"Lisa" follows a 14-year-old girl who is beginning to harbor an interest in the opposite sex, to the disapproval of her protective single mother, Katherine. When Lisa encounters a handsome, well-dressed man, she begins to harmlessly stalk him, even gaining his phone number and making anonymous calls; unbeknownst to Lisa, the man is in fact a smooth-talking serial killer dispatching women around Los Angeles.
This titled-on-the-nose thriller plays like an edgier, bloodier ABC After-School Special, and as such, has an undeniable charm of its own. Directed by Gary Sherman (the director of the divisive "Poltergeist III"), the film often has the soft look of a television movie, but it is peppered with moments of hard-edged violence (particularly in the last act) and subject matter that toes the line of controversy.
What elevates "Lisa" form being utterly silly is that it is very well-acted, and there is a relatively high level of suspense ratcheted up as it progresses. Staci Keanan and Cheryl Ladd make for a very believable mother-daughter combination, and both turn in naturalistic performances. D. W. Moffett is aptly suave and smooth-talking, though his character does feel flat at times, with more focus being placed on Lisa, her best friend, and her dynamic with her mother. The sunny Venice Beach locations are perfectly captured here, and the film, though released in 1990, has that late '80s aesthetic hangover.
All in all, "Lisa" is an entertaining, well-acted thriller that is suspenseful though not particularly unnerving. It is most enjoyable as a time capsule of its era, where voicemails and landlines could unwittingly put one in touch with a serial killer. Lisa never quite realizes the danger she's in, and, though she most definitely is, the stakes never feel too dramatically high-which is what makes this type of film an undeniably fun watch. 7/10.
This titled-on-the-nose thriller plays like an edgier, bloodier ABC After-School Special, and as such, has an undeniable charm of its own. Directed by Gary Sherman (the director of the divisive "Poltergeist III"), the film often has the soft look of a television movie, but it is peppered with moments of hard-edged violence (particularly in the last act) and subject matter that toes the line of controversy.
What elevates "Lisa" form being utterly silly is that it is very well-acted, and there is a relatively high level of suspense ratcheted up as it progresses. Staci Keanan and Cheryl Ladd make for a very believable mother-daughter combination, and both turn in naturalistic performances. D. W. Moffett is aptly suave and smooth-talking, though his character does feel flat at times, with more focus being placed on Lisa, her best friend, and her dynamic with her mother. The sunny Venice Beach locations are perfectly captured here, and the film, though released in 1990, has that late '80s aesthetic hangover.
All in all, "Lisa" is an entertaining, well-acted thriller that is suspenseful though not particularly unnerving. It is most enjoyable as a time capsule of its era, where voicemails and landlines could unwittingly put one in touch with a serial killer. Lisa never quite realizes the danger she's in, and, though she most definitely is, the stakes never feel too dramatically high-which is what makes this type of film an undeniably fun watch. 7/10.