The Fan (4 Stars)

This is a German horror film that was briefly shown in cinemas in 1982. After a few weeks it was banned, and it wasn't allowed to be released on video or DVD until 2003.

The film is about Simone, a 16-year-old girl from Ulm who has a crush on a German pop star called R. She writes to him every day, telling him she loves him, but she doesn't get a reply. Her whole life suffers. She sits daydreaming in school, and she hardly talks to her parents.

Finally she hitchhikes to Munich to see him. She goes to his house, but his secretary won't let her in. She knows he has an upcoming appearance on the television show Top Pop, so she waits for days outside the Munich television studio. She breaks into cars so she can sleep on the back seat at night.

When R arrives he's surrounded by female fans, but Simone attracts his attention. At first she's so shocked that she's unable to talk to him, and then she faints. He invites her into the studio to watch the show being recorded. Afterwards he takes her to a luxurious apartment that he's using while the owners are in America. They have sex, but afterwards he loses interest in her. He says he's going on holiday for two months, but she can stay in the apartment as long as she wants. He tells her to lock the door when she leaves.

At this point Simone becomes desperate. She does whatever she can to prevent him leaving. In typical films like this we'd see love turning into hate, but Simone never stops loving him. Whatever she does, however extreme it might seem, is for love.

The film is a slow burner. Very little happens until the last 20 minutes. If you hadn't already read a film review you'd think it's a love story.

The extra features on the Blu-ray include the lobby cards.

The film is currently out of print. I hope it will soon be available again.