The Fear Inside (film)

The Fear Inside

American VHS cover of The Fear Inside
Genre Thriller
Drama
Written by Alan Jay Glueckman (story)
David Birke (screenplay)
Directed by Leon Ichaso
Starring Christine Lahti
Dylan McDermott
Jennifer Rubin
Theme music composer Michel Rubini
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Producer(s) John C. Broderick
Alan Jay Glueckman
Judie Gregg
Helena Hacker
Cinematography Bojan Bazelli
Editor(s) Gary Karr
Running time 115 minutes
Production company(s) Viacom Productions
Distributor Media Home Entertainment
Release
Original network Showtime Cable Network
Original release August 9, 1992 (1992-08-09)

The Fear Inside is a 1992 thriller/drama television film starring Christine Lahti, Dylan McDermott and Jennifer Rubin, directed by Leon Ichaso. The film first aired on August 9, 1992 on the Showtime Cable Network.

Background

The film stars Christine Lahti as Meredith Cole, Dylan McDermott as Pete Caswell and Jennifer Rubin as Jane Caswell. Others in the film included David Ackroyd as Brandon Cole, Thomas Ian Nicholas as Sean Cole and Paul Linke as Carl Landers.[1]

Today, the film remains only available on out-of-print VHS, released in both America[2] and the UK.[3] The original American VHS was distributed by Media Home Entertainment.[4]

The film was nominated for two CableACE awards, one being "Actress in a Movie or Miniseries" (Christine Lahti), and the other being "Directing a Movie or Miniseries" (Leon Ichaso).[5]

The film's tagline reads "Her greatest fear was the outside world. Now, it's come inside."[6]

Plot

Agoraphobic children's book illustrator Meredith Cole is unable to leave her own home, and since her husband leaves, she decides to place an ad in the paper for someone to rent her guest bedroom. Jane Caswell rents the room, whilst her alleged brother Pete Caswell soon joins the household too, although it becomes clear that they are both not what they seem. Jane claims she's a vet and her brother claims he's a cop. Things go to extremes when Cole finds evidence of their criminal activity, leading the two young psychos-in-love to terrorize her. When Jane kidnaps and threatens to kill Cole's son, she has no choice but to overcome her paralyzing fears and attempt to leave her home to save him.[7]

Cast

Reception

Hal Erickson of Allmovie gave the film three stars out of five.[8]

Upon release, Los Angeles Times gave a favorable review and wrote "The production is a cut or two above most suspense stories because of the gripping performances and a script that takes the old premise of a victim trapped in her house and turns it into a crackling sexual/psychological shocker."[9]

Entertainment Weekly wrote an unfavorable review, stating "How a fine actress like Christine Lahti (The Doctor, Leaving Normal) got involved in a miserable project like The Fear Inside is one of the mysteries of summer-doldrums TV." Also noting, "The whole story is a stretch...", as well as "Still, there is unexpected humor: as Rubin's character becomes more and more criminally insane, her hair goes wild in a Phyllis Diller-ish way and her eyes bug out like Michael Keaton's in Beetlejuice. Now, that's entertainment."[10]

People Magazine gave a C- grade and described the film as a "routine thriller" and wrote "Woman-in-peril movies show up on TV as often as Dan Quayle jokes. There are a few tense moments, thanks to Rubin's manic-performance and some noir-ish camera work. The excitement evaporates as the story becomes increasingly predictable. When the movie gels down to its big finish, it has become more silly than scary. The ending goes on forever, with Lahti continually breaking free from these wackos and then getting recaptured. Viewer interest is likely to wane long before Lahti gets around to tackling her fear of the outdoors."[11]

On the UK VHS release, the Los Angeles Times also quoted "gripping performances - coiled like a spring". On the same cover, New York Daily News wrote "Not a film for the faint of heart".[12] The TV Guide Network gave the film three out of five stars.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104242/fullcredits#cast
  2. ↑ "fear inside: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  3. ↑ "fear inside Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  4. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104242/companycredits
  5. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104242/awards
  6. ↑ "Fear Inside [VHS]: Christine Lahti, Dylan McDermott, Jennifer Rubin, David Ackroyd, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Paul Linke, Mike Barger, Gloria McCord, María Díaz, Bojan Bazelli, Leon Ichaso, Gary Karr, Alan Jay Glueckman, Helena Hacker, John C. Broderick, Judie Gregg, David Birke". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  7. ↑ "The Fear Inside - Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards". AllMovie. 1992-08-09. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  8. ↑ "The Fear Inside (1992) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. 1992-08-09. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  9. ↑ RAY LOYND (1992-08-08). "TV Reviews : Showtime's 'The Fear Inside' Will Rattle Your Cage - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  10. ↑ Lisa Schwarzbaum (1992-08-07). "TV Movie Review: 'The Fear Inside' Review | TV Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  11. ↑ Tomashoff, Craig (1992-08-10). "Picks and Pans Review: The Fear Inside". People.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  12. ↑ "Fear Inside [VHS]: Christine Lahti, Dylan McDermott, Jennifer Rubin, David Ackroyd, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Paul Linke, Mike Barger, Gloria McCord, María Díaz, Leon Ichaso: Amazon.co.uk: Video". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  13. ↑ TV guide - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
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