Extremely R-Rated 80s Thriller Redefined The Genre

By Brian Myers
| Published 43 seconds ago

Few psychological thrillers have left a mark on pop culture quite like 1987’s Fatal Attraction. Equal parts cautionary tale and nerve-shredding suspense, the film transformed a seemingly ordinary affair into one of cinema’s most unforgettable stories of obsession, helping define the thriller genre for an entire generation.

A Deadly Affair

Fatal Attraction shows audiences what happens when a man steps out on his wife with the wrong woman, leading to his life being turned completely upside down and the safety of his family threatened.

Attorney Daniel Gallagher (Michael Douglas) meets the attractive Alexandra Forrest (Glenn Close) at a work event and begins what he believes is a brief tryst with her while his wife Beth (Anne Archer) and daughter Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen) are away visiting Beth’s family.

The fling’s intensity goes from zero to 100 when Daniel tries to leave Alexandra’s apartment the next day and she gashes open her wrists with a knife in a plea to make him stay.

Got My Mind Set On You

Fatal Attraction sees Daniel stay with his obviously disturbed new friend overnight as he wants to make certain that she’s okay. Days later, she shows up at his office and invites him out on a date, but he rejects her. Not taking a hint, Alexandra begins to continuously phone Daniel at work, prompting the lawyer to have his secretary block all incoming calls from her.

But Alexandra just can’t take no for an answer. She begins to stalk her former lover at his home, telling him that she is pregnant with his child. When this ploy fails, the jilted Alexandra becomes destructive and violent.

Things Turn Violent

Fatal Attraction lives up to its name as it follows Alexandra vandalizing Daniel’s car, stalking his wife, and unleashing her fury on one of his daughter’s pets. The film shows a once docile Alexandra spiral completely out of control, leaving audiences to wonder whether or not the unfaithful Daniel will be able to escape her lunacy with his life.

While Michael Douglas gives audiences a performance worthy of praise, Glenn Close is absolutely brilliant. Fatal Attraction serves as a great vehicle for the actress to show every imaginable emotion on the spectrum with such a heightened level of intensity that it became the role that Close is best known for portraying. For her efforts, she was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, losing out to Cher for her role in Moonstruck.

Fatal Attraction was nominated for five other Oscars, though it did not garner any wins. In addition to Close, Archer was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The film was also a Best Picture nominee, and director Adrian Lyne nearly brought home the coveted gold statue for Best Director.

As of this writing, Fatal Attraction is streaming free with ads on Pluto TV, and without ads through a Paramount+ subscription.