MARCH’S EROTIC THRILLS IN THE NIGHT: LADY BEWARE (1987).

“A stodgy old department store in downtown Pittsburg, PA isn’t ready for the likes of Katya Yarno (Diane Lane). This young, innovative window designer sets tongues wagging and heads turning with her erotic, provocative displays. But unfortunately, her work entices the sinister advances of a secret admirer…an attractive but degenerate lab technician who makes it his obsession to possess Katya. This unbalanced voyeur secretly observes her every move…makes obscene phone calls…peeps through the window when she takes a bath…and even breaks into her apartment to watch Katya and her boyfriend make love. Driven to the edge of sanity, Katya finally decides to fight back. Now it’s an all-out war, as this courageous woman cleverly battles this pervert to an explosive conclusion”.

Now THAT is a synopsis I can get behind. So people, brace yourselves for night stalking, mannequins and erotic storefront window displays because 1987’s LADY BEWARE is our Erotic Thrills In The Night for March!

As mentioned in the narrative, Katya (a sizzling Diane Lane) gets hired by a bigtime department store for her abstract window display talents. Her window displays are WILD and look like a Robert Palmer music video meets a Patrick Nagel painting come to life. Kayta is so passionate about the ‘scenes’ she creates in the windows that she even dreams about them at night. During one dream, we see a handsome mannequin come to life, the two of them dry hump and Katya wakes up sweaty the next morning.

At the department store, crowds of people on the sidewalk begin to gather to see her lavish designs. This also catches the eye of a stalker-pervert X-ray technician named Jack who works across the street.

Jack is a poor man’s Patrick Bateman, which is not necessarily a bad thing but he’s a vile pervert of the highest order. He begins taunting Katya with phone calls. Then breaks into her apartment to watch Katya and her boyfriend make love. Then he peeks through her window as she bathes (by candlelight, sipping champagne). Finally, he breaks into her loft and defiles it with his johnson.

Diane Lane plays the character of Katya with an intensity that proves again why she’s one of the underappreciated gems of the film world. In this role she balances between a confident career woman and a vulnerable girl who doesn’t know any better.

Sleazy Jack also spends a lot of time “blind tippin” those venetian blinds throughout the film, which if you’re a devoted disciple of Uncle TNUC’s, you know is a movement of the 1980’s that continues to fascinate me. Below, check out a sampling of the blind-tippin’ that happens in Lady Beware.

While Jack’s ultimate intention is to physically get Katya, he spends most of the time terrorizing her mind with the phone calls and psychological threats. One has to think real life serial killer Ted Bundy was in mind for the character of Jack. He’s a good looking chap with a wife and young daughter, similar to Bundy. He’s clean-cut, is a snappy dresser and has a normal, successful-earning job.

One element I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t mention is all the mannequins in this movie. Katya’s window dressing expertise leads to working a lot with androgynous mannequins and the movie has droves of them. This subtlety adds to the film’s erotic, creep factor and makes me want to listen to some Drab Majesty or SPIROS.

Speaking of music, I think the filmmakers (Scotti Bros) had high hopes for the soundtrack because I’ve personally come across the LP and CD in a number of record stores over the years. It’s a combination of score elements from Craig Safan (The Legend of Billie Jean, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, The Last Starfighter) and songs by David Hallyday and La Marca. There’s also a song not featured on the actual soundtrack used in the movie when Jack is doing a Patrick Bateman-esque dance wearing one of Katya’s bath towels through her apartment.

If you’re a fan of the erotic thriller genre, seek out Lady Beware and put it at the top of your watch list. It has a different energy and suspense than many of it’s peers in the genre. Unfortunately what most of these films share is a lack of proper release (digitally or DVD/Blu-Ray) so finding Lady Beware might be challenging. This is an ongoing issue that I plan on figuring out by the end of this Erotic Thrills In The Night series.

‘Erotic Thrills In The Night’ is a monthly chronicle into the forgotten world of the erotic thriller movie genre. These sultry titles and steamy VHS covers were at their absolute peak during the early 1990’s but as years progress, they fall deeper into the abyss. Inspired by the recent documentary We Kill For Love, this monthly feature will attempt to resurrect these films and keep you on the brink of seduction. We can’t predict what indecent behavior will be committed or how much illicit, unprotected, promiscuous activity will ensue, but prepare for a wild ride with lots of saxophone.