''The Source'' (also known as ''The Secret Craft'' in the United Kingdom and ''The Surge'' on DVD in the United States) is a 2001 American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by S. Lee Taylor and starring Mathew Scollon, Melissa Renée Martin, Edward DeRuiter, and Alice Frank. The story concerns four teenagers who obtain superhuman powers allowing them to control others.

Plot

The film opens by following a moody

goth Goth or Goths may refer to: * Goths, a Germanic people Arts and entertainment * Gothic rock or goth, a style of rock music * Goth subculture, developed by fans of gothic rock * ''Goth'' (2003 film), an American horror film * ''Goth'' (2008 f ...

named Reese, who befriends three other outcasts like him: Zack, a rich

nerd A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly t ...

; Ashley, Zack's sister; and Phoebe, a

flower child Flower child originated as a synonym for Hippie, ''hippie'', especially among the idealistic young people who gathered in San Francisco and the surrounding area during the Summer of Love in 1967. It was the custom of "flower children" to wear a ...

. They go to a forest and find a glowing rock. They gain powers from just stepping into its presence, and they use these powers to intimidate and humiliate people who have made fun of them over the years. Zack gains

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

, Phoebe gains

telekinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...

psychokinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...

, Ashley gains speech-induced

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...

suggestion Suggestion is the psychological process by which a person guides their own or another person's desired thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by presenting stimuli that may elicit them as reflexes instead of relying on conscious effort. Nineteenth-cent ...

, and Reese gains the ability to heal or hurt others/himself using his mind. However, her power goes to Ashley's head; and she begins to take over the school, using

mind control Mind control may refer to: Psychology and neurology * Brainwashing, the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques * Brain–computer interface * Hypnosis * Neuroprosthetics, the technology of cont ...

. She attacks her brother Zack and tries to kill Phoebe and Reese. They force her to heal Zack, but she forces Phoebe to levitate off the building and drop to the ground. Reese (because of his ability to heal ''or'' hurt) takes his own hearing away, when Ashley tries to control him; and he breaks the piece of the rock she had around her neck. He heals Phoebe; but, when they return to destroy the glowing rock, it has disappeared. Ashley is committed to a mental institution; but a former teacher brings her more of the glowing rock. The movie ends with her eyes turning blue, indicating that her powers have returned.

Main cast

* Mathew Scollon as Reese Hauser * Melissa Reneé Martin as Ashley Bainbridge * Edward DeRuiter as Zack Bainbridge * Alice Frank as Phoebe Lewis * Johnny Venocur as Jerry Hauser * Ronald Rezac as Principal McKinley * Roger Kristian Jones as Moss Man * Steven Glinn as Raimy * Mark Wood as Mr. Jessup * David Castro as Lane * Paul Taviani as Mr. Bartlett * Anna DeCardi as Miss Dunn *

David Anders David Anders Holt (born March 11, 1981), known professionally as David Anders, is an American television and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Julian Sark on '' Alias'', as Adam Monroe on '' Heroes'', as John Gilbert in the TV serie ...

as Booji (credited as David Holt) * Cory Travalena as Bane * Aaron Deakins as Pugg

Distribution

The film was released in the United Kingdom, under the title, "The Secret Craft", on March 11, 2002, via Third Millennium, while it retained its original title for its television airings on The Horror Channel. In the United States, the film carried the alternative title, "The Surge", for VHS and DVD, with both formats being made available on September 17, 2002, from

Alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

References

External links

* 2002 films 2002 science fiction films The Asylum films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language science fiction films {{2000s-sf-film-stub