The Return (1980 film)
Encyclopedia
The Return is a 1980 American
science fiction
film directed by Greydon Clark
. It stars Jan-Michael Vincent
, Cybill Shepherd
, Martin Landau
, and Raymond Burr
. It met little commercial success and was released directly to television and video.
Twenty Five years later, the deputy marshal of the town (Vincent
)is investigating a strange case of cattle mutilations with few leads to follow so far. His efforts are soon hampered by a scientist from California (Shepard
). As the two conflict over the mutilations and their possible causes, they find themselves attracted to one another in an almost-familiar way, as if they share some unknown bond. As events unfold, they discover that they were the children shown at the beginning of the film and that the night depicted then changed their lives.
The boy stayed and became a deputy marshal while the girl went back to California, but she always felt a strange urge to return. Along with the blossoming romance between the two, the mutilation case comes to a head when the culprit appears to be a crazy old prospector hermit living alone on the outskirts of town (Schiavelli
). The plot thickens, however, when the hermit claims that not only were the children visited by aliens that fateful night twenty five years ago - but so was he.
To make matters worse, the mutilations have a purpose - he has been carving out parts of the cattle and teleporting them into space using a device secreted away in a cave behind his cabin. While confronting the man near the device, an otherwise fatal blow from the alien "knife" fails to kill or even harm her. After being saved by the deputy, it becomes apparent that it was all an experiment by the aliens who then leave with whatever results they garnered from the incident.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film directed by Greydon Clark
Greydon Clark
Greydon Clark is an American film writer, director, producer, and actor. His career spans several decades and genres, although the majority of his work has been low-budget productions in the action/horror genres...
. It stars Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent is an American actor best known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf .-Early life:...
, Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
, Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
, and Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
. It met little commercial success and was released directly to television and video.
Plot
While stopping at a gas station late one night in a small New Mexico town called Little Creek, a young girl gets out of the vehicle while her father goes inside. Exploring the empty main street of the town she meets a local boy, and both are soon mesmerized by a column of light from above. After a minute or two the light disappears and the young girl runs back to her father's car and they soon leave.Twenty Five years later, the deputy marshal of the town (Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent is an American actor best known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf .-Early life:...
)is investigating a strange case of cattle mutilations with few leads to follow so far. His efforts are soon hampered by a scientist from California (Shepard
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
). As the two conflict over the mutilations and their possible causes, they find themselves attracted to one another in an almost-familiar way, as if they share some unknown bond. As events unfold, they discover that they were the children shown at the beginning of the film and that the night depicted then changed their lives.
The boy stayed and became a deputy marshal while the girl went back to California, but she always felt a strange urge to return. Along with the blossoming romance between the two, the mutilation case comes to a head when the culprit appears to be a crazy old prospector hermit living alone on the outskirts of town (Schiavelli
Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Andrew Schiavelli was an American character actor noted for his work on stage, screen, and television often described as "the man with the sad eyes." He was notable for his numerous and often critically acclaimed cameo appearances.-Early life:Schiavelli was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a...
). The plot thickens, however, when the hermit claims that not only were the children visited by aliens that fateful night twenty five years ago - but so was he.
To make matters worse, the mutilations have a purpose - he has been carving out parts of the cattle and teleporting them into space using a device secreted away in a cave behind his cabin. While confronting the man near the device, an otherwise fatal blow from the alien "knife" fails to kill or even harm her. After being saved by the deputy, it becomes apparent that it was all an experiment by the aliens who then leave with whatever results they garnered from the incident.