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Wes Craven Presents: Dont Look Down

Wes Craven brings his intense brand of human misery to TV with this, the first entry in what ABC promises will be an annual Craven film event each Halloween. While "Don't Look Down" has some genuinely nail-biting moments involving people and cliffs, it's hardly the kind of creepy stuff that we've come to expect from the horrormeister.

Wes Craven, the master of films that depict teenage death and dismemberment, brings his intense brand of human misery to TV with this, the first entry in what ABC promises will be an annual Craven film event each Halloween. While “Don’t Look Down” has some genuinely nail-biting moments involving people and cliffs, it’s hardly the kind of creepy stuff that we’ve come to expect from the horrormeister. More unsettling than frightening, it tips its hand far too early.

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This is one whodunnit that is unfortunately more of a “hedunnit.” Whoops, now you know the chief perpetrator’s gender. Not that anyone will see that as much of a giveaway. I am famously bad at figuring these things out, yet it’s clear very early on in Gregory Goddell’s script where all fingers should be pointing. And that kinda ruins things. It’s the kind of early disclosure that keeps you on the edge of your … off-button.

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Craven does not direct “Don’t Look Down”; Larry Shaw has those honors. Rather, Craven lends his name as one of an executive producing quartet for the telepic that stars Megan Ward as Carla Engel, a woman haunted by nightmares and hallucinations after her vivacious young sister Rachel (Tara Spencer-Nairn) falls from a mountain cliff to her death. It looks like an accident, except Shaw keeps directing the camera to show a screw coming loose from a board that leads to the tragedy.

Accident? We think not.

Carla, who lost her grip on Rachel’s hand to send her sister plummeting, begins freaking out immediately. She develops acrophobia (fear of heights). She starts to see her dead sister everywhere, from elevators to parking lots. Rachel’s sing-song voice rings in Carla’s ears. The panic attacks are constant. It’s such a vivid delusion that Carla should qualify for carpool-lane privileges while driving, if only imaginary passengers could count.

Pretty soon, Carla is hooked up with a shrink (nice work from Terry Kinney of “Oz”) who is doing research with fellow acrophobics. They travel up to skyscraper roofs to meet their fear head-on. All it gets Carla is more intense hallucinations. Then the members of her fear-of-falling club start leaping from buildings to their deaths. This lady just can’t catch a break.

While this is all going on, Carla’s hunky hubby Mark (Billy Burke) is knocking himself out being the understanding soul mate. But something kinda tells you he’s not sincere. Hmm … You don’t suppose … Oh, never mind.

“Don’t Look Down” is one of those psycho-thrillers where you hear an insistent heartbeat during the white-knuckle parts, as if to say to slower viewers, “Hey, this is a scary part!” But there are some genuinely unsettling moments and some clever askew camera work from David Geddes and his team to illustrate our protagonist’s frequent illusions.

Ward, too, is quite effective in conveying Carla’s descent into temporary madness.

Tech credits are swell.

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Wes Craven Presents: Don’t Look Down

ABC; Thurs. Oct. 29, 9 p.m.

  • Production: Filmed in Vancouver, B.C., by Craven/Maddalena Films and Zerneck/Sertner Films. Executive producers, Wes Craven, Marianne Maddalena, Robert M. Sertner, Frank von Zerneck; producers, Randy Sutter, Richard Fischoff; co-producers, Ron McGee, Erik Storey, Ted Babcock; director, Larry Shaw; writer, Gregory Goddell
  • Crew: Production designer, David Fischer; camera, David Geddes; editor, Michael Ornstein; music, Terri Fricon; casting, Susan Glicksman, Fern Orenstein, Sid Kozak. 2 HOURS.
  • Cast: Carla Engel - Megan Ward Mark Engel - Billy Burke Dr. Paul Sadowski - Terry Kinney Jocelyn - Angela Moore Ben - William McDonald Hallie - Kate Robbins Zak - Aaron Smolinski Rachel - Tara Spencer-Nairn Detective Yerxa - Bob Morrissey Young RachelBritt McKillip Young Carla - Carly McKillip With: John Treleaven, Marla Herrera, John Innes, Benz Antoine, Brent Sheppard, Dean Wray, Harris Allan, Lisa Caruk, Klodyne Rodney.

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