Robert F. Lyons Movies

Twenty years after the brutal slaying of five students at an abandoned resort hotel, a group of fearless students return to the site of the original crime only to discover that the murderer is still on the loose and waiting to strike again. The year was 1984: A group of five students broke into the Royal Crescent Hotel as part of a local rite of passage. Days later, their bodies were found mutilated. The killer was believed to be a local drifter, though no one was ever caught or convicted of the murders. At the time, the press made no mention of the fact that the bereaved parents insisted that the police hire a psychic to locate the murderer, and that after handing one of the student's personal objects the clairvoyant claimed to have seen the killer's face. Though the psychic had claimed that the killer was still inside the hotel, a comprehensive sweep of every floor yielded to clues to his whereabouts. Later that same night, the psychic died in her sleep, effectively rendering the case cold. Flash forward twenty years later, and another group of students conducting a so-called "Tour of Fear" break into the hotel on a mission to visit each of the five rooms where the high schoolers had been slain. Upon discovering a severed hand in one of the rooms, the students unleash a terrifying force that has haunted the hotel grounds for nearly a century. Now, if they can only solve the mystery of a world-class hotel that once hosted royalty before mysteriously plunging into disrepute, perhaps that can escape with their lives and save their immortal souls from eternal damnation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In this spiritual thriller, an ancient prophecy is about to be fulfilled as a secret code brings the world to the edge of Apocalypse. Gillen Lane (Casper Van Dien) is a expert on theology and mythology who has gained international fame as a motivational speaker. Lane is approached by Stone Alexander (Michael York), the owner and founder of a major media empire, who has been made chairman of the European Union and needs someone to help spread the word about his goal of a world united behind a single vision of peace. Lane begins to realize that there's something sinister behind Alexander's veneer of charity and benevolence: a secret code was embedded in the original texts of the Torah that will allow the person who cracks it to unlock the secret powers of the Christian scriptures; if it falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the end of Man's Reign on Earth. After the death of his mother, Lane lost his faith in God and embraced a New Age philosophy, but now he must confront his lost faith as he tries to discover both the all-powerful secret of the Omega Code and his own true identity. The Omega Code also stars Van Dien's wife Catherine Oxenberg as Cassandra Barris, a reporter working for Alexander's network, and Michael Ironside as Dominic, Alexander's thuggish underling. The Omega Code was produced in association with the Trinity Broadcasting Network, America's largest Christian broadcasting outlet. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

American Eagle deals with three Vietnam survivors, particularly one who carries a grudge against his war buddies after they stop him from a wanton killing of a Vietnamese civilian. The film delves into the post-Vietnam decades that finds two of the vets unable to leave the violent wartime behind them as they join mercenary efforts around the globe. Eventually one tries to change his ways but runs into a (U.S.) government that won't let him stop the killing. ~ All Movie Guide

The Case of the Lost Love was the fourth of the Perry Mason TV movies of the 1980s. Raymond Burr plays Mason (you're surprised?), who while out of town at a lawyer's conference is reunited with Jean Simmons, his lady friend of 30 years past. Simmons has come up in the world, and is about to be nominated for the US senate. Unfortunately, her husband Gene Barry is accused of murdering a blackmailer. The lack of surprise in the denouement is compensated for by the pathos and emotionalism in the final scenes. Back from the previous Mason films is Barbara Hale as Della Street, and Hale's son William Katt as Paul Drake Jr. Despite stiff competition from the Audrey Hepburn-Robert Wagner TV movie Love Among Thieves, Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love swept the ratings when it premiered on February 23, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lieutenant Jeff Knight (Michael Dudikoff) is an idealistic young officer who arrives in Vietnam to lead a group of fighters from the 103rd Airborne division in jungle combat. Sergeant Michael McNamara (Robert F. Lyons) is a combat veteran who helps Jeff after most of the platoon is wiped out. George S. Clinton provides the music for this low-budget war film that features plenty of gratuitous violence. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In a plot that combines Mary Shelley's mad Dr. Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Count Dracula, two yellow journalism reporters, Jack and Gil (Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley, Jr.) head off to a castle in Transylvania. The intrepid duo is out to hunt down a story that proves Frankenstein's "monster" is still alive and sparking. What they find is an appropriately demented Dr. Malavaqua and his monstrous creations. Tame stuff for the hardcore groupie, this intended spoof falls a tad short of funny. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Betsy Russell takes over as part-time prostitute Molly Stewart in this disappointing sequel to the surprisingly good Angel (1984). Old pals Rory Calhoun and Susan Tyrrell are along for the search for the killer of the cop who saved Molly's life in the first film, joined by street magician Johnny Glitter (Barry Pearl). More brutal and hard-edged than the original, this installment is just another violent action movie, despite some slick camerawork and a fast pace. One peculiar touch is the frequent use of Bronski Beat's savage dance hit "Why?" which, although it has appropriately exciting music, it concerns gay-bashing and has no relation whatsoever to the storyline. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

The A-Team sneaks into a small and remote town, there to attend the funeral of a fellow Vietnam veteran. They soon discover that their friend was murdered by members of the vicious Watkins family, who also hold the townsfolk in a grip of terror. Thus the team's mission is twofold: To seek revenge for their pal's death, and to end the Watkins' reign of fear once and for all. This is the final episode of The A-Team's first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Vietnam veteran Taylor Hurst (Robert F. Lyons) hires Magnum (Tom Selleck) to locate his missing girlfriend. It turns out, however, that the girl is only peripherally connected to Hurst's hidden agenda, which involves a complex and very lethaly scheme for revenge. Honolulu's famous Punchbowl National Cemetery (that's the one with the huge "Columbia" statue, as seen in the opening credits of Hawaii Five-O) is prominently featured in a key sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Misguided townsfolk, blinded by bias and fear, mistakenly kill a mentally retarded man after someone accuses him of raping the young girl he had befriended. Shortly thereafter the entire town is beset by a supernatural terror. The story originally aired on television. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This action film follows the childhood alliances of "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and "Bugsy" Siegel and their reign as the kings of the 1920s crime scene. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

In this made-for-TV movie, when a friend is falsely accused of murder, two detectives must track down the true person responsible for the series of killings taking place on the island of Oahu. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Based on a book by John C. Fuller, the made-for-TV Ghost of Flight 401 is predicated on the "actual events" surrounding a real-life plane crash. In December of 1972, Flight 401 nose-dived into the Florida Everglades, killing its flight officer (played herein by Ernest Borgnine). Though damaged beyond repair, the plane is cannibalized for its parts, which are recycled to newly built aircraft. On each of these new planes, it is reported that the ghost of 401's flight officer has made unexpected appearances, to warn the crews of impending disasters. OoooOOOOOOoooooooo..... Those who dared first watched The Ghost of Flight 401 on February 18, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide