Play Misty for Me

Released the same year as Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut Play Misty for Me revealed a darker, more vulnerable side to his screen persona. Set against the seductive calm of 1970s California coast, the film turns a casual sexual encounter into a nightmare of obsession, jealousy, and psychological terror. Anchored by Jessica Walter’s extraordinary performance as one of the most unstable and frightening lovers on screen, Play Misty for Me helped pave the way for the modern erotic thriller.

Popular radio show host Dave Garver (Eastwood) becomes restless in his relationship with his girlfriend. Impulsively, he goes out and sleeps with a woman he meets at a nightclub (Walter). After the fact, he finds out she was not an anonymous hookup, but an obsessive fan who has called in repeatedly to request he play the song “Misty.” Garver soon discovers extricating himself from the woman will be no easy feat as she becomes increasingly psychotic.