'Single White Female (1992)' is an effective 'stalker' thriller primarily because it takes its time, slowly ratcheting up the tension and unease as its seemingly straight-laced central relationship slowly deteriorates into something much more one-sided. Leigh treats her initially mild-mannered character as a bit of an enigma, remaining oddly empathetic even after her psychotic tendencies start to come into play. It's easy to understand why Fonda's character doesn't dismiss her immediately, which is important for this sort of material. There are quite a few frustrating yet relatively 'harmless' incidents before the big stuff starts streaming in, creating an engaging experience with appropriate peaks and valleys in its suspense. Though it isn't totally predictable, it's very much in line with its genre. That's not really an issue, however; it's rather entertaining throughout. It's confident in its ability to walk the line between downplayed realism and over-the-top fantasy, leading to a rather grounded result that feels as though it could happen even if it probably couldn't. 7/10

SINGLE WHITE FEMALE is one of the many psycho-thrillers that were popular in the early '90s after FATAL ATTRACTION made the genre fashionable. I was going to add 'worst' into that first sentence because I didn't like this film at all and it doesn't come close to others like THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE or BASIC INSTINCT. This has a good premise – being stalked by somebody who wants to be you – but the film is ruined thanks to poor execution and direction that strives for art house style but ultimately offers boredom rather than entertainment.

One of my biggest problems with this film is that there's nobody to root for. Bridget Fonda plays it aloof and cold throughout, but I've seen her much better in other movies like KISS OF THE DRAGON or A SIMPLE PLAN, so this must have been intentional. She's one of those heroines where you don't give a fig what happens to her. Jennifer Jason Leigh reminded me of Juliette Lewis a little, although I think Juliette would have done the kooky angle a lot better; she's never frightening. Then there are repulsive supporting characters, like the jerk boyfriend (THE SHINING miniseries' Steven Weber),the slightly creepy upstairs neighbour, and the perverted boss. Nobody here is warm or appealing at all.

The movie does have a couple of good moments, mainly in the violence that Leigh eventually wreaks. The dog-from-the-balcony scene is a goodie and the infamous stiletto scene makes a real impact (pun intended). Things also pick up for the elaborate climax, and the last half an hour was a lot better than the first hour. It's not enough to save a lacklustre movie that'll always be a 'could have been so much more' in my mind.

The movie opens with twin girls playing with makeup. Only child Allison Jones (Bridget Fonda) is living in a big rent control apartment in NYC with her boyfriend Sam Rawson (Steven Weber). She kicks him out for sleeping with his ex-wife. Her only friend is her upstairs gay neighbor Graham. She decides to place an ad SWF and applicant Hedra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh) comes in catching her crying. Hedra comforts her and they become fast friends. Hedra slowly starts to infiltrate her life and copying her style. Her only client Mitchell Myerson is a creep.

This is a great creepy sexy B-thriller. It's a great example of a well made exploitation movie. There are some memorable scenes and SWF becomes ingrained into the societal lexicon. Fonda is a good sweetheart and JJL is great as the disturbed mental case.