Paper Man (1971) Reviews

• PAPER MAN OR FLESH AND BLOOD???

  renfield541999-06-17

  This is a TV movie, whose idea, should have been snapped up for a theatrical release. An updated version might work very well in today's more computer oriented society. It's surprising that no one has thought of doing just this. Prankish college students use their computer knowledge to create a "person" to get around credit restrictions on students. Somehow, getting out of hand, their made-up "person" won't allow himself to be "uncreated"! Suspense! Murder! Finger pointing!!! This movie keeps you guessing till the end and then is still not finished with you. I don't expect "Paper Man" to be shown often or in daylight hours, but if you come across it in the late night TV listings, set the timer on your VCR, it's worth it.......

• Great little TV suspense movie

  udar552011-07-01

  Four college students (including Stefanie Powers) decide to go on a spending spree when one of them mistakenly receives a credit card for one "Henry Norman" in the mail. When the bank starts to get suspicious and requests "Henry" fill out a background questionnaire (hey, it was the early 70s), the group recruits computer whiz Avery (Dean Stockwell) to create a "real" history for the man in the computer. However, it appears Henry Norman is quite real himself and is angry his credit rating is being ruined so he starts offing the kids via the computer. Engaging TV movie that seems to have been ahead of its time when it comes to computers. Unfortunately, there are two problems. One, the kids are totally unsympathetic and annoying; two, the mystery is pretty dang obvious when you have the five kids whittled down to two and there is only one other character in the story. Still, a fun little computer gone wild flick to enjoy with its big brother COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970).

• Precursor to current crop of hacker/i.d. theft s.f. horror

  kundk2003-06-14

  I saw this on TV when I was 8; it was incredibly scary then. Saw it years later and marveled at the prescient use of computers and identity theft mixed with s.f. horror that could have appeared in "Ring." And there would be no "Videodrome" without it.

• "Something's happened."

  classicsoncall2012-11-17

  Well this one will certainly take you back, back to an era when a computer wasn't a computer unless it filled an entire room and had all those blinking lights. You know, like the ones you saw in the original 'Twilight Zone' and 'Star Trek' series. An interesting concept was presented here, because in today's age when identity theft is as ubiquitous as the household PC, a group of college students attempts to create an identity in order to use an errant credit card, and the computer hijacks the information and takes off on an agenda of it's own. Dean Stockwell as the mastermind programmer was pretty good here, but he could have cracked a smile every now and then to lighten things up. It's been a long time since I've seen Stefanie Powers in anything at all, going all the way back to her 'Hart to Hart' days with Robert Wagner. And it looks like James Stacy just blew in from his Johnny Lancer gig on that well received TV Western. I was surprised to read how many viewers were terrified by the possibilities presented here for computers to take over and rule the world. I suppose it could happen if things get really out of control. If that's the case, we'll all end up just like Tina Chen who couldn't outrun the program and wound up getting the shaft.

• A wonderful Science Fiction Classic

  dpharrison12003-05-22

  I can remember seeing "The Paper Man " during a midnight movie session in about 1975. I can remember being terrified, as a 12 year old, thinking that this was possible. I think it is amazing to think that this movie now has possibilities of becoming true and actually happening. It is a scary thought. I love to watch movies about computers taking over and there are several I have seen. I would love to see this movie again as it scared the life out of me and I wonder if after all the horrors since, if it can still scare me.