Herb Freed Movies
A young man looks outside the law with disastrous results in this hard-hitting drama about a teenager trying to escape life in the ghetto. Samson (Steve Liberman) has had a woefully inadequate childhood growing up in a crime-ridden inner-city neighborhood. While he's bright, he's also short-sighted and thinks petty crime is an easy route out of the ghetto. Samson ends up behind bars after taking part in a drive-by shooting, but he escapes with a group of friends, only to fall under the sway of a drug dealer who offers him protection in exchange for running crack cocaine. But when a delivery goes haywire, and he loses 100,000 dollars worth of drugs, his protector becomes his arch-enemy, and Samson has nowhere left to turn. Dead Punkz also stars David Winston and Francine Lapensee. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francine La Pensee, David Winston, (more)
- 1999
In this thriller, a developer who is building a resort hotel has been leveling a rain forest to make room for his building project, which angers a scientist who has been living in the forest while studying its ecosystem. The scientist, however, finds himself playing detective in his spare time when he learns of a number of unsolved homicides that have occurred in the forest. Paradise Lost (not to be confused with the acclaimed documentary of the same title by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky) stars William Forsythe, Marina Sirtis, and Nigel Havers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Forsythe, Nigel Havers, (more)
Matt McColm, Amanda Pays and Jason Gould star in this espionage thriller in which an American agent is sent to Europe, where he ends up working with a British agent who enjoys roughly the same status as himself on an especially complicated case. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt McColm, Amanda Pays, (more)
- 1992
Director Herbert Freed has been exploring juvenile issues in dramas for over twenty years. Curiously, the title of this film is an exact duplicate of that for his 1978 television series pilot depicting a quite different set of teen issues. In this story, Samson is a rootless, troubled young boy who has gotten put in a juvenile facility for committing a series of minor offenses. His mother is a drug addict who is senselessly promiscuous: his half-brothers and sisters come in all colors, and few if any know who their father is. It turns out that Samson is pretty bright, and he begins to take an interest in more than pranks when he meets up with a sympathetic teacher. One of his fellow prisoners is the brother of a crime lord, and after the two escape from the facility, they go to work for him. Soon enough, Samson is in even more trouble and his buddy is dead, but if he can evade the gang lord, he might still be able to pull his life together. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francine La Pensee, David Winston, (more)
- 1987
- R
In this actioner, a young soldier, an expert in survival and combat, must work with his original trainer after his lover and her father are abducted. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Norris, Deborah Goodrich, (more)
A young tomboy learns about love in this undistinguished story that focuses on the coyly named Tommy Boyd (Betsy Russell) who has a penchant for riding motorcycles, expertly tinkering with the mysterious inner workings of car engines and moving parts, and playing basketball. Her interest in men is nonexistent until she meets a handsome racecar driver (model Jerry Dinome) who manages to divert her attention a few degrees away from the underside of a car. After establishing their relationship, the couple have a serious argument that does not seem easy to settle. And so the two end up in a Daytona 500 race in which he drives his usual souped-up version of automotive splendor, and she counterattacks with a super-improved, four-wheeled wonder she put together before the race. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betsy Russell, Jerry Dinome, (more)
- 1981
- R
This standard formula slasher-thriller involves an equal-opportunity psycho busily pitchforking both male and female members of a high-school track team. The killer's motivation is supposedly linked to a similar murder which occurred 40 years ago at an ill-fated graduation dance. This tedious time-waster scores a few brownie points by way of creative casting (be sure to catch Vanna White as one of the toothsome victims), but that's about it. Slasher movie completists may note the plot's strong resemblance to that of The Prowler, a lesser-known but far more stylish film released the same year. Future scream-queen-in-training Linnea Quigley appears in a small doomed-teen role. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher George, Patch MacKenzie, (more)
- 1980
Middle-aged newlyweds Larry (John Saxon) and Barbara (Lynda Day George) spend their honeymoon at a palatial Caribbean mansion, unaware that it is inhabited by the vengeful spirit of a notorious voodoo witch queen who was murdered a century ago. The woman's evil spirit promptly begins precipitating a variety of violent deaths in accordance with a diabolical ritual intended to bring her back to life -- a process which is ultimately consummated by taking possession of George's body. Writer/director Herb Freed's good use of the tropical locations and a moody score by Pino Donaggio provide some interest, though the stilted dialogue and sluggish pacing defeat any real suspense. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Saxon, Lynda Day George, (more)
- 1977
- PG
Despite bearing the earmarks of a cheap slasher outing, this quirky little thriller emerges a surprisingly original murder mystery with some well-executed twists. May Britt (formerly Mrs. Sammy Davis Jr.) plays a seemingly innocent farm girl (with more than a few toys rolling loose in the attic) convinced that her slovenly uncle (played by a delightfully grumpy Cameron Mitchell) is the man responsible for the grisly scissor-murders of several local girls. The validity of her suspicion has little bearing on the story's outcome, however, as the plot takes a rather unexpected turn halfway through. This seedy but fun horror film is buoyed by Britt's enjoyably loony performance coupled with the cranky antics of Mitchell and the town's drunken sheriff, Aldo Ray. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Three American soldiers go AWOL while stationed in Sweden. Our heroes are played by Glynn E. Turman, Lenny Baker and Russ Thacker, at least two of whom were on the verge of bigger things acting-wise. While drinking in the Scandanavian sights, the threesome gets mixed up with beautiful actress Isabella Kaliff. AWOL was lensed on location by American director Herb Freed, whose first film this (apparently) was. Freed later turned his attentions to such shockfests as The Haunted and Beyond Evil. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
