Movie

Fatal Attraction (1987)

A must-include on any movie villainess list to be taken seriously, Alex is the ultimate deterrent against infidelity. The movie has a straightforward plot and would be nothing special but for Glenn Close’s performance. Don’t expect a murder spree. This is a psychological thriller, with no human fatalities until the frantic climax.

Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) appears to be happily married to Beth (Anne Archer) and has a young daughter named Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen). So Dan’s motive for having an affair with Alex is a mystery. The protagonist is unlikeable, but Alex’s increasingly dangerous responses to his rejection gain him sympathy. Signs of obsession are already there when Dan meets Alex at a work social and later in the office. It’s clear she’s interested in sex, and that’s where the relationship goes, and they even make out in a seedy apartment elevator.

Over time, it becomes clear Alex is unstable. She’s not thrilled when Dan feigns a heart attack, as it brings up a childhood memory of her father’s death. When Dan doesn’t return his girlfriend’s affection and regards their fling as a one-off, she tries to commit suicide. Dan cares for Alex, but turns down an offer to go out with her a second time. The repentant protagonist has fun with his family and friends while the psycho woman sits alone in the dark. This is clearly not over yet.

As Dan tries to forget what happened, Alex won’t let him, constantly calling him at the office and at home. Perhaps this man should have been more faithful to his wife and child, and the rest of the movie is about him trying to resolve the mess he’s partly responsible for.

Villainess

Alex Forrest (Glenn Close)

If telephone calls in the night weren’t enough, Dan really panics when Alex insists on a meeting and tells him she’s pregnant. Viewers will think she’s lying, though it’s confirmed as the truth after Dan discovers medical test kits in her apartment. Alex wants the baby, regardless of whether her ex-lover agrees. In desperation, Dan asks his best friend for legal advice, and the tactful reply could be summarised as “You’re screwed.”

After Alex shows up at Dan’s apartment pretending to be an interested buyer, he finally snaps and goes over to her place. That’s when Close delivers her famous line of dialogue: “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan!” (as if she needed to tell us that). The best part of the movie has Alex in full stalker mode. She wrecks Dan’s vehicle by tampering with the radiator, then tails him to his new home in upstate New York. To keep him occupied en route, Alex leaves him an audio cassette (remember those?), full of pre-recorded ramblings about their relationship.

Dan goes to the local police and explains the situation, though he claims the victim is a client and not himself. This gets him nowhere, and Alex watches the house dressed in black, angry that Dan wants to be with Beth and not her. When Dan purchases a rabbit for his daughter, it’s clear that will be significant as it’s continually mentioned / shown. This leads to the well-known bunny-boiling scene where Alex leaves a nasty surprise for Beth in the kitchen.

Dan, realising just how crazy Alex is, tells his wife everything. They’re hardly on happy terms from that point, and he spends time away from the house. After Alex abducts Ellen and takes her to the funfair – and the panicked Beth has a road accident – the Gallaghers reconcile. Dan goes to Alex’s apartment and attacks her, but realises what he’s doing and breaks off. She responds by lunging at him with a kitchen knife, and he narrowly avoids injury. With the movie in slasher mode, Dan tells the police the full truth, and they bring Alex in for questioning.

Obviously, Dan doesn’t watch horror films, as takes him time locking the house doors. Alex breaks in and attacks Beth while Dan is brewing up. After he hears the commotion, Dan rushes to the rescue. This time he shows no restraint and drowns Alex in the bathtub. Like any respectable slasher villainess, Alex comes back for a final scare, but it’s only a brief one since Beth – much more savvy – is ready with a revolver.

Honourable Mentions: Obsessed Women

Disclosure (1994) – Meredith Johnson (Demi Moore)

Michael Douglas gets into another ill-advised relationship, though in fairness it’s non-consensual with the female guilty of sexual harassment. This scenario being harder to prove is a central theme of the movie. The setting is a tech company, and Meredith is a new vice president who uses her attractiveness as a weapon, especially against her ex-boyfriend Tom Sanders (Douglas).

Meredith is out to get Tom from the beginning, but it’s a late evening meeting where things heat up. The aggressive woman assaults and practically rapes Tom despite him rejecting her advances. Of course, nobody believes she was the offender, and Meredith threatens or bribes all the witnesses. It’s only through sheer luck – and a mis-dialled phone call – that Tom produces an audio recording to force a settlement.

The harassment case becomes a subplot, part of a conspiracy to oust Tom. Since the boss, Bob Garvin, is played by Donald Sutherland, no prizes for guessing he’s involved. Get ready for technical jargon and laughable virtual reality scenes. Tom enters a digital vault, Meredith’s avatar deletes files with a laser (!), and a mystery “friend” warns Tom by e-mail. After a few red herrings, he turns out to be a guy we’ve never seen before.

In the end, Tom gives Meredith her comeuppance by making her look foolish at a presentation. This leads to a satisfying resolution where Garvin replaces her as VP, but aside from the interesting gender reversal – which just about merits an honourable mention – there’s little to praise.

Play Misty for Me (1971) – Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter)

Clint Eastwood plays Dave Garver, a disc jockey who becomes the target of a crazed female stalker. This film is often brought up as a precursor to Fatal Attraction, and was also Eastwood’s debut as a director. He mostly does a solid job, though there’s an overlong jazz concert scene with Evelyn out of the picture in a mental institute. A tension-free fifteen minutes is never desirable in a thriller.

The story is overly familiar today, making the plot feel basic, but psycho females were relatively fresh in 1971. There’s the usual harmless introduction where Evelyn calls Dave’s show and then meets him in a bar. Obsession surfaces as the woman ruins a business deal through her hysterics, though it’s a slow burn for the first half. Then, Evelyn attacks a cleaner, and Dave realises just how dangerous she is.

After Evelyn’s release, she targets Tobie Williams (Donna Mills), the other woman in Dave’s life. Tobie’s character was reportedly added late in the production cycle, which may explain why the romance feels underdeveloped. In the finale has Dave solves a cryptic clue from the villainess and saves Tobie. But he arrives too late to prevent Evelyn killing the (obvious victim-in-waiting) detective. Don’t fret – the hero punches the psycho woman over a balcony after a well-staged stalk and slash scene in the dark.