10 Great Yuppie Horror Movies

4. Pacific Heights

Michael Keaton in Pacific Heights
20th Century Fox

Pacific Heights was the film for which Roger Ebert coined the idea of a "horror movie for yuppies." Mathew Modine and Melanie Griffith play an unmarried couple who live in some of the most sought after (and today most expensive) real estate in the country - the upscale end of San Francisco.

When a psychopathic con man (Michael Keaton) moves in below them, he begins tearing the building apart floorboard by floorboard. The nightmare tenant exploits renter's rights in the worst ways imaginable, igniting a cockroach infestation, and changing the locks. The couple's stress brought on by their tenant - which compounds their severe debt - even causes Griffith to endure a miscarriage.

Director John Schlesinger has come a long way, photographing the autobiographic slums of post-war England to lovingly capturing the slopes of San Francisco. But Keaton is the real draw here. Coming just a few years after Batman, the actor unleashes his darkest instincts. Without Keaton, the concept of a thriller based off the threat of eviction comes off as silly.

Contributor
Contributor

Kenny Hedges is carbon-based. So I suppose a simple top 5 in no order will do: Halloween, Crimes and Misdemeanors, L.A. Confidential, Billy Liar, Blow Out He has his own website - thefilmreal.com - and is always looking for new writers with differing views to broaden the discussion.