Michael Keaton’s R-Rated 90s Thriller Is A Landlord’s Worst Nightmare

By Robert Scucci
| Published 24 seconds ago

While I have no qualms about railing on my landlord for taking over 18 months to replace the window in my master bedroom, I still try to keep some perspective despite the still-unfilled maintenance request. I rent from a large property management group that’s at the mercy of its various contractors, at least that’s the excuse, even though they’ll fire off a nasty email if I even think about sending the rent check an hour late. In 1990’s Pacific Heights, on the other hand, the dynamic is a little different and a lot more terrifying.

Here, a young couple purchases a house and does everything they can to make sure their new tenants feel right at home. That is, until their worst nightmare shows up looking for a rental unit and completely destroys their lives in the process. With their hands tied by the legal system, and with no clear or easy way to evict him, they’re stuck in a rental agreement they never wanted in the first place.

Batman’s New Secret Lair

The setup for Pacific Heights is simple and escalates to the point of no return in no time. When we’re first introduced to Drake Goodman (Matthew Modine) and his pregnant fiancée Patty Palmer (Melanie Griffith), they’re wide-eyed, bushy-tailed, and maybe just a little too green to take on a project like the one they’ve sunk their entire savings into. They’ve purchased a beautiful Victorian house in Pacific Heights with plans to renovate into a rental property.

They rent the first unit to the Watanabe family (portrayed by Mako and Nobu McCarthy) without issue, and it’s the perfect setup. They get passive income from low-maintenance tenants and can continue renovations on the rest of the house unbothered. Their house-flipping dream quickly becomes a disaster when Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) shows up to rent the other available unit, immediately raising more red flags than they can count.

Carter refuses a credit check but offers to pay the first six months’ rent via wire transfer. While Drake and Patty are still weighing the arrangement, Carter locks himself inside the apartment, changes the locks, and starts using power tools throughout the night, scaring off the Watanabes. Oh yeah, and he never pays them like he promised, so he’s living rent free. 

Realizing they need legal action, they hire lawyer Stephanie MacDonald (Laurie Metcalf) to start the eviction process, which proves more complicated than they ever imagined. Drake’s attempts to force Carter out, like cutting the power and heat, only result in the police siding with Carter, who appears to be the innocent tenant with the tyrannical landlords. Further antagonized, Drake eventually comes to blows with the squatter, exactly what Carter planned all along.

Now slapped with a restraining order that legally prevents him from entering his own home, Drake has to find somewhere else to stay, further straining his relationship with Patty. They’re already drowning in legal fees on top of their original investment, and without Drake in the picture, Carter can finally zero in on Patty.

Keaton At His Most Menacing

What really sells Pacific Heights is just how calculating Carter Hayes truly is, thanks to Michael Keaton. It’s clear from the beginning that he’s a con artist, but no one can quite pin down his endgame. He spends much of the film coming and going, locking himself in the apartment, infesting the house with roaches, and staring down Patty whenever she thinks she’s alone. Drake, rightfully losing his grip, wants to protect what’s his, but Carter has already anticipated his every move. Each attempt to remove him only makes his presence, both seen and unseen, more aggressive and menacing.

The suspense in Pacific Heights comes from knowing Drake and Patty are being systematically dismantled with almost no way to protect themselves from the squatter living inside their nest egg. As Carter’s motives slowly come into focus, we learn what he’s truly after, but by then it’s far too late for a clean resolution.

As of this writing, Pacific Heights is streaming for free on Tubi.