The Fan
1981 · Movie · R · 95 min · ★ 5.9 · 38% critics
A lonely record store clerk becomes dangerously fixated on a famous stage-and-screen actress, flooding her with letters and refusing to accept distance. As her career pressures mount around a new stage production, his obsession escalates into threats and violence that begin closing in on her everyday life.
Also known as Trance
Where to watch
Streaming on Paramount+.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1981
- Release date
- 1981-05-15
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Critic score
- 38/100
- TMDB rating
- 5.9/10 (57 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a celebrity-stalker thriller that mixes showbiz drama with nasty suspense and a campy edge; Not for you if you dislike sleazy violence, slow stretches, or tonal whiplash like in Spellbinder.
Pros: strong lead performances; tense stalker premise; catchy stage-show moments | Cons: uneven pacing; familiar thriller beats; mean-spirited violence
Themes
- obsession
- stalker
- obsessed fan
- fan mail
Awards & recognition
- Golden Raspberry Award — Worst Original Song · 1982 · nominated
Cast & crew
Lauren Bacall
as Sally Ross
James Garner
as Jake Berman
Maureen Stapleton
as Belle Goldman
Héctor Elizondo
as Police Inspector Raphael Andrews
Michael Biehn
as Douglas Breen
Anna Maria Horsford
as Emily Stolz
- KJ
Kurt Johnson
as David Branum
- FM
Feiga Martinez
as Elsa
- RJ
Reed Jones
as Choreographer
Kaiulani Lee
as Douglas' Sister
Directed by Ed Bianchi