I actually just deleted my original review and decided instead to say don't bother. This is just not a good thriller. I don't have LMN but I would assume that to keep that network going, they have to churn out a lot of movies, even the ones that belong in the scrap pile. I just FF to get to the end, and what a mess. Perhaps on paper it was better, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
A lot of this movie makes zero sense. The police are useless and condescending. A woman is upset over being outbid on a gorgeous home, and the new owner rejects her offer to buy it. This rejection turns into an obsession w/destroying the husband and pregnant wife who now live in the house. I mean, it's not justified at all.
This neighborhood has a welcoming committee and most of Crazy's deeds were done in daylight...no one saw her? There are plenty of signs that this is a close-knit (or nosy) neighborhood, so I'm not buying it. The house was clearly the "big house" in the neighborhood so I find it hard to believe it didn't draw attention just by existing. I can't remember if the movie said why the mom (can't remember the character's name) was home. She wasn't on bedrest for her pregnancy. Her husband was an ER doctor and was therefore away a lot, but I don't recall seeing her do much to occupy her time. IDK, sometimes characters who just sit around and just have stuff happen irk me.
I think the movie would have been better if it had taken the time to do a slow burn of the harassment. The drama started on Halloween, so a tame prank would have been a good start. Instead, she was afraid for her life because Crazy almost broke in, broke stuff, and sent a threatening note. I think instead of going from zero to one hundred, the movie could have taken time to show just how far Madison would go for that house. The listing of the house was also treated like a break-in, so by the time she and her husband started receiving "mail," things had already escalated.
The woman with the obsession was an abused wife and an overwhelmed mother of an autistic (I think) teenager. #1, I think that was done to make her somewhat sympathetic BUT none of it justifies her actions. So it's a bit manipulative to try to make that so, as well as making the husband a larger part of the climax than he was the entire rest of the movie. Additionally, given her circumstances, I don't understand why she wanted that house. Edit: now that I've seen the ending, her craziness over the house is all her...husband is in jail, daughter is living with grandma, and she still wants the house. So the ending negates everything.
That ending...UGH! I know it's a Lifetime staple trope, but does Crazy Madison really think none of the neighbors will know her after everything?
Give it a miss.
