The Victim (1972)

A San Francisco heiress (Elizabeth Montgomery) travels to her sister's (Jess Walton) remote home only to find her missing. As a fierce storm rages outside, she fears that something terrible has happened to her sister ..... and she's right to worry! Based on a short story by McNight Malmar and directed by Herschel Daugherty (THE LIGHT IN THE FOREST). While not particularly original, this is a well done telefilm. Helpless damsels all alone in a big house on a dark and stormy night with phone lines being cut and the lights going out have been a staple of the movies since the silent era. While rich in atmosphere and tension, the identity of the murderer is easy to guess. Outside of some very minor characters and the sister, there are only four other characters in the movie so the suspense isn't of the whodunit variety but rather will the heroine figure it out and survive. Not essential but if this is your kind of thing, you should be pleased as it's well done. With George Maharis, Eileen Heckart, Sue Ane Langdon and Richard Derr.