Pacific Heights

When I committed myself to watching all of the films on the list of the '100 Greatest Scary Movies', I knew that I would inevitably come across more than a couple that I did not care for. Pacific Heights is one of those films. I never much cared for the genre that I like to call 'Yuppie Horror' and even such films that are considered great, still fall short of a high opinion by me. But I set out on this project and I couldn't stray from it this early in the game, so in went Pacific Heights, number 94 on the list.

And really? 94? This movie ranks higher than 28 Days Later? That was a savage tome chronicling the end of the world, this is just a Yuppie couple that makes some stupid choices and pay for it. I'm surprised this movie is even on this list, let alone beating out 28 Days Later, but then again, isn't that what is great about art? It can have the ability to invoke emotion and discussion even when it is bad.

The premise of the movie is quite simple: A young couple, played by Melanie Griffith and Mathew Modine, buy a house in San Francisco. It is a beautiful home but it is just a little bit out of their price range. The solution? Rent out a couple the downstairs rooms! What could go wrong? Well, Michael Keaton could. Keaton weasels his way into a lease without so much as a deposit and begins to peck away at their lives. He is like a one-man plague; changing locks, releasing cockroaches, and pretty much waging war on the young couple. But all the while, everything he does makes it seem like it is their fault. He uses the law to his advantage and soon the couple finds that there is noting they can do.

One of the few redeeming qualities of the movie is Keaton. He plays crazy well; able to go from full-blown chaos to a sort of restrained quirk in the blink of an eye and it serves him well here. His character is constantly walking a line between controlling his vile emotions and playing up his well-to-do act and Keaton does it so well, that for a majority of the film, there is a nagging doubt of his guilt.

The only other part of the film that I truly felt was engaging, took place in the final act, when Melanie Griffith, all other options exhausted, finally takes matters into her own hands. This man screwed up her life beyond all account and now she is going to do the same to him. It is funny just how thrilling it is to watch her break into his hotel room and sow financial ruin in just a few minutes time. She steals money, charges insane amounts to his various credit cards, steals his numerous forms of ID, basically living out the fantasy of anyone who had been the victim of fraud or theft.

Am I disappointed that I sat through this movie? Not really. But it does not belong on this list. Even now in my life, as a home owner, this film does not move me to be scared or frightened in any way. Just bored.