"Stalking Back

The psychologically troubled stalker in "Moment of Truth: Stalking Back" (which airs at 9 tonight on NBC, Channels 4, 36 and 39) is the type of character that tends to pique one's curiosity. And the fact that this movie is based on real events increases this fascination even more.

A rather simple-minded misfit, Curt Harper becomes obsessed with a 14-year-old girl who is 10 years his junior. He showers her with gifts and follows her around in his rickety economy car. Over a four-year span, Harper (skillfully portrayed by Tom Kurlander) infuses Laurisa Anello (Luanne Ponce) and her family with the fear that his unnatural fixation may suddenly turn violent.

Harper is by far the most intriguing character in this movie--less intrinsically mean-spirited than a maladjusted young man who is unable to cope with the emotional complexities of the adult world. But he is never properly humanized--possibly for fear of making him appear too sympathetic and diminishing the extent of the Anellos' ordeal.

Instead, "Stalking Back" concentrates on the efforts of Laurisa's parents (Shanna Reed and John Martin) to protect their daughter while trying to allow her the normal experiences of a teen-ager. The movie conveys in fairly absorbing terms the huge emotional toll Harper's presence exacts on this middle-class family. Eventually, Laurisa becomes so frightened that she's reluctant even to leave the house, and some of her friends are kept from socializing with her for fear of their safety.

One certainly does sympathize with the Anello family. It's just unfortunate that "Stalking Back" doesn't take the risk of developing its most fascinating character.