FINGERPRINTS

There are some immutable rules of the cosmos. Men will never understand women, dogs will always have nasty eating habits, the French will never beat the Germans on the battlefield, and Democrats will always raise your taxes. Slightly less known than the above is the following inexorable rule of life: Indiana Smith will NEVER rent two really great movies the same night.

But, every now and then, strange stuff happens. UFO's are sighted, Bigfoot comes lumbering out of the woods, Lester and I agree on something political, and children are born with extra appendages. And, I rent two outstanding movies the same night.

I was in a hurry - I had raw chicken, milk, and canned biscuits in the car (ckicken and dumplings on the menu for supper!). I quickly ran into the video store and grabbed THE BUCKET LIST because we'd been waiting to see it, then did a fast run down the wall and grabbed the first new horror title that caught my eye . . . a ghost story called FINGERPRINTS.

According to the legend, in the small town of Emerald, TX, in 1957, a school bus returning from a field trip ran into a railroad crossing because the light was malfunctioning and was hit by a train. The driver and all the children were killed. Now, they say, if you pull up to the railroad crossing and kill your engine, then put the car in neutral, the ghosts of the dead children will push your car to safety . . . and you can see their little fingerprints on the bumper of your car.

Melody is a troubled teen who just got out of rehab after she and her boyfriend OD'd on heroin. He died, she lived, but is carrying some serious baggage. Her sister is a party animal, her Mom a class -A witch who thinks Melody is using again, and her Dad means well, but the man is a wuss. The high school counselor, played by Lou Diamond Phillips, tells Melody to trust him . . . but doesn't act very trustworthy. Once Melody arrives in town, she starts seeing little children in 1950's garb near the railroad crossing . . . and kids start disappearing again. And who is that mysterious figure dressed as a train conductor, hanging around the condemned old depot?

This movie actually made me jump in a couple of places. It has some seriously creepy moments, and the plot does keep you guessing. It is definitely worth the rental.