Tuesday, October 9, 2018

THE 31 MOVIES OF HORROR-WEEN: STALKED BY MY DOCTOR: PATIENT’S REVENGE (2018) *** ½


I don’t like the term “guilty pleasure”.  I feel like if something gives you pleasure, you shouldn’t feel guilty.  Even though I love a good blood n’ guts movie as much as the next guy, I do find myself occasionally getting sucked into one of those cheesy thrillers on Lifetime.  Stalked by My Doctor was one of the best of its kind, mostly because of the gonzo performance by Eric Roberts.  This third entry is easily the best in the series and offers some of the most jaw-dropping WTF moments I’ve seen all year.  

The sleazy Dr. Beck (Eric Roberts) was found not guilty of kidnapping a former patient, Sophie (Brianna Chomer) and is now living in Phoenix working as a professor at a medical school.  Sophie is still having nightmares about being attacked by Beck and she decides the only recourse is to follow him to the university and make his life a living hell.  Eventually, she gets him fired, but he doesn’t seem to mind too much because he’s busy spending time getting close to one of his students, Melissa (Anna Marie Dobbins), who also has some obvious daddy issues.  Just when he’s seemingly ready for a new happy life, Sophie turns the tables on Beck and attacks him.  The cops don’t want to help him since they think Beck should already be in jail for his crimes, so it’s up to Melissa to help him stop Sophie’s reign of terror.

The second Stalked by My Doctor movie was pretty good, but it suffered from an uneven tone.  This one just goes for broke, embracing the typical Lifetime Movie clichés while simultaneously forging its own weird path.  It also firmly embraces the weirdness of the Roberts mystique, allowing him to go gleefully over the top, playing not one, but two suitably out-there roles.  Some of the best moments in the movie come when the out-of-control Roberts argues with his other “sane” self, who sits in the corner wearing a Hawaiian shirt while drinking a Pina Colada.

If you told me that Stalked by My Doctor:  Patient’s Revenge was going to be the best movie I’ve seen so far for The 31 Movies of Horror-Ween, I probably would’ve believed you given my love for all things Eric Roberts.  If you told me it was going to be the best movie in the Stalked by My Doctor franchise, I might’ve agreed with you, seeing how I have a soft spot in my heart for any and all Part 3’s.  However, if you have told me Stalked by My Doctor:  Patient’s Revenge was going to give me the best single moment of any movie I’ve seen all year, I would’ve called you batshit crazy.  Friends, you are not batshit crazy.  Stalked by My Doctor:  Patient’s Revenge has the best scene of any movie this year.  Forget about Thanos turning everyone into dust in Infinity War.  Wipe your mind of the pop culture Braveheart battle in Ready Player One.  Eradicate the memory of seeing Han meeting Chewie for the first time in Solo.  We have a new numero uno.  We have Eric Roberts and Anna Marie Dobbins performing a La La Land-inspired song and dance number.  Just when I think I’ve seen it all, I haven’t.

Yes, the third act gets a little predictable.  Yes, the final twist is a bit contrived, overly elaborate, and hard to swallow.  Still, how can you not love a movie that gives you:  


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