At the start of the film “Eyes of a Stranger,” a wildlife photographer (Alan Lee), is taking pictures in a mangrove swamp off of Key Biscayne, which is an island village in Miami-Dade County, Florida. While he takes his pictures, he spots the body of a naked woman. She is another victim in a series of rapes and murders, that have recently occurred, which have left the police at wits end. The killer, the viewer will learn, has a particular modus operandi. He likes to call and taunt his victims over the phone, before he strikes.
Television reporter Jane Harris, played by Golden Globe nominee Lauren Tewes, (The Love Boat), has taken a particular interest in the case. Years earlier, her younger sister, Tracy, portrayed by Oscar nominee, and Golden Globe winner, Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), was the victim of a tragic incident, which left her blind, deaf, and mute. Lauren feels responsible for what happened. Tracy lives with Lauren. It is one of the reasons that she hasn’t taken the next step of moving in with her boyfriend, David (Peter DuPre). Lauren is afraid that if she does, despite his assurances to the contrary, that he will come to resent both she and Tracy. (As an aside: “Eyes of a Stranger” is the film debut of Jennifer Jason Leigh. She was a last minute replacement for the actress, who originally had the part).
One evening, Lauren is in her car, in the parking lot of the apartment complex, where she lives. A car pulls into a space. It is her fellow tenant, Stanley Herbert, a role acted by John DiSanti (The Star Chamber). Lauren watches Stanley. She observes him as he acts in a suspicious manner. Stanley looks around to see if anyone is watching him, but he doesn’t notice her. He takes off the button down shirt he is wearing. Before he removes the garment, Lauren notices that it is stained with something. Could it be blood, or merely ketchup? Lauren doesn’t know, but she watches as Stanley discards it in a trash can. Afterward, she begins to investigate him.
Lauren is determined to find out if Stanley is the killer, or if she has the wrong man. She is willing to break the law in the process. Her actions also lead to her placing herself in imminent danger. She even tries to illicit help from David, a lawyer. Lauren wants him to take potential evidence she has gathered against Stanley to his contacts in the police department for them to investigate.
If Stanley is the person committing the crimes, will Lauren be able to prove it, before he claims his next victim? Furthermore, if he is who Lauren thinks he is, and catches on to what she is doing, could she and Tracy be his next targets?
The film was directed by Ken Wiederhorn (Freddy’s Nightmares). Ron Kurz (Friday the 13th Part 2), and Eric L. Bloom wrote the screenplay. Bloom was not credited for his work. On February 11, 1981, the film premiered in Japan. It had its American release on March 27, 1981. Parts horror and thriller, the movie has a runtime of 84 minutes. Composer Richard Einhorn’s (Benjamin Franklin) score sets the right tone for what transpires on screen. Special makeup effects were done by the consummate Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead). Assisting Savini with the effects on the film, at the time, as an intern, was Dean Gates. He would go on to win an Emmy for his work on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
“Eyes of a Stranger” features competent performances from its cast, especially Tewes and Leigh as sisters. The film has a good pace. There were no parts that I considered filler, that didn’t help to advance the plot. Savini and Gates special effects work was well executed. Even though the film can be categorized as a quasi slasher, there isn’t an overabundance of gore.
I recommend this for fans of Jennifer Jason Leigh, who would like to see the film in which she made her debut. For those of you who were fans of the “Love Boat”, and enjoyed watching Tewes character in the series, you might find it interesting to watch her play a completely different type of character. Overall, it is an effective film, that is not mentioned with the same fervor as others of its kind are.
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