The oft-asked question “What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?” illicits different responses from various age groups. Kids might answer one of the “Goosebump” feature films, teens will gravitate towards an “Elm Street,” “Hellraiser” or “Friday the 13th” sequel. But adult men, preferably those sporting wedding bands on their fingers, will all answer “Fatal Attraction.” And that answer would be correct.
Originally released in 1987, Adrian Lyne’s “Attraction” made pigeon-holed poor Glenn Close as the perennial psycho-stalker and jump started Michael Douglas’ ongoing trend of playing powerful jerks who hide sinister skeletons in walled-off closets (see the actor’s turns in “A Perfect Murder,” “The Game,” “Basic Instinct,” and “Disclosure,” just to name a few). As for story, the film’s title says it all. Married lawyer Dan Gallagher (Douglas) takes a chance on lust with sexy flirt Alex Forrest (Close), but his attempts to end the relationship quickly and easily fail as Alex presses for commitment … a blood.Lyne’s dark, deceptive social commentary on adultery and temptation reeled audiences into a cinematic web that tightened like a noose as the story unfolded. Years later, we still remember distinct images Close and Douglas testing the strength of a freight elevator’s cable, of bunny rabbits boiling to a stew, and of Alex’ newfound skill with a butcher knife. Lyne proves himself adept at generating tension, both sexual and dramatic. Close and Douglas were perfectly cast, as was Anne Archer in the sympathetic role of Beth Gallagher, a victim in this affair. Granted, Lyne’s film cops out in the final act, abandoning Close’s well-built dramatic turn for crowd-pleasing, shock-inducing horror tactics. Lucky for us, the original (and more realistic) ending is included on this fine DVD in the extras section, which we’ll skip to right now…Grade: BTHE EXTRASFor starters, have the film’s Original Ending handy. While I won’t spoil what happens in it, I will say that it is a more complete and understandable conclusion to the setup in “Attraction” than the one tacked on to the original theatrical release. While bleak, it allows Close to stay in character, without adopting the invulnerability of, say, Jason Voorhees. Back to the DVD. Typical of most walks down memory lane, Paramount has collected several clips of interviews with the principal cast and crew of “Fatal Attraction” for two featurettes: “Forever Fatal” and “Social Attraction.” The group, along with film critic Jami Bernhard, reminisce about the film’s production, casting, script development, and issues touched on as the film reached audiences. They say a lot about the attitude, fears and desires of U.S. culture in the late ‘80s, something the film taps into beautifully (intentionally or not).However, this is a DVD, not a college class on social norms, so let’s get back to filmmaking. One feature, entitled “Visual Attraction,” gets behind the scenes on the film, analyzing costume design, make-up and the Howard Atherton’s icy cinematography. Lyne contributes a screen-specific audio commentary, but rehashes several nuggets of information he reveals in the aforementioned featurettes, and some of Close’s rehearsal footage is included, for good measure. A stacked DVD, for sure.Grade: BOVERALL EXPERIENCE: BFor a film made almost 15 years ago, “Fatal Attraction” still achieves its desired, unnerving results. Enjoy the genesis of Douglas’ sleazy “corporate scum” persona, the splendor of Close’s frighteningly intense Uber-stalker, and the vile way director Lyne tricks us all into peering in from the sidelines, like the vicious voyeurs that we are.By Sean O’ConnellApril 22, 2002