A Stranger Is Watching

source: A Stranger Is Watching

Trailer—A Stranger Is Watching

A Stranger Is Watching

Like watching any movie after reading the book, I felt expectedly disappointed. The plot was altered in many ways from the novel, which I deem to be much better than this mediocre adaptation of yet another Clark masterpiece. All of the movies based on Clark's books have been disappointing, because no movie can capture the intricacy and suspense designed by Clark, one of America's top mystery/suspense writers. I'm 16 years old and have never idolized an author's talent more than Clarks, and it is disappointing to see her novel made into a movie of this quality. Thoroughly disappointing.

This has the feel of a made-for-TV movie except it has enough profanity to give it an "R" rating. Kate Mulgrew has the acting skill of a wombat, to be kind. Rip Torn can act but he is saddled with a cliché-ridden script that is full of ridiculous turns and coincidences. This movie is totally predictable and tedious in the extreme. It's one yawn after another; the only reason to watch is in the hope that maybe something will actually happen that could be called suspense. But it never does. At least the little girl's cat is cute. I felt sorry for Rip Torn and the little girl, who probably thought she would have a career after this. Rip did, fortunately for him, as he was able to rise above being in this dreck. One final note -- the title is totally misleading. There is very little watching as the movie is about a kidnapping not stalking in the sense one normally thinks of it. Everyone says the book is better but if it is even half as contrived as this film, I have no desire to read it.

Director Sean S. Cunningham's A STRANGER IS WATCHING is about depraved psychopath, Artie Taggart (Rip Torn), who rapes and murders a woman in front of her young daughter. A couple of years later, Taggart returns to the scene of the crime, kidnaps the daughter, as well as her dad's new girlfriend, Sharon (Kate Mulgrew). Whisked away to Taggart's secret lair beneath Grand Central Station, Sharon must protect the girl, while trying to find a way out of their dire situation. Cunningham proves that he's not just a director of slasher films, building up suspense rather than relying only on jumps and jolts. There are deaths, some semi-brutal, but not repetitive. The underground location is perfectly claustrophobic and grim. For his part, Rip Torn is quite menacing, in an unhinged, could-kill-you-at-any-moment sort of way. Ms. Mulgrew plays Sharon as resourceful and resilient. Recommended for fans of crime drama-thrillers...

Fairly mediocre, common-or-garden crime-thriller. Nothing new or really original. Performances are OK, but you feel they are just going through the motions.

A Stranger Is Watching is a half way decent horror/thriller movie. directed by Sean Cunningham director of the first Friday The 13th movie. when the psycho guy pops up its a little creepy, and the suspense is good to, but at times the movie is kind of slow, Sean Cunningham shows he has some skills, but i feel he did way better in Friday The 13th, in that the directing was real good, A Stranger Is Watching is an average film from an Average director, i give it 5/10

Cunningham's next film after the big success of "Friday the 13th" is this very different thriller with some horror strokes (not of the same kind as the Jason movies), shot in fascinating real locations underneath New York and with good acting, excellent direction and a very gritty vibe that I can appreciate.

This film is sleazy and exploitive in the extreme. That's not much of a surprise, since it was directed by the man responsible for the (inept) first "Friday the 13th" film. What I DID find mildly surprising was the director's ability to shoot some reasonably suspenseful scenes in the middle of all the sleaze, proving that, when he doesn't overuse gore, he is competent enough. For a low-budget exploitation film, this isn't too bad.