Shadow of Fear

The title doesn't indicate that this is an above average lifetime movie with good acting and a plausible story. For this kind of movie it isn't too overboard. It avoids melodrama or shock tactics and remains plausible and realistic. Of course it is a movie so there are some elements of the plot that feel like a composite to achieve a dramatic story. The plot is a waitress/writer becomes the stalking target of an obsessed mentally ill man who is off his meds. The difficulties in dealing with a mentally ill person and the limited recourse for stalking victims is presented in a no nonsense fashion.

The behavior shown is an accurate if extreme portrayal of the mental illness schizophrenia even tough the violence only occurs in extreme cases in real life. I have seen someone like that with the obsessive calling and rubbish rantings and papers. Will Estes does a good job of portraying the mentally ill person without overacting or melodrama.

Amanda Righetti gives a believable performance through the various stages and ups and downs of coping with the situation and the effect of the stalking on her.

Well done. Worth a watch.

A great TV Movie that is extremely well acted by all concerned with a very sound plot that doesn't pull any punches while tackling a difficult subject matter is how I would describe this little gem.Starring Amanda Righetti as Casey Cooper who has her life turned around when she becomes the victim of a 'stalker'. She changes from an outgoing, extrovert and confident to a young lady who is afraid to venture outside or far from her home whilst receiving the statutory hate mail and endless 'phone-calls that the Police appear to have no power OR to her and her friends NO WILL to stop. This film drives on from start-to-finish and I guarantee will have you 'supporting' poor Casey and her friends as they fight against the seeming in-action of the local Police and her 'stalker' until they are unsure which exactly is the worst of the two? A brilliant support cast includes Will Estes,Harry Hamlin, Christie Burson and Eric Smzanda

For this LMN again brings you the damsel in distress, the terrible male character doing the bad deeds and once again we are asked to suffer a trite film with so-so acting, but for a few.

The damsel, in the name of Amanda Righetti, is not too good. It's all about her hair. When it is up, and she looks better that way and her age, she is happy. When her hair is down, not good on her, she's being dramatic. When it's all tossed about covering half of her face in strings down to her waist she is supposed to be disheveled.

I do believe she is too mature for the teen-age look. Why is it women and their hair become so important in films? Cut it short, my dear. You're supposed to be a classy lady and you look not so.

Her partner in crime, Christie Burson, also with flowing locks, doesn't do that much more for the film except to scream and stand by her friend. Has anyone heard of bobby pins? Why do they have to always have strands of hair hanging in their faces? So damned annoying and destroys my liking their work.

Catherine Hicks fares better and looks better and acts her age. I liked her. Harry Hamlin must be hard up for a job to take on this trite. He doesn't get much to do in this. Harry looks good though. And finally we come to the young man, William Estes, as the tormentor. His acting is a bit amateurish. You really don't believe him most of the time. Plus he looks as though he could be our leading lady's son.

I can't wait for the day when women look their age and act their age and this long straight hair look goes away. I am sick of seeing the same do, in all colors, real and phony, hanging straight down with some over each shoulder and some hanging down the back. It's like all the women look the same. There is really no difference. Except the acting. And there are some that can act and many that can not.

This movie is great. I watched it twice and its such a well done, responsible portrayal at a very real issue. Righetti did an amazing job at showing the emotional plight that stalking can do not only to the victim, but everyone around them. I also can't say enough good things about Will Estes performand and how well he captured the role of the stalker, and harmful it can be for people to overlook the psychological side of it. The cast did an amazing job, and keep in mind this is based on a true story, and they handled this issue so responsibly, and it's just a damn good thriller.

Long & ponderous and anti-climatic. The lead actress is fine & will no doubt have better roles in the future.