FEAR
US, 1996, 98 minutes, Colour.
Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Peterson, Amy Brenneman, Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gray.
Directed by James Foley.
Fear is a violent thriller with the crazy killer (Mark Wahlberg) becoming obsessed with the young daughter of a family (Reese Witherspoon). He is warned off by the protective father but, finally, with his yob friends he lays siege to the family in their house, the family having to defend itself to the death. There seems to be a lot of this kind of thing going round. Madness and violence.
1. A tense thriller? Set in a family context? The menace from outside? The ingredients for suspense?
2. The Seattle setting, the affluent world of the protagonists, homes, specially designed? The school? The ordinary scenes of an American city? Authentic background for this kind of thriller?
3. The title, its application to the family, to Nicole, to Margo? David and his capacity for instilling fear?
4. Nicole as the focus of the story, her living at home, her relationship with her father, his work as an architect, her relationship with her stepmother, her stepmother wanting to be like a sister for her? Her son? The contemporary family? The family outing, the father not able to go? Nicole and her friendship with Margo, going to the rave party? Nicole and her age, lack of experience, at the party? Meeting David? The fight, David, and his courtesy towards her? Getting home late, her father and his reaction, the curfew, her punishment?
5. David, at the party, his charm, quiet, his helping Nicole to get out of the club? His visit to the household, charm, manners? Steve and his suspicions of David? Finding out more about him, David and his clashing with the school friend, the fight? His jealousy of Nicole because his friend hugged her?
6. Nicole, her relationship with David, her father's strictures against him, breaking up? David's return, the apologies, his charm, her succumbing to him? Her parents away from home, the decision to have sex with him? The condom in the bed? Steve and his confronting David, his warnings?
7. David, the seduction of Nicole, her parents' absence? The confrontation with Steve, Steve's warnings against him, his hurting himself, telling Nicole that her father had bashed him? Steve and his continued investigations, the discovery that David has a record, juvenile delinquency?
8. Nicole, her falling in love with David, going to visit his place in the night? Her hearing the party noises, going around the house, looking through the window, seeing David, with her friend Margo, the sexual encounter? Nicole and her being hurt, the clash with Margo, telling her what she saw?
9. Margo, her friendship with Nicole, more outgoing, the party, dancing with David's friend? At David's place, sex, her telling David what had happened?
10. Fear, the beginning of revenge, the wrecking of the car? Steve and his going to David's house, seeing the shrine to Nicole? David and his madness? Steve and his destroying the house?
11. David, his reaction, his friends, as a gang, the plan for revenge, the plan to attack Steve's special house? The abduction of Steve and Laura? Toby's escape? Toby and his driving the car, hitting one of the gang and killing him? His finding the keys to the handcuffs, freeing his mother? Their being able to help Steve escape?
12. The struggle between Steve and David, their fight, David and his falling to his death from the window?
13. A character study, parents and their anxieties about their children, impressionable teenage girls and their response to charm? The delinquent and his surface charm, psychopath approach to life? Exploitative? Sexual predator, violent?
14. The credibility of this kind of plot, it being the plot of a highly dramatised thriller - and its danger of being prurient in terms of a young girl's emerging sexuality, encounter with the psychopath - the touch of prurience? The film serving as a cautionary tale for parents and for teenagers?
