Flareup is a 1969 American thriller film directed by James Neilson.
Go-go dancer Michele (Raquel Welch) witnesses the murders of two of her friends at the hands of the psychotic Alan Moris (Luke Askew). Alan is gunning for Michele as well, believing she convinced his ex-wife Nikki, one of his victims, to leave him. Michele moves from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to get away from Alan and finds solace in the arms of valet Joe Brodnek (James Stacy). However, Alan tracks her down.
Tropes:
- Can't You Read the Sign?: Michele walks into a zoo that's been shut down to try to shake off Alan, ignoring the signage saying the space is closed to the public. At the end of it, she gets caught by the cops, though she faints and gets taken to the hospital instead of a police station.
- Chekhov's Gun: Joe shows Michele a model airplane he's building and loads it up with gasoline from a container to show it's able to fly. Michele later uses that same container to douse Alan and set him on fire.
- Damsel out of Distress: Alan breaks into Joe's apartment when the latter isn't there and captures Michele when she comes home, then says they'll wait until Joe arrives so he can kill him in front of her. After some time and a couple of failed attempts at escape and retaliation, Michele manages to kill Alan just before Joe or the cops arrive to save her.
- Gasoline Dousing: Michele splashes Alan with a can of gasoline and sets him on fire, killing him.
- Hates Their Parent: Michele is implied to have a bad relationship with her parents; when Joe asks about them, she says they can go to hell.
- Hostile Hitchhiker: Alan hitchhikes to go to LA. Willows, the elderly man who picks him up, is friendly and chatty at first until Alan starts saying disturbing things. Willows tries to drop him off right then, but Alan pulls a gun on him, makes him drive a bit further, then makes him get out and shoots him dead before taking his car.
- Incompatible Orientation: Lee propositions Michele, saying she can help her get her mind off her troubles. Michele makes it clear she does not swing that way. To the movie's credit (considering the era it was made in), Lee averts Psycho Lesbian after the rebuff and later tries to help Michele by pressuring Sailor to spill what he knows to the detectives.Lee: That makes you right and me wrong, huh?
Michele: It's not a question of right or wrong. It's just a question of what appeals to me and what doesn't.
Lee: (sighs) Okay. That's that then. - Never My Fault: Nikki says Alan has a tendency to blame everything and everyone but himself for the bad things that happen to him. He blames his failed marriage to Nikki on Michele, which is why he wants to kill her. Later when he's holding her hostage, he even says she shouldn't blame him, since she said it herself that he was insane.
- The Patient Has Left the Building: After Michele is brought to the hospital by the cops, they try to put her under their protection. Michele is very averse to the idea, so she takes her clothes, jumps out a window and runs off to Joe's apartment before the doctor discharges her.
- You Must Be Cold: Joe takes Michele up a hill to see the LA skyline for their first date and lends her his leather jacket to shield her from the cold.
