Which movie do you prefer?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Horror
I love hutch — 4 years ago(November 22, 2021 02:51 PM)
Which movie do you prefer?
"The Fan"
0%
0 votes
"Visiting Hours"
0%
0 votes
I love "The Fan" and this is largely due to Maureen Stapleton's warm, lovable personality. She's one of those rare actresses (like Cloris Leachman and Lee Grant) who is incapable of giving a dull performance. Also, the unintentionally funny musical numbers sung by the tone deaf Lauren Bacall are near pure camp and a camp slasher is not something to be sneered at!
I like "Visiting Hours" and I think it has more suspense than the 1981 grandma slasher. Another advantage VH has is that Lee Grant is a much better actress than Bacall. Also Lee Grant and William Shatner do have enough chemistry to make it believable, whereas Bacall's haughtiness and James Garner's likable warm-cool charm do not mix well.
Finally, Michael Ironside vs. Michael Biehn as the films' bad guys. Ironside is definitely the scarier of the two. But I do find Biehn's troubled character to be more compelling.
"The Fan" - ***
"Visiting Hours" - **1/2
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
"My life is over. I might as well dance with Johnny Slash!" -
ToastedCheese — 4 years ago(November 23, 2021 05:33 AM)
For me, I find
Visiting Hours
the superior presentation.
The Fan
lacks scary suspense and is confused.
Visiting Hours
is a tad flawed in that it doesn't really give enough solid reasoning for Colt's disturbed psychosis, and to imply that he is the way he is because his mother threw hot oil on his father's face when he was getting drunken amorous with her is just not adequate psychology reasoning within the narrative.
With Breen in
The Fan
, he was as gay as they come, yet this film was too cowardly to even come out and say it. The makers choosing to whitewash over that aspect and make his obsession with some "has been" average looking old bat actress sexual, was too far reaching for believability in this aspect and makes the film appear cheesy.
I am not compelled, nor even that fascinated with Biehn in
The Fan
, compared to Ironside in
Visiting Hours
. I would be very wary of Colt, but I also find him more sexually appealing.
I like to compare
Visiting Hours
with
Vice Squad - '82
from the same year. A more solid and sleazy thriller, with Ramrod being an off the rails and unpredictable crack-pot psycho who is capable of just about anything.
You mentioned you watched this recently for the first time.
Norman! What did you put in my tea?