Good start, but then it gets ruined

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

This 1993 potboiler has been shown recently on Amazon prime. The film is a standard thriller with a standout performance from veteran film actor Rod Steiger.The versatile Steiger plays a psychopathic obstetrician and the neighbor of a couple about to become proud parents. But Steiger's Dr. Hatch becomes obsessed with the wife, seeking induce a miscarriage. His troubled past involved the childhood trauma of losing his mother after she died delivering his younger sibling. He killed the baby in retaliation. Now the woman next door bears a striking resemblance to the mother of Dr. Hatch. He will stop at nothing to ensure that she does not deliver that baby.The film inadvertently includes comic scenes, due to the stupidity of the characters not recognizing the delusional qualities of Dr. Hatch. A fellow doctor is stupid. The police are stupid. Above all, the husband is stupid, not recognizing the signs in the strange behavior of the neighbor.Steiger gives a nuanced performance, especially when he turns on the charm to deceive those around him. Despite the artificiality of this contrived melodrama, Steiger leaves a memorable impression as the deranged boy next door.

Because of the fact that Rod Steiger is in this film, it is quite scary.He does an excellent job as a psychotic neighbor, who fixates on Linda Kozlowski, a newlywed who is pregnant.The story takes place in New England, and it seems the director could have taken advantage of this; used it as a sub-plot; maybe filmed in Salem, Massachusetts? At any rate, the story is believable; the idea of pre-partum psychosis is brought up; I couldn't help but be reminded of John Cassavetes in Rosemary's Baby. A classic performance.For TV, this is not a bad movie; if you enjoyed the ""Seventh Sign"", with Demi Moore, or Roman Polanski's work, and have a free afternoon, the movie is worth watching.

Have always been a great fan of Rod Steiger and one Summer day in 1968 in the theatrical district of NYC, I watched Rod having makeup put on his face and his hair combed while he was filming,"No Way to Treat A Lady". In this picture, Rod Steiger,(Myron), plays a semi-retired doctor who lives next door to a young couple who wanted to buy his old boyhood family homestead. Myron becomes very attracted to Linda Kozlowski,(Mary), Almost An Angel",'90, who looks just like his mother whom he adored and worshiped. Ron Lea, (John),"Summer With the Ghosts",'03, is Marys husband and is having a hard time adjusting to his new work position and notices that his wife is getting very upset with the neighbor Myron, who wants to be her physician for her expectant boy child. There is lots of suspense and you begin to see that someone in the picture wanted desperately to become an ONLY CHILD!

A man becomes obsessed with his neighbor, a woman who reminds him of his mother. At first he is friendly, then becomes a bothersome pest, and finally murderous. Good performances; especially by Steiger, as the chilling neighbor.