History Film / FATALATTRACTION

* SocietyMarchesOn: Stalking laws are much better now than they were back then. Dan would have been able to put a stop to Alex's behavior or have her arrested much sooner.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Mental health professionals have a field day trying to figure out precisely what's wrong with Alex, but many agree on Borderline Personality Disorder, as evidenced by the way she declares herself in love with Dan after one weekend and tries to kill herself when he leaves. Some have also speculated that she was a victim of sexual abuse, with her father the likely perpetrator.

* DriverFacesPassenger: Beth is too focused on looking for Ellen that she almost run over a pedestrian and collided onto an oncoming vehicle.

* JumpScare: [[spoiler: After Dan drowns Alex in the bathtubs and assumes her to be dead, she suddenly comes back to life and springs out of the tub, waving her knife, until Beth shoots her.]]

* DownerEnding: The original ending had Alex killing herself and framing Dan for it. The final scene has Beth discover tape recording from Alsx, confessing to Dan she wants to kill herself.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: In her tape to Dan, Alex accuses him of being a "flaming fucking faggot". Doubles as ValuesDissonance, as homophobia was rampant in the 80s, and calling someone a "faggot" was viewed in most circles as a particularly strong insult rather than the mark of a bigot.

* DownerEnding: The original ending originally had Alex killing herself and framing Dan for it and him being taken to jail. Though Beth attempts to clear his name with the tape Alex recorded for him.

* FocusGroupEnding: The original ending wasn't that well-liked (at least in America. A Japanese version exists with the original ending). The director eventually included it on a special edition VHS as a bonus, and it's also on the DVD and Blu-Ray.

* MoodDissonance: Alex and Ellen having a lovely time at the amusement park. Never mind that it's in the course of a ''kidnapping''. As well, their happiness juxtaposed with Beth's frantic efforts to find Ellen.

** The look on Dan's face when returns to his new home from work to find Alex talking with his wife Beth.

* PoliceAreUseless: Dan's initial pleas to the cops are ignored with them basically having the attitude that he brought it on himself by having the affair with Alex, but also truthfully pointing out that he has no proof that it was she who vandalized his car and that there isn't much they can do regarding her harassment (stalking laws either didn't exist back then or were very weak and usually geared towards women being targeted by men, not the other way around). After Alex snatches Ellen, it's obvious Dan holds the cops equally responsible for failing to act when he first complained.

-->[[spoiler:'''Beth:''' ''(to Alex over the phone)''"This is Beth Gallagher. If you ever come near my family again I will kill you. Do you understand me?"]]

* JumpScare: [[spoiler:After Dan drowns Alex in the bathtubs and assumes her to be dead, she suddenly comes back to life and springs out of the tub, waving her knife, until Beth shoots her.]]

** Dan: Commits adultery, breaking & entering, assault and intimidation. He never faces any legal consequences for his crimes against Alex. [[spoiler:His rabbit gets killed, his innocent wife gets hospitalized, but he suffers very little physical harm. He never has to take responsibility for his unborn child. And in the end, his wife apparently decides to take his lying, cheating ass back.]] Basically, everyone else suffers more for his transgressions than he does.

* RevealingHug: Alex asks for goodbye hug from Dan, then he wipes blood from his face. Revealing that she had slit her wrists.

* WhatHaveIBecome: Dan has a moment of realization when almost kills Alex, realizing he can't bring himself to sink to her level.
* WholePlotReference: Alex's warped view of her relationship with Dan is a match for the plot of her favorite opera, ''Theatre/MadameButterfly''. In the play, the Japanese Butterfly marries an American and bears his child, but he has no intention of loving her forever and leaves her for an American wife, driving her to despair. In the film's original ending, the resonance is even stronger: [[spoiler:Alex, like Butterfly, commits suicide when it's clear she'll never have the love she wants.]]

* YourCheatingHeart: Sets up the plot.

* BittersweetEnding: Ellen's pet bunny is killed and an unborn child is murdered but Alex is finally killed and Dan and his family survive the ordeal, albeit with trauma.

* OhCrap: "Daddy? Whitey's gone! Whitey's gone!"

* AssholeVictim:
** Considering how Dan dumps Alex, you don't really feel sorry for him when she retaliates. The police don't even act at first. [[spoiler: Until Alex kidnaps his daughter, Ellen.]]

** Alex herself, by the end.

%% StalkerWithACrush: Alex, to the extent of being an alternate TropeNamer under "Bunny Boiler".

* StalkerWithACrush: Alex, to the extent of being an alternate TropeNamer under "Bunny Boiler".

* WackyCravings: Possibly from her pregnancy. Alex is shown snacking on Oreo cookies, Doritos chips, Hag & Daz ice cream and other junk foods while attempting to contact Dan.

* BettyAndVeronica: Beth (interestingly, a name very similar to Betty) and Alex.

* DownerEnding: The original ending originally had Alex killing herself and framing Dan for it and him being taken to jail. Though Both attempts to clear his name with the tape Alex recorded for him.

* OhCrap: "My wabbit, My wabbit!"

* BittetsweetEnding: Ellen's pet bunny is killed and an unborn child is murdered but Alex is finally killed and Dan and his family survive the ordeal albeit with trauma.

* WackyCravings: Because of her possible pregnancy, Alex is shown snacking on Oreo cookies, Doritos chips and other junk foods while attempting to contact Dan.