John Schlesinger’s psychological thriller Pacific Heights, released in theaters on September 28, 1990, presents a harrowing exploration of paranoia, trust, and the violation of personal sanctuary. Starring Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, and Michael Keaton, the film blends suspense with social commentary on property, power, and the fragility of domestic security.
The story follows young San Francisco couple Patty Palmer (Griffith) and Drake Goodman (Modine), who invest in a Victorian house in the upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood.
To help pay the mortgage, they rent an apartment within the house and their nightmare begins when a mysterious tenant, Carter Hayes (Keaton), manipulates tenant-law loopholes, refuses to pay rent, and turns their dream home into a battlefield.
Carter is not merely a troublesome tenant; he is a calculating con artist with a chilling talent for psychological warfare. He installs live-in intruders, damages the property, and exploits the legal system to terrorize the couple. Patty and Drake, initially portrayed as idealists striving for upward mobility, are soon trapped in a descent marked by unraveling nerves, personal strain, and escalating danger.
Tension mounts as Patty, more than Drake, begins to understand the depth of Hayes’s cunning, resulting in a climactic confrontation that tests their endurance and moral boundaries.
Mako, Tippi Hedren, Laurie Metcalf, Dorian Harewood, Luca Bercovici, Sheila McCarthy, Dan Hedaya, Jerry Hardin, Nicholas Pryor, and Tracey Walter round out the supporting cast.
Griffith balances vulnerability and determination, Modine captures the frustration of a man outmaneuvered by the system, and Keaton delivers one of his darkest, most unsettling performances—a complete inversion of his likable comic persona from the 1980s.
Michael Keaton in Pacific Heights (Photo/20th Century Fox)
Reception for Pacific Heights
Pacific Heights grossed $6.9 million on its opening weekend, finishing No. 1 at the box office, topping Goodfellas, Ghost, Postcards from the Edge and Narrow Margin.
The film would gross $44.9 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
While Pacific Heights was met with mixed reviews on release, it has since secured a place as a notable entry in the domestic thriller subgenre that thrived in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its themes of real estate anxiety, financial strain, and the vulnerability of middle-class dreams remain strikingly relevant.
The film also pushed Keaton into darker territories, foreshadowing his later willingness to inhabit morally ambiguous or sinister roles.
Pacific Heights endures as a tense, if overlooked, thriller that reflects anxieties about home ownership, legal loopholes, and the fine line between security and invasion. It remains a sharp reminder that the greatest threat to comfort often comes not from outside, but from the person we invite through the door.
