Remember the ending of "Murder By Death" where Truman Capote lashes into the murder mystery writers for the details about their writing that he hated? All of them and more pop up in this cheapie slasher film that somehow made it into secondary theaters and probably right onto cable as soon as its brief theatrical run ended. Several years before she had to deal with a knife wielding Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction", Anne Archer had to deal with a knife wielding homicidal maniac in this, going as far as to move into the luxurious residential Manhattan hotel where a friend of hers was brutally murdered. Detectives Mike Connors and Leon Issac Kennedy set out to protect her, especially when she befriends number one suspect Ian MacShane, seen putting on stage make-up in the opening scene and taking care of invalid mother Maureen O'Sullivan who will only speak to him.
This film just gets more convoluted as it goes on, but there are a few entertaining bits about it, particularly the fashion show where uppity designer Carrie Nye commands the scene in her inimitable Tallulah Bankhead like mannerisms. Too bad she didn't get to share a scene with O'Sullivan; The very same year, both veteran actress (Nye of the stage, O'Sullivan of the screen) appeared together on the soap opera "Guiding Light" where Nye's murderous real estate agent had O'Sullivan's character snuffed out before she could reveal secrets. "Killing Jane from the Tarzan movies made me feel like I had shot Bambi's mother!", Nye said in an interview that year. Too bad she couldn't have done something to get a better script, although Nye's dialog is perhaps the wittiest and best in the script.
Locations around Manhattan are greatly used to give this a visual treat, and they are pretty well utilized. Sharp eyes living in Manhattan today will recognize their favorite neighborhoods where the businesses may gave changed but the buildings have not. I believe that the Broadway theater where an arguing couple are picked up was where the original cast of "Nine" was. A shot of the West Village is also quite different as far as the businesses are concerned, and the park where MacShane takes O'Sullivan is recognizable as well. I didn't really hate this movie. I just found it cheesy and trite, and rather familiar in its many plot twist with an ending that was so silly that I just rolled my eyes rather than laugh at it as the bad song began to play over the closing credits.
This film just gets more convoluted as it goes on, but there are a few entertaining bits about it, particularly the fashion show where uppity designer Carrie Nye commands the scene in her inimitable Tallulah Bankhead like mannerisms. Too bad she didn't get to share a scene with O'Sullivan; The very same year, both veteran actress (Nye of the stage, O'Sullivan of the screen) appeared together on the soap opera "Guiding Light" where Nye's murderous real estate agent had O'Sullivan's character snuffed out before she could reveal secrets. "Killing Jane from the Tarzan movies made me feel like I had shot Bambi's mother!", Nye said in an interview that year. Too bad she couldn't have done something to get a better script, although Nye's dialog is perhaps the wittiest and best in the script.
Locations around Manhattan are greatly used to give this a visual treat, and they are pretty well utilized. Sharp eyes living in Manhattan today will recognize their favorite neighborhoods where the businesses may gave changed but the buildings have not. I believe that the Broadway theater where an arguing couple are picked up was where the original cast of "Nine" was. A shot of the West Village is also quite different as far as the businesses are concerned, and the park where MacShane takes O'Sullivan is recognizable as well. I didn't really hate this movie. I just found it cheesy and trite, and rather familiar in its many plot twist with an ending that was so silly that I just rolled my eyes rather than laugh at it as the bad song began to play over the closing credits.