Fella_shibby Saw this in the mid 80s on a VHS. Revisited it recently on a DVD. Found the second viewing very boring n mild, especially in todays time. Lee Grant enrages misogynist serial killer Michael Ironside because of her strong views on women's rights. After narrowly escaping death, Lee finds herself stalked in her hospital by the killer. None of the performances are that well done n Michael Ironside has very little dialogue and just has to look insane, something he's fantastic at. Only two interesting aspects r ther in this boring n tame film. 1st, there's no attempt to hide who the killer is. Right from the start, we know the murderer's identity. 2nd, there is jus one tense scene in which Lee returns home to find Ironside bursting out wearing nothing but some of her jewellery and slashing at her. Afterwards the film became repetitive and slow and it was lacking enough bloodshed. The film lacked tension n suspense. Our killer is so relentless that he sneaks in n out the hospital so many times but at the same time he is a very incompetent one as he is not able to finish wht he started. I found the killer to be dumb too. What kinda serial killer brings home a girl, rapes n tortures her n then leaves her alive n that too when the whole area's police r on the lookout for him. What kinda killer leaves all his victim's photos easily accessible. By the way William Shatner was totally wasted.

Stephen Abell I was surprised as I sat viewing this film to realise I had seen it before... Evidently, back in 1989, ITV had shown the uncut version of the movie. I find it amazing that I could remember the film so clearly after twenty-eight years.Though I remembered the movie it never lessened the enjoyment of watching it again. Notwithstanding the passage of years, this film is still strong and relevant today.Lee Grant plays Deborah Ballin a news reporter who is campaigning for better rights for abused women. While on her television show, Colt Hawker, played menacingly and darkly by Michael Ironside, watches with growing disdain for in his world women should know their place. He takes it upon himself to send Ballin a message by killing her. He fails dismally, leaving her wounded. Her death now becomes his mission. He starts to stalk the hospital where she's receiving medical attention and the bodies start to stack up - and not due to natural causes.What the director, Jean-Claude Lord (Second Chances - reviewed on this blog & Secrets of the Summer House - to be reviewed), gives the audience is an above par slasher film, with a nice psychological thriller twist. It's superior to others in the genre as it gives a credible back story to the psychopathic killer, which in turn adds a chill because it shows he's not a monster, just a man.Lord gives the audience a roller coaster ride as he speeds up the action and slows down for tension and suspense. The use of a more natural light is a bonus for the viewers when most of these films hide everything in the darkness of shadows, Lord shows you the menace at all times. This is a good thing as Ironside does a wonderful portrayal of Hawker, who is a chameleon... a man of many differing faces, though a madman under the skin.I really liked the fact that Nurse Sheila Munroe, veritably portrayed by Linda Purl, doesn't let too much get to her. As a nurse, she's used to seeing death and dead people, though not murder victims. This is shown through her reactions, she doesn't scream uncontrollably, she is shocked but remains in control of herself. She is a good strong female character.It's Ballin that loves to scream and flail about and this is the only downside to the movie. I know it's strange, I love slasher films but cannot abide screaming. What I cannot abide is unnecessary screaming. For the most part, when faced with something indescribably terrible most people will utter expletives rather than scream, come on directors lets keep it real.If you like slasher psychopaths on a rampage then this is a movie for your delectation.

TheExpatriate700 Visiting Hours has a fairly typical slasher premise, with an insane killer stalking a woman confined to the hospital after one of his attacks. It features many of the same tropes, such as characters making incredibly stupid decisions and a Freudian explanation for the killer. It turns out above average, though, based largely on Michael Ironside's presence.Although this is clearly a B-movie with mainly stock characters, Michael Ironside treats the material with the same seriousness as a big budget thriller like The Silence of the Lambs. He brings his character, a misogynistic murderer, a depth and menace most slasher villains did not achieve, particular in 1982, when most were Michael Myers clones.The film also engages with serious themes of misogyny, framing the killer's violence in terms of his hatred of women. Although many slasher movies deal in this theme, Visiting Hours brings it to the surface, making Lee Grant's protagonist an ardent feminist and featuring several strong female characters. It also points out the ugliness of misogyny with a graphic rape scene, which most likely led to the film's banning as a Video Nasty in the UK.The film does have some flaws typical of the slasher genre. William Shatner's character is dull, in part because of his lackluster performance. (Luckily, although he has top billing, he actually has a small part.) However, Ironside makes this a film well worth seeing.

BA_Harrison After a vicious knife attack by misogynistic psycho Colt Hawker (Michael Ironside), feminist TV reporter Deborah Ballin (Lee Grant) is taken to hospital where the maniac repeatedly tries to finish the job by posing as members of staff.I vividly remember this film's cinematic release back in '82; the advert was on TV at the same time as I was in hospital with a broken leg and, rather unsurprisingly, it struck a nerve. The film clearly struck a nerve with the BBFC as well, the censors later adding it to the UK official video nasty list thanks to the killer's disturbing brand of misogyny and sadistic violence: as slasher villains go, Ironside's Hawker is particularly cruel, the character primarily targeting females, delighting in their fear and pain, teasing them with his switchblade and taking photos of them as they die.However, as memorably nasty as Ironside's psycho undoubtedly is, the film doesn't quite live up to its potential; there is a notable lack of gore (a mainstay of the genre), and the pacing is rather weak, with matters tending to drag after Hawker's initial assault on Ballin. At 105 min long, this means a lot of boring padding, Ironside skulking around corridors and failing to get near his intended victim until the inevitable final showdown in the now surprisingly deserted hospital. We also get pointless filler in the form of William Shatner's concerned TV producer, who does nothing to further the plot, Linda Purl's single parent nurse, whose primary job is to look cute in her uniform, and lots of cheap scares (including one from a parrot!).With more grisly killings and tighter pacing, this could have been one of the genuinely great slashers of the 80s, especially given the intensity of Ironside's performance; sadly, it only qualifies as essential viewing to those determined to see all of the video nasties.