Whispers in the Dark

Whispers in the Dark is a 1992 American erotic thriller film directed by Christopher Crowe and starring Annabella Sciorra, Jamey Sheridan, Alan Alda, Jill Clayburgh, John Leguizamo, Deborah Unger, and Anthony LaPaglia. It follows a Manhattan psychiatrist who finds herself in the midst of a homicide investigation after one of her patients is mysteriously murdered. The film was released by Paramount Pictures on August 7, 1992, and received negative reviews from critics. It was nominated for a Razzie Award for Alan Alda as Worst Supporting Actor. There is an unrated version available on laserdisc, featuring a more explicit opening credits sequence and flashback scenes. Plot Psychiatrist Ann Hecker has a successful practice in Manhattan. During a session with a disturbed art gallery owner named Eve Abergray, Eve describes a sadomasochistic sexual encounter she recently had with her male lover. The next day, one of Ann's patients, Johnny, a painter, remarks that he passed by Eve on his way out of the office the day before, and that her beauty provoked violent sadistic fantasies in him. Ann begins suffering troubling dreams based on Eve's stories. She seeks advice from her former medical school instructors, Leo Green and his wife Sarah, both psychologists, over the recurring dreams. Meanwhile, she also begins dating Doug McDowell, a former Air Force pilot who works in her building. During another session with Eve, Ann is shocked when Eve insists on undressing, and confesses that she has fantasized about masturbating in front of Ann. She subsequently divulges another disturbing sexual encounter with her lover, in which he placed a noose around her neck and threatened to hang her. Despite the disturbing nature of the encounter, Eve says that she found it profoundly erotic. A short time later, Ann sees Doug having lunch with Eve at a restaurant where Eve has claimed to meet with her unnamed lover. During Eve's next session, Ann inquires about the identity of her sadomasochistic lover—Eve says his name is Francis Douglas McDowell. Ann responds by suggesting that Eve find another psychiatrist.