Eyes of a Stranger (1981)

good back-story, and good acting

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I think I would give this movie 3 stars out of 4, since what is good about it is often very good. However, the violence is shockingly explicit and gratuitous, which very nearly derails the picture. In fact, it is so needlessly explicit one is tempted to turn away from the screen in order to avoid it. Lauren Tewes is shockingly good in the lead role, so good that I now wonder why she didn't get more opportunities to shine. Jennifer Jason Leigh is also excellent, and I have to admit I forgot it was her until near the end of the picture. The identity of the killer is revealed early on, so the only suspense comes when Tewes begins to think she knows his identity and then begins to follow and taunt him. Some of this was compelling, but a lot of it was so unlikely that I had to laugh on occasion. At one point Tewes finds herself in the killer's apartment when he suddenly returns, and the way she extricates herself from this predicament is so unlikely that I laughed out loud(entering another apartment directly below and then casually walking out with the inhabitants eating at their table? Really?). The great film critic Gene Siskel gave this movie 2.5 stars out of 4, saying that without the gratuitous violence he could recommend the film without reservation as a well-made urban thriller. I agree with him, but for those who like these slasher-type movies, I believe this is by far the best. It's genuinely creepy and scary much of the time.

I remember watching, "Wait Until Dark", and it dealt with creepy people. Well, in "Eyes of a Stranger", it takes creepy to a whole new level. In Miami, Florida, there's a creepy caller roaming around. Not only he's making obscene calls he's raping and killing as well. A bar worker gets sexually assaulted and by this behemoth, after he cuts off his head with a cleaver. Following up on the case is a headstrong reporter (Lauren Tewes, "The Love Boat") who is tracking down this maniac while she does her best to protect her sister(Jennifer Jason Leigh) who was blinded and deafened from a vicious attack years earlier. Jane has suspicion on a neighbor who was changing his shirt in a hurry. Her hunches were right, and she doesn't mess around. For her sister, her past injuries turned out to be temporary, when the serial killer came after her. Lauren Tewes did a great job as Julie, the cruise director, on "The Love Boat". In this movie, she didn't play around. Jennifer Jason Leigh did very well, in her debut as the blinded sister Tracy. A very good movie, must see! 4 out of 5 stars

A reporter suspects a creepy neighbor,who lives in the high-rise building across from hers is a serial killer terrorizing the Miami area.This sexual predator calls his victims repeatedly before raping and strangling them."Eyes of a Stranger" by Ken Wiederhorn is a suspenseful slasher flick with effective gore scenes by Tom Savini.The killings are fairly nasty and bloody including meat-cleaver decapitation,throat stabbing and throat slashing.The film is quite sleazy and misogynistic,so beware.John DiSanti plays really creepy psycho and Jennifer Jason Leigh is fantastic as the blind girl in one of her earliest roles.If you are a fan of "Maniac","The Prowler" or "Don't Answer the Phone" check out this thrilling spectacle.8 fish tanks out of 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.