Apprentice to Murder (1988)

**_Caught between a charismatic healer and a beautiful girl in late 1920s’ Pennsylvania_**

Shot in September-November, 1986, this is a psychological drama and supernatural thriller based on a true story that took place in the Pennsylvania Dutch community southeast of York in late November, 1928. The case involved the practice of Braucherei or powwow, which was their brand of folk medicine. The book “The Long Lost Friend” was their manual, written by powwower Johann Georg Hohman (published in 1820).

Donald Sutherland is effective as the fascinating healer with a Christian garnishment while Chad Lowe works well as the naïve protagonist in a John Boy Walton kind of way. Meanwhile Mia Sara is stunning, fresh off her success with “Ferris Bueller's Day Off.”

The tone is lyrical with slight supernatural bits curiously thrown into the mix. It’s an oddity that makes comparisons difficult, but there are fragments reminiscent of films like “Rachel, Rachel,” “The Exorcist,” “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “The Seventh Sign,” “The Apostle” and “The Skeleton Key.” This ranks with the least of ’em due to the ambiguity of the proceedings, but there’s enough good here for those interested.

Speaking of the supernatural bits, are they for real or is it a depiction of events through a schizophrenic lens? The movie leaves it up to the viewer to decide.

I should add that Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs are included in the story, but they’re oddly called “hexagrams” for some unknown reason.

It runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in Nygardsparken in Bergen, southwest Norway, as well as Osteroy, just north of there. The actual house in the story stands to this day in southeast Pennsylvania and is, more specifically, located at Rehmeyer's Hollow, which is located 14 miles southeast of York, just a couple miles east of I-83.

GRADE: B-/B