Moment of Truth: Stalking Back

This movie accurately portrays the terror that a stalker can do to a family. Not, oh so weepy or the least bit sleazy it focuses on a neighborhood nice guy who targets a local teenager. The family is further frustrated when after he terrorizes the daughter many times, the cops and the courts cannot help then due to insufficient stalking laws. Far above the normal television movie fare.

There was a period of time when I taped a lot of movies from Lifetime, and Stalking Back was one of them. Hard to believe it is based on fact because, as other reviewers noted, a mentally unbalanced 20-something young man was getting away with stalking an entire family because of an obsession he developed on their 14-year-old daughter. It did not matter what he did, all he got was another chance from the courts. Never mind the girl, Laurisa, was coming apart at the seams from the terror she was feeling, and the increasingly vicious behaviors Curtis Harper was exhibiting. Letters, phone calls, sick gifts, and spying on her were not against the law at the time. This is where a mother has to become Super Woman and fight legislature to pass laws to put a stop to hunting humans for one's personal pleasure. It took a final scene witnessed by police to bring the man's house down at last and show him for what he was, one sick, twisted psychopath.

It's overwhelming to know that a young girl of 14 was stalked by a 20 something man! And the worst part is the police did nothing. I sugest that young and middle aged women should see this movie because you never know if some one is watching you. After you have seen this movie you will know whow to deal with people like Curtis, look out for warning signs of a potential stalker an know how to protect your self!

Since this film was based on a true story it deserves mention. Laurisa was in fact stalked by an older man who worked as an umpire with the girl's softball team, in St. Petersburg, Fl.

Shanna Reed portrays the mother, frustrated by a system that does not protect her daughter. LuAnn Ponce is the daughter, Laurisa, who is stalked by an unbalanced, and dangerous man.

Tom Kurlander does an excellent job as the stalker; passive-aggressive; he follows the family, trails Laurisa and her friends, and makes her life a veritable nightmare. At that time. legally, the police could not do anything, until there was some sort of concrete threat. (If you remember the case of Rebecca Schaefer "My Sister Sam" and how she was murdered by Robert John Bardo you will see a similar case study).

The film concludes with legislation that was enacted in 1992, to protect victims from stalkers, before it is too late. It would be interesting to see a new film made, about more recent cases, and what laws protect the victims of this crime.

This movie opened my eyes to alot of things.

1. some men are just crazy.

2.The police don't help innocent people unless somebody hurts them or kills them.

3.that we need more people like larissa's mom.

Although I did not agree with what she was doing to her husband. She basically shut him out because he didn't do anything to kurt. if he would have kurt would have still won because her husband would have been in jail.

other than that point, i admire the fact that she would stop at nothing to protect her daughter. This is a movie that every woman needs to see.

The guy who plays kurt is an incredible actor. I just saw another movie with him in it i'll be commenting on that one too.

5*****stars