Praying Mantis

• Director: James Keach
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Crime
• Movie Type: Psychological Thriller
• Themes: Serial Killers
• Main Cast: Jane Seymour, Barry Bostwick, Frances Fisher, Chad Allen, Colby Chester
• Release Year: 1993
• Country: US
• Run Time: 90 minutes

Plot

Jane Seymour stars as a female serial killer in this made-for-cable thriller. Seymour stars as the unbalanced Linda Crandall, a woman who marries men only to kill them. She weds and kills five men before targeting widower Don Mc Andrews (Barry Bostwick). Her plans for a sixth murder are put into jeopardy when her soon-to-be sister-in-law becomes suspicious. Actor James Keach directed the film. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Review

This otherwise serviceable TV thriller suffers from an insurmountable problem endemic to the genre: The script is told from the point-of-view of the titular murderess, leaving little mystery save for who will find her out, and how. Perhaps the police procedural format is so popular for the simple reason that serial killers aren't that interesting when they're unmasked in the first reel. Nonetheless, Praying Mantis goes down easily enough thanks to the slick professionalism of TV mainstays Jane Seymour and Barry Bostwick -- and aging Aryan moppet Chad Allen, Seymour's Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman co-star. The lone truly interesting performance comes from Frances Fisher, who tries to invest her character with more grit and intensity than the rote material really allows. As for director James Keach (a.k.a. Mr. Jane Seymour), well, he sticks to genre conventions, for better or for worse. For a smarter, more ambiguous, and altogether scarier variation on the same theme, seek out Bob Rafelson's theatrical feature Black Widow. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Jane Seymour
• Barry Bostwick
• Frances Fisher
• Chad Allen
• Colby Chester

Michael MacRae

Credit

James Keach - Director

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The Fourth Man; Basic Instinct; Black Widow; Fatal Attraction; Matador; Jade; Tempted