A Stranger Is Watching (film)

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A Stranger Is Watching
AStrangerIsWatching1982Poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Sean S. Cunningham
Screenplay by Earl Mac Rauch
Victor Miller
Based on A Stranger Is Watching
by Mary Higgins Clark
Produced by Sidney Beckerman
Starring Kate Mulgrew
Rip Torn
James Naughton
Shawn von Schreiber
Barbara Baxley
CinematographyBarry Abrams
Edited bySusan E. Cunningham
Music by Lalo Schifrin
Production
companies
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • January 22, 1982 (1982-01-22)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.2 million [1]
Box office$2,519,559 [2]

A Stranger is Watching is a 1982 American thriller film directed by Sean S. Cunningham. [3] The screenplay was written by Earl Mac Rauch and Victor Miller, based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Mary Higgins Clark.

Contents

Plot

Steve Peterson's wife, Nina is murdered in front of their young daughter Julie. Three years later, Julie and Peterson's new girlfriend Sharon Martin are kidnapped by the same killer, the psychotic Artie Taggart. Taggart imprisons them in a bunker below Grand Central Station, throwing the police into a race against time to save them.

Cast

Development

The film's script was written by Earl Mac Rauch and Victor Miller, based on the novel by the same name by Mary Higgins Clark. [4] Filming took place in New York City during 1981. Kate Mulgrew and Rip Torn were both confirmed as starring in the film. [5]

Release

A Stranger is Watching premiered in the United States on January 22, 1982. [6]

Critical reception

Critical reception for the film was generally negative. [4] [7] Stephen Hunter of The Baltimore Sun was critical, stating that "Cunningham is close to being a film illiterate" and that "Cunningham and his cinematographer Barry Abrams (who should never be allowed to work again) attempt to play up the spooky, shadowy terror of this nightworld. What they create instead is a murky, grainy mess." [8]

Allmovie was more favorable, writing "Sean Cunningham's first post- Friday the 13th film was shrugged off by most critics, but it is better than its reputation might lead one to believe." [9] Janet Maslin of The New York Times thought the film is "a lot better" than Friday the 13th, and noted: "The story offers a few surprises, and the bowels of the railway station are scenic, in their grubby way." [10]

References

  1. ↑ Boyer, Peter; Pollock, Dale (28 March 1982). "MGM-UA AND THE BIG DEBT". Los Angeles Times. p. 11.
  2. ↑ "A Stranger is Watching".
  3. ↑ Maslin, Janet (January 22, 1982). "New York Times movie review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Baltake, Joe (August 6, 1982). "A Stranger is Watching". Philadelphia Daily News (Newspapers.com).
  5. ↑ Guarino, Ann (April 1, 1981). "'Friday the 13th' was lucky for its director".
  6. ↑ "Advertisement promoting opening day". The Star-Ledger (Newspapers.com). January 22, 1982.
  7. ↑ Hardy, Owen (May 1, 1982). "Underground New York gives 'Stranger is Watching' its horror". The Courier-Journal (Newspapers.com).
  8. ↑ Hunter, Stephen (May 27, 1982). "'Stranger': Director's record is no help". The Baltimore Sun (Newspapers.com).
  9. ↑ Guarisco, Donald. "A Stranger Is Watching - Review". Allmovie . Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  10. ↑ Maslin, Janet (January 22, 1982). "Movie Review: A Stranger Is Watching (1982)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
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