While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
最喜欢第三个故事～废土造型～其实都不错，最后这个很棒，完成闭环～致命录像带系列真的爱！
故事不是很新颖，但胜在拍摄手法。有时间把其他几部也看了
6分。质量不行，几个小故事基本都是猎奇向而不是恐怖向，没什么看点。可能也就印尼疯狂医生那段还不错，各种人和机械的混合设计有点味道。
老鼠人和棺材人恐怖氛围还蛮到位💋
第一个故事有怪兽档案感觉。第二丧尸与第四个吸血鬼故事都毫无新意。第三个人机合一故事，血浆够足，够cult。贯穿整个故事的本身是个地下录像带故事。3.5/5
比小时候看的录像带更血腥！但创意上基本是暗网都市传说汇编
都市传说、密室恐怖故事、疯狂科学家、政治狂热份子，一个主线串起四个故事，分段式恐怖片和伪纪录片的结合，虽然很cult，但是这种恐怖故事合集俺还是很爱看的。
3>4>1>2。第三个故事和之前第二部的邪教一样相当出彩，第四个则相当搞笑了。相比前三部没有太大进步，总体来说还行。
开局两个故事，极度业余。
血腥 肢解 朋克 重口 吸血鬼。喔嚯，这脑洞怕是已经看不见地球了。
纯粹cult片……改造机器人那一段感觉自己在玩《生化危机8》，第一人称太像在玩游戏了… 纯粹血腥，剧情就别想了…
近期的“致命”系列有点多，从致命感应到致命催眠，还是录像带系列最为致命
守灵人那场戏我居然看笑了，机械恶魔的故事过于重口味了
不是伪纪录片就可以据此拍的如此混乱和没逻辑
期待看完后还是有些小失望，比第三部好，但远达不到第二部的巅峰。这部整体呈现出的是完全的90年代邪典地下电影的大杂烩，2＞1＞4＞3＝过场串联剧情，印尼提莫的单元一如既往地爽，虽然很嗨很过瘾但是总感觉有些违和94，最好的也还是第二个这个守灵单元，气氛营造的很可以，就是结局有点尴尬仓促，第一个都市传说下水道鼠人以及第四个宗教吸血鬼的单元拍的都很地下，画质很有年代感，还算可以，不过通病都是收尾过于潦草导致烂尾。不得不说论伪纪录片类型还是欧美人玩的好，几个导演都很有想法都是那种沉浸在自己的独有的氛围当中做着彼此之间都最喜欢做的事，这一点就还是值得鼓励，很希望这个系列继续做下去
依然是层次不一的几个故事，第三个故事怎么会那么cult，却又略带温情呢？
期待看完后还是有些小失望，比第三部好，但远达不到第二部的巅峰。这部整体呈现出的是完全的90年代邪典地下电影的大杂烩，2＞1＞4＞3＝过场串联剧情，印尼提莫的单元一如既往地爽，虽然很嗨很过瘾但是总感觉有些违和94，最好的也还是第二个这个守灵单元，气氛营造的很可以，就是结局有点尴尬仓促，第一个都市传说下水道鼠人以及第四个宗教吸血鬼的单元拍的都很地下，画质很有年代感，还算可以，不过通病都是收尾过于潦草导致烂尾。不得不说论伪纪录片类型还是欧美人玩的好，几个导演都很有想法都是那种沉浸在自己的独有的氛围当中做着彼此之间都最喜欢做的事，这一点就还是值得鼓励，很希望这个系列继续做下去
一部比一部拉，但仍旧是我的guilty pleasure.
放在20年前都评得上烂片，说明这个系列该终结了，过时的手法和故事，就让伪纪录片和录像带都留在过去吧...
The Empty Wake>The Subject>Storm Drain>Terror>Holy Hell
Copyright © 2015-2023 All Rights Reserved
