Eyes of a Stranger (1981) Warner Bros./Horror-Thriller RT: 85 minutes Rated R (graphic violence, nudity, language) Director: Ken Wiederhorn Screenplay: Ron Kurz (as “Mark Jackson”) Music: Richard Einhorn Cinematography: Mini Rojas Release date: March 27, 1981 (US) Cast: Lauren Tewes, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John DiSanti, Peter DuPre, Gwen Lewis, Kitty Lunn, Timothy Hawkins, Ted Richert, Toni Crabtree, Bob Small, Stella Rivera, Dan Fitzgerald, Jose Bahamande, Luke Halpin, Rhonda Flynn, Tony Federico, Alan Lee, Amy Krug, Tabbetha Tracey. Box Office: $1.1M (US)
Rating: ***
Lauren Tewes, on shore leave from The Love Boat, stars in Eyes of a Stranger, a bloody thriller about a TV newswoman turning the tables on the freak that’s been raping and strangling women in the Miami area. In short, she stalks the stalker.
I don’t recall Eyes of a Stranger ever playing in the Philadelphia area. Not that it matters since my parents wouldn’t have let me see it anyway. I finally saw it on cable late one night in early summer ’87. I liked it. I know I rewatched it at least once in the time between then and a few days ago when I ordered it from Amazon Prime. It’s held up remarkably well in the 40 years since it first came out. It’s still an effective little horror-thriller.
I noticed a few things about Eyes of a Stranger this time around. Director Ken Wiederhorn (Shock Waves) borrows ideas from a slew of similar films such as Rear Window, Psycho, Wait Until Dark and Black Christmas. It makes for a tasty mash-up. Also, I didn’t know Tom Savini did the gore effects. No wonder they’re so good. They were good enough to make the MPAA threaten to slap the movie with an X unless the makers excised the more graphic material. Luckily, they’ve been restored. I think it makes it a better film. It’s definitely more memorable with the scenes intact.
A killer is terrorizing women in Miami. Each victim receives threatening phones calls before the killer strikes. Naturally, the police are ineffectual. Local reporter Jane Harris (Tewes) is especially concerned about the killings. She urges women to take extra precautions until the creep is caught. This particular case hits very close to home. As a child, her younger sister Tracy (Leigh in her big screen debut) was abducted and raped by a stranger. The ordeal left her blind, deaf and mute. Jane blames herself for not looking out for her sister. Now, she takes care of her.
In a coincidence that goes beyond wild, Jane observes one of her neighbors disposing of a bloody shirt in the parking garage of their apartment complex. That’s right, he lives in the same complex…. in the building directly across from hers. Their windows face each other. His name is Stanley Herbert (DiSanti, King Frat) and he’s a slimeball. Jane goes into detective mode and finds evidence that connects him to the three brutal murders that occurred earlier that night. Naturally, the evidence vanishes and Jane has to resort to other methods to implicate Stanley. These include breaking into his apartment and harassing him on the phone.
I guess it isn’t revealing a big plot twist if I tell you Stanley figures out who his stalker is and goes after her through her helpless sister. This is an inevitability not a surprise. There aren’t any real surprises in Eyes of a Stranger except for Tewes’ unexpectedly strong lead performance. Who knew that Julie McCoy (aka “Your Cruise Director”) had it in her to take on a serial rapist-murderer? Her character, a woman dealing with guilt stemming from her sister’s childhood trauma, is believable. It’s affected every aspect of her adult life including her relationship with her lawyer boyfriend David (DuPre, The Creature Wasn’t Nice). He wants them to move in together, but she’s concerned her obligation to Tracy will eventually create resentment. She’s extremely protective of Tracy. It makes sense that she’d want this sleazoid stopped. As a TV newsperson, she has the means and opportunity to warn other women/potential victims to be careful. What’s interesting here is how indifferent her male colleague (Richert, Piranha II: The Spawning) appears to be about the story. True, her jump into heroine mode is purely the stuff of B-movie thrillers, but isn’t that what Eyes of a Stranger is? Whatever it is, it works. Tewes proves to be a smart and worthy adversary for the killer.
Leigh makes a solid big screen debut as the psychologically scarred sister who becomes the target of another perverted creep. Her character garners sympathy rather than pity. One of the most effective scenes has Stanley messing with her mind by creeping around the apartment moving stuff. Remember, she can’t hear or see. BTW, animal lovers be warned. The dirty bastard kills her service dog. He deserves to die for that alone. We never find out exactly what her childhood rapist did to her or if he got caught, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter.
Eyes of a Stranger fails in one crucial area. We never find out what makes Stanley tick. What’s his deal? Why does he hate women so much? In Maniac, we know why the killer does what he does. It’s a result of childhood abuse by his mother. We get no such explanation about Stanley. He’s a one-dimensional degenerate. I expect that from a slasher movie featuring dumb, horny teens running from a deformed homicidal maniac through the woods. I expect a little more from a thriller with slightly loftier intentions than the average slasher flick.
Savini’s gore effects are a definite plus! Here’s what you get in Eyes of a Stranger. It opens with a decapitation scene that takes a cue from He Knows You’re Alone (head in a fish tank!). A man gets stabbed and a woman has her throat cut, both kills are quite bloody. Also, somebody is shot in the head. It’s accompanied by plenty of splatter. This is all good, but what really helps distinguish Eyes of a Stranger is the suspense generated by Wiederhorn. He stages some good, tense sequences. Take the one where Stanley terrorizes a secretary (Lunn) working late. He starts by calling her at her desk and continues his harassment as she cautiously makes her way to her car. He actually calls her on the elevator phone. She finally gets to her car only to find out too late he’s hiding in the back seat. Although you know that will be the eventual outcome, Wiederhorn still keeps the viewer on edge. BTW, I feel compelled to mention that he followed up Eyes of a Stranger with Meatballs Part II (an unnecessary but strangely entertaining sequel to the hit 1979 summer camp comedy) and Return of the Living Dead Part II (an amusing but inferior sequel to the hit 1985 horror-comedy).
Eyes of a Stranger came out during a banner year for horror. 1981 also saw the release of Blood Beach, My Bloody Valentine, Scanners, The Burning, Maniac, An American Werewolf in London, The Prowler, Happy Birthday to Me, Halloween II, Night School, Final Exam, Graduation Day, The Funhouse and Friday the 13 Part 2 (also written by Ron Kurz). It’s little wonder it fell through the cracks. 40 years later, it still isn’t talked about a lot. Although flawed, Eyes of a Stranger is one of those movies that deserve rediscovery. It has enough blood to please gorehounds and enough suspense to satisfy thriller fans. It also has ample nudity (BOOBS!) for those who like that sort of thing. Although it qualifies as an exploitation movie, it’s never all that sleazy. I mean, it’s a little sleazy, but it doesn’t wallow in it. It makes for great late-night viewing.
TRIVIA TIDBIT: The movie the doomed couple in the first kill scene is watching on TV is Wiederhorn’s own Shock Waves.
