Death Valley is a horror film starring Catherine Hicks

Catherine Hicks

Catherine Mary Hicks is an American stage, film, television actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Annie Camden on the long-running television series 7th Heaven and as Karen Barclay in Child's Play.-Personal life:...

, Edward Herrmann

Edward Herrmann

Edward Kirk Herrmann is a U.S. television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D...

, Peter Billingsley

Peter Billingsley

Peter Billingsley , also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor, director, and producer best known for his role as Ralphie in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. He began his career as an infant, in television commercials.-Early life, family and...

, Stephen McHattie

Stephen McHattie

Stephen McHattie is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:McHattie was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia....

, Paul Le Mat

Paul Le Mat

Paul Le Mat is an American actor who first came to prominence in the 1973 film American Graffiti, which won him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor.-Life:...

, Mary Steelsmith and Earl W. Smith.
It was directed by Dick Richards

Dick Richards

Dick Richards is an American film director, producer and writer.After working as a photographer, Richards went on to direct commercials. His career in film began by writing and directing a western, The Culpepper Cattle Co. , and continued with such films as Farewell, My Lovely , March or Die , and...

 and written by Richard Rothstein.
It centered on a divorcee and her child being stalked by a serial killer after the boy picks up an object that can help tie the killer to his crimes. The chilling pre-James Horner

James Horner

James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...

 orchestral score is by television composer Dana Kaproff.

Plot

Divorcee Paul Stanton has talked his son Billy into being sent off on holiday (of sorts) to California to join his Mother, Sally and her old high school sweetheart (and current new boyfriend) Mike who are going into Arizona. Deciding on checking out Death Valley, they've yet to find out that it is currently the new stamping grounds of cowboy serial killer (wearing a stetson and a neckerchief to hide his identity) and his equally demented twin (who both have a tendency to tap-dance and belt out good old country ditties). Both have just done away with a teenage couple residing at an abandoned gold mine (with the aid of the couple's own chopping knife). Billy, stretching his legs, stumbles across their camper filled with death, missing the carnage he comes across a frog pendant lying on a shag pile. His moment of kleptomania

Kleptomania

Kleptomania is an irresistible urge to steal items of trivial value. People with this disorder are compelled to steal things, generally, but not limited to, objects of little or no significant value, such as pens, paper clips, paper and tape...

 somewhat seals his fate as its owner returns to find his trinket gone and so he takes off after Billy and his family, who wind up seemingly in the safe vicinity of a nearby Wild West novelty town. But for how long?

Cast

Actor / Actress	Character
Catherine Hicks Catherine Hicks Catherine Mary Hicks is an American stage, film, television actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Annie Camden on the long-running television series 7th Heaven and as Karen Barclay in Child's Play.-Personal life:...	Sally
Edward Herrmann Edward Herrmann Edward Kirk Herrmann is a U.S. television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D...	Paul Stanton
Peter Billingsley Peter Billingsley Peter Billingsley , also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor, director, and producer best known for his role as Ralphie in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. He began his career as an infant, in television commercials.-Early life, family and...	Billy
Stephen McHattie Stephen McHattie Stephen McHattie is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:McHattie was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia....	Hal
Paul Le Mat Paul Le Mat Paul Le Mat is an American actor who first came to prominence in the 1973 film American Graffiti, which won him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor.-Life:...	Mike
Jack O'Leary	Earl
Wilford Brimley Wilford Brimley Allen Wilford Brimley is an American actor. He has appeared in such films as The China Syndrome, Cocoon, The Thing and The Firm. He had a recurring role on the 1970s television series The Waltons...  (as A. Wilford Brimley)	The Sheriff
Mary Steelsmith	The Babysitter
Earl W. Smith	Crony
Roy Gunsberg (as Roy S. Gunsberg)	Tour Guide
Glenn McCreedy	Stu