The year after the film adoption of that Stephen King book "Misery" came out to great success for Kathy Bates, this TV movie dealt with another author dealing with a psychopathic reader, this time a female author of thrillers whose books include an unnamed serial killer that continues from novel to novel and whom she wants to finally kill off. It's Morgan Fairchild at her most glamorous late '80s / early '90s look, and she's always fun to watch, not only for what she wears but for the surprising comments that come out of her mouth. Her character is not a schemer, but a struggling writer upset that her latest novel didn't have lines around the door at the San Diego bookstore where one person shows up and creepily ask her to put any name in the signature she's giving him. There's only one other person that shows up, and that is followed by her caustic editor who reads her the filth for not meeting a deadline and basically implying that she's finished.
I've always liked the fact that Fairchild can go from vixen to victim, having played tough but decent on "Falcon Crest" (with a hidden side her character was unaware of) after playing conniving vamps on "Flamingo Road" and "Paper Dolls", and of course before and after with memorable villainouses on "Search for Tomorrow" and "The City" on daytime soaps. You always know it's Fairchild that you're watching, but she's always convincing and commanding, even with the worst scripts. The script here isn't bad, just basically formula, but you get a sense of this character's decency by how she describes her last relationship and the vulnerability she has when she meets handsome stranger Michael Praed who seems to be a pickup that disappears but ends up returning, making you wonder if he's the carbon copy serial killer imitating what she's writing in her books. For that reason, the film keeps the viewer attentive, and who wouldn't be looking at the gorgeous Morgan? This is different enough than "Misery" to prevent it from being a total rip-off, but the parallels are clear as to what influenced it. This definitely doesn't have the camp element and thus lacks in the humor, but I did have a few ironic giggles with Fairchild's various expressions as she deals with the situations she faces.
I've always liked the fact that Fairchild can go from vixen to victim, having played tough but decent on "Falcon Crest" (with a hidden side her character was unaware of) after playing conniving vamps on "Flamingo Road" and "Paper Dolls", and of course before and after with memorable villainouses on "Search for Tomorrow" and "The City" on daytime soaps. You always know it's Fairchild that you're watching, but she's always convincing and commanding, even with the worst scripts. The script here isn't bad, just basically formula, but you get a sense of this character's decency by how she describes her last relationship and the vulnerability she has when she meets handsome stranger Michael Praed who seems to be a pickup that disappears but ends up returning, making you wonder if he's the carbon copy serial killer imitating what she's writing in her books. For that reason, the film keeps the viewer attentive, and who wouldn't be looking at the gorgeous Morgan? This is different enough than "Misery" to prevent it from being a total rip-off, but the parallels are clear as to what influenced it. This definitely doesn't have the camp element and thus lacks in the humor, but I did have a few ironic giggles with Fairchild's various expressions as she deals with the situations she faces.