The Fan

By Sean Axmaker

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.

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