18 Movie Stalkers You Should Not F*ck With
Sometimes, there's nothing better than popping some popcorn, getting cozy on the couch, and immersing yourself in a good stalker movie. There's something really satisfying about the tension and the eventual confrontation, isn't there? With Fifty Shades Darker trailer hitting theaters on Friday, we've been inspired to put together a list of all the movie stalkers we wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley. Take a look at the ones we love, and let us know how many of these movies you've seen!
Annie Wilkes, Misery
Kathy Bates won an Oscar for portraying Annie Wilkes, author Paul Sheldon's (James Caan) biggest fan. When Paul gets into an accident and randomly winds up in her care, Annie sees to it that his next novel goes exactly as she wants. This is the movie that familiarized audiences with "hobbling," the practice of breaking a person's ankles with a sledgehammer so they can't escape. Is it any surprise that it's based on a Stephen King novel?
David McCall, Fear
Back in the '90s, when young rapper Mark Wahlberg was still trying to establish himself as an actor, he starred in a little film called Fear. He played David, the ultimate bad boy, opposite sweet little Reese Witherspoon. Their romance is so cute! Until things take a crazy turn when David shows his true colors . . . and they're terrifying. Spoiler: he decapitates the family dog.
Julie Gianni, Vanilla Sky
If you think your ex is bad news, you clearly haven't met Julie. Cameron Diaz plays David's (Tom Cruise) crazy former lover in Vanilla Sky. When she hears about David spending the night with another woman, she doesn't just cry into a tub of ice cream, she crashes her car — with David in it.
Lisa, Obsessed
Apparently no one ever warned Ali Larter not to mess with Beyoncé, because that's exactly what she does in Obsessed. Lisa (Larter) goes after husband of Beyoncé's character, played by Idris Elba, in this sexy thriller. You would think Elba would be able to handle a handsy stalker, but Beyoncé has to take matters into her own hands, resulting in one hell of a fight sequence.
Alex Forrest, Fatal Attraction
Glenn Close portrayed the ultimate stalker in this classic Oscar nominee. After falling for her one-night stand (Michael Douglas), Alex (Close) refuses to let go of him, famously telling him she's "not gonna be ignored." Oh, and she also kills his daughter's pet bunny and leaves it on their stove to boil. Yep, it's horrifying.
Evelyn, Play Misty For Me
Before she became Lucille Bluth, Jessica Walter played Evelyn in Clint Eastwood's 1971 directorial debut, Play Misty For Me. Evelyn is a lonely woman, with a passion for Johnny Mathis's old track, "Misty," and the DJ (Eastwood) who plays it in the radio. She loves them both so much that she becomes fixated on them. Her obsession turns violent, resulting in dramatic painting destruction, among other things.
Peyton Flanders, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
A nanny is someone you should trust fully and completely, not someone who secretly breastfeeds your baby. That's less of a nanny and more a psychopath, really. Rebecca De Mornay plays Peyton in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, a woman who seeks revenge on the family who inadvertently destroyed her life. She infiltrates their home posing as a nanny, and proves to be the worst person ever.
Rebecca, The Roommate
Rebecca (Leighton Meester) just wants a best friend. Instead, she gets way too close to her college roommate, Sara (Minka Kelly). At first she just seems clingy, but Sara soon realizes that she's not just needy, she's potentially insane. Rebecca attacks another student trying to protect Sara, tattoos her name on her breast, and kills her cat by putting in it a dryer.
Ivy, Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy is great advertisement for choosing your friends wisely. Drew Barrymore stars as Ivy, a wise-beyond-her-years teenager who befriends Sylvie (Sara Gilbert). The two become fast friends, but Ivy isn't all that she seems. Upon seeing's Sylvie's seriously ill mother, Ivy begins carrying out a plan to seduce Sylvie's father. Sex, murder, and mystery follow.
Darian Forrester, The Crush
There's nothing threatening about a 14-year-old girl, right? Wrong. Two years before Clueless, Alicia Silverstone played Darian in this thriller. Darian is thrilled when Nick (Cary Elwes), a young journalist, starts renting her parents' guest house. At first, he plays along with her crush, but things get awkward when she won't let him go.
Madison Bell, Swimfan
Erika Christensen and Jesse Bradford star in this moody thriller about a swimming jock who makes the fatal mistake of sleeping with a mysterious new girl. His life spirals out of control when she begins terrorizing him for not wanting to be with her, pushing him to discover her dark past. Sound cheesy? It's not; it's amazing.
Alex, Wicker Park
Yes, that was Rose Byrne in Wicker Park! She played Alex, a woman hopelessly in love with Matt (Josh Hartnett), her old friend's old boyfriend (it's complicated, we know). Though she's not particularly dangerous, Alex does lie her way into sleeping with Matt, who is slowly going insane at the idea that his old girlfriend might be back in the picture.
Hedra Carlson, Single White Female
Single White Female is the one of the best stalker movies out there, hands down. Allie (Bridget Fonda) thinks she's found the perfect roommate in Hedy (Jennifer Jason Leigh), but Hedy has some severe issues. She's constantly in need of Allie's attention, disapproves of Allie's romantic choices, and eventually punts their puppy off the balcony. (What is up with stalkers and animal cruelty??)
Max Cady, Cape Fear
Now here's a stalker that will haunt your nightmares forever. Martin Scorsese's 1991 thriller earned Oscar nominations for both Robert De Niro, who plays the horrific Max Cady, and Juliette Lewis, who plays the daughter of the prosecutor who sent Max to prison. The movie is fantastic, but you'll be checking under your car to make sure Max isn't clinging to it for the rest of your life.
Seymour Parrish, One Hour Photo
Robin Williams has gotten so much critical praise for his comedic and dramatic chops, but his performance in this horror flick is highly underrated. He plays a disturbed photo developer who becomes obsessed with a suburban family. He keeps his own copies of all their photos, imagines himself as their uncle, and when he discovers a secret about their family, he takes matters into his own hands.
Noah Sandborn, The Boy Next Door
Wouldn't we all love Ryan Guzman to be stalking us? Not if he's threatening your teaching career and the safety of your family, like he does in The Boy Next Door. Noah (Guzman) appears to be a good mentor for Claire's (Jennifer Lopez) son, but when he gets her drunk one night and seduces her, things get real. He then refuses to leave her alone, joining her class as a student and pitting her son against his philandering father (John Corbett).
Gordo, The Gift
Karma's a b*tch, and if you bullied people in high school, you better watch out later. Joel Edgerton wrote, directed, and stars in The Gift as Gordo, an off-kilter man who begins stalking an old high school peer (Jason Bateman) and his wife (Rebecca Hall). Gordo insists he just wants to be friends, even sending constant gifts to the couple. What begins as an innocent gesture becomes a scary obsession.
Martin Burney, Sleeping With the Enemy
Sometimes your stalker is someone you know very well . . . like your ex. Young wife Laura (Julia Roberts) fakes her death to escape her obsessive, abusive husband (Patrick Bergin), but he tracks her down . . . and there's never been a scarier shot of folded hand towels in a movie, ever.