This film was directed by Al Adamson--who was probably one of the most incompetent writer/director/producers of all-time. His ability(?) is ranked right up there with the worst of them--Ed Wood, Ted Mikels, Arch Hall, Sr. and the like. These men made careers out of making super-low budget films--the sorts with budgets that were scarcely more than the cost of film developing. So, considering that my expectations were so incredibly low for this, yet another Adamson masterpiece, were tremendously low in the first place--so the film could only be better than I'd assumed, not worse!! Surprisingly, it turned out to be almost adequate--and a film that didn't 100% suck! Sure, it was dull, the script was clichéd and the characters poorly developed--but that is STILL an improvement over such horrid Adamson films as Dracula VS. FRANKENSTEIN and BRAIN OF BLOOD! Surprisingly, LOST!--unlike most of his other movies, he did not write or produce this film. And, surprisingly, the direction wasn't that bad.
The film begins with a newly blended family moving to the American West--a far cry from the city where they had lived. The new Dad seems like a nice guy but his step-daughter is having problems adjusting to her mother's marriage. This is totally understandable, but oddly the characters keep wondering why the child isn't instantly bonding with New Dad--a serious weakness in the script because any non-brain injured person would understand this situation. Unfortunately, none of the family is particularly memorable, however, and they're all rather bland folks living in a very bland land. Later in the film, the girl wanders off and gets lost. Her wondering about in the hills and her family looking for her constitutes most of the film. And, unfortunately, this makes for a rather dull plot. But at least it isn't bad--just not all that exciting.
