The Fan (1981)

45% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
42% of users liked it
(1,077 ratings)

Lauren Bacall more or less plays herself in The Fan. Cast as famous Broadway musical comedy star Sally Ross (with an astonishing lack of temperament!), Bacall finds herself the unwilling love object of psychotic fan Douglas Breen (Michael Biehn). As security around Ross tightens, Breen vows that if… More Lauren Bacall more or less plays herself in The Fan. Cast as famous Broadway musical comedy star Sally Ross (with an astonishing lack of temperament!), Bacall finds herself the unwilling love object of psychotic fan Douglas Breen (Michael Biehn). As security around Ross tightens, Breen vows that if he can't have Ross, no one else can. James Garner and Maureen Stapleton are underused as, respectively, Bacall's ex-husband and mother-hen secretary. Based on a good novel by Bob Randall, The Fan comes off as a slightly more expensive "stalker of the week" TV movie. Still, the film proved grimly prescient in the light of John Lennon's assassination (which occurred after the film was completed, but before its release) and the ongoing dilemma of current Broadway stars (even the lesser lights) who are forced to hire bodyguards to protect them from worshipful wackos. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Ed Bianchi, Edward Bianchi
Written By: Priscilla Chapman, John Hartwell
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: May 15, 1981 Wide
On DVD: Sep 24, 2002
Studio: Paramount Home Video

Critic Reviews

Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily
An unsettling thriller about a celebrity stalker that only falters at the end. Good work by Bacall and especially Biehn.
Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review
Creepy Michael Biehn is memorable.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Enjoyably campy trash.
Scott Weinberg, Apollo Guide
Those looking for a tight thriller will be bored; those looking for effective horror will be annoyed.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Veronique K

1981 "the fan" is a self-recycling tale of lauren bacall's past stardom, a self-referential parody since it is convinient to barrow her young glamour shots in the flick. bacall is sally ross, the aging super star who decides to head broadway while she suffers from… More
1981 "the fan" is a self-recycling tale of lauren bacall's past stardom, a self-referential parody since it is convinient to barrow her young glamour shots in the flick. bacall is sally ross, the aging super star who decides to head broadway while she suffers from the melancholy after divorce despite her ex is still escorting her. on the other hand, her number one fanatic fan douglas is running amok becuz the grand sally ross never has time or care to read or reply one goddamned word to him. he blames sally ross' assistant for intercepting his letters, so he teaches her a lesson by disfiguring her. solitude in reclusion and continuous refusals trigger off his insanity, so douglas makes up his mind to go for the extreme to get what he wants most: a responded letter from sally ross. the flick is corny, and it centers on trivia around bacall more than the lunatic state of the fan. it is partially a melodrama of bacall's november romance featuring her relationship with men, her struggling career and her dazzling musical, occasionally boasted with a cheesy sense of horror which populates in 70s and 80s slasher flick. it is amazing that bacall still remains a touch of class and a tint of hipster glamour in 1981, but wouln't it be absurd that all sally ross has to do is raising her precious hands to type a letter to stop this dreadful madness but she's not even courageous enough to do so? but she has guts enough to stick a knife in him at the end? typical star with imperious conceits and insoulciant insolence, who takes admiration for granted.
jay n

read the book instead

Cast

            Lauren Bacall as Sally Ross

            James Garner as Jake Berman

            Maureen Stapleton as Belle Goldman

            Michael Biehn as Douglas Breen

            Hector Elizondo as Ralph Andrews

            Anna Maria Horsford as Emily

            Kurt Johnson as David

            Feiga Martinez as Elsa

            Reed Jones as Choreographer

            Ed Crowley as Caretaker

            Jean De Baer as Stage Manager

            Dana Delany as Saleswoman

            Ann Pearl Gary as Fan

            Kaiulani Lee as Douglas' Sister

            Donna Mitchell as Hostess

            Lionel Pina as Customer

            Justin Ross as Dancer

            Dwight Schultz as Director

            Robert Weil as Pop

            Jim Wolfe as Dancer

            Griffin Dunne as Production Assistant

            Tim Elliott as Stagehand

            Terence Marinan as Young Man in Bar

            Miriam Phillips as Woman on Steps

            Themi Sapountzakis as Markham

            Stephanie E. Williams
            
            Alixe Gordin
            
            Victoria Vanderkloot as Pen Thief

            George Peters as Doorman

            Charles Blackwell as John Vetta

            Erik van Valkenburg
            
            Liz Smith as Herself

            Kurt R. Johnson
            
See full cast