Amazon.com: Lauren Bacall brings poise, dignity, and steely defiance to this entry into the 1980s slasher film genre. Her aging silver-screen and Broadway star is so stressed by her musical theater debut and jealous of her ex-husband's (James Garner) marriage to a lovely young thing that she misses all the stalker warning signs. Before she knows it, one obsessive fan (Michael Biehn) lets his fantasies spill over into psychosis. "We will become lovers very soon, my darling. And I assure you I have all the equipment," he writes before slicing up her friends. It calls for the elegance of Brian De Palma, which dutiful but dull first-timer Edward Bianchi can't provide. The pleasures come from sassy gal Friday Maureen Stapleton and Ms. Bacall, whose grace under pressure and cinematic confidence lend dignity to the proceedings. Pino Donnaggio's ominous score recalls Bernard Hermann's work with Hitchcock. Marvin Hamlisch and Tim Rice provide the show tunes. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Not the original
I will add another complaint about the editing of this film. The "meat cleaver" line was a genuine shocker at the time, but is certainly mild compared to what is seen and heard in films today, or heard ... Read More
Rating: - Bacall, Broadway & A Straight Razor
The Fan"
If you're looking for over the top gore you wont find it here what you will find is a well acted movie with
Good Broadway numbers by Bacall and a sophisticated slasher with few but ... Read More
Rating: - READ THE BOOK if you can find a copy....
I originally watched this movie as a kid because I was in love with Michael Biehn. And there is almost nothing hotter than Michael Biehn playing a freakin' lunatic in a movie (The Abyss, Tombstone, Deadly ... Read More
Rating: - Nothing to write home about
"The Fan" fits into a category reserved for films such as "The Sentinel," "Ghost Story," "Burnt Offerings," and any other big budget studio film that tried to cash in on the exploding popularity of the horror ... Read More
Rating: - Bacall's Halston Clothes Are The Best Thing About This Movie
When I first saw *The Fan* in 1981, I thought it was a stylish, gripping thriller. Upon viewing it twenty years later, I remain correct - in 1981 it *was* a stylish, gripping thriller, but not any more. It contains ... Read More
- Not the original
- Bacall, Broadway & A Straight Razor
- Bacall's Halston Clothes Are The Best Thing About This Movie