Spectre (1977 film)
| Spectre | |
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Title card
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| Directed by | Clive Donner |
| Produced by | Gene Roddenberry |
| Written by |
Samuel A. Peeples Gene Roddenberry |
| Starring |
Robert Culp Gig Young John Hurt |
| Music by | John Cameron |
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Release date
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Running time
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98 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Spectre is a 1977 television film produced by Gene Roddenberry. It was co-written by Roddenberry and Samuel A. Peeples, and directed by Clive Donner.
William Sebastian (Robert Culp) is a former criminologist who now studies the occult to explain the problem of human evil. He has been cursed on one of his adventures by the demon Asmodeus, leaving him in constant need of medical attention. He summons an old colleague, Dr. "Ham" Hamilton (Gig Young) to his home to help him with a case involving the Cyon family. Dr. Hamilton does not believe in the occult and thinks that Sebastian and his housekeeper Lilith (Majel Barrett) are playing tricks on him when he witnesses unusual events.
As the pair are getting reacquainted, a woman claiming to be Anitra Cyon (Ann Bell) unexpectedly visits and tells Sebastian that his services are no longer required. Sebastian recognizes that this person is not Anitra Cyon, but rather a succubus sent to stop Sebastian from investigating the family. He defeats her using the Apocryphal Book of Tobit. He and Ham depart to the airport where they are flown by Mitri Cyon (John Hurt) to London. While over the Atlantic the engines of the plane fail, something that Sebastian claims is the result of supernatural intervention.
Thanks to Mitri's expertise, they land safely in England. Sebastian asks the Cyon chauffeur to stop off at the home of Dr. Qualus, a long-time associate who has been researching the Cyon family. Qualus' house is on fire. Ham and Sebastian find Qualus' body lying partially inside a pentagram, the body fatally mauled. The police arrive, and Inspector Cabell (an old acquaintance from their criminology days) escorts them to Cyon Manor. When they reach the Manor, they are greeted first by Sir Geoffrey Cyon (James Villiers), Anitra and Mitri's older brother and head of the family. He is aware that Sebastian and Ham are there to investigate him, and he intends to defy their efforts. The real Anitra (also played by Ann Bell) reiterates her reason for consulting Sebastian: due to an unknown influence, Geoffrey's behaviour has changed dramatically and he has turned Cyon Manor into a den of . Geoffrey dismisses her concerns. The following day Mitri is attacked by dogs, leaving him in critical condition. Sebastian and Ham suspect Geoffrey is behind the attack. That night, the duo investigate the grounds of the Manor and discover ruins which lead to a hidden underground temple devoted to Asmodeus. They suspect that the real Geoffrey is dead and that Asmodeus has assumed his form.
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