Down and out actor Jake Scully (Craig Wasson – Akeelah and the Bee) is set up in an elaborate scheme which causes him to question reality. After a series of events that end with catching his girlfriend in bed with another man, Jake finds himself with no place to stay. Coincidentally, he befriends fellow actor Sam Bouchard (Gregg Henry – Femme Fatale, The Black Dahlia) who is looking for someone to replace him as a house sitter for a week. Already pleased with his good fortune, Sam sweetens the deal by showing him that there is a telescope set up and each night he can watch the woman (Melanie Griffith – Stuart Little 2, Cecil B.Demented) across the way perform an elaborate striptease.
One night he sees another man is watching her. Jake becomes obsessed with this woman, and he begins to follow her around believing that she is in danger. As the layers of the situation begin to peel away he realizes that he has become involved in something that is much more sinister than he ever could have imagined.
I watched this film with two other people, so the groaning was threefold! The opening sequence of the film actually promises a campy good time, but the film quickly becomes just cheesy. Between its unrelenting close up shots of the main character emoting everything he witnesses, and the clear imitation of Rear Window and Vertigo, it ends up feeling like you are watching a film student’s ode to Hitchcock. On the offensive side (if you have decided that since it is an erotic thriller misogyny is a given) a hideous looking ruthless character is introduced as the villain, and he seems to fit well into the campy horror aspect of this film. Wait for it…only half way through the film is this ominous man described to the police as “the Indian.” As viewers we all exclaimed “WHAT THE…!”
In short, this film takes itself much too seriously to be campy and is much too campy to be serious.
Special Features:
Featurettes
-The Seduction
-The setup
-The Mystery
-The Controversy which incudes interviews with Brian De Palma, Melanie Griffith, Deborah Shelton, Gregg Henry, and Dennis Franz
