Once You Meet a Stranger

This television remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" (1951) follows the same story, but has changed the genders of the lead characters from male to female. Sheila Gaines is a former child star whose first husband is unwilling to give her a divorce. A chance meeting with Margo Anthony on a train leads to a conversation where the mentally unstable Margo, who hates her mother, suggests that they swap murders, so as to solve their problems. Although she thinks nothing of the conversation, Sheila's life takes a surprising turn when her husband is murdered by Margo. Now Margo wants Sheila to do her part of "the deal." With the police on her tail and Margo constantly in her face, Sheila must find a way out of this tangled web.

Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, Once You Meet a Stranger leans on a strong ensemble — Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Mancuso, Theresa Russell — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about thriller titles of 1996.