Shadow of Fear (2012 TV Movie) User Reviews

Time Warner or LMN Goof

[gamay9 · 5/10 · 31 December 2013]

Time Warner's synopsis indicated that the Catherine Hicks character, who owned the business the victim worked for, was the stalker. Or, would the synopsis be written by LMN? I enjoyed the movie, except for the 50% TV ad time, which is common for any network these days, including sports where they have TV time-outs. No coach or player can call THAT many time-outs. That really ruins the continuity of the game and irritates the players and coaches, but it's the 'ME' age, all for the bottom line (ex: A&E and 'Duck Dynasty').

Catherine Hicks was hardly noticeable in this film. She has aged considerably since she portrayed Kathleen Turner's best friend in 'Peggy Sue Got Married,' 1986 (title based upon an obscure, but good, Buddy Holly song). Of course, I look older than I did in 1986 as well, but Catherine looks like she had a stroke along the way. I just lost my hair as most men of 72 do. I would guess Catherine Hicks is only in her early 50's unless she wasn't a teenager in 1986. I'll check out her bio.

As for the film, it was good seeing Harry Hamlin long after his starring role in the legendary 'Clash of the Titans.' He has aged gracefully.

The stalker was the best actor in the film. I know my review doesn't cover much of the film's content, direction, acting, etc. but what else can I say about LMN? It was a slow night for TV - no local sports teams in action. That would comprise the contrary male network, i.e. sports ARE (ESPN,Fox Sports, etc.) are the male networks.

Hate it

[msblackeyes68 · 1/10 · 19 January 2017]

This is definitely a movie you want to skip.

The storyline in itself isn't a bad idea. However the execution of it was terrible. You have a woman who is weak and not the most likable character. A guy fixated on her. A police force who first arrest her for assault as she was defending herself and 1 second they are making it seem like she's making it up but then, before u could blink, female cop comes in saying charges have been dropped and now he was being held. The male cop in the room who was still writing her statement acting like she's the criminal turns around and starts sympathizing with her. I mean there wasn't even a break in his writing. A complete 180 that left u with your mouth open.

It got worse from there. Everyone around her are going out of their way to protect her. Yet she does nothing to help herself. And even goes as far as to get insulted when an alarm system is bought for her. Which they never set up.

Jump ahead to the "climax"...... There wasn't one. Oh they caught the guy and so forth. But the way they did was so boring and such a let down that I started rewriting the final 15 min in my head so I didn't feel so cheated.

These kind of stories you need to have the audience love the victim and hate the unsub. In this movie you felt nothing for neither and couldn't care one way or the other what happened.

If your looking for something to do I highly recommend picking the fuzz out of your belly button rather then watch this movie.

Will is so good!

[ivegonemod · 3 June 2012]

The best thing about this movie is Will Estes, I've always enjoyed him. He was excellent as the creepy and crazy Morgan. I think he really brought the character to life. The movie in general was pretty good, it really kept me on the edge of my seat. I would have like to have seen a little more build up to Morgan's obsession with Casey, it was just way too fast, and could have been more dramatic. Obviously there was no real reason for Morgan to be so obsessed with her, but they could have stoked the flames a little better. The ending was a little cheesy, but I would suggest watching this movie if you really want to see the toll that stalking can take.

I Did Not Like This Movie

[carolynocean · 2/10 · 6 April 2022]

And the reason being is the characters .

Firstly I agree with one reviewer who stated that , in this type of movie , you have to like the victim and dislike the agressor .

I did not like the lead female role . From the begining she and her" team of protectors " ,annoyed me . This woman seemed incapeable of defending herself in anyway on her own , even though she is protrayed as being strong and independant from the opening scenes .

Secondly , I felt completely uncomfortable about the way that mental illness was dealt with in this movie , I mean, it was blatently obvious from the very start that Morgan was suffering from severe mental illness , and for anybody not to have noticed that ,and not to act immediatley , by reporting it , is just ridiculous .

And of course I felt sorry for Morgan , being that unwell is not a choice made by people who suffer from mental illness , rather a condition that requires urgent care and help .

Sorry , for the speech , but as I said , this movie made me feel uncomfortable .

Please Don't Consider This A Study Of Mental Illness

[Theo Robertson · 2/10 · 19 November 2012]

I notice this is is called SHADOW OF FEAR but when it was broadcast in Britain it was called DANGEROUS ATTRACTION a title that indicates i's going to be a clone of a very famous film from the 1980s so SHADOW OF FEAR is probably a more appropriate title . What is also interesting is that the site doesn't indicate it's a TVM . This certainly has all the feel of a chick flick TVM of having a woman stalked by a male hence the woman's trauma is the centre of the film's focus . It's unfortunate that that her stalker is a young man suffering from schziophrenia which means anyone watching this movie who has no knowledge of real life mental illness might jump to the wrong conclusion all schizophrenics are violent people . In reality a person suffering from this psychotic illness is 40 times more likely to kill themselves than another human being . In thisrespect SHADOW OF FEAR is offensive in its portrayal of mental illness whilst at the same time being inoffensive in every other aspect which again leads me to believe it's a TVM , one that's not worth watchingfor the most part

Also Known As "Dangerous Attraction"

[drivemenutzlong · 2/10 · 19 March 2020]

Long & ponderous and anti-climatic. The lead actress is fine & will no doubt have better roles in the future.

Realistic and well acted

[phd_travel · 8/10 · 19 July 2013]

The title doesn't indicate that this is an above average lifetime movie with good acting and a plausible story. For this kind of movie it isn't too overboard. It avoids melodrama or shock tactics and remains plausible and realistic. Of course it is a movie so there are some elements of the plot that feel like a composite to achieve a dramatic story. The plot is a waitress/writer becomes the stalking target of an obsessed mentally ill man who is off his meds. The difficulties in dealing with a mentally ill person and the limited recourse for stalking victims is presented in a no nonsense fashion.

The behavior shown is an accurate if extreme portrayal of the mental illness schizophrenia even tough the violence only occurs in extreme cases in real life. I have seen someone like that with the obsessive calling and rubbish rantings and papers. Will Estes does a good job of portraying the mentally ill person without overacting or melodrama.

Amanda Righetti gives a believable performance through the various stages and ups and downs of coping with the situation and the effect of the stalking on her.

Well done. Worth a watch.

Shadow of Fear...This Fear is So Good ****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 6 June 2012]

A stinging indictment of our justice system is shown in this excellent film. A woman, victimized by a stalker, can't seem to get help from authorities, and for a while, she is even under suspicion herself.

Will Estes, the young Regan rookie officer in the fabulous television show "Blue Bloods," gives an outstanding supporting performance as the schizophrenic young man, who becomes a monster when he fails to take his medication.

This is not your ordinary run of the mill story. The Estes character, Morgan Pierce, has plenty of political backing. It is determined that he is using his mother's name and that his father is the Lt. Governor. Naturally, the latter has used his influence to get his son out of various jams.

This stalking affects the emotional, physical and psychological aspects of life for the victim. Her life is one-living hell, and the society that promulgates laws doesn't really help either.

The satisfying ending tells us that something has to be done for the victims of such heinous actions.

A superb TV Movie, don't miss it.

[patherwill · 8/10 · 1 August 2013]

A great TV Movie that is extremely well acted by all concerned with a very sound plot that doesn't pull any punches while tackling a difficult subject matter is how I would describe this little gem.Starring Amanda Righetti as Casey Cooper who has her life turned around when she becomes the victim of a 'stalker'. She changes from an outgoing, extrovert and confident to a young lady who is afraid to venture outside or far from her home whilst receiving the statutory hate mail and endless 'phone-calls that the Police appear to have no power OR to her and her friends NO WILL to stop. This film drives on from start-to-finish and I guarantee will have you 'supporting' poor Casey and her friends as they fight against the seeming in-action of the local Police and her 'stalker' until they are unsure which exactly is the worst of the two? A brilliant support cast includes Will Estes,Harry Hamlin, Christie Burson and Eric Smzanda

Amazing Portrayal of an often overlooked issue

[tfrasier-68666 · 8/10 · 23 June 2018]

This movie is great. I watched it twice and its such a well done, responsible portrayal at a very real issue. Righetti did an amazing job at showing the emotional plight that stalking can do not only to the victim, but everyone around them. I also can't say enough good things about Will Estes performand and how well he captured the role of the stalker, and harmful it can be for people to overlook the psychological side of it. The cast did an amazing job, and keep in mind this is based on a true story, and they handled this issue so responsibly, and it's just a damn good thriller.

Have no fear

[geoffox-766-418467 · 12 February 2015]

For this LMN again brings you the damsel in distress, the terrible male character doing the bad deeds and once again we are asked to suffer a trite film with so-so acting, but for a few.

The damsel, in the name of Amanda Righetti, is not too good. It's all about her hair. When it is up, and she looks better that way and her age, she is happy. When her hair is down, not good on her, she's being dramatic. When it's all tossed about covering half of her face in strings down to her waist she is supposed to be disheveled.

I do believe she is too mature for the teen-age look. Why is it women and their hair become so important in films? Cut it short, my dear. You're supposed to be a classy lady and you look not so.

Her partner in crime, Christie Burson, also with flowing locks, doesn't do that much more for the film except to scream and stand by her friend. Has anyone heard of bobby pins? Why do they have to always have strands of hair hanging in their faces? So damned annoying and destroys my liking their work.

Catherine Hicks fares better and looks better and acts her age. I liked her. Harry Hamlin must be hard up for a job to take on this trite. He doesn't get much to do in this. Harry looks good though. And finally we come to the young man, William Estes, as the tormentor. His acting is a bit amateurish. You really don't believe him most of the time. Plus he looks as though he could be our leading lady's son.

I can't wait for the day when women look their age and act their age and this long straight hair look goes away. I am sick of seeing the same do, in all colors, real and phony, hanging straight down with some over each shoulder and some hanging down the back. It's like all the women look the same. There is really no difference. Except the acting. And there are some that can act and many that can not.