GHOST IN THE MACHINE

After a spectacular accident in a hospital, serial killer Karl Hochman (Ted Marcoux) acquires almost endless power. Under a scanner, his deranged mind is transformed into a computer virus. He ends up in the central computer, which is connected to the largest data network in the United States. Anything electronic—from ordinary household appliances to complex computer networks—can be used as an instrument of murder. Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) was already high on Hochman’s list when he was still “in the flesh”, and now enjoys the dubious honour of becoming the electronic serial killer’s first unwilling target. Bram Walker (Chris Mulkey), a computer expert with the FBI, helps her in the fight against the digital menace. They are faced with the impossible task of finding the maniac, and above all, devising a way to eliminate him.

You’ll never trust your toaster like you used to after seeing Ghost in the Machine, a techno-thriller from Rachel Talalay (Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare). Talalay was previously the producer of two frenzied comedies by John Waters, Hairspray and Cry Baby. Here, she skilfully plays on our fears and dependencies in the computer age. Computers and vulgar objects begin to emanate the same menace as the birds in Hitchcock’s The Birds. The screenplay is by the duo William Davies & William Osborne, who have already made Twins, Stop, or my Mom will shoot and Earthquake. Karen Allen (Starman, Malcolm X, King of the Hill) sees her kitchen turn into a deadly trap. Chris Mulkey (Twin Peaks, The Hidden, Dreamscape) must live up to his reputation as a computer wiz. And Ted Marcoux (L.A. Law) makes his film debut as the bad guy Karl Hochman. The special effects are by Video Image (Batman Returns, Alien III).