wonder if Hayes knows a bit too much for his own good. "Release" originally aired on May 5, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Back when he was a cop in Brooklyn, Agent Doggett (Robert Patrick) was responsible for tracking down and capturing a serial murderer known as the Screwdriver Killer. Years later, the accused murder is released from prison thanks to new evidence, and the case is reopened. Though Doggett remains convinced that he caught the right man in the first place, his fellow agents Reyes (Annabeth Gish) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) aren't quite so certain. Meanwhile, someone with a supernatural talent for destroying evidence has embarked upon another murder spree. "Underneath" was first telecast on March 31, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
While pursuing his theory that shark cartilage can be used as a cure for cancer, immunologist Prof. Houghton (Timothy Landfield) is the victim of a savage attack. Former Area 51 operative Morris Fletcher (Michael McKean) is convinced that the Lone Gunmen (Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood), the nerdy trio of conspiracy theorists who have assisted in many an X-Files investigation, are somehow connected to the assault on Houghton. Further complicating matters is the presence of two other familiar characters: the Lone Gunmen's friendly nemesis, Yves Adele Harlow (Zuleikha Robinson) and erstwhile do-gooder Jimmy Bond (Stephen Snedden). Its title drawn from an Internet phrase referring to the moment in which a popular TV show "goes bad" (e.g. Fonzie's water-ski jump over a shark on Happy Days), "Jump the Shark" first aired on April 21, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Having just returned from a business trip to India, importer/exporter Hugh Potoki (Calvin Remsberg) is killed in his D.C. hotel room, the victim of a bizarre abdominal eruption. Fingerprints at the scene of the tragedy suggest that Potoki's demise was the work of a small child, while Agent Scully (Gillian Anderson) concludes that some unknown force entered the victim's body while he was still in India. It soon develops that Potoki had been the unwitting "host" of an East Indian mystic, bent on avenging the death of his son in a highly suspicious chemical plant explosion. "Badlaa" made its first American TV appearance on January 21, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Investigating the murder of the father-in-law of a prominent surgeon, Mulder and Scully have only one clue to go on: the word "Theef," hastily scrawled in blood at the scene of the crime. At first, the two agents assume that the killer had misspelled the word "thief." But all bets are off when an autopsy reveals that the victim was going progressively insane -- and that just before his death, he evinced an unhealthy interest in the occult. Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz, "Theef" was first telecast on March 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Real-life magician Ricky Jay plays the title role in the X-Files episode "The Amazing Maleeni." Responding to a heckler in the audience, Maleeni performs the infamous "Egyptian Dedi," in which his head appears to turn a full 360 degrees. A scant few minutes after the performance, the magician's decapitated body is found in his car. Scully assumes that the victim was murdered, pure and simple, but Mulder suspects otherwise, especially after learning that Maleeni's heckler was disgruntled rival magician Billy LaBonge (Jonathan Levit). First broadcast January 16, 2000, "The Amazing Maleeni" was written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Attending a defense contractor conference in Las Vegas, Mulder and "Lone Gunman" Byers (Bruce Harwood) notice that one of the guests is eerily familiar. It turns out that Susanne Modeski (Signey Coleman), the scientist who brought together Mulder and the Lone Gunmen back in 1989, is in attendance. Perhaps now the two men, with Scully's reluctant assistance, will solve the mystery of Susanne's kidnapping ten years earlier -- and then again, perhaps not. Originally telecast May 2, 1999, "Three of a Kind" was written by Vince Gilligan and John Shiban. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
After a series of unusual occurrences during a hiking trip in North Carolina, a husband and wife retire to bed. Three days later, their skeletons, locked in a final embrace, are found in a field located in an area infamous for its "atmospheric phenomena." While attempting to solve the mystery, Mulder and Scully also try to determine the origin of a luminous, gooey yellow secretion -- but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Written by Vince Gilligan and John Shiban, "Field Trip" originally aired May 9, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Despite the total absence of clues, Mulder suspects that Phillip Padgett (John Hawkes) is responsible for a series of murders in which the victim's hearts were neatly and bloodlessly removed from their bodies. It so happens that Padgett is also Mulder's new next-door neighbor, and he soon becomes with Mulder's partner, Scully. Despite all of Mulder's warnings -- and her own inner "early warning signal" -- Scully cannot help but be attracted to the reclusive but fascinating Padgett. First broadcast April 18, 1999, "Milagro" was written by Chris Carter, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Ever have one of those Monday mornings where everything -- but everything -- goes wrong? That's what happens to Mulder and Scully in the February 28, 1999, X-Files episode "Monday." Making things worse, the disaster begins repeating itself in a seemingly endless cycle, forcing the agents to take drastic action to prevent an all-but-inevitable tragedy. "Monday" was co-written by frequent X-Files contributors Vince Gilligan and John Shiban. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Evidently inspired by the film noir classic D.O.A., the January 17, 1999, X-Files episode "S.R. 819" finds Assistant Director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) racing against time to solve a murder -- his own. While working out in a gym, Skinner is somehow infected with a freakish blood disease. Investigating, Mulder and Scully unearth a conspiracy involving a world health bill called Senate Resolution 819. Written by John Shiban, "S.R. 819" also brought a familiar X-Files villain back into the fold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
In part one of the two-part X-Files drama "Dreamland," Mulder and Scully's visit to the legendary Area 51 resulted in a freakish personality transference, with Mulder literally changing places with "Man in Black" Morris Fletcher (Michael McKean). Unaware of the switch, Scully -- who is down in the dumps after being placed on suspension -- accepts "Mulder's" invitation to a home-cooked meal, and is in for the first in a long line of surprises. Meanwhile, "Fletcher" is stuck in the Area 51 brig, unable to convince anyone that, despite all appearances, he's not Fletcher -- and that things had better be returned to normal before something cataclysmic happens. Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz, "Dreamland II" was originally broadcast December 8, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz, "Dreamland" was part one of a landmark two-part X-Files episode. At long last, Mulder and Scully gain access to the fabled Area 51, the mecca of UFO enthusiasts the world over. There, the two agents bear witness to a mysterious, low-flying aircraft. When the vessel passes, Mulder finds that he has literally traded places with Area 51 official Morris Fletcher (Michael McKean). "Dreamland" first aired November 29, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
A dangerous paramilitary leader named Jacob Haley (Daniel Von Bargen) has escaped from the Feds, and Mulder is held responsible. Much to the astonishment of his partner, Scully, Mulder seems to be in cahoots with the fugitive, a suspicion apparently confirmed when the FBI agent joins Haley's illegal militia group. Props essential to the story include a deadly biotoxin that Haley intends to use to commit wholesale biological terrorism. Written by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban, "The Pine Bluff Variant" first aired May 3, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
A young mentally impaired girl is killed by a lightning bolt. The girl's priest, Father McCue (Arnie Walters), asks another of his parishioners -- Agent Scully -- to investigate the tragedy. How, for example, could the girl have been wandering aimlessly outside her home, when she had been wheelchair-bound since her birth? Scully is brought into the case via disturbing visions of her own "lost child," Emily (Lauren Diewold). First telecast April 26, 1998, "All Souls" was written by Frank Spotnitz and John Shiban. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Though originally telecast March 29, 1998, the X-Files episode "Travelers" takes place in 1990, long before Mulder was teamed with Scully. Upon learning that the chief suspect in a 1952 murder case has died, Mulder further discovers that the long-unsolved murder may have had something to do with his own father. The principal clue is a film clip of Mulder Sr. (Dean Aylesworth) sitting next to notorious Red-hunter Roy Cohn during the infamous HUAC hearings of the early '50s. "Travelers" was written by John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
In a rare seasonal X-Files episode, Scully and her mother pay a pre-Yuletide visit to the home of Scully's brother, Bill Jr. (Pat Skipper). Upon arrival, Scully answers the phone and hears a plea for help -- from a woman who sounds eerily like her dead sister, Melissa (Melinda McGraw). The mystery deepens with the arrival of a detective (John Pyper-Ferguson) investigating an apparent suicide, the "victim's" young daughter (who looks just like a young Scully), and a brace of sinister Men in Black. Part one of a two-part story, "Christmas Carol" was written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz; the episode first aired December 7, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
