smatysia You can't call this a good movie. It doesn't get the slack you might give to a slasher movie, because while it has some elements of that, it aims higher, and misses. There was some decent acting going on in places. Lauren Tewes was pretty, but never really inhabited her character. John Di Santi was creepy enough, while passing as normal. But the writers never fleshed out his character, a missed opportunity, I'd say. Jennifer Jason Liegh did surprisingly well as the deaf-mute, blind sister-victim. She looked so young, and I guess she was. Gwen Lewis had a fairly long scene with a fair number of lines, and did very well. I was surprised to see that she never appeared as an actress in anything else before or since. In spite of the good things, there was too much bad (stilted dialog, plot holes, characters behaving in inexplicable ways) to recommend this one.

acidburn-10 The plot = A news-reporter suspects that one of her neighbours's is a serial killer whose been raping and murdering local women in the area, as she investigates further, she little realises that her sister could may well be the next target.Well firstly only recently I've come round to actually seeing this movie, despite the mixed reception from the fans, but in my opinion I thought that this movie was pretty good, okay I can see the complaints as most of the murders are off screen despite the effects being handled by Tom Savini, that's where I can see the problem despite his input we don't get to see hardly anything which is a real shame.The opening scene and murders was handled really well, I was kept on the edge of my seat at that part, especially the creepy phone calls which were equally terrifying, and I was expecting more of the same, but sadly it does kind of go off key. When we get introduced to the killer played by John Di Santi who gives a pretty decent performance, the main problem is that we're not given any insight to him at all, we just see him doing what he does and doing normal things around the house, he could have been a bit more fleshed out.The performances from the two leading actresses firstly Lauren Tewes who plays the reporter, handled her part really well, I definitely enjoyed her investigation part, some real tense scenes here like when she's hanging off the balcony, but then she quickly becomes stupid like when she's trying to play the killer at his own game, She's a victim due to her own actions and not for any other reason. Jennifer Jason Leigh who plays the other sister, truly gives the stand-out performance in this movie playing a blind deaf and mute girl, who becomes the object of the killers intentions and then showing thats she's not totally defenceless as she may seem in the final gripping showdown which is a real highlight.Despite some good scenes, this movie does tend to go a bit on the bland side at times and there are some good opportunities but are wasted, and some of the scenes are rushed despite good build up, like for instance the final showdown with Jennifer Jason Leigh was good, but when her sister turns up it's over too quickly. The good aspects though are that's it's saved by good acting, the opening scene and the atmosphere and every so often does shine in certain aspects, but sadly not enough.All in all "Eyes Of A Stranger" is not all bad, it does show potential but doesn't quite get off the ground, but worth watching if you're a fan of early 80's slashers.

Dagon 1981 was a big year for Slasher fans. The Friday the 13th and Halloween franchises both released a sequel, My Bloody Valentine hailed from our northerly neighbors in Canada, and a young Jason Alexander starred in The Burning. Movie-goers that year also experienced the likes of The Prowler, Happy Birthday to Me, Just Before Dawn, Graduation Day, and Final Exam. With the release of so many films with a similar premise, the question of "who came first" barely applies. One thing is for certain however; the early 1980's encapsulated some of the best films within the sub-genre and Eyes of a Stranger existed with the rest of the pack all the while.The film opens with a young woman who receives several disturbing phone calls by a threatening yet psychic-sounding stranger. She files a claim with the police department but due to a high volume of similar calls, her concerns are taken lightly. This negligent act leads to a most heinous crime; the woman, in addition to her boyfriend, are intruded upon and slain by a masked marauder. Female news anchor Jane Harris, all-too-familiar with the crimes, suspects that the unknown assailant resides in her high-rise apartment complex. Jane must find a way to produce enough evidence to substantiate her claims, compelling enough to captivate the interest of her boyfriend David; a defense lawyer who approaches the situation with reluctance. Are her theories outlandish? Or will her curiosity result in her demise?Current retiree from the world of special effects makeup, Tom Savini, was a big name in the industry back in the 1980's. Not only was he a regular in George Romero's crew but he lent a skilled hand and a keen eye to various Slasher films of the era – most prominent would be his work in Friday the 13th, followed up by Maniac which was also released in the same year. The year of 1981 was particularly successful for Savini as Eyes of a Stranger, The Burning, and The Prowler would all benefit from his artistic touch. Originally, Eyes of a Stranger received an R rating which rendered many of the gory effects absent from the final release. This exercise of taming a film to abide by society's sense of morality was a standard practice in the industry during this time. Now that audiences have experienced the likes of Saw and Hostel it seems as though censorship boards are more lenient on certain forms of brutality.Eyes of a Stranger would be director Ken Wiederhorn's second horror movie, as later endeavors materialized with the likes of Return of the Living Dead Part II from '88 and 7 episodes of Freddy's Nightmares. This short tenure was the extent of Ken's foray into horror. In comparison to other no-names in the Slasher game, Ken managed to string together a nice little story with Eyes of a Stranger – everything works out by-the-numbers and stays within the guidelines of mystery and suspense. I'd be speaking untruthfully if I were to say that it's an entertaining entry; no twists or turns or freakish elements to speak of, it merely sits complacently and unwinds to a rather dull finish. Thankfully the screenplay carries itself strongly and frivolous details with laughably bad dialog won't be found for miles.Lauren Tewes, the actress who played Jane Harris, led a semi-successful career before and after her involvement in Eyes of a Stranger. Quite possibly her most prominent role was her involvement with the late 70's television show The Love Boat. After an intense struggle with cocaine abuse she was replaced by another actress in 1984. She began the withdrawal process in 1980 with the help of a counselor but due to her poor performance at the work place she was let go. She managed to recover after a highly publicized affair and continued onward as a successful TV actress. Eyes of a Stranger is what I'd like to categorize as a safe movie. It offers the viewing audience the facts, laid out on the table, and runs straight to the finish line without any hesitation. Some might say that such a description sounds appealing and while they may be partially right it doesn't allow itself to plateau into stardom. If I could draw a likeness to this film I'd say that it could be a distant relative of Maniac. In comparison, Maniac offered a more sinister and dark approach into the killer's psyche and played upon nightmarish elements – whereas Eyes of a Stranger presents the killer in a fully lit room with little intrigue or likability (although the notion of liking a serial killer in a movie is absurd, it happens!). I've given similar reviews to films in the past when I say that this particular title could be played in the background while more pressing matters are attended to. It's not unwatchable or pathetic; the acting is believable and the characters react logically for a change but who really wants to see that? There's a reason why Slasher films specifically dumb down the level of intelligence of the players featured – it gives us, the viewers, a chance to be fully aware of what lurks around the corner even if the lead actor or actress does not. Once you remove that element you're simply watching the villain get bested with little to no effort at all – and in reality, that's not very appealing.

preppy-3 Overweight ugly creep Stanley Herbert (John DiSanti) is attacking, raping and killing women all over Miami. Newscaster Jane Harris (Lauren Tewes) gets involved in it because her younger sister Tracy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) was rendered blind and mute by an attack as a little girl. Unknown to Jane, Herbert lives very close to her and Tracy may be his next victim...Trash. There are two rapes and beatings of women that are shown and they're just disgusting to see. Heck, the first one is within the first 15 minutes! DiSanti is a terrible actor (I couldn't figure out what exactly he was trying to do in a few scenes), the film has a boring script and becomes a chore to watch. Only a few things save this from being totally worthless. It has Leigh in her film debut and she's great. Surprisingly even Tewes was good in her role. Also director Ken Wiederhorn has some really nice suspenseful touches added to the film that make some of it fun to watch (especially when Tewes goes to DiSanti's apartment). So it's pretty terrible but not completely without merit. Also I caught the 2007 DVD which reinserts some of the gore that was cut for an R rating back in 1981. Obviously that's the one to get.