History YMMV / CapeFear

* ParodyDisplacement: Music/BernardHerrmann's title theme is quite possibly better remembered as Sideshow Bob's {{leitmotif}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ever since the ParodyEpisode "Cape Feare".

* EvilIsSexy: Max Cady is played by the handsome Creator/RobertMitchum, who was one of the many sex symbols back then, and has several shirtless scenes showing he's in perfectly good shape.

** Cady's face after having his face burned to a crisp is enough to give you nightmares for a week.
*** And if that wasn't enough, how about the [[HellIsThatNoise weird, gibberish noise he makes]] while he's drowning to his death? Not to mention the DeathGlare he gives right after.

* EvilIsSexy: Max Cady is played by the handsome Creator/RobertMitchum, who was one of the many sex symbols, and has a several shirtless scenes.

* ValuesDissonance: Bowden buried evidence that would have lessened Cady's sentence. Said evidence is a rape victim's sexual history, which is now inadmissible under Florida law.

** When he also threatens to get Bowden disbarred, clearly the audience is supposed to see him as petty, but given that Bowden failed to act in his legal and ethical duties as a defense attorney to Cady 14 years earlier by burying evidence that could've lessened his sentence, this isn't an overreaction. Of course, given that the evidence that would lessen his sentence is based on inherently wrong logic, viewers are likely to see Bowden as a man whose conscience gave him the strength to go against a twisted law that allows rapists to get away with their crimes.

* GeniusBonus: How many viewers were able to understand all of Cady's literary references, especially those to ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''?

* CatharsisFactor: Bowden deciding [[spoiler:to not kill Cady while holding him at gun point and instead send him back to prison for life]]. Both he and the audience know full well that to Cady, it'll be a FateWorseThanDeath.

** Since 1962, awareness of stalking has increased and the law now offers much stronger protection for its victims. With the known history the two characters share, it would've been relatively easy to prove Cady was harassing and following Sam with malicious intent which would've netted him a trip back to prison for his trouble.

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was such a flop on release, that it ended Creator/GregoryPeck's production company. Now it's considered a classic thriller.

** When he also threatens to get Bowden disbarred, clearly the audience is supposed to see him as petty, but given that Bowden failed to act in his legal and ethical duties as a defense attorney to Cady 14 years earlier by burying evidence that could've lessened his sentence, this isn't an overreaction. Of course given that the evidence that would lessen his sentence is based on inherently wrong logic, viewers are likely to see Bowden as a man whose conscience gave him the strength to go against a twisted law that allows rapists to get away with it.
* ToughActToFollow: This had the bad luck of being Creator/MartinScorsese's first film after ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'' although many fans now recognize it as a very good film in it's own right.

* ValuesResonance: Bowden was so disgusted by Cady's crimes that he buried a report about the victim that would've gotten him a lesser sentence and later tells Cady that just because his victim was promiscuous didn't give him the right to rape her, a belief shared by many people in discussions about rape culture in the 2010's which make clear that nothing a victim says or does makes an attack anything other than a horrific assault and violation. Sam's actions now look even more sympathetic and righteous than at the time.

* CatharsisFactor: With returning to prison clearly being far too good for this version of Cady—and it also being part of the problem due to him insisting he never belonged there to begin with—seeing [[spoiler:him dragged back into the river and then under it]] is a satisfying scene, if not it's at the least relieving just because [[spoiler:Cady dies]] after everything he's done.

* CatharsisFactor: With returning to prison clearly being far too good for this version of Cady, seeing [[spoiler:him dragged back into the river and then under it]] is a satisfying scene, if not it's at the least relieving just because [[spoiler:Cady dies]] after everything he's done.

* ValuesResonance: Bowden tells Cady that just because his victim was promiscuous didn't give him the right to rape her, a belief shared by many people in discussions about rape culture in the 2010's which make clear that nothing a victim says or does makes an attack anything other than a horrific assault and violation. Sam's actions now look even more sympathetic and righteous than at the time.

* FoeYay: Danielle was not scared of Cady. She seemed a little fascinated by him, until the end.

* ParodyDisplacement: The theme is quite possibly better remembered as Sideshow Bob's theme in WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons, ever since the ParodyEpisode "Cape Feare".

* WeirdAlEffect: The theme is quite possibly better remembered as Sideshow Bob's theme in WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons, ever since the ParodyEpisode "Cape Feare".

* ToughActToFollow: This had the bad luck of being Creator/MartinScorsese's first film after ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}''.

* ValuesResonance: Bowden tells Cady that just because his victim was promiscuous didn't give him the right to rape her, a belief shared by many people in discussions about rape culture in the 2010's which make clear that nothing a victim says or does makes an attack anything other than a horrific assault and violation.

* HilariousInHindsight: Both film versions have the distinction of featuring each one cast member from the ''Franchise/JamesBond'' franchise playing the PrivateDetective. Creator/TellySavalas, who played [[Characters/JamesBondBlofeld Blofeld]] in ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'', played the detective in the 1962 film, while Joe Don Baker, who played Brad Whitaker in ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'' and Jack Wade in ''Film/{{Goldeneye}}'' and ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', played the detective in the 1991 remake.