I thought it was really clever of the folks at Body Chemistry III to cast Andrew Stevens and Morgan Fairchild as a married couple, since they played stalker and stalkee in the awesome 1982 erotic thriller The Seduction. But I think a lot of things are clever, like when a monkey plays the cymbals… Anyway, let us go back to 1982 and see what director David Schmoeller (Tourist Trap) was attempting to accomplish – It was the decade of pastels and glamour. It was also the decade of gore filled horror. And in the middle of it was this underrated and fun thriller desperately trying to eke out something that might please folks looking for something in-between. It never truly reaches any heights of shock or tension but remains a fabulous looking-glass back to the end of the era of classy & sleazy thrillers such as The Eyes of Laura Mars and towards the beginning of tawdry neo-noir erotica like, uh, Body Chemistry III. What a tangled web Morgan and Andrew have weaved…

If 80s glamour isn’t you style, stand back! Hair doesn’t get much bigger than this! Morgan Fairchild is the ever professional Jamie Douglas, an anchorwoman who’s got everything – a great job, a loyal boyfriend, a beautiful house… and a stalker. He’s Derek (Andrew Stevens), a deranged photographer who only views life through the skewed vision of his lens. When he sets his sights on Jamie, nothing will stop him. At first he seems pretty inoffensive, and also aware enough of his physical attributes to play off of them (Sneaky devil! We girls love a good looking guy!). It doesn’t take long for these innocuous plays for affection to turn ugly and dangerous and before you know it, Morgan will have to kick some major ass to hold on to what is left of her sanity.

Although no one would consider this early 80s thriller a classic, The Seduction does have some interesting and glossy qualities to it. Andrew Stevens’ character is fairly well drawn for a popcorn thriller and eerily close to the kind of obsessive fan famous folks have had to accustom themselves to. In fact, The Seduction’s voyeuristic theme still holds a candle about the warped ability to turn one’s fantasies into a dangerous reality. As the media insists on bringing us closer to celebrities this film actually feels relevant in these intrusive times. However you have been warned – I prefer to call it methodic pacing, but the tempo may be too slow for some.

Without a doubt, The SeductionBasic Instinct made smaller films seem almost quaint by comparison, it’s kind of nice to see such innocence in Fairchild’s brief nude scenes. She’s good here, and looks lovely too but it’s not until she grabs that shotgun that we really see Fairchild kick into gear. Fans of blondes with blazing guns will not be disappointed.