FALL INTO DARKNESS/ CHRISTOPHER PIKE'S FALL INTO DARKNESS

US, 1996, 95 minutes, Colour.
Jonathan Brandeis, Tatyana M. Ali.
Directed by Mark Sobel.

Fall Into Darkness is based on a novel by producer Christopher Pike. It is a teen story, of talent, of jealousy, of madness. It is all highly contrived - but is a young version of the airport novel with its melodramatic characters and stories.

1. Entertaining melodrama? Youth film? Without the focus on the usual teenage high jinks, rather concentrating on serious characters?

2. The title and its focus on Anne and the other characters, climbing and falling?

3. Washington State, the town, school, the woods and the countryside? Musical score?

4. The prologue, Anne falling, Sharon and her relationship with Anne and letting her drop? The incident on the bridge, Anne standing and doing the bungee jump? Sharon stopping the car, concerned? The friends egging Anne on?

5. Sharon, at home, her mother, her piano skills, practice, the performance for the class, Gerald's response, inviting her to the party, Anne and her jealousy, the party, Gerry being attracted, Sharon not being able to follow up, especially after the trip to the woods?

6. Gerry and Anne, intense relationship, wealth? Chad and Paul being invited to stay and work for them? Paul falling in love, his relationship with Anne, her leaving everything to him in her will? Chad and his being awkward, jealousy?

7. Gerry's suicide, Anne's being distraught, the funeral, denying to Sharon that she was to blame, yet all the time blaming her, consumed with revenge, the plan with Paul?

8. The group going into the woods, Anne turning on Sharon, deriding her lack of talent? Sharon upset, going into the woods, Anne following allegedly to apologise, falling over the cliff? Sharon distraught? The others going down to search for Anne? The scenes - and later clues for what really happened?

9. Sharon's arrest, the interrogation, the testimony of the young men? The later changing, the issue of the car, Paul being arrested? His confessing to the plan?

10. Sharon released, her feeling that Anne was still alive, stalking her? Going to the house, meeting Chad, his explanations?

11. Chad and his visit to Paul, the issue of the knife? The audience seeing that he had the knife, suspicions? Sharon and Chad going into the woods, the search for the knife, into the cave, the ring, discovering Anne's body? Sharon realising the truth, the flashbacks, the realisation of Chad's guilt, his pursuit, her ruse of going over the cliff, his fall, her being rescued?

12. Her getting the letter of acceptance to Julliard? Paul and his inheriting Anne's money? The dream in the plane - was Sharon actually capable of punishing Paul in real life?

13. The characters, motivations, love and revenge, jealousy, talent? An entertaining combination?