History Film / PerfectStranger

A few days later, Grace is poisoned with belladonna and drowned. If that wasn't enough, she was in her first trimester of pregnancy, and this leads Rowena to suspect Harrison's her killer. With the help of researcher Miles Haley (Creator/GiovanniRibisi), Rowena goes undercover as a temp at his company, which begins a game of cat-and-mouse.

* TheBadGuyWins: Maybe. [[spoiler:Rowena's the murderer--having set up Harrison to take the fall for Grace's death before killing Miles and framing him too. However, it's likely that a neighbor may have witnessed her commit the murder.]]

* TheKillerInMe: The film somehow manages to do ''both''. [[spoiler:Rowena's initially presented as a reporter who's investigating the murder of Grace, with the most likely culprit being Harrison. However, it's revealed that ''she'' was Grace's killer--having done her in to end years of blackmailing before she successfully pins the blame on the innocent if slimy-looking businessman. Oh, and she resorts to murder again when Miles tries to blackmail her about setting Harrison up. All this would look like the Secretive Killer type... except that she's surprised several times by developments that she should've already known already, which would make her seem to be the Amnesiac Killer type. This is allegedly because the twist of Rowena being Grace's killer is the result of a last-minute change of the film's ending.]]

->''"It starts with a quiet hum, an empty screen inviting you. 'Come inside', it says, 'we're always open'. It's a world, where actions have no consequence, where guilt is cloaked by anonymity, where there are no fingerprints. An invisible universe, filled with strangers, interconnected online and disconnected in life. It will steal your secrets, corrupt your dreams and co-opt your identity. Because in this world, where you can be anything you want, anyone you want, you just might lose sight... of who you are."''

Reporter Rowena Price (Berry) meets her childhood friend, Grace Clayton (Creator/NickiAycox), who seeks her help in taking down Harrison Hill (Willis), a wealthy advertising executive. Grace gives Rowena her e-mails as proof of their extramarital affair, which Hill recently ended.

A few days later, Grace is found dead, drowned and poisoned with belladonna, and it is also found out Grace was in her first trimester of pregnancy, leading Rowena to suspect Harrison. With the help of researcher Miles Haley (Creator/GiovanniRibisi), Rowena goes undercover as a temp at his company, and enters into a game of cat-and-mouse.

* FrameUp: [[spoiler: The TwistEnding unveils that Rowena's intention to follow Harrison was to frame him for Grace's murder--presumably because there was much evidence pointing to him and since she could then write a feasible story to cover her tracks.]]

* TheKillerInMe: The film somehow manages to do ''both''. [[spoiler:Rowena's initially presented as a reporter who's investigating the murder of Grace, with the most likely culprit being Harrison. However, it's revealed that ''she'' was Grace's killer--having done her in to end years of blackmailing before she successfully pins the blame on the innocent if slimy-looking businessman. Oh, and she resorts to murder again when Miles tries to blackmail her about setting up Hill. All this would look like the Secretive Killer type... except that she's surprised several times by developments that she should've already known already, which would make her seem to be the Amnesiac Killer type. This is allegedly because the twist of Rowena being Grace's killer is the result of a last-minute change of the film's ending.]]

* TooDumbToLive: Miles finds out that [[spoiler: Rowena murdered Grace after years of being blackmailed, so Miles decides to... try doing the same thing.]]

* TheBadGuyWins: Maybe. [[spoiler:Rowena's the murderer--having set up Harrison to take the fall for Grace's death before apparently getting away with it all once she kills Miles and frames him too. However, it's likely that a neighbor may have witnessed her commit the murder.]]

* TheKillerInMe: The film somehow manages to do ''both''. [[spoiler:Rowena's initially presented as a reporter who's investigating the murder of Grace, with the most likely culprit being Harrison. However, it's revealed that ''she'' was Grace's killer--having done her in to end years of blackmailing before she successfully pins the blame on the innocent if slimy-looking businessman. Oh, and she resorts to murder again when Miles tries to blackmail her about setting up Hill. All this would look like the Secretive Killer type... except that she's surprised several times by developments that she should've already known already as though she's the Amnesiac Killer type. This is because the twist of Rowena being the killer is the result of a last-minute change of the film's ending.]]
* RayOfHopeEnding: [[spoiler:Rowena succeeds in murdering Miles and making it like he attacked her after revealing himself as Grace's murderer. However, the final shot is of a neighbor looking out his window, implying he saw what really happened and can tell the police when they arrive.]]

* StalkerWithACrush: Miles sneaks into Rowena's house and watches her make out with her boyfriend Cameron, tries to flirt with her online while he's impersonating Harrison, and has a freaky shrine dedicated to her in his house. [[spoiler: Averted with Rowena since it turns out she's using her romantic charm on Harrison as part of her plan to frame him for Grace's murder.]]
* TooDumbToLive: Miles finds out that [[spoiler: Rowena murdered Grace after years of being blackmailed by her. He decides to... try blackmailing someone who can and '''will''' silence anyone who tries.]]
* UndercoverWhenAlone: [[spoiler:Rowena is snooping around Harrison's apartment when she finds evidence that seems to indicate that he murdered Grace, which is when she becomes visibly scared. However, she was the killer all along. Apparently, this is because the ending was changed to make Berry's character the guilty party--all logic be damned.]]

''Perfect Stranger'' is a 2007 American neo-noir psychological thriller film, starring Creator/HalleBerry and Creator/BruceWillis.

* TheBadGuyWins: Maybe. [[spoiler:Rowena turns out to have been the murderer, and successfully framed one of the murders on an innocent man, apparently getting away with it all in the end. However, it's implied that someone may have witnessed her commit the murder.]]

* BookEnds: The film begins with a zoom-out of Rowena's eye--beginning with the inner layers, followed by the retina and then the iris. It ends with another eye zoom-in, only it's from [[spoiler:a bystander who saw Rowena kill Miles.]]

* FrameUp: [[spoiler: The TwistEnding unveils that Rowena's intention to follow Harrison was to frame him for Grace's murder--presumably because there was much evidence pointing to him and she wanted to do it all for a feasible story that would cover her tracks.]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Rowena's murdered at least three people and successfully framed an innocent man for one of the deaths, apparently getting away with it all. However, it's implied that a neighbor may have witnessed her third murder.]]

* TheKillerInMe: The film somehow manages to do ''both''. [[spoiler:Through the film Rowena is presented as investigating the murder of her friend, and that the most likely culprit is Hill, only to be revealed that she murdered her 'friend' (who was blackmailing her) before she successfully pins the blame on the innocent, if slimy-looking businessman, Hill. Oh, and she murders again when Miles tries to blackmail her about setting up Hill. All this would look like the Secretive Killer type... except that several times through the film she's surprised by developments that as the killer she should've known already beforehand, as if she's the Amnesiac Killer type. This is because the twist of Rowena being the killer is actually the result of a last-minute change on the ending to decide the identity of the killer.]]
* RayOfHopeEnding: [[spoiler:Rowena succeeds in murdering Miles and making it like he attacked her while setting him up to be painted as Grace's killer. However, the final shot is of a neighbor looking out his window, implying he saw what really happened and can tell the police.]]
* ShoutOut: When Bill arrives to see Rowena and Miles, the latter tells Bill to drop the glasses, because he isn't [[Series/TheXFiles Deep Throat]].
* StalkerShrine: It turns out that Miles actually made one of Rowena that's hidden in a secret room in his house.
* StalkerWithACrush: Miles sneaks into Rowena's house and watches her make out with her boyfriend Cameron, tries to flirt with her in instant messaging by posing as someone else, and has a freaky shrine dedicated to her in his house. [[spoiler: Averted with Rowena since it turns out she's using her romantic charm on Harrison as part of her plan to frame him for Grace's murder.]]
* TooDumbToLive: Miles finds out that [[spoiler: Rowena, the reporter who was supposedly investigating her friend's murder, actually murdered her after years of being blackmailed. After confronting her, he decides to blackmail the woman who just killed the last person who tried to blackmail her.]]
* UndercoverWhenAlone: [[spoiler:When Rowena is snooping around Hill's apartment looking for evidence of who the killer is and she finds evidence that seems to indicate that it's indeed Hill, she becomes visibly scared, even though it's revealed at the end that she was the killer all along. Apparently this is because the ending was changed to make her character the killer, all logic be damned.]]
* WhamShot: Near the film's end, someone removes an incriminating vial of belladonna from a deodorant can, meaning they're the killer. This person closes their bathroom mirror, and we see that it was actually [[spoiler:Rowena.]]

* BlackmailBackfire: [[spoiler:Rowena murdered her "friend" Grace because the latter was blackmailing her, and she then murders Miles when he tries to blackmail her about setting up Hill]].
* BookEnds: The film begins with a zoom-out of Rowena's eye, beginning with the inner layers, followed by the retina and then the iris. It ends with another eye zoom-in, only it's from [[spoiler:a bystander who saw Rowena kill Miles]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Some of Grace's playful lines to Rowena allude to her [[spoiler:witnessing Rowena and her mother burying her father's death as a child]].

* FrameUp: [[spoiler: The twist ending reveals that Rowena's intention to follow Hill was to frame him for Grace's murder, presumably because there was much evidence pointing to him and she wanted to do it all for a feasible story.]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Rowena turns out to have murdered at least three people and successfully framed one of the murders on an innocent man, apparently getting away with it all in the end. However, it's implied that someone may have witnessed her commit the murder.]]
* ParentalIncest: In her childhood, Rowena was sexually abused by her father, prompting her mother to kill him.

* RayOfHopeEnding: [[spoiler:Rowena succeeds in murdering Miles and framing it like he attacked her and is the killer. However, the final shot is of one of the neighbors looking out his window, implying he saw what really happened and can tell the police.]]

* StalkerWithACrush: Miles. He sneaks into Rowena's house and watches her make out with her boyfriend, tries to flirt with her in instant messaging by posing as someone else, and has a freaky shrine dedicated to her in his house. [[spoiler: Averted with Rowena, while she's using her romantic charm to get to him, it turns out she was doing it to frame him for Grace's murder.]]
* TooDumbToLive: Miles finds out that [[spoiler: Rowena, the reporter who was investigating her friend's murder, actually killed her after years of blackmail by the victim. After confronting her, he decides to blackmail the woman who just killed the last person who tried to blackmail her.]]

* WhamShot: At the end, someone is seen removing a vial of belladonna from a deodorant can, meaning that we're currently following the killer. This person closes their bathroom mirror, and we see that it was actually [[spoiler:Rowena]].

--->''"Actions have consequences, Ro. You can't just forget people! Bury them and pretend like they never existed."''\\

* BlackmailBackfire: [[spoiler:Rowena murdered her "friend" Grace because the latter was blackmailing her, and she then murders Miles when he tries to blackmail her about setting up Hill.]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/perfect_stranger.jpg]]

!!This film contains examples of:

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/perfect_stranger.jpg]]

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Maybe.]]
* BlackmailBackfire: [[spoiler:Why Rowena murdered Grace, and later Miles.]]
* FrameUp: [[spoiler: The Twist Ending reveals that Rowena's intention to follow Hill was to frame him for Grace's murder, presumably because there was much evidence pointing to him and she wanted to do it all for a feasible story.]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Rowena turns out to have murdered at least three people and successfully framed one of the murders on an innocent man, apparently getting away with it all in the end.]] [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope However, someone may have witnessed her commit the murder.]]]]

* TheKillerInMe: [[spoiler: Rowena murdered her 'friend' (who was blackmailing her) and successfully pins the blame on the innocent, if slimy-looking businessman, Harrison Hill. Oh, and she murders again when Miles tries to blackmail her about setting up Hill. This one is pretty much the result of last-minute change on the ending to decide the identity of the killer.]]

* UndercoverWhenAlone: When Rowena is snooping around Hill's apartment looking for evidence of who the killer is and she finds evidence that seems to indicate that it's indeed Hill, she becomes visibly scared, even though it's revealed at the end that [[spoiler: she was the killer all along]]. Apparently this is because the ending was changed to [[spoiler: make her character the killer, all logic be damned]].

Reporter Rowena Price (Berry) meets her childhood friend, Grace Clayton (Nicki Aycox), who seeks her help in taking down Harrison Hill (Willis), a wealthy advertising executive. Grace gives Rowena her e-mails as proof of their extramarital affair, which Hill recently ended.

* TheKillerInMe: [[spoiler: Rowena murdered her 'friend' (who was blackmailing her) and successfully pins the blame on the innocent, if slimy-looking businessman, Harrison Hill. Oh, and she murders again when another friend tries to blackmail her about setting up Hill. This one is pretty much the result of last-minute change on the ending to decide the identity of the killer.]]

Reporter Rowena Price (Berry) meets her childhood friend, Grace Clayton, who seeks her help in taking down Harrison Hill (Willis), a wealthy advertising executive. Grace gives Rowena her e-mails as proof of their extramarital affair, which Hill recently ended.

A few days later, Grace is found dead, drowned and poisoned with belladonna, and it is also found out Grace was in her first trimester of pregnancy, leading Rowena to suspect Harrison. With the help of researcher Miles Haley, Rowena goes undercover as a temp at his company, and enters into a game of cat-and-mouse.

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Rowena successfully framed one of the murders on an innocent man, getting away with it all in the end.]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Rowena turns out to have murdered at least three people and successfully framed one of the murders on an innocent man, getting away with it all in the end.]]

* TooDumbToLive: Miles finds out that [[spoiler: Rowena, the reporter who was investigating her friend's murder, actually killed her after years of blackmail by the victim. After confronting her, he decides to blackmail the woman who just killed the last person who tried to blackmail her. His sudden death is well deserved.]]

* Frameup: [[spoiler: The Twist Ending reveals that Rowena's intention to follow Hill was to frame him for Grace's murder, presumably because there was much evidence pointing to him and she wanted to do it all for a story.]]

* StalkerWithACrush: Miles. He sneaks into Rowena's house and watches her make out with her boyfriend, tries to flirt with her in instant messaging by posing as someone else, and has a freaky shrine dedicated to her in his house.