The Top 10 Best Stalker Movies
These Stalker Movies will Make You Double Check Your Locks.
Before we start in on this list of stalker movies, I want to make sure that everyone knows that stalking is super creepy and in no way endorsed by Stars & Popcorn. Sure, some movies might romanticize it and some shows might make it seem quirky or endearing. The truth is that there’s nothing more terrifying than feeling like you’re constantly being watched. That’s why this week’s Top 10 list is dedicated to the best (and most terrifying) stalker movies that have hit the big screen over the years. Just to be clear, I’m focusing on movies that featured unwanted observation of, and intrusion into, the lives of the victims that the stalker has become obsessed with. That means that there are a few films you might expect to see on this list that don’t quite make the cut. However, those that do show that there’s nothing quirky or fun about stalker movies.
10. Single White Female
Most people think stalker movies are about some creepy guy watching some girl he’s never met from afar. However, stalkers come in all shapes and genders. Some will even imprint themselves in your lives in order to get even closer to the object of their obsession. Single White Female follows a woman, Allie played by Bridget Fonda, searching for a roommate who gets more than she bargained for in Hedy (Jennifer Jason Leigh). It turns out her roommate is a bonafide psychopath who is seeking a replacement for her dead twin sister. Unfortunately, Allie the bill and Hedy slowly starts forcing herself further and further into her life. Anyone and anything that threatens their “special relationship” is removed with extreme prejudice.
9. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle
One of the more twisted entries on this list of stalker movies is The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Not all stalkers are without their reasons, no matter how insane they might be. This film tells the tale of a woman whose life is ruined after her husband kills himself rather than answer for his sexual crimes against the women who trusted him. After his death, his wife, Mrs. Mott (Rebecca De Mornay), sets out to invade the life of the woman who “dared to call him out on for his BS,” Claire (Annabella Sciorra), and implants herself in her life by becoming the family nanny. Trust me though, this psycho is no Marry Poppins. As the film goes on Mott slowly turns Claire’s family against her through carefully crafted acts of manipulation until their inevitable confrontation.
8. Play Misty For Me
Clint Eastwood has proven himself to be quite a capable director over the years. However, it’s his first film Play Misty for Me that has managed to earn a top spot among stalker movies. The film follows a radio DJ, back before they were defined by the quality of their fart sound effects and quantity of naked women they could get on the air, who finds himself being stalked by a fan. Eastwood’s stalker implants herself in his life by starting a casual relationship with him and slowly escalating until he’s forced to call the police. Of course, anyone who has ever had a stalker knows that the cops rarely prove effective and soon Eastwood is fighting for his life and the lives of those he loves.
7. Fatal Attraction
When someone mentioned “stalker movies” it’s hard not to think of Fatal Attraction. While the other movies on this list had pretty innocent victims, Michael Douglas’ character isn’t quite so deserving of sympathy. After all, he’s a married man that has an affair and it comes back to bite him in the ass. That being said, Glenn Close does take things to an incredible extreme as she proves you can’t judge an insane book by its sane cover. Close doesn’t take rejection well and soon Douglas can’t escape her obsessive behavior. Typically I’d be fine with him getting a big serving of his just desserts, but once Close sets her eyes on his family, well, that’s a horse of a different color. Not a movie for fans of cute little bunny rabbits.
6. One Hour Photo
Robin Williams was a brilliant comedic actor, but also took on a lot of haunting dramatic roles. One of his most memorable performances was in One Hour Photo which took place in the pre-digital and Instagram days when people actually had to take film to be developed. His character, Sy, is a photo technician who has slowly become obsessed with a family that has been coming to him for years. Sy uses them as a means to escape his own lonely life, so when he’s fired from his job he takes things to the next level and begins to follow them in order to create new memories of them. Of all the characters on this list of stalker movies, William’s Sy is probably the most tragic, which isn’t an excuse, but just goes to show how complicated stalking situations can be.