L'obsession de Sarah Hardy

Directed by Jerry London and adapted to teleplay by Thomas Baum from the novel, The Crossing, written by Jim Flanagan. It stars Sela Ward, Michael Woods, Roscoe Born, Morgan Fairchild and Polly Bergen.

After a troubled childhood that saw her father die and her mother go mad to the point of suicide, Sarah Hardy (Ward) blossoms into a beautiful woman and marries a handsome man. In spite of her close friends concerns, Sarah and her husband decide to move back to the family home of her childhood, The Pines. It's not long before strange occurrences begin to unnerve Sarah at The Pines. Is her mother not really dead, is it a ghost, or outside influences with ulterior motives?

I genuinely feel bad pouring some scorn on this TV movie, because I so wanted to like it, to grasp a bit of freshness in what has become known as the Gaslight sub-genre of horror. Sadly it's just not very good. It's awash with soap opera operatics, some very poor acting, a confused tonal flow (am I mystery, horror, a message thriller?), an out of place porn movie jazz like musical score, and an ending that beggars belief. The mansion design is great, and there's some nice night time photography during the outer grounds sequences, but it's a difficult film to recommend to those after a good old fashioned mansion based spooker. 5/10

I enjoyed this movie! I didn't know what to expect. Morgan Fairchild & Sela Ward are always excellent. Polly Bergen is just so very talented. Such wonderful acting! The actors were all well cast. Watching Michael Woods was definitely swoon inducing! He has been in many films with major leading ladies: Diane Lane, Sharon Stone, Jane Seymour, Jaclyn Smith... just to name a few! I believe he has starred in another movie with Morgan Fairchild before. I also remember seeing him on Oprah when he starred on Private Eye with Josh Brolin. A very handsome & talented actor, indeed. I think I should go refresh myself and watch a few more of his films.

I like Morgan Fairchild and Selea Ward but this is a terrible film. The film brings nothing new to the table - it's your basic thing: Rich woman, her husband and his lover - the husband and lover wants to drive her to suicide and take "all that money" (as they say). Nothing new - YAWN!

1/10

I thought the movie was very good. Thrilling. It had me literaly on the edge of my seat. But the ending was rather confusing. When it was over I said "Right, so they end it." I think they should have made a sequel.

I remember this as one of the first great mystery films that I saw as a child. My parents only let me watch it because Alan's office and Ms. Stepford's kitchen were both located in my family home in Oregon. We still tell the tale of Sela Ward volunteering to babysit my baby brother while Mom drove the three of us girls to elementary school.

Not until I saw The Others have I seen a movie that makes me second-guess myself so much. I love Sela's acting, even if the writing would not have impressed me as an adult.

It also reminds me of What Lies Beneath, the conspiracy of one character who may not believe in supernatural influences preying on the credulous for their own gains.