thriller formula that reigned in the '90s has yet to really get its due. While the neo-noirs and erotic 
thrillers have had extensive boxed sets and documentaries devoted to their popularity during the Bush Sr. and Clinton years, we still haven't fully appreciated how much those years taught us to be wary of nannies, neighbors, kids, husbands, wives, couples, bosses, temps, swingers, landlords, tenants, cops, and best friends, just to name a few. Of course there had to be a "roommate from hell" variation, and luckily that turned out to be one of the best thanks to Single White Female. A pair of exceptionally strong lead performances and a solid supporting cast balance well with two European heavy hitters behind the camera here, resulting in a visually striking thriller with more psychological depth than you would usually expect to find. It also doesn't skimp on the trashy thrills where it counts, in particular ruining stiletto heels for an entire generation.
Hedy (Leigh), who seems sweet and grounded apart from the lingering experience of 
losing her twin sister (who was stillborn, she claims, but the opening already tips us off that isn't so). When Allie and Sam reconcile, Hedy's instability comes to the surface and she starts to imitate all of Allie's physical appearance as closely as possible. Meanwhile Allie's relationship with Sam hits new speed bumps as she finds a shoulder to cry on with her neighbor Graham (Friedman) and deals with a sleazy client (Tobolowsky) out to screw her over. Of course, it's only a matter of time before blood starts to spill.
dormant slasher film, something the "from hell" films had basically morphed into 
in many cases. On the other hand, its nonchalant attitude to nudity by both women and Weber simply feels very European and was enough to raise a few eyebrows when it was released. Also very much of the time is the depiction of Friedman's character, one of the defining examples of the gay best friend character that popped up constantly throughout the decade. He was also a bit ahead of the curve, given that this was still a year ahead of Philadelphia and it was still considered edgy much later in the '90s when studios released films like The Object of My Affection and My Best Friend's Wedding. However, the MVP of this film may actually be its cinematographer, the legendary Luciano Tovoli, who became one of the top in his craft with The Passenger, Suspiria, Tenebrae, and numerous films for Marco Ferreri and Ettore Scola. His work here is truly gorgeous, creating startling effects with layers of blue lighting and shadows that feel like a natural progression from his Dario Argento work.
HD scan with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 English stereo surround track with optional English SDH subtitles. All of the extras from the U.S. release are ported over here starting with a solid audio commentary by Schroeder, editor Lee Percy, and associate producer Susan Hoffman, who go into great depth about the on-location shooting in New York City versus the extensive sets, 
Tovoli's shooting process, the casting, the tweaks made to the ending, and much more. They tend to go quiet several times and just start reacting to the film, which is understandable in several cases! You also get a 27m20s Schroeder interview going further into the film's production, a Friedman interview (7m17s) called "Upstairs with Graham Knox" about his joy at being cast and memories of his director and fellow actors, a Weber interview weirdly called "The Fiance Sam Rawson" (19m41s) full of stories about the shoot including a lot about the most infamous scene and the visual trickery involved, and screenwriter Don Roos in "SWF Seeks Writer" (25m41s) going into the process of adapting John Lutz's novel and having to rework the last scene several times, plus the theatrical trailer. New here is "She'll Follow You Anywhere" (25m51s) with author Anna Bogutskaya exploring the film within the context of the erotic thriller movement that was hitting a crescendo around the time with Basic Instinct and making huge inroads at home with VHS players. Also new here is an extensive image gallery with some great shots of Schroeder and Tovoli at work with the cast. The limited edition packaging comes with a 36-page booklet with a new "Moi, Même" essay by Georgia Humphreys about Schroeder's cinematic studies of the extreme and the importance of Manhattan's Ansonia as a location, an excellent overview of the film's creation compiling press interview quotes from the major participants including Schroeder and Lutz, and sample critical responses.INDICATOR Blu-ray
SCREAM FACTORY Blu-ray
