This Dutch murder mystery/horror film is about Gerard Reve (Jeroen Krabbé), a gay alcoholic writer who begins having visions warning him of impending danger. In his bedroom, a spider catches flies from its web affixed to a crucifix. He travels from Amsterdam to Vlissingen for a public lecture. His stories, he says, "lie the truth." A listener, Christine Halsslag (Renée Soutendijk), a seductive beautician, invites him to stay the night. When he sleeps with the petite Christine, he flattens her breasts with his hands and exclaims "You look like a boy in his glory, so slim, tender!" Next day, he sees a photo of her boyfriend Herman (Thom Hoffman), a plumber from Köln. He convinces her to bring Herman to town and sets out to seduce him. When Gerard flirts with Herman, he puts his hand on his thigh and says, "I could tell you stories. There's one bigwig bastard, when he throws a do all the neighbors lock their kids up behind locks so thick. Children of six or seven years old, girls and boys, no difference. Find that fun? Little boys!" He seduces the heterosexual Herman by a surprise fondling of him from behind. His visions intensify and begin to threaten his relationship with Christine, since it may be her the visions are warning against. Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears to him in visions to show that he is targeted as her fourth victim. Mary says, "Anyone given a warning must listen to it." Gradually, aided by visions and nightmares, he's sure Christine is a murderer who has killed three husbands. He or Herman will be the fourth man. Gerard believes his vision of Mary and his life is spared. He passes on the warning to Herman, who ignores it, thinking that Gerard is trying to scare him off so that he can have Christine for himself. The movie ends in a bloody climax with Herman's death. Scripted by Gerard Soeteman from Gerard Reve's novel of the same name, this movie was directed by Paul Verhoeven. The English title is "The Fourth Man".
