A couple buys their dream house and rents out some rooms,
​only to unknowingly invite ​a sociopath into their lives.

HORROR

Pacific Heights (1990)

Directed by John Schlesinger

​Written by Daniel Pyne

Starring Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, Michael Keaton, Mako, Nobu McCarthy, Laurie Metcalf, ​Carl Lumbly, Dorian Harewood

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Connor Eyzaguirre

​February 23, 2016

8/10

Pacific Heights isn't really a horror film, per se. It has elements of the genre, but it fits much easier into the thriller subgenre due to its lack of actual scares. It's scary because of its realism. This could actually happen. This has happened. Real estate scams are very easy to fall into and when you get sucked in, it's next to impossible to escape. That's what happens to aspiring homeowners Patty Palmer (Melanie Griffith) and Drake Goodman (Matthew Modine) when they make the deadly mistake of inviting Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) into their lives.

I did enjoy the film because it's rare to see Michael Keaton let loose as a serious villain. His turn as con man Carter Hayes was a fantastic performance that I feel gets overlooked when going over Keaton's career. He stole the movie from both Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine, both of whom I felt were phoning it in. The film doesn't boast a wide variety of interesting side characters either, which is fine because Keaton picks up the slack with his terrifyingly subdued performance. In my opinion, the film is pretty predictable until the end, when Patty turns the tables on Carter and starts screwing up his life. His reaction is what gave this film my final score.

Pacific Heights is an enjoyable film about the dangers of first-time homeownership and the importance of identifying a con. It doesn't have the most likable of protagonists, but it definitely has a great villain. It's scary what someone is willing to do in order to get what they want. In this film, Carter Hayes goes to insane lengths to pull off his game. His smug charm, his polite demeanor, all of it is a lie. In the end, that's the scariest thing about the film. How much was the lie and how much was really him?