Let me just say this about Jessica Walter, she's got the bitch on wheels gig down perfectly, doesn't she? Man, I don't even want to think about something like this happening to me, but then again, I don't look anything like Clint Eastwood so I'm not going to have that problem. In his directorial debut, Eastwood provides a nicely drawn, taut thriller that would have been even more intense without the filler scenes like the one at the Monterey Jazz Fest. And as long as he was throwing in that love scene with Donna Mills, wouldn't it have been something if crazy Evelyn burst on the scene during the Roberta Flack number? What possibilities.

I guess what I liked best about the story was the pacing Eastwood used to develop the character of Evelyn, especially with the insertion of those brief but manic outbursts that reveal hints of her true mental state. That flare up at the business meeting had one of the best one-liners ever - "She couldn't get laid at a lumber camp" - I want to know who came up with that line.

So with the revolving door set up involving Tobie's (Mills) roommates, it didn't take a lot to figure out who her last paying tenant would turn out to be. But the resolution to the story was somewhat anti-climactic with Eastwood's character slinking around the house knowing what he was in for but not really taking any precautions against it. I'm glad at least he didn't have any reservations about taking out Miss Personality with a good right hook. With all that, the only question left to answer is this - why was there a forest growing in David's house?

In the city of Carmel, the popular disc-jockey David Garver (Clint Eastwood) has one night stand with Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter),a strange he met in a bar after his show. The woman, indeed a deranged obsessed fan, stalks David and threatens his life, his girl-friend Tobie Williams (Donna Mills),his friends and even his job.

The debut of Clint Eastwood as director could not be better. This low budget and low paced movie has a simple, but frightening story, which was ripped off at least in the famous "Fatal Attraction" and the teen version "Swimfan". The magnificent landscape and locations in the beautiful city of Carmel, where Clint Eastwood was elected Major many years later, are another attraction. The performance of Jessica Walters is awesome, changing naturally her behavior from a sweet to an aggressive person, really incorporating her character. Clint Eastwood is very cool, as usual, and Donna Mills very gorgeous. I like the unusual break of tension adopted when Evelyn is arrested and Dave and Tobie's routine returns to normal, dating, going to festival, making love, increasing the suspense after the twist point. I do not recall how many times I have seen "Play Misty for Me", a classic and one of the best thrillers of the 70's. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Perversa Paixão" ("Wicked Passion")

This was "Fatal Attraction" 16 years before that famous movie was made.

The problem with this tense drama was credibility. There are several instances where just about everyone with a brain would avoid trouble by doing the sensible thing....except the character in here, of course. Also, being honest is the obvious thing to do here and, of course, that's not done either.

Nevertheless, it's a taut thriller with Jessica Walter doing a great job playing a nutcase stalker "Evelyn Draper." I also enjoyed watching Donna Mills. An appealing actress, and not just because of a pretty face, I wonder she didn't do more films? After this movie, it's been almost all television roles for her.

So-so mono sound and poor picture quality helped me eventually trade my VHS copy in but, with a nice DVD transfer now available, I might check this movie out again. Clint Eastwood, the male lead here, has rarely been in a boring movie, and this is no exception.