Review: A Stranger is Watching


Gruff Rip Torn kidnaps young Shawn von Schreiber (in sadly her only film appearance, it seems) and her TV reporter stepmother (Kate Mulgrew, pre-“Star Trek: Voyager”) for ransom, two years after the poor girl had to endure witnessing her mother being raped and murdered. James Russo is the guy the cops nabbed for the murder now awaiting execution in 72 hours. James Naughton is Schreiber’s dad and a journalist in his own right, who hasn’t been happy with girlfriend Mulgew’s coverage of the Russo story. Gee, could Russo be innocent after all? Just what is Torn’s motive?



Not quite the slasher pic that the title or the pedigree of its director, Sean S. Cunningham (director of the overrated and cheap “Friday the 13th” and the abysmal “DeepStar Six”) would suggest, this poorly-photographed 1982 film is more kidnap/killer thriller. The supporting characters and performances are largely nondescript (Naughton, a fine enough actor is given little to do but look worried and frustrated), but the three lead performances are on-target. Torn, looking amazingly like Brian Johnson of AC/DC, is especially fine, but not in the brilliantly hammy way you’d expect. He’s just plain sour and mean, and not quite as infallible as most killers in movies tended to be around this period. Unfortunately, a twist revealed towards the end doesn’t quite convince, given the behaviour he has exhibited up until this point (you’ll see), but it is by no means the fault of the actor. Cunningham also isn’t much of a director, and whilst this is the best film I’ve seen of his, it’s got very little to do with his sluggish direction. Neither he nor writers Earl Mac Rauch (“Buckaroo Banzai”) and Victor Miller (also of the “Friday the 13th” series) do much to differentiate this rather convoluted film from countless TV movies with similar stories (aside from some stupid and eventually neglected crap about capital punishment), it’s the three lead performances that keep you going. Based on a novel by Mary Higgins Clark.



Rating: C+

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