"Eyes of a Stranger" follows a Miami television news anchor (Lauren Tewes) who grows increasingly disturbed by a series of brutal sex killings in the area. Her paranoia leads to an ardent protectiveness of her vulnerable blind-deaf sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and she becomes convinced a male neighbor is responsible for the murders.
For an early-eighties slasher entry, "Eyes of a Stranger" has a pretty darn good opening that seems to promise a nasty, unrelenting horror flick. As much as it seems to be borrowing from its contemporaries (it shares many things in common with other entries, such as "Don't Answer the Phone," and "He Knows You're Alone," as well as 1974's "Black Christmas"), the film's opening scene and first murder sequence are startlingly effective and brutal. The first half remains compelling, with an ambiguous subplot concerning the sisters making sparse entries into the narrative—but as it reaches its halfway point, the film begins to slightly devolve.
It's not a fatal devolution by any means—this is still a very watchable film—but the tightfistedness and intrigue begins to dissipate as the audience becomes familiarized with the villain. The flip side is that the exposure allows John DiSanti's performance some room to breathe, and he manages to evoke a fairly frightening antagonist. Lauren Hewes is solid as the feminist lead, and Jennifer Jason Leigh makes her first major screen role in the film as Hewes's disabled sister, a role that also flourishes in the second act. The film's conclusion is a bit anticlimactic by most accounts, and this also detracts a bit from the picture, but it's not enough to cause a serious implosion.
Overall, "Eyes of a Stranger" is a mixed bag. It is conceptually unoriginal, and there is a sense of unevenness between its first and second acts, but it's also relatively well-shot and the performances from all are above the standard. It also boasts some unexpectedly disturbing, effective murder sequences that are likely to catch the audience off guard. 6/10.
For an early-eighties slasher entry, "Eyes of a Stranger" has a pretty darn good opening that seems to promise a nasty, unrelenting horror flick. As much as it seems to be borrowing from its contemporaries (it shares many things in common with other entries, such as "Don't Answer the Phone," and "He Knows You're Alone," as well as 1974's "Black Christmas"), the film's opening scene and first murder sequence are startlingly effective and brutal. The first half remains compelling, with an ambiguous subplot concerning the sisters making sparse entries into the narrative—but as it reaches its halfway point, the film begins to slightly devolve.
It's not a fatal devolution by any means—this is still a very watchable film—but the tightfistedness and intrigue begins to dissipate as the audience becomes familiarized with the villain. The flip side is that the exposure allows John DiSanti's performance some room to breathe, and he manages to evoke a fairly frightening antagonist. Lauren Hewes is solid as the feminist lead, and Jennifer Jason Leigh makes her first major screen role in the film as Hewes's disabled sister, a role that also flourishes in the second act. The film's conclusion is a bit anticlimactic by most accounts, and this also detracts a bit from the picture, but it's not enough to cause a serious implosion.
Overall, "Eyes of a Stranger" is a mixed bag. It is conceptually unoriginal, and there is a sense of unevenness between its first and second acts, but it's also relatively well-shot and the performances from all are above the standard. It also boasts some unexpectedly disturbing, effective murder sequences that are likely to catch the audience off guard. 6/10.