Ghost in the Machine (a.k.a. Deadly Terror) is a 1993 and 1994 science fiction and horror film from 20th Century Fox. It was written by William Davies and William Osborne, directed by Rachel Talalay, and produced by Paul Schiff. Among the cast are Karen Allen, Chris Mulkey, Ted Marcoux, Wil Horneff, and Jessica Walter.
Tagline: They Said The Killer Was Better Off Dead. They Were Wrong.
This film received an MPAA rating of R for high-tech horror violence. It was filmed in Cleveland, Ohio in color with Dolby SR sound and runs for 104 minutes. The movie was not generally well received by most critics. Common criticisms were of some sub-par acting and a weak, implausible plot that failed to build suspense.
Template:Spoilers The film is based on a serial killer Karl Hochman (Marcoux), the "address book killer" who is nearly slain by a head-on collision with a truck. At the emergency room he somehow has his mind transformed into a computer due to an electrical storm. As a network-based entity he plots to continue his killing spree, using the electrical grid, appliances, and the computer network.
He obtains the address book of Terry Munroe (Allen) and begins to go through the list to kill off her friends. (In the film she has a son Josh, played by Wil Horneff.) Aided by the computer hacker Bram Walker (Mulkey), however, they manage to fight back and defeat the killer by introducing a computer virus that traps him at a physics laboratory.