The Fear Inside (film)

Background

The film stars Christine Lahti as Meredith Cole, Dylan McDermott as Pete Caswell and Jennifer Rubin as Jane Caswell. Others in the film included David Ackroyd as Brandon Cole, Thomas Ian Nicholas as Sean Cole and Paul Linke as Carl Landers.

Today, the film remains only available on out-of-print VHS, released in both America and the UK. The original American VHS was distributed by Media Home Entertainment.

The film was nominated for two CableACE awards, one being "Actress in a Movie or Miniseries" (Christine Lahti), and the other being "Directing a Movie or Miniseries" (Leon Ichaso).

The film's tagline reads "Her greatest fear was the outside world. Now, it's come inside."

Plot

Agoraphobic children's book illustrator Meredith Cole is unable to leave her own home, and since her husband leaves, she decides to place an ad in the paper for someone to rent her guest bedroom. Jane Caswell rents the room, whilst her alleged brother Pete Caswell soon joins the household too, although it becomes clear that they are both not what they seem. Jane claims she's a vet and her brother claims he's a cop. Things go to extremes when Cole finds evidence of their criminal activity, leading the two young psychos-in-love to terrorize her. When Jane kidnaps and threatens to kill Cole's son, she has no choice but to overcome her paralyzing fears and attempt to leave her home to save him.

Cast

Reception

Hal Erickson of Allmovie gave the film three stars out of five.

Upon release, Los Angeles Times gave a favorable review and wrote "The production is a cut or two above most suspense stories because of the gripping performances and a script that takes the old premise of a victim trapped in her house and turns it into a crackling sexual/psychological shocker."

Entertainment Weekly wrote an unfavorable review, stating "How a fine actress like Christine Lahti (The Doctor, Leaving Normal) got involved in a miserable project like The Fear Inside is one of the mysteries of summer-doldrums TV." Also noting, "The whole story is a stretch...", as well as "Still, there is unexpected humor: as Rubin's character becomes more and more criminally insane, her hair goes wild in a Phyllis Diller-ish way and her eyes bug out like Michael Keaton's in Beetlejuice. Now, that's entertainment."

People Magazine gave a C- grade and described the film as a "routine thriller" and wrote "Woman-in-peril movies show up on TV as often as Dan Quayle jokes. There are a few tense moments, thanks to Rubin's manic-performance and some noir-ish camera work. The excitement evaporates as the story becomes increasingly predictable. When the movie gels down to its big finish, it has become more silly than scary. The ending goes on forever, with Lahti continually breaking free from these wackos and then getting recaptured. Viewer interest is likely to wane long before Lahti gets around to tackling her fear of the outdoors."

On the UK VHS release, the Los Angeles Times also quoted "gripping performances - coiled like a spring". On the same cover, New York Daily News wrote "Not a film for the faint of heart". The TV Guide Network gave the film three out of five stars.