Scott LeBrun Not bad techno-thriller is reasonably slick and well paced, and delivers some okay thrills for not particularly demanding viewers. Granted, it requires one to completely suspend their disbelief, but that hardly makes it unique for this kind of thing. If you can buy into it for entertainments' sake, you may find it to your liking.The story deals with a sick, sadistic psycho killer who robs address books from people and then murders everybody in the books. (One would think this would keep him pretty damn busy.) His name is Karl Hochman (Ted Marcoux), and he works as a technician at a computer store. While on his way to murder his latest victim, single mom Terry Munroe (Karen Allen, appealing as always) he gets impatient and gets into a horrible car accident. While his body is being scanned at a hospital, his "imprint" or "soul" or whatever is sucked into a computer mainframe thanks to a power surge. In this form he can then continue to stalk Terry, ruining her credit and depleting her bank account, while going about slaughtering those in *her* address book. His ingenious methods have him utilizing various electrical devices. Two delicious set pieces involve a hot air blower in a washroom and a microwave oven. You have to see these to believe them. Director Rachel Talalay rebounds somewhat from her fumbled, lame debut of "Freddy's Dead" in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise by keeping this moving well enough no matter how much the script, by William Osborne and William Davies, may have us shaking our heads. Allen is great, although her characters' cluelessness may frustrate some in the audience. The film also gives a nice co-starring role to veteran supporting and character actor Chris Mulkey, as the outlaw hacker turned respectable employee who becomes the hero of the piece. Marcoux is a hoot as the very unsubtle villain (he actually *sniffs* Terry's address book, for Gods' sake!). Wil Horneff is decent as Terry's rebellious son, and Jessica Walter ("Play Misty for Me", 'Arrested Development') is on hand as Terry's mom. The supporting players include such familiar faces as Brandon Quintin Adams (the lead of another horror film, Wes Cravens' "The People Under the Stairs"), Rick Ducommun, Nancy Fish, Carl Gabriel Yorke, Chris Ellis, and 'The West Wing' cast member Richard Schiff in a bit; Schiffs' brother Paul was the films' producer. Super sexy Shevonne Durkin provides appreciable eye candy as the babysitter. The various computer generated special effects are well done, and overall this is diverting stuff for anybody ready to turn off their brains for an hour and a half. One thing you have to enjoy is the image of the killers' creative way of staging a family night at home.Seven out of 10.

chrismulkeyisgod I may be a little biased for certain obvious reasons, but I loved this movie. I normally don't enjoy movies that have ideas of technology in them, especially if the technology is acting up in a manner that makes me feel threatened (and believe me, I felt threatened on a total of seven different occasions). I made an exception to this film because I trust Chris Mulkey's peculiar choice in his rolls (very complicated in many respects). The theme of this movie is serial killers and technology; what would happen to us if a serial killer were able to use technology to serially kill. It's a poignant idea, though not really one that I would normally volunteer myself to confront, and even though ***SPOILER ALERT*** the killer was eventually foiled, ***END SPOILER ALERT*** I worry that maybe actual serial killers may use this film to find out about technology, and try to use technology to commit their crime. I can only assume that serial killers do not currently use the internet, so I feel safe right now (for the most part,) but no one can say what the future holds for us. I hope this film is not in our future (though I fear that it may be, especially when I see the news that's going on in the world). I can guarantee that I will no longer allow my children to visit any arcade alone, or buy software for our computer, alone. But even with these preventive measures, I cannot feel safe, now. This film really drives home just how dependent on electricity, and technology we really are (--we are very dependent!!). Bravo to Chris Mulkey et. all for taking on such a brave subject matter. It is about time that someone questioned all of this change that's going on around us. One only has to look at the news going on in the world to see. I suggest you watch this film with your children so that can be more wary too about the safe use of technology.

BroadswordCallinDannyBoy This is one of those movies that had bad timing when it came to its release. It was release before the internet and instant information explosion. And when computer effects were still too undeveloped to be used extensively throughout a film and not look crappy at the same time. In fact, if this was an X-Files episode it would have been enjoyable, but that's not good news for a feature film. Come to think of it, if I recall correctly, there was an X-Files episode with a similar premise. Next the computer effects were better and more imaginative in the film Tron, which came out 11 years before this and that's really bad news for a special effects based film.However, with hindsight, this can prove to be a mildly enjoyable horror experience. Now that the internet is literally everywhere and so many things are computerized the idea of a malignant force (here in the form of the soul of a serial killer) traveling within that space can be chilling. However, even with this hindsight you'll only be able to appreciate the idea behind and will be annoyed with all the lost potential. Though, with this very hindsight it is understandable that "high tech" ideas weren't as developed in 1993 as they are now, but the fact that the film amounts to what is basically just another slasher flick (albeit with the new high tech killer) is bound to disappoint as many people as it pleases. The film had a new idea for its time, but it kept in on the old slasher stomping ground; people being chased down hallways, stalked at home, lights going off unexpectedly... it's all been done before by every knife wielding maniac to splatter the screen with gore. However, there are a few entertaining death scenes, almost darkly comic, that make the film watchable, for genre fans, anyway. --- 5/10Rated R for violence. Ages 13+

lost-in-limbo Karl works as a computer technician at a retail store, but when his not fiddling around with electrical devices. His known as the "Address Book Killer". Terry and her son Josh enter the store to purchase some software and while using her address book for a particular exercise on the computer she leaves it accidentally behind. On his way to her house, he gets into a car crash and is sent to hospital for a cat scan. The electrical storm hits the hospital, and causes his soul to enter the computer networks and cyberspace, where he continues his killing spree of those names in Terry's address book with use of electrical appliances.They don't come across any dumber and juvenile than this, but Rachael Talalay's formulaic paranoid high-tech horror film "Ghost in the Machine" is amusingly watchable when its being unpleasant or either focusing on flashy computer-generated visual effects that have extremely dated by now. The film "The Lawnmower Man " did a better job with the effects a year earlier, but the computer animation here is fun enough. When its not doing this, it becomes nothing but tediously clichéd with pockets of dead air filled by obliviously lightweight characters and witless remarks. The implausible premise is structured in a pedestrian manner and is rather paper thin in it social mentality and wishy washy intentions. The script is even more absurd and banally underwritten. How they come to the connection of the murders and the way to stop it is pretty much eye rolling stuff. Embarrassingly everyone on board are playing it with a straight face, despite how ludicrous and contrived it just happens to be. The creatively elaborate thrills and jolts are actually well organised and can rally up some tension, but seem to fall more so on the funny side. Phil Meheux's fluidly leeway photography handily frames each scene, but the music score is as generic as it comes. Performances are somewhat uninspired, but Chris Mulkey and Karen Allen are likable enough to keep you watching. Wil Horneff is increasingly aggravating as the brat kid Josh. Ted Marcoux as Karl chews it up every chance he gets and Shevonne Durkin makes for some nice eye candy.A pretty straight-forward concept, which doesn't going anywhere exciting with it, despite the many possibilities. It's quite a forgettable and apathy foray.