David "Brent" (Bixby) finds himself working in the library of a small town college campus in the grip of fear after a number of young female students are murdered. Local police chief Frank Rhodes (McRaney) is at a loss until David is inadvertently implicated by a victim who survives a murder attempt thanks to the Hulk. The subsequent interrogation reveals the culprit and the Hulk eventually brings them to justice.
Atmospheric and at times palpably chilling, "Deathmask" is top shelf Incredible Hulk fare. Compelling stunt-work, some new and improved Hulk transformations, and a solid, suspenseful storyline are underlined by gripping performances by McRaney, Chapman (as a grieving father whose daughter was murdered) and Marth as the clichéd but well-played local mayor with political ambitions. McRaney's lengthy bi-play with Bixby in the interrogation room is great theatre.
The climax probably doesn't do the episode justice and it could have been done as a feature-length - it certainly had all the components of a quality made-for-TV movie, incorporating a wider range of photographic angles and effects usually reserved for film. Despite some missed opportunities, still among the best of breed in the Incredible Hulk series.
Atmospheric and at times palpably chilling, "Deathmask" is top shelf Incredible Hulk fare. Compelling stunt-work, some new and improved Hulk transformations, and a solid, suspenseful storyline are underlined by gripping performances by McRaney, Chapman (as a grieving father whose daughter was murdered) and Marth as the clichéd but well-played local mayor with political ambitions. McRaney's lengthy bi-play with Bixby in the interrogation room is great theatre.
The climax probably doesn't do the episode justice and it could have been done as a feature-length - it certainly had all the components of a quality made-for-TV movie, incorporating a wider range of photographic angles and effects usually reserved for film. Despite some missed opportunities, still among the best of breed in the Incredible Hulk series.