Single White Female

'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