Alex McArthur Movies

A woman in love with music finds herself trapped between a husband jealous of her success and a brother-in-law with a deadly secret in this independent thriller. Lucian (Andrew Borba) is a talented but arrogantly self-important musician and composer who has recently released an album in collaboration with his wife, a free-spirited violinist and singer named Gypsy (Annunziata Gianzero). While the album has become a critical and commercial success, Lucian is unhappy with the fact that many have credited Gypsy with the album's popularity and Gypsy has already been booked for a lucrative solo tour. As Lucian and Gypsy sort out their personal and professional differences, his half-brother, Jimmy (Thomas Jay Ryan), stops by to pay Lucian a visit. Lucian and Jimmy don't always get along, and Gypsy tries to bridge the gulf between them, striking up a rapport with the moody Jimmy. What Lucian and Gypsy don't know is that shortly before arriving at their Cape Cod home, Jimmy murdered his girlfriend and dumped her body in the ocean, and when it's discovered the next day, a local police detective, Dunbarton (Richard Bakalyan) comes by asking questions. A local eccentric known as The Beachcomber (Rick Wessler) is quickly charged with the crime, as Dunbarton, convinced the killer will strike again, wants the matter taken care of as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Jimmy finds himself increasingly attracted to his sister-in-law, while Gypsy, despite the tensions between herself and Lucian, isn't ready to leave him just yet, a decision that unknowingly puts her in grave danger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

After an unnerving brush with death, a filmmaker finds that his ordeal isn't quite over in this modestly budgeted horror movie. Tom Kempton (Alex McArthur) is a successful animator who wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood for a while. He joins several friends for a vacation in Northern Michigan, where they rent snowmobiles to make the most of the snowy winter weather. Kempton gets separated from his friends while exploring the slopes and soon finds himself lost; looking for shelter, he takes refuge in a small cabin, only to discover it's inhabited by Vanessa Boulette (Laura Esterman) and her sister Ann (Sage Allen), a pair of elderly siblings with a feeble hold on reality and a taste for human flesh. Captured and tortured by the Boulette sisters, Kempton is saved at the last minute, but the experience makes a deep impression on him and he uses his fearsome experience as the basis for his next project. Even though Kempton has been reassured that the Boulette sisters died in their showdown with the authorities, he's convinced the threat isn't gone, and it turns out he's right -- one of the sisters had a bastard daughter which was put up for adoption, and her son now displays many of the same psychotic tendencies as his grandmother. Suspended Animation marked a return to the horror genre for director John D. Hancock, who in 1971 made the cult favorite Let's Scare Jessica to Death. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Ethel Lina White's suspense novel Some Must Watch was first filmed under the title The Spiral Staircase in 1946. This same title was applied to a subsequent 1962 TV special adaptation, and a 1975 British TV-movie remake. The Spiral Staircase resurfaced again in 2000 as a made-for-cable feature film, which updated the original story from the early 20th century to the present day. Pathologically mute since a terrible trauma in her youth, Helen Capel (Nicollette Sheridan) works as a housekeeper in the gloomy old mansion of wealthy Emma Warren (Holland Taylor). By nature timid and frightened, Helen has good reason of late to be even more afraid to venture outside the Warren home: A serial killer who preys upon "imperfect" women is on the loose, with such victims as a blind girl and a clubfooted woman in his wake. Understandably, the literally speechless Helen is worried that she will be the next victim. What she doesn't know is that her would-be murderer is someone living within the walls of the Warren mansion -- and it isn't the most obvious suspect. The Spiral Staircase debuted April 2, 2000 on the Fox Family Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In her latest premonition, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) sees her own sister Prue (Shannen Doherty) being fatally stabbed...for the "crime" of being the first born. It soon appears that this horrifying image will come true: just as the Halliwell sisters' great-great-great-aunt was killed by a demon warrior (Alex McArthur), so too does the selfsame warrior intend to dispose of Prue in order to steal her magic. In a desperate effort to save her sister, Phoebe inadvertently creates a "Prue clone" -- and even she can't tell the two girls apart. ~ All Movie Guide

Teenage lust turns deadly in this slightly campy exploitation drama. Debbie Strand (Rose McGowan) is a sexy but troubled teenager with a checkered past who is sent to live with her grandmother after the death of her parents. Grandma attempts to keep Debbie on a short leash, but she's soon sneaking out for not always wholesome fun with her new friends. Debbie, who has never had trouble attracting whatever man she wants, sets her sights on Peter Rinaldi (Alex McArthur), a teacher at her high school. However, Peter has both a fiancée and strong scruples, so he repeatedly rejects Debbie's advances. But Hell hath no fury like a Debbie scorned, and before long Peter finds that his life is ruined and bodies are piling up, as an angry Ms. Strand takes her revenge on her would-be suitor. Also released under the title Dearly Devoted (and not based on the oft-filmed Raymond Radiguet novel), Devil in the Flesh was co-scripted by Kelly Carlin-McCall, daughter of noted comedian George Carlin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, only a determined psychiatrist can save a traumatized, catatonic girl from going to prison for the murder of her parents. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Tatum O'Neal headlines this dramatic fact-based account of a former model and police officer accused of killing her husband's first wife. The sensationalistic press coverage of her trial turns the ex-cop into a celebrity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Meticulously researched and elaborately produced, the two-part TV movie Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel is based on a true story. In addition, to quote the original print ads, "This is the one we won!" Incorruptible agents of the DEA declare war against Colombia's Medelin drug lords. To undermine the enemy, the Feds launch an undercover operation, targeted at the cartel's refineries. Alex Farina, Dennis Farina and John Glover head the enormous cast, which includes Julie Carmen in a standout performance as a Colombian judge. Filmed in Spain and Florida, part one of Drug Wars debuted January 19, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In exchange for clearing Duell McCall's name, the cowboy's assistance is needed in locating the murderer of the sheriff's wife. ~ All Movie Guide

In Race for Glory, a young motorcyclist takes his wrench-toting friend and his home-made bike to the big-time European Grand Prix races. Surely the underdog of underdogs, this fellow's up against all odds as he takes on big-name race teams from all over the world in his effort to grab the cup of glory. ~ All Movie Guide

Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge was the third in a sporadic series of TV westerns centered around fugitive do-gooder Duell McCall (Alex McArthur). Falsely accused of a whole litany of crimes, McCall is forced to drift from town to town, spreading a little goodwill wherever he happens to land. In this entry, McCall is about to be hanged. He is freed on one condition: That he head up a posse to rescue the kidnapped daughter of land baron Rod Steiger. Alice Adair plays the hostage (who isn't precisely what she appears to be), and Lise Cutter appears as McCall's romantic interest. Seven months after the 1989 premiere of Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge, there would be a fourth and final chapter in the saga of Duell McCall: Desperado: Badlands Justice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide