| The Stranger Beside Me | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sandor Stern |
| Written by | Bruce Miller |
| Starring | Tiffani Amber Thiessen Eric Close Gerald McRaney |
| Distributed by | Longbow Productions ABC |
| Release date(s) | September 17, 1995 |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
The Stranger Beside Me is a 1995 made for television movie that stars Tiffani Amber Thiessen as a young newlywed who suspects her charming husband (Eric Close) is not as charming or innocent as he seems. Directed by Sandor Stern. Though this film shares a title with a book about Ted Bundy, it is not based on or inspired by the serial killer.
Contents |
"It's what you don't know that can kill you."
Jennifer Morgan (Tiffani Amber Thiessen) is a young painter who has secluded herself from the social world since being raped two years earlier. At a family party she meets Chris Gallagher (Eric Close), who falls in love with her. She is reluctant to be intimate with him, but he convinces her to marry him, by which she hopes to let go of her tragic past. Shortly after the ceremony, Chris' 17-year-old cousin Dana (Alyson Hannigan) warns Jennifer that she will not be happy with him, but Jennifer sees no harm in it. Because Chris has recently joined the Navy, Jennifer agrees to move with him to the seaside, where she befriends Nancy Halloran (Lorrie Morgan).
Shortly after, Gina Corbet (Suzanne Turner), a neighbor, becomes the victim of a peeping tom and is later raped by a masked man. Most women of the neighborhood leave in panic, but Chris dismisses the danger and convinces Jennifer that they are overreacting. Meanwhile, Chris' dark side is starting to emerge and he becomes more violent and possessive. Jennifer finds out that Chris has been released from his Navy duty by threatening to kill himself if he had to go to sea. When she tells him about this, he responds aggressively, accusing her of being a spy. The same night, he is arrested for voyeurism. Chris pleads guilty to the charges, and agrees to a disposal from the Navy.
Jennifer is devastated by this news, considering that she has recently found out that she is pregnant. Regardless, she gives him another chance, and upon moving back to their previous home, things take a turn for the better. However after a while, Chris' temper returns and women in the neighborhood are again being tortured by a masked rapist. Following the birth of Jennifer's daughter, Dana tells Jennifer that she was molested by Chris as a child. Jennifer starts to suspect his involvement in the string of rapes. After talking to a Detective from California, who tells her that he had all the evidence but could not do anything because Chris was under the protection of a district attorney friend (Steven Eckholdt), Jennifer decides that it is time to leave her husband.
Chris, however, is unwilling to let her go, and he turns to domestic violence. Jennifer is rescued by two police officers, and afterwards presses charges against her husband. She drops them only a few days later, when Chris convinces her that he will not be convicted and threatens to harm her and their baby if she runs away. While posing as his loving wife, she tries to collect evidence against him. She finds his weapons in his car, but by the time the police arrive, they have disappeared. After this occurrence, Chris' threats increase.
One night, she follows him when he suddenly leaves at a late hour. She catches him putting on his rape clothes and warns the police. Chris tries to get away, but is eventually arrested. In the epilogue titles, it is revealed that Chris pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of sexual attempted assault. He was sentenced to a term of 99 years.