''Every Mother's Worst Fear'' is a 1998 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

starring

Cheryl Ladd Cheryl Ladd (born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor; July 12, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and author best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the ABC television series '' Charlie's Angels'', whose cast she joined in its second season in 1977 ...

, Jordan Ladd and

Ted McGinley Theodore Martin McGinley (born May 30, 1958) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jefferson D'Arcy on the television sitcom '' Married... with Children'', Charley Shanowski on the ABC sitcom '' Hope & Faith'', and as Derek on the ...

. This film is a cautionary story of

cyberspace Cyberspace is an interconnected digital environment. It is a type of virtual world popularized with the rise of the Internet. The term entered popular culture from science fiction and the arts but is now used by technology strategists, security ...

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

and the dangers of

chat Chat or chats may refer to: Communication * Conversation, particularly casual * Online chat, text message communication over the Internet in real-time * Synchronous conferencing, a formal term for online chat * SMS chat, a form of text messagi ...

rooms.

Synopsis

Martha Hoagland is a 16-year-old girl suffering through her parents' recent divorce. Her mother is working long hours. Martha has recently been dumped by her high school boyfriend. Feeling lonely and seeking solace, Martha turns to an online

chat room The term chat room, or chatroom (and sometimes group chat; abbreviated as GC), is primarily used to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology, ranging from ...

. Martha believes she is chatting with a young man who cares for her, when in reality she is chatting with Scanman, an internet predator involved in a cyber-kidnapping ring. Martha, who has told her online chat friend that she is 21, is lured to join her new "friend". When the investigation starts, he claims he never sent her a ticket. The police, the FBI, and an experienced computer hacker help Martha's mother Connie to rescue her 16-year-old daughter from the "Scanman."

Cast

as Connie Hoagland * Jordan Ladd as Martha Hoagland * Robert Wisden as Jeff Hoagland * Tom Butler as Agent Weatherby *

as Scanman *Blu Mankuma as Detective Maris *

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams Jr. (December 1, 1951 – June 12, 2025) was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe ...

as Mitch Carson (uncredited) *

Chiara Zanni Chiara Zanni () is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Amy Ryan on The N series '' About a Girl'' and Maggie Buckman on the CBC series '' Edgemont''. She is also known for her voice-work as Hahli in '' Bionicle: Mask of Light'' ...

as Sherry * Vincent Gale as Drew Pederson * Brendan Fehr as Alan *Don Thompson as Martin Penny "Skokie"

External links

* * 1998 television films 1998 films 1998 thriller films Films about child abduction in the United States Lifetime (TV channel) films American thriller television films Films directed by Bill L. Norton 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language thriller films {{US-tv-thriller-film-stub