michael kallio gives strong convincing performance eric seaver troubled young man horribly mistreated little boy monstrous abusive alcoholic stepfather barry a genuinely frightening portrayal gunnar hansen eric compassionate fianc sweetly played lovely tracee newberry job transcribing autopsy reports local morgue haunted bleak past egged bald beaming jack demon a truly creepy michael robert brandon sent edge recent death mother eric goes deep end embarks brutal killing spree capably directed kallio who also wrote tight astute script uniformly fine acting sound noname cast jeff steiger especially good erics wannabe helpful guardian angel michael rather rough overall polished cinematography george lieber believable truetolife characters jolting outbursts raw shocking unflinchingly ferocious violence moody spooky score dan kolton uncompromisingly downbeat ending grungy detroit michigan locations grimly serious tone taut gripping narrative stays steady track throughout extremely potent gritty psychological horror thriller makes often absorbing disturbing viewing real sleeper