Evil in Clear River (STAR) (STAR) (STAR) 1/2 Kate McKinnon Lindsay Wagner Pete Suvak Randy Quaid ABC presents a made-for-TV movie, directed by Karen Arthur and written by William Schmidt. Airing from 8 to 10 tonight on WLS-Channel 7.

With the hindsight history affords, the terrors of Nazi Germany and the unthinkable reality of the Holocaust are all-too-vivid reminders of the limitless reaches of man's brutality.

But it is equally worth recalling that there was a time when a lot of people thought Adolf Hitler was a thoughtful, dynamic, reasonable head of state. How little we knew. How little we've learned.

Hatred still abounds. So do racial prejudice, anti-Semitism and religious discrimination. They're everywhere today. And that's the theme of "Evil in Clear River," a compelling ABC movie, airing from 8 to 10 tonight on WLS-Channel 7.

Television rarely deals in subtle metaphors. This medium prefers its messages to be delivered down the straight and narrow path. But "Evil in Clear River" works on deeper levels. It certainly is a story about hatred, but it also forces viewers to confront issues relating to the role of teachers in the classroom, the meaning of friendship and the nature of truth.

Lindsay Wagner, Randy Quaid, Thomas Wilson Brown and Michael Flynn all deliver strong, poignant and, at times, disquieting performances in this drama about a small Canadian town turned upside-down by a mother's quest for true academic freedom.

Wagner plays Kate McKinnon, a farming-community wife and mother who always has assumed her son Mark (Brown) has been receiving a stable high school education at the hands of the popular teacher-coach and town mayor, Pete Suvak (Quaid).

The charismatic Suvak is idolized by his students, revered by his hockey players and loved by the townsfolk for his solid Christian values, inspirational homilies, dedication to his classes and unyielding friendship.

It all sounds too good to be true. And it is.

Because of Suvak's rock-solid standing in the community, no one ever has noticed the substance of his teaching, which advocates that the Holocaust is a myth perpetuated by a Jewish power structure that seeks world domination through its control of the banks and the news media. Indeed, Suvak has taught his students that Hitler was the victim of persecution at the hands of the Jews, not the other way around.

Bizarre as these theories are, Suvak has managed to ingrain them into his students through a convoluted, almost imperceptible process of reasoning and logic. And when McKinnon discovers the scope of the teacher's lessons of hatred, she moves to bar him from the classroom.

The conflict between McKinnon and Suvak sets in motion a gut-wrenching examination of the town's values and loyalties.

It is so convenient for us to think that the likes of Hitler and his henchmen crawled out from under a rock somewhere to take control of the world's destiny in some sort of historical aberration. It is uncomfortable for us to realize that these were mere men who loved their dogs, enjoyed a sunrise, cared for their families and attended church while sending millions of others to their deaths in concentration camps.

And that's what makes Quaid's Pete Suvak such a fascinating villain, such a fascinating performance. This is no ranting, raving lunatic, but a seemingly decent, God-fearing, hard-working, dedicated teacher, with an obscure, dark underside of unbridled hatred. It's a terrific effort by Quaid, a versatile, splendid actor.

Wagner also delivers a superb performance as McKinnon, a woman who slowly emerges from her hesitant, insecure desire to protect her son into a daring crusader fighting to win a universal moral victory.

If anything, "Evil in Clear River" ought to encourage parents to pay closer attention to what their children are taught in school. You never can tell.

Daniel Ruth