A chairman over a cemetery, Robert Kraft(Richard Boone)is overcome with fear and paranoia when odd occurrences that seem to supernaturally happen from changing a white pin to a black pin on a board map of the grounds displaying all the lots occupied and unoccupied by their owners. The white pin represents those still alive;the black pin represents those that are dead. Those around Robert believe the mysterious deaths are merely coincidences..nothing more or less. Yet, when challenged to continue enacting his routine, this time forced by his superiors to switch pins for their names, more deaths occur. Is he actually given the ability to control life or death? Will the knowledge of being responsible, despite his innocence, of perhaps causing the deaths of several people break him emotionally? The ending has Robert trying to right his wrongs by "reversing the curse".
Neat little programmer plays like a low-budget psychological thriller thanks to it's unique, original premise. The ending, while quite interesting, is a bit messy and flawed, for most of the way it works surprisingly well thanks to Richard Boone who is quite effective as Kraft, burdened by his "gift" and slowly succumbing to a mental breakdown. Theodore Bikel portrays Andy McKee, caretaker of the cemetery who is told that, after 40 years of service, he'll be retired despite his unwillingness to do so.
Neat little programmer plays like a low-budget psychological thriller thanks to it's unique, original premise. The ending, while quite interesting, is a bit messy and flawed, for most of the way it works surprisingly well thanks to Richard Boone who is quite effective as Kraft, burdened by his "gift" and slowly succumbing to a mental breakdown. Theodore Bikel portrays Andy McKee, caretaker of the cemetery who is told that, after 40 years of service, he'll be retired despite his unwillingness to do so.