Movie Review: A Stranger Is Watching (1982)

Sean S. Cunningham’s followup to the wildly successful Friday the 13th is in many ways a far more interesting and effective film, but it remains mostly forgotten. And it’s even got a script co-written by Victor Miller, possibly representing the last time these two collaborated, and a welcome reminder of a partnership before it was in legal hell.

The movie is about a kidnapping, in which a witness to a murder and her father’s girlfriend are held captive underneath Grand Central Station. The location is truly the star here, and yes, it’s got plenty of gritty and disgusting 1980s New York City.

The story has plenty of twists and turns, many of which don’t really feel all that necessary. Like obviously the kidnapper is the actual murderer, but it’s really not that important that the girl originally misidentified the killer.

However, as the killer/kidnapper, Rip Torn steals the show.

The movie aims for suspense more than shocks, but still delivers on a bloody finale. That having been said, the movie feels a little anticlimactic and more than a little uneven. It’s worth watching, but it’s no classic.

Rating: 6/10