Intensity (TV movie)
Encyclopedia
Intensity is a 1997 made for TV mini-series based on the novel
by Dean Koontz
, starring John C. McGinley
, Molly Parker
, Piper Laurie
and Tori Paul. It originally aired in the United States
on the Fox Network
.
named Edgler Vess (John C. McGinley), whom she witnesses murdering Laura's family. Chyna survives the attack by hiding in the killer's vehicle. When Edgler stops at a gas station, Chyna escapes and asks the two attendants to call the police. Before she has time to explain though, Edgler returns and murders the two workers. Chyna then learns that he is holding a 14 year old girl named Ariel hostage in his basement. She becomes determined to save Ariel and follows Edgler back to his home. On the road she runs into an older woman (Piper Laurie) and asks her to call the police. The woman does not realize that Chyna is serious about the murders until she sees the two dead bodies back at the gas station. Unfortunately, she is hysterical on the phone with the police, telling them that they 'need to save Chyna and Ariel,' which the police interpret as a crazy lady talking about the country China. Upon trying to fall back to sleep, the policeman remembers the name Ariel as a missing person's case and starts investigating.
Meanwhile, the car Chyna is driving runs out of gas so she leaves it in the middle of his road, forcing him to stop and push it out of the way. While he does so, Chyna runs back into his trailer and hides, unknowingly leaving foot prints. Edgler decides to have some fun and pretend he does not know she is there.
While at the home, Chyna witnesses Vess torture his victim and has memories of her disturbed mother and horrible childhood. The film ends when Chyna locks Vess in a room and sets that room on fire, watching him get burned alive. Chyna then adopts Ariel.
Intensity (novel)
-Plot summary:Chyna Shepard is a college student visiting the family of her friend, Laura Templeton, for a long weekend. Chyna, who was abused and neglected by her mother as a child, finds the Templeton house provides something she has yearned: acceptance...
by Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz
Dean Ray Koontz is a prolific American author best known for his novels which could be described broadly as suspense thrillers. He also frequently incorporates elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. A number of his books have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with...
, starring John C. McGinley
John C. McGinley
John Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
, Molly Parker
Molly Parker
Molly Parker is a Canadian actress, notable for her roles in Canadian and American independent films and the HBO television series Deadwood.Parker won a Genie Award in 1997 as Best Actress in a Leading Role for Kissed...
, Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie is an American actress of stage and screen known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks and the films The Hustler, Carrie, and Children of a Lesser God, all of which brought her Academy Award nominations...
and Tori Paul. It originally aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on the Fox Network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
Plot
Intensity is about a 26-year-old woman named Chyna Shepherd, who had a very troubled upbringing. Chyna is reluctant but agrees to accompany her friend Laura Templeton to her house for Thanksgiving dinner. Just when things seemed to be going better for Chyna, she has a run-in with a serial killerSerial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
named Edgler Vess (John C. McGinley), whom she witnesses murdering Laura's family. Chyna survives the attack by hiding in the killer's vehicle. When Edgler stops at a gas station, Chyna escapes and asks the two attendants to call the police. Before she has time to explain though, Edgler returns and murders the two workers. Chyna then learns that he is holding a 14 year old girl named Ariel hostage in his basement. She becomes determined to save Ariel and follows Edgler back to his home. On the road she runs into an older woman (Piper Laurie) and asks her to call the police. The woman does not realize that Chyna is serious about the murders until she sees the two dead bodies back at the gas station. Unfortunately, she is hysterical on the phone with the police, telling them that they 'need to save Chyna and Ariel,' which the police interpret as a crazy lady talking about the country China. Upon trying to fall back to sleep, the policeman remembers the name Ariel as a missing person's case and starts investigating.
Meanwhile, the car Chyna is driving runs out of gas so she leaves it in the middle of his road, forcing him to stop and push it out of the way. While he does so, Chyna runs back into his trailer and hides, unknowingly leaving foot prints. Edgler decides to have some fun and pretend he does not know she is there.
While at the home, Chyna witnesses Vess torture his victim and has memories of her disturbed mother and horrible childhood. The film ends when Chyna locks Vess in a room and sets that room on fire, watching him get burned alive. Chyna then adopts Ariel.