This is a horror film based on the sanctity of the family -- the dream family. It enforces conventional morality (in the era of AIDS) by piling on paranoiac fear. The family that kills together stays together, and the audience is hyped up.

| Sep 15, 2023

It’s a fine line between pathos and ridiculousness, and Close walks it like a velvet tightrope.

| May 5, 2023

Fatal Attraction evolves toward the cheaply manipulative and silly.

| Dec 7, 2022

Under the direction of Adrian Lyne, most of the picture's situations seem like randomly chosen place holders, flat events that just fill time until the final bizarre confrontation.

| Jun 12, 2013

[The film brings] horror home to a place where the grownup moviegoer actually lives.

| Feb 11, 2008

The screws are tightened expertly in this suspenseful meller about a flipped-out femme who makes life hell for the married man who scorns her.

| Feb 11, 2008

While billed as a romance and a thriller, the film strictly qualifies as neither, appealing to our prurience, guilt, hatred, and dread.

| Feb 11, 2008

A predictable dog's dinner of Pavlovian thriller clichés, this will appeal strongly to those who think women should be kept on a short lead.

| Jan 26, 2006

Years hence, it will be possible to pinpoint the exact moment that produced Fatal Attraction, Adrian Lyne's new romantic thriller, and the precise circumstances that made it a hit.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 20, 2003

Sure, Alex may be little more than a bunny-boiling stalker but Fatal Attraction is still notable for Close's resilient, complex performance.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Apr 14, 2002

Two absolutely riveting performances and a smart reversal of the usual male-female stalker scenario leave behind a nasty taste and an unforgettable cinema experience.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 7, 2001

Close should take pride in her performance. She should also expect a depressing avalanche of scripts requiring a she-wacko.

| Jan 1, 2000

Fatal Attraction has an inescapable pull to it; it's suffocatingly exciting.

| Jan 1, 2000

Because the good things in the movie -- including the performances -- are so very good, it's a shame that the film's potential for greatness was so blatantly compromised.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 1, 2000