Somewhere in the middle of all the "_____ from hell" movies came this, & it's quite possible that this entry (the "roommate from hell") seemed to resonate a little more than the others considering that its title has been lexiconized as an interchangeable euphemism for crazy roommates or friends. It also seemed as though it was very methodically following a checklist of thriller conventions; but it also being made in the early 90s is also very much a product of its time, not only back when Steven Weber had a career (this came out around Wings' heyday) but rather because of the hair & fashions. Or the gay & single confidante neighbour which was the staple of both romantic comedies & shows like Melrose Place. It's also very in check with the rampant illusion that even bookstore clerks or out of work actors can afford a ritzy metropolitan lifestyle (in this case, being able to live in a spacious turn of the century Manhattan loft) without additional financial support (maybe because the building these characters live in is under rent control?). Also, this being a "_____ from hell" movie, the obligatory cute animal ends up being among the first (if not the first) of the casualties.
Cited heavily elsewhere, it even ranked on a list of scariest movie moments on Bravo, there are few movies that come to mind where a hairstyle (albeit a rather unfortunate one to put it lightly) could speak such volumes. Here, it also plays into a sort of double motif recycled heavily from Hitchcock onwards. Late in Single White Female, there is the suggestion of a sort of Persona-like superimposed unity (literalized in the final scene), but it's a very superficial nod. While that could have made for a more interesting thriller, it would also be unreasonable to seek out such content.
Primarily, the film is not one concerned with plumbing the depths of Jennifer Jason Leigh's psychosis, but rather letting loose on the creepy madness that is par for the course of the "_____ from hell" thrillers. With that said, it's very enjoyable & satisfying on that level, & partially compensates for how otherwise thin the material is. The drive of what makes Single White Female work amidst its trite conventions is Leigh's performance, which indulges a degree of creepy mania that for anyone else would reek of trying too hard. There's a sort of desperate & pathetic neediness exuded that cuts through the run of the mill psycho cliches. That is not to say that there isn't a genuine creepiness probably best exemplified in what is likely the most unsettling blowjob scene in a mainstream film.
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