Official synopsis: Borderline is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that follows a dangerously persistent stalker (Ray Nicholson) who invades the home of a ‘90s pop superstar (Samara Weaving) with grand delusions of a wedding. With her life on the line and help from her loyal bodyguard (Eric Dane as William), she must escape the stalker’s sinister grip before they tie the knot.
If you’re in the mood for some genre-film lunacy, writer/director Jimmy Warden offers up Borderline. With an all-in performance from Ray Nicholson as unhinged fan Duerson, whose sense of reality is practically nonexistent, and Samara Weaving delivering yet another fine horror/horror comedy performance, the film aims to deliver absurd entertainment and does just that.
I couldn’t help but draw parallels between Nicholson’s depiction of his Duerson character and his father’s portrayal of The Joker in the 1989 Batman. Heck, there’s even a bit of his father’s Jack Torrance from The Shining. The mannerisms and facial features and expressions are definitely in the Nicholson genes with Ray and Jack. Ray certainly inherited some of the scenery chewing, too, and he goes for it all with this performance. Weaving already has an impressive track record of fright-fare performances, and here she delivers yet another as self-absorbed pop star Sofia. The supporting players are solid too, including Eric Dane as Sofia’s loyal bodyguard William, Jimmie Fails as Sofia’s current romantic interest Rhodes, and Alba Baptista as Duerson’s fellow mental asylum escapee Penny (a Harley Quinn to Duerson’s Joker, to drop another Batman-related reference), among others.
Not all of the humor clicks but the sheer chutzpah and commitment to preposterousness on display courtesy of Warden and his cast and crew helps any shortcomings. Horror comedy fans will find much to enjoy with Borderline.
Borderline, from Magnet Releasing, was released in theaters and On Digital on March 14, 2025.
