History YMMV / FATALATTRACTION

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Despite being the film's villain, Alex is undeniably its most memorable character, inspiring similar ones, and still being referred to 30 years later.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Alex blows off a date with a presumably unmarried man to pursue the married Dan--who never lied to her about being married, nor led her to believe that he would leave his wife, or that their weekend fling would be anything more even if he were single. Aside from demanding child support, Alex really doesn't have any right to act like the psycho she devolves into.

** The cops unsympathetic and dismissive attitude towards Dan about Alex's behavior. Stalking laws were either nonexistent, weak, or applied to women dealing with obsessive men rather than the other way around. Nowadays, he'd be able to put a stop to it much sooner, thought with the rise of social media and #MeToo favoring women, it'd be more moot.

** The cops unsympathetic and dismissive attitude towards Dan about Alex's behavior. Stalking laws were either nonexistent, weak, or applied to women dealing with obsessive men rather than the other way around. Nowadays, he'd be able to put a stop to it much sooner.

** Glenn Close consulted with two psychiatrists for her role, who deemed Alex's behavior to be symptomatic of some past sexual trauma. If true, this makes Alex a far more tragic character.
*** Dearden the screenwriter agrees and laments that the reaction from most audiences was "kill the bitch".

* AwardSnub: 6 Academy Award nominations, zero wins. Worst still, the film was nominated in what turned out to be a very non-competitive year. It lost all six awards to either ''Film/TheLastEmperor'' or ''{{Film/Moonstruck}}'', both of which it has arguably since surpassed in longevity and impact.

** He Says She Says all over the damn place. Is ''he'' to blame for cheating... or ''her'', for stalking? Which is worse? Does one merit the other as a punishment?

* ViewerGenderConfusion: A lot of viewers think that Ellen is a boy.

* RetroactiveRecognition: A 16-year-old [[Series/ThirtyRock Jane Krakowski]] is babysitting for the Gallaghers in the beginning of the film.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: Creator/MichaelDouglas' ObviousStuntDouble throughout the fight scene in Alex's apartment.

* WhyWouldAnyoneTakeHimBack: Dan cheats on his wife Beth with Alex. Beth is angry at Dan for his affair and kicks him out. But even after losing a family pet to a boiler, suffering a near-fatal car accident and almost getting killed by her husband's mistress/stalker, she still takes him back. Fans debate because of this.

* HilariousInHindsight:

* Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?: Dan cheats on his wife Beth with Alex. Beth is angry at Dan for his affair and kicks him out. But even after losing a family pet to a boiler, suffering a near-fatal car accident and almost getting killed by her husband's mistress/stalker, she still takes him back.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The film made Creator/GlennClose quite popular in Japan. Also, the Japanese version keeps the original ending. See FocusGroupEnding.

** Creator/GlennClose claims that to this day, men come up to her on the street and thank her for saving their marriage, indicating that they were debating an affair before realizing that the woman might turn out to be a psycho like Alex was.

** Was Alex ''really'' pregnant, or was she just saying that to get Dan's attention?

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: This ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' [[https://youtu.be/Y_PQrOSzMZ4 skit]].

** Career women are bad, housewives are good.
*** When the movie was released, it was blasted by feminists who assumed this was the film's message. Director Adrian Lynn denied it.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: He Says She Says all over the damn place. Is ''he'' to blame for cheating... or ''her'', for stalking? Which is worse? Does one merit the other as a punishment?

* TheCatchPhraseCatchesOn: After this movie, "bunny boiler" became a popular term for a crazy woman.

* DesignatedHero: Dan Gallagher, a KarmaHoudini who commits adultery, breaking & entering, assault and intimidation, and never faces any legal consequences for his crimes against Alex. Although his wife is hospitalized and his family suffers, he suffers very little physical harm, never has to take responsibility for his unborn child, and his wife takes him back in the end despite his lying and cheating.

** OJ Simpson was among those considered for the role of Dan. In the original ending, Dan is accused of killing Alex--by slashing her throat. Umm. . .

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Creator/GlennClose is quite popular in Japan. Also, the Japanese version keeps the original ending. See FocusGroupEnding.
* MemeticMutation: These days, "bunny boiler" refers to deranged women.
** As well as: "I'm not going to be ''ignored''!" Especially interesting in that, like so many famous movie lines, the original delivery is actually pretty understated. (Alex actually sounds more ''amused'' at Dan than anything else when she says it.)(FYI, it was nominated, but not ranked for AFI's "Quotes" list).
* MoralEventHorizon: Alex crosses it by instigating the "bunny boiler" incident.
** There's also when Alex ''kidnaps'' Dan's daughter several days later, terrifying her parents -- and the viewer -- with the very real fact that she could have harmed her if she wanted to, and indirectly leading to Dan's wife being injured in a car accident. It's not hard to see why this is the last straw for Dan. (And likely when Alex loses any remaining sympathy from the viewer she had.)

* UnfortunateImplications: See AccidentalAesop. Also, according to Glenn Close, she felt that her portrayal of Alex Forrest perpetuated stigmas against mental illness, particularly the misconception that people with Borderline Personality Disorder are violent towards others.[[note]]People with BPD are more likely to hurt ''themselves'' than other people.[[/note]]
** Close lobbied hard for the original ending (which was more realistic, and less problematic in portraying individuals with mental illness), but lost in the end, so blaming ''her'' for the film perpetuating stigmas against mental illness is pointless.

*** When the movie was released, it was blasted by feminists who assumed this was the film's message. Director Adrian Lynn denied it, claiming he himself was a feminist and insisting that it was just a coincidence.

* EnsembleDarkHorse: Despite being the film's villain, Alex is undeniably its most memorable character, inspiring similar ones, and still being referred to 30 years later.
* FridgeBrilliance: On one level, the bunny boiling incident seems like pointless cruelty from a dangerous stalker. If you think about it though, there may be a deeper meaning involved. Initially, Dan is against buying a rabbit, and his wife and daughter are for it. So when Dan spontaneously buys the rabbit -- after betraying his family -- it may be a guilt offering. Dan is expressing regret over his affair, and wishing to re-dedicate himself to his family. For Alex, this is literally gut-wrenching. Dan regrets ever being with her! When she attacks the bunny, she is symbolically attacking Dan's love for Beth & Ellen.
** There's also the so-called "rabbit test", a 1930's pregnancy test that involved rabbits being injected with a woman's urine. If the rabbit died, it indicated that the woman was pregnant. Alex killing the rabbit doesn't just mean that she's trying to destroy Dan's love for his family, she's also simultaneously reminding him--again--that she's carrying his child.
* FridgeHorror: Alex was pregnant when she was killed.
** Alex could have hurt or even killed Ellen had she wanted to.
** Good thing they took the dog with them when they went to visit Beth's parents, or she might have killed him too.
* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Creator/GlennClose played a pregnant woman on a murderous-rampage in the re-shot ending that we all know and love; she didn't find out she actually '''was''' pregnant with a little girl during the filming of said-murderous rampage until '''after''' she was rushed to the hospital with a concussion during a botched take. Needless to say, she does not like watching the finale to this day, having (unknowingly) risked her daughter's life filming it.

* HilariousInHindsight: One of the actresses considered for the role of Alex Forrest was Creator/SharonStone. Alex is believed to be the inspiration for the role of Catherine Trammell in ''Film/BasicInstinct'', which made Sharon Stone famous.

** Creator/GlennClose and Creator/MichaelDouglas presented at the Oscars the following year, while Close was 8 months pregnant, prompting roars of laughter from the audience who recalled that Alex had been pregnant too.

* TheDanza: Ellen Gallagher is played by child actress Ellen Hamilton Latzen.

* UnfortunateImplications: See AccidentalAesop. Also, according to Glenn Close, she felt that her portrayal of Alex Forrest perpetuated stigmas against mental illness, particularly the misconception that people with Borderline Personality Disorder are violent towards others.[[note]]People with BPD are more likely to hurt ''themselves'' than other people.[[/note]] Ironically, she would later create the organization "Bring Change 2 Mind" [[http://bringchange2mind.org]], which is devoted to ''de-stigmatizing'' mental illness.

* CreatorBacklash: Glenn Close felt that her portrayal of Alex Forrest perpetuated stigmas against mental illness, particularly the misconception that people with Borderline Personality Disorder are violent towards others.[[note]]People with BPD are more likely to hurt ''themselves'' than other people.[[/note]] Ironically, she would later create the organization "Bring Change 2 Mind" [[http://bringchange2mind.org]], which is devoted to ''de-stigmatizing'' mental illness.
** Close lobbied hard for the original ending (which was more realistic, and less problematic in portraying individuals with mental illness), but lost in the end, so blaming ''her'' for the film perpetuating stigmas against mental illness is pointless.

* UnfortunateImplications: See AccidentalAesop and CreatorBacklash above