A disheveled looking David Norliss calls his publisher and tells him he will not be able to write the book he’s been given a sizable advance on. His idea was to write something debunking the supernatural but now he’s too terrified to get anything down on paper. He asks his publisher to meet with him but no-shows the lunch. Concerned after his writer drops out of contact with him and the rest of the world, Sanford (Mr. Publisher) stops by the Norliss house to check up on the man. He doesn’t find him but he finds a collection of numbered tapes. Looking for some clue as to the whereabouts of Norliss, he pops the first tape in and listens to the story which got the skeptic entangled in the world of the supernatural. After successfully disproving the work of a couple paranormal charlatans, Norliss investigates a case where a widow is claiming her recently deceased husband has been coming around and continuing his sculpting. As spooky as supernatural artistry may be, things get a bit grimmer when folks start getting themselves murdered by the rotting sculptor. Norliss and the widow work together to unravel the mystery; there’s an Egyptian ring (naturally buried on the husband) and the sculpting of a demonic figure involved. You’ll get plenty of Kolchak déjà vu but that’s technically not a bad thing. Roy Thinnes is likable enough as the hero thrown into the shadowy deep-end of a world he is not prepared to acknowledge and Claude Akins pops in as his usual crotchety lawman attempting to coverup the more awful aspects of the murders plaguing his jurisdiction. Another pilot that never got picked up, which is a shame because it’s a fine time involving some supernatural hijinks.
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