The Seduction

After an erotic, sinuous credits-sequence with a shadowy woman gliding through the waters of a swimming pool, we get mired in straight-faced, B-movie hell. Morgan Fairchild, looking unsure and as stiff as her hairdo, plays a TV news anchorwoman who attracts a stalker. Truly mines the depths of drive-in cliches--and dispatches with one character in such a ridiculous fashion it may have invented a new cliche--"The Seduction" is just half-undressed tripe. Too bad, it had the possibilities of being a juicy, nasty little thriller with soft-core edges. There's nothing edgy about Fairchild's presence: she's as slick as lip gloss and about as permanent. * from ****

Long before the days of anti stalking laws and before it was a crime just to even look at a woman if she suspected fear, this film "The Seduction" shed light on the issue of stalking bringing it to the headlines. As in the early 80's when the film was made most states had yet to impose stalking laws, as the victims were put thru a lot of torment just as the Fairchild character was in this film. Yet thru the years with attractive stars, newscasters, and sports sideline reporters being the victims of stalkers the issue has came to the forefront and the laws against stalking are broad and tough. Mostly the well known and attractive are targets and this film showcased that well.

"The Seduction" is one underrated early 80's thriller with plenty of suspense and erotic drama. Set in L.A. anchorwoman Jamie Douglas(the beautiful and attractive Morgan Fairchild)is at the top of her game with cover girl looks, a beautiful California hills home, and a top rated news show along with a tough guy lover Brandon(Michael Sarrazin). Yet add one big negative and that's Jamie has a strange and obsessed fan a crazed and lonely admirer named Derek(B movie legend Andrew Stevens). Right away when Jamie says no to Derek's romantic offer, he becomes off the chain in his obsession one by one it's the strange phone calls, letters, flowers, to the eventual following of Jamie to work, the mall and even her own home. Derek's snapshots of Jamie's most private and personal moments are at an all time high as this obsessed guy is now a regular pepping tom! Yet the police can't assist as in these times before the anti stalking laws were written this was a laugh, so revenge and stoppage must come from Jamie! Overall this film was a joy to watch for it's suspense and erotic scenes proving that many like Derek become obsessed with a beautiful attractive lady. And these obsessions can take a turn for the worst, and this film in my opinion shed light on the issue of stalking as it probably helped push for strict laws and tougher guidelines. Overall this is one film not to miss.

I first saw this movie when it first came out and I was still in the Army. I enjoyed it then, probably because of Morgan Fairchild but recently saw it again and decided to comment on it, especially after I read some peoples negative reviews.

This movie in my opinion delivers with its plot. There is no doubt that Morgan is being stalked and there is no doubt that the stalker has every intention of getting to Morgan. I thought Morgan Fairchild was very good in this movie, especially when you consider that she was a lot more of an inexperienced actress at the time this movie was made. Andrew Stevens was very good as the stalker and the rest of the cast was fine.

You could certainly remake this movie with a bigger budget and get a very good movie. This movie is not a classic but its certainly a watchable movie. Watching this movie you will get into the plot and you will be wondering what the stalker is going to do next.

I'm not really sure if this movie was originally made for TV; but I wouldn't be surprised if it was as it has all the hallmarks of a made for TV thriller, and unfortunately that isn't a good thing. The film is called The Seduction but there's nothing really seductive about it; admittedly 'The Tired, Cliché Ridden, Suspense-less Thriller' might not have been the wisest choice for a title; but at least it would have been a bit more apt! The movie takes the often used idea of a stalker taking his stalking of a famous person too far; in this case the famous person is pretty newswoman Jamie Douglas. Morgan Fairchild, who takes the lead role, is actually one of the best things about the film; she delivers a good performance and looks nice too, unfortunately it's wasted with such tired material. There's very little suspense in the film and director David Schmoeller (who previously directed the decent seventies horror Tourist Trap) seems more keen to focus on humdrum events. There's the odd sex scene and it's slightly steamy but nothing to get excited about. The ending is actually fairly well done but it's not worth an hour and a half of tedium getting there! Overall, I'm actually quite disappointed in this because I love a good throwaway thriller; but this is not a decent example and therefore not recommended.

Some people may snicker at this film, but back in the heady days of 1982 we just weren't as sophisticated about the celebrity stalker phenomenon as we are today. We didn't have to be, it was a more gracious and civilized time to live and, I might add, a golden era for television.

But dark days were just around the corner and those of us in the public eye owe the lovely Ms. Fairchild quite a debt for her eye-opening work on this film. I myself found it particularly enlightening when she demonstrated the dangers of being stalked while showering, swimming nude or taking a bubble bath while stroking one's silky thighs.

I'd also like to say that though some philistines may have nominated Colleen Camp for a Golden Raspberry award, I thought she was fantastic in her role, though we could have seen more of her.