View of Terror (3½ Stars)

This is a Canadian made-for-television movie about Celeste Timmerman, a young woman who lives and works in Manhattan. After moving into a new apartment she is observed with a telescope by someone who lives opposite. If it had been a secret voyeur he might have got away with it, but he begins to make phone calls, telling her how much she excites him. As if this weren't bad enough, she even finds evidence that he has been entering her apartment while she's at work. She's being stalked, she knows she's being stalked, but she doesn't know by who.

Celeste is played by Shannen Doherty, best known for her role as Prue Halliwell in "Charmed". Of course, my main reason for buying the film is that Jayne Heitmeyer plays Celeste's best friend, Tasha Kingsley. Not only is Jayne far more attractive than Shannen, her character in the film is much sexier and more flirtatious. When Tasha visits Celeste she finds her cowering behind closed curtains. Tasha's reaction is to rip the curtains open and put on a sexy striptease for the secret admirer.

While this might seem comical, it's the best strategy. When a man preys on a woman or even rapes her it's not primarily about sex, it's about power. Men like that feel sexually inadequate and are scared of women, so they pick on timid women as easy targets. If a woman is aggressively self-confident she scares predatory men away.

Jayne Heitmeyer knows what she's doing.

Shannen Doherty doesn't.