Robert Sampson Movies

A 17-year-old misfit afflicted by a rare phobia finds her romance with a handsome teen setting off a tragic sequence of events in the feature screenwriting/directorial debut of teenage filmmaker Anne-Sophie Dutoit. Cassandra (Dutoit) suffers from a paralyzing disorder that makes her intensely afraid of physical contact. Unable to form any kind of meaningful human connection as a result of her irrational fear, Cassandra drifts from town to town with her damaged aunt Maggie May (Ely Pouget), whose endless quest for another man and another bottle has gotten the pair into some precarious situations in the past. Upon arriving in Malibu, CA, Cassandra begins to develop feelings for sympathetic teen Lucas (Brook Vincent Kelly). Unlike the other kids, Lucas can see past Cassandra's illness to recognize the true beauty that dwells within. But Lucas' father is dying, and in order to keep their family from going bankrupt his overbearing mother, Nancy (Kim Morgan Greene), is struggling to marry her son off to local girl Pam (Marika Devan), the scion of immensely wealthy parents. Nancy will do everything in her power to keep Lucas and Cassandra apart, eventually recruiting local detective Peter (Nick James) to dig into Cassandra and her aunt's questionable past. Eventually, as a result of the detective's findings, Cassandra is placed in a mental health facility. But Cassandra never stops dreaming of the day Lucas will come and save her, and after seven long years of writing letters that remain unsent, she is released back into society to solve the mystery that has haunted her for nearly a decade. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

One of the early direct-to-video horror films from Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment, this good-looking entry stars 21 Jump Street's Michael Benedetti as Corey Thornton, who inherits a mansion in the Louisiana bayou from his late father. Corey wonders why his father, who abandoned him, would leave him such an expansive estate, and also wonders exactly what the brothel across the way has to do with any of it. The fact that Edgar Winter is part of the brothel's house band should have given him a clue, and when stone hands start embedding themselves in people's heads it is obvious to everyone but Corey that the brothel is a front for a coven of witches. It turns out that Corey's father was heavily involved in black magic and wants to rise from the grave to possess his son's body, and must consign Corey's soul to the netherworld (hence the title) to do so. Denise Gentile plays a tempting hooker, Holly Floria is the love interest, and Anjanette Comer from The Loved One and The Baby is her mother, the mansion's housekeeper. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

This slick-looking but rather dreary science fiction twist on the vampire genre introduces a crash-landed alien who enters the aged, dying body of Max Page (Robert Sampson. Suddenly, Page's health takes an amazing U-turn. Max soon rises from his deathbed and checks out of the hospital with newfound vitality and a nagging thirst for the estrogen-laced blood of ovulating women (an original, if disgusting, twist on vampirism). Fearing for his family's safety, he flees for San Diego, stopping every other day to prey on more women, until he grows youthful enough to be played by another actor (Joseph Culp). Meanwhile, a gruff FBI agent (John Saxon, in a permanent state of gruff after a lifetime of cop roles) investigates. The one-note material is enlivened a bit by some familiar "B"-movie faces -- including the lovable Michael J. Pollard -- but very little is done with the premise of the alien's estrogen requirements, other than to show Max sniffing around in some rather inappropriate places. Adept "B"-movie buffs can spot Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon and his wife, actress Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, in cute cameos. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this film, a bereaved man wants to exact his revenge from the bank robber who was responsible for his wife's untimely death. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Based on the autobiographical book by Chris Oyler, the made-for-TV Go Toward the Light is a sometimes wrenching, ofttimes inspirational AIDS drama. Claire and Greg Madison (Linda Hamilton and Richard Thomas) discover to their horror that their hemophiliac son Ben (Joshua Harris) has contracted the deadly virus through a tainted transfusion. Faced with the likelihood that Ben will not live out the year, the grief-stricken Madisons vow to make every day of that year count and to see to it that their son will not have to endure his agony alone. The excellence of the performances are matched by the script (by Susan Nanus and Beth Polson) and direction (Mike Robe). Go Toward the Light debuted November 1, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) is a brilliant medical student who has perfected a green-glowing serum for regenerating life into dead things -- or even parts of dead things. But a corrupt superior, Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale), assumes control of West's experiments and winds up, by ghastly necessity, using the stuff on his own severed head and body. West and in-over-his-head co-worker Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) struggle to control the now out-of-control effects of the serum, but the bone-saws and zombies complicate their plans. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

A nurse who had served in Vietnam is found dead under questionable circumstances. After performing an autopsy on the unfortunate woman, Quincy (Jack Klugman) is alerted to the plight of the victim's best friend Rachel Kane (Karen Austin), also a nurse and likewise a Vietnam veteran. It soon becomes painfully obvious that Rachel is suffering from delayed-stress syndrome, and is "coping" with her depression by drinking heavily--and unless Quincy can come to her aid, the woman's plight may terminate fatally. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jim (James Garner) reluctantly serves on the jury in the trial of George Bassett (Mills Watson), who has been charged with manslaughter while driving drunk. When a mistrial is declaring thanks to a hung jury, Bassett hires Jim to prove his innocence. The key to the solution would seem to be in the hands of a woman claiming to be the victim's sister--but let's not discount those two brothers (Robert Sampson, James Karen) who run the law firm where George is employed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At the height of a four-day torrential downpour, a mudslide unearths a body in a mountaintop cemetary. Peforming lab tests on the corpse, Quincy (Jack Klugman) discovers that the death may have been due to typhoid--and that this body and several others were buried illegally. In his frantic efforts to determine the truth behind this mystery, and to avoid a widespread epidemic, Quincy once again runs up against the brick wall of bureaucracy (to say nothing of that old municipal ritual popularly known as "C.Y.A.") ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This pilot film for a TV series titled Hancock was initially telecast as The Dark Side of Innocence. The Hancocks are a tightly-knit, prosperous California family. Mom and Pop Hancock (John Anderson and Kim Hunter) oversee a thriving lumber business--when they're not refereeing the travails of their five children. The pilot episode concentrates on the oldest daughter (Joanna Pettet), who has decided she's sick of being a society matron and has returned to the Hancock manse with her own kids in tow. The remaining Hancock kids all have problems of their own, especially embittered divorcee Anne Archer. The Hancocks didn't fly as a series, which means that some of the crises presented in the pilot are never resolved. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dean Martin had his final leading role in this obscure drama about a San Francisco lawyer defending a black militant (Thalmus Rasulala) on trial for murder. The familiar supporting cast includes Cindy Williams, Philip Michael Thomas, and Room 222's Denise Nicholas. Filmmaker Paul Bogart, who directed many of the best episodes of the ground-breaking series All in the Family, went on to make Torch Song Trilogy. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

James L. Brooks' Thursday's Game is a witty made-for-television comedy about two businessmen (Bob Newhart and Gene Wilder) who meet every Thursday night to play poker and discuss their professional and personal problems. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

To prevent himself from breaking under interrogation, captured enemy spy Colonel Vanin (Frank Marth) has hypnotized himself into forgetting the whereabouts of a top-secret spy roster. The IMF's only key to unlocking Vanin's memory is his wife Olga (Antoinette Bower), who may or may not know the verbal cue that will reveal what is on Vanin's mind. To coerce Olga into cooperating, the IMF agents stage a phony hidden-bomb crisis. Originally seen on March 6, 1971, "The Party" was written by Harold Livingston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide