|
WHITE LIGHT FEVER
Harlan Hawkes (William Hickey) is an eccentric billionaire who has managed to stay alive for more than one hundred years. For eight years he has financially supported a research project headed up by his personal physician Dr. "MAC" McEnerney (Bruce Davidson). Hawkes has a personal interest in the research project, because the artificial heart device, called the exo-cardial frame, is being developed to keep him alive indefinitely. Even though Hawkes is a fearless businessman, he is extremely afraid of dying. And when his heart fails again, he takes another familiar trip down the white light tunnel towards a cold afterlife -- but this time it's different.
When Mac arrives just in time to resuscitate his patient, a blue electric entity mysteriously takes form outside Hawkes' body and moves into the electrical equipment in his room. The entity begins wreaking havoc on the medical center's electrical system causing equipment to fail and lights to flicker. When Walker (Benjamin Ratner), an electrician, is assigned to investigate the problem, he is mysteriously electrocuted. Meanwhile, Hawkes threatens to stop financially supporting the research project unless Mac arranges for his patient to move to the head of the line for the next available donor heart so he can implement the multi-million dollar experiment.
Mac's conscience starts to get the best of him when his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Anne Crain (Sonja Smits), tells him about a close friend who also needs a heart transplant. Dr. Crain's 18-year-old future sister-in-law Jessie, (Michelle Beaudoin) has a serious heart ailment, and is not expected to survive beyond a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, the blue electrical entity appears to be trying to kill Hawkes by causing his equipment to fail and finally by shorting out an elevator Mac was riding in. After a startling visit from the entity Mac realizes that trying to thwart nature may have ramifications far beyond his understanding. After Jessie dies, he starts questioning his selfish motives and eventually allows nature to take its course by refusing to give Hawkes the new heart. As Hawkes drifts into the afterlife he sees Jessie, but as the two begin their journey he realizes they are not meant to follow the same path.
Directed by: Tibor Takacs Written by: David Kemper
Starring: Bruce Davison, William Hickey, Sonja Smits, Michelle Beaudoin and Benjamin Ratner