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Eyes of a Stranger (1981 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Eyes of a Stranger' is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Lauren Tewes and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Its plot follows a newscaster in Miami who suspects that her neighbor may be a local rapist and serial killer. It features makeup effects by Tom Savini.
Plot
Jane, a newscaster in Miami, reports on the latest victim of a serial killer and rapist. In her newscast, she urges the women of the city to take caution. That same night, Debbie, a waitress in a local bar, receives threatening phone calls. She reports the calls to police, who agree to send an investigator in the morning. Her boyfriend, Jeff, arrives, startling her. Shortly after, the killer, a man named Stanley Herbert, infiltrates the apartment, decapitating Jeff before raping and strangling Debbie to death.
Meanwhile, Jane, lives with her teenage sister, Tracy, whom she cares for; Tracy is blind and deaf-mute, stemming from a conversion disorder as a result of her experiencing a rape by a child molestor when she was a young girl. While parking in the garage of her apartment tower, Jane observes Stanley disposing of a blood-stained shirt and belt. Later that night, Jane consults the building management, claiming she hit Stanley's car, impelling them to give her his name; they inform her he resides in the tower across from hers. The same night, Anette, a local secretary, receives threatening calls from Stanley while alone in her office building. She is subsequently murdered by Stanley, who has been waiting for her inside her car.
Jane confides in her attorney boyfriend, David, about her witnessing Stanley disposing of the shirt and belt, and suspects him of the rapes and murders; however, David informs her this evidence is merely circumstantial. The same day, Stanley disposes of Annette's body in a gravel pit, but is noticed by a couple parked in a nearby car. Stanley stabs the man to death before slashing the woman's throat. When Stanley returns to the apartment building, Jane observes his wheels are covered in mud. The next morning, when Jane learns the three bodies were found in the gravel pit, she inspects Stanley's car, only to find it freshly washed. Determined to find evidence implicating Stanley, Jane steals the keys to his apartment from a maintenance cabinet. Once inside, she finds mud-covered shoes in Stanley's closet. When Stanley returns moments later, Jane takes one of the shoes and evades Stanley by climbing over his exterior balcony, dropping to the porch below. Jane gives the shoe to David, who gives it to an investigator to be tested.
Jane subsequently interviews one of Annette's friends, who informs her that Annette had observed strange music playing in the background in the anonymous calls she received shortly before her death. Jane suspects that a cuckoo clock she saw in Stanley's apartment is responsible for the odd music Anette heard. An enraged Jane calls Stanley anonymously, insulting him, calling him a "phone freak," and telling him to turn himself in. Unnerved, Stanley leaves his apartment and visits a strip club, where he takes out his aggression by murdering one of the dancers.
The following morning, while covering the serial rapes and murders, Jane describes the culprit as a "phone freak"; Stanley witnesses the newscast, and realizes it is she who called him the night before. Stanley begins to stalk Jane's apartment, watching her window from his own building across the courtyard. That evening, Jane observes Stanley's apartment is dark, and decides to go and inspect the cuckoo clock. From outside in his car, Stanley witnesses Jane enter his apartment, and subsequently heads for hers. Once inside Jane's apartment, Stanley begins moving furniture to toy with Tracy, and proceeds to murder her service dog. He proceeds to fondle and kiss her, which triggers memories of Tracy's rape. A fight ensues, during which Tracy smashes a coffee pot over Stanley's head. She proceeds to hide in a closet, but is found by Stanley. As he attempts to attack her, her sight suddenly returns, and she incapacitates him by kneeing him in the groin.
Meanwhile, from inside Stanley's apartment, Jane witnesses Stanley in hers and rushes back. Confronted by Stanley, Tracy discovers Jane's handgun in her nightstand, and manages to shoot Stanley in the abdomen. Tracy drops the weapon, assuming Stanley is dead, but he attacks her again, and attempts to strangle her in the bathroom. Jane arrives and shoots Stanley in the head, killing him. The two sisters embrace, and Jane realizes that Tracy's sight, hearing, and ability to speak have all returned.
Cast
Release
'Eyes of a Stranger' was released in 180 theaters in the United States by Warner Bros. on March 27, 1981, earning $546,724 during its opening weekend. It eventually grossed an estimated $1.1 million.
Censorship
The film was originally cut for an R-rating, removing many instances of violence including a decapitation from the film, leaving only the final head shot uncut. As a result, many of Tom Savini's gore effects were cut out or edited.Critical reception
Janet Maslin of 'The New York Times' called it "a cheap, sleazy horror movie," but praised Jennifer Jason Leigh as "the only thing worth seeing." AllMovie wrote, "this tired, unimaginative slasher-thriller plays like a sleazy TV movie-of-the-week punctuated with gory murder scenes". Siskel & Ebert gave the film "No" votes on their TV show but both critics said the film was unusually well-made and technically sound for a slasher film, with Siskel mentioning the director's past work on PBS shows by way of stating that he probably had better material for future movies.Home media
An uncut version of the film was released on DVD as part of Warner's "Twisted Terror Collection" with an R-rating on the packaging. On May 18, 2021, Scream Factory released the film on Blu-ray.References
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