The Seduction (film)

The Seduction

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1982
Founder	David Schmoeller
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Products	Thriller film

The Seduction is a 1982 American thriller film both written and directed by David Schmoeller. It stars Morgan Fairchild, Michael Sarrazin, Vince Edwards, and Andrew Stevens. The storyline follows a Los Angeles news anchor who becomes the target of a relentless male stalker. The film’s original musical score was composed by Lalo Schifrin. Although produced on a $2 million budget, it earned between $4.7 million and $11.4 million at the box office but was largely met with unfavorable critiques, leading to three Razzie nominations, two of which were for Fairchild.

Plot

Jamie Douglas is a prominent news anchor in Los Angeles, enjoying a steady relationship with her boyfriend, Brandon. She starts receiving mysterious phone calls and gifts from Derek, a deranged photographer fixated on her. At first, Jamie considers these incidents harmless, but her concern grows as Derek’s stalking escalates—he gains access to her dressing room and contacts both her home and her neighbor Robin’s residence. Despite Jamie’s courteous acceptance of his apologies for the calls, Derek’s obsession deepens; notably, he lives next door to her.

One day, Derek forcibly enters Jamie’s home and takes intrusive photographs until Brandon arrives and physically confronts him. Jamie seeks advice from Maxwell, a police officer friend, who informs her that Derek has not yet committed any legal offenses. Derek also targets Robin with his stalking advances, but she rejects him after identifying him as the caller. When confronted at a mall, Jamie firmly tells Derek to leave her alone.

Brandon learns from a medical professional that Derek likely suffers from erotomania—a psychiatric condition where the individual falsely believes their feelings are reciprocated. One night, Derek breaks into Jamie’s house but escapes once discovered. Meanwhile, at work, Derek refuses an invitation to a date from his coworker Julie, claiming he is engaged.

While covering the funeral of a serial killer, Jamie spots Derek in the cemetery. Later, he infiltrates the news station and disrupts her live broadcast by displaying a threatening message on her teleprompter. That evening, while Jamie is distracted, Derek fatally stabs Brandon; she calls the police but is placed on hold as Derek buries Brandon’s body.

In desperation, Jamie contacts Derek by phone; he returns to her residence but flees after she fires a shotgun at him. Julie warns Derek that the police have questioned her; then Maxwell cautions Derek to cease stalking Jamie or face imprisonment. After Julie confesses love for him but admits Jamie does not feel the same, an enraged Derek sneaks into Jamie’s backyard.

Inside her home, Derek attacks Jamie with a knife and attempts sexual assault. Jamie responds by seductively disarming him but discovers he is impotent. Repulsed by his deceitful nature, she tries to escape; enraged, Derek prepares to kill her but is shot dead by Julie, who arrives unexpectedly.

Screenplay

The Seduction was both written and directed by David Schmoeller, who previously gained recognition for the slasher film Tourist Trap (1979). Producers Irwin Yablans and Bruce Cohn Curtis teamed up for their third project together following Roller Boogie (1979) and Hell Night (1981). According to Fairchild, part of the script drew inspiration from an actual stalking incident involving a Los Angeles newscaster.

Filming

The production spanned seven weeks during the spring of 1981, taking place in Los Angeles. Producer Irwin Yablans aimed to complete filming ahead of the June 30 deadline set by the Directors Guild of America agreement. The shoot encountered opposition because a non-union crew was employed. Executive producer Frank Capra Jr. also played a role in the project.

Music

The opening credits featured a theme song sung by Dionne Warwick.

Box office

The Seduction had its premiere in Atlantic City on January 16, 1982, followed by openings in Los Angeles on January 22 and New York City on February 26. It entered the U.S. box office charts at number six and eventually earned $11.4 million domestically.

Critical response

Reviews from critics were predominantly unfavorable. Jon Marlowe from The Miami News drew negative parallels to other stalker-themed films such as Lipstick and The Fan. Vincent Canby of The New York Times described it as "an often comically inept, unsuccessfully vicious nonthriller." Jack Mathews of the Detroit Free Press expressed doubt that audiences would be interested in seeing Fairchild star in an implausible thriller.

The movie received three nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards, including two nods for Fairchild (Worst Actress and Worst New Star) and one for Camp (Worst Supporting Actress).

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Actress	Morgan Fairchild	Template:Nom
	Worst Supporting Actress	Colleen Camp	Template:Nom
	Worst New Star	Morgan Fairchild	Template:Nom

Home media

In September 1982, Media Home Entertainment released The Seduction on both VHS and Betamax. The DVD edition was later issued by Anchor Bay Entertainment in November 2006, with Scream Factory releasing the first Blu-ray version on May 21, 2019.