Its the scene that transformed the term bunny boiler into popular movie culture. Its a phrase that has in fact become so famous that it even features
its own wikipedia page documenting its origins and uses in todays media society. As for the sequence itself, it works as a truly frightening moment because its at that point after youve seen the rabbit in the pan where you realise that Dan Gallagher (
Michael Douglas) chose the wrong woman to try and share a short and sweet affair with as an unforeseen streak of violence reveals Alex Forrest (
Glenn Close) to be in fact quite mad. The build to the horror is very well done mainly because its not afraid to play the scene nice and slow. It adds to the gradual nail-biting tension that we witness Beth Gallgher's
(Anne Archer) walk to the hob, taking the time to put her bag down as the camera cuts to show a single shot of the pan boiling. Then as she continues her walk the action gradually starts to increase with the cut to her daughter running in the garden, cut back to Beth and then straight back to the daughter again creating a frenzied and disorientating effect necessary to the pay-off at the end when the lid to the pan is raised. At this moment we cut back once more to the girl screaming by the rabbit cage and then hear Beth's scream as are offered a glimpse of the cooked bunny. Its a brilliant and unexpected turning point that maximises the use of editing and expression to create a very striking and horrifying visual. It is also a scene which does a brilliant job of raising the dramatic stakes in order to keep the viewer engaged for the events which will transpire following this moment of terror. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOkgy6AXJF8&feature=related
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