Eyes of a Stranger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Eyes of a Stranger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson May 20, 2021

In 1980, Siskel and Ebert aired a special show titled "Women in Danger Films" on their weekly syndicated program. They discussed and showed excerpts from several horror movies that often featured sexually frustrated antagonists (mostly men, but not all) taking their anger out on innocent, unsuspecting female victims. Siskel argued that these films were male-dominated Hollywood's "revenge" against a second wave of the feminist movement that grew from a decade prior. Although Ken Wiederhorn's third feature Eyes of a Stranger (1981) is part of this sub-genre, it deserves some props for breaking out of the mold through the assertiveness and heroics of two female characters.

Jane Harris (Lauren Tewes) is a TV news anchor covering a continuing story about various women who have been raped, strangled, and killed. She's by far the most concerned employee at her network regarding these series of murders. She interrupts her male co-anchor when he switches to a different story so she can emphasize that the perpetrator is still at large and represents a lingering threat. Jane lives in a Miami high-rise with her teenage sister Tracy (Jennifer Jason Leigh, in her feature debut), who's deaf, mute, and blind. The female murders strike a personal resonance with Jane because as a child, Tracy was kidnapped after school and suffered said afflictions by her abductor. Late one night in the parking garage, Jane notices a man get out of his long, black car and change out of his stained shirt. She puts her Nancy Drew hat on and does some industrious detective work. She believes the serial killer is a fellow tenant directly across from her high-rise but her lawyer boyfriend, David (Peter DuPré), doesn't believe she has a full case, only "circumstantial evidence."

When a stranger calls...

Outside of Jane's cleverness and quick wits (not to mention her sister's), Eyes of a Stranger is pretty much a standard slasher thriller common for this period which pilfers from horror classics of the '70s. The killer practically imitates Billy's freakish voice from Black Christmas (1974) when he calls a woman, whom he followed home, from a nearby phone booth. The film thus begins as sort of a sequel to When a Stranger Calls (1979). In addition, Wiederhorn and his cinematographer Mini Rojas light and frame compositions that are carbon copies of Halloween (1978). For example, the shot of Jane pulling the curtain to look out her window is almost identical to Laurie and Tommy each peering outside.

Somewhat to my surprise, the critical reaction to Eyes of a Stranger wasn't all that bad and ambivalent. However, the most devastating to Wiederhorn (which he acknowledges caused him to miss three days of rest) was Janet Maslin's review in The New York Times. She really took Wiederhorn to task and called his picture "a cheap, sleazy horror movie." The Los Angeles Times' Sheila Benson delivered an equally scathing critique but hers was more interesting because she legitimately raised issues with the victims' motives and the plot's illogicalities. Gene Siskel wrote the movie is "a well-made urban thriller" but deemed the gore wholly unnecessary. (He didn't recommend the film on Sneak Previews, nor did his co-host Ebert.) On the flip side, The Austin (TX) Amerlcan-Statesman's Alan Jenkins encouraged people to go see it: "If you enjoy going to bed frightened out of your wits, then take in the late-night performance of Eyes of the Stranger and you’ll have plenty of trouble sleeping. Shot in Miami, this is one movie that doesn’t try to be pretentious or sophisticated. The story is straightforward, with no time spent on trickery, and the action is to the point." Susan Green of The Burlington Free Press thought the movie worked for the most part: [T]he story remains ex­tremely suspenseful and strangely innovative due to the twist of cou­rageous female resourcefulness."

Note: The New Jersey daily The Record noted in 1982 that Eyes of a Stranger played at the drive-ins the previous spring and also aired on HBO.

Eyes of a Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory brings Eyes of a Stranger to US Blu-ray on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. The label created a new 2K scan of the interpositive and the results are sometimes excellent and solid overall. The film appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. (The 2007 Warner DVD, which was included in the seven-film Twisted Terror Collection, opened the frame up to 1.78:1.) The opening credits on Scream's transfer shows thick grain as a nature photographer wades through shallow water. Exteriors and establishing shots (e.g., #20) also display coarse grain. Green, red, and magenta are clear and sharply defined. Flashback scenes (e.g., #15) have a misty white filter. Blacks are pretty deep without crush. There are only a couple instances of very minor print damage. Scream has encoded the feature at an average video bitrate of 34000 kbps.

Scream has provided twelve scene selections for the 85-minute film.

Eyes of a Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1688 kbps, 24-bit) as the movie's lone sound track. Spoken delivery is generally clear as words are easy to discern. I didn't have to resort to the optional English SDH. Richard Einhorn composed a score that primarily features cellos, basses, and high strings. It serves the picture very well and was written to represent the killer's mindset. You'll learn a lot from Einhorn during his lengthy interview on one of the alternate audio tracks.

Eyes of a Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Audio Commentary with Genre Film Critic Justin Kerswell and Film Historian Amanda Reyes - Kerswell and Reyes are a dynamic duo in this richly informative feature-length track. Reyes is a pretty big fan of Eyes of a Stranger. She applies her extensive knowledge of telefilms to compare similar works to it from the '70s and '80s. She also connects the TV stars from the era and how that appeal translated to the big screen. Kerswell's expertise is with the critical reception of Eyes of a Stranger. Together, they discuss the marketing strategies by Warner in the film's ad campaign. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Audio Interviews with Composer Richard Einhorn and Actor Peter DuPré, Conducted and Moderated by Michael Felsher - Red Shirt Pictures' Felsher has assembled this "special audio track," which plays alongside the film, of separate interviews he did with Einhorn and DuPre. Einhorn delves into his musical background, the various movies he's scored throughout his career, and the working methods he's employed with different directors. The composer spends the most time explaining how he spotted and scored Eyes of a Stranger. Felsher speaks with Einhorn, who recorded his comments in his New York studio, for the first fifty minutes. After a short lull, Felsher returns with a twenty-minute interview with DuPré, who plays Tewes's boyfriend in the film. DuPré talks about his theater work, the scenes he did with Tewes, and his memories of Jennifer Jason Leigh. Dupré's comments end with about ten minutes of the film remaining. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Turning the Tables: An Interview with Director Ken Wiederhorn (22:41 1080p) - This is a very good interview with Wiederhorn, who's forthright about the faults he sees in Eyes of a Stranger. Wiederhorn goes into what went on before, during, and after filming. He addresses how Tewes was cast, his friendly collaboration with John DiSanti on his second feature and this one, and his recollections of Leigh and her mother on the set. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Sunshine State Stalker: An Interview with Actor John DiSanti (17:15, 1080p) - The affable and energetic 83-year-old explains where he was living in relation to the local Miami film scene, imitating John Belushi for the Animal House knockoff King Frat (Wiederhorn, 1979), and how he got cast for Eyes of a Stranger. DiSanti broaches his contentious working relationship with Gwen Lewis, who he says misunderstood what he was trying to do as an actor. He also tells of how he got along with Tewes and Leigh. DiSanti reveals in considerable detail an unfortunate accident he sustained while performing a stunt. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Master Slashers: An Interview with Special Makeup Effects Artists Tom Savini and Dean Gates (16:10, 1080p) - Makeup effects master Savini discusses the projects he was working on during the early '80s and how he achieved each one of his makeup effects in Eyes of a Stranger. Gates became Savini's understudy when he got hired as an intern on Eyes of a Stranger. Gates complements and expands on Savini's remarks. He also remembers getting called in to do some additional makeup effects work. Savini and Gates are interviewed separately. In English, not subtitled.

• Rare Original Theatrical Trailer (1:46, upscaled to 1080p) - Warner's (film-sourced) trailer for Eyes of a Stranger. It's presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and sports print flecks.

• Still Gallery (2:55, 1080i) - a slide show comprising of thirty-three images that showcase the shoot and ad campaign for Eyes of a Stranger. These include poster sheets (US and foreign), snapshots from the Warner Bros. pressbook, and on-set photographs.

Eyes of a Stranger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While Eyes of a Stranger is an often an unpleasant film to watch, it features praiseworthy performances by Lauren Tewes, John DiSanti, and Jennifer Jason Leigh in her big-screen debut. The most admirable aspects are the way the Tewes and Leigh characters are written into a formulaic setup but nonetheless try to break out of it. The film holds up all right and may be viewed as somewhat progressive for its time. [In some ways, Madeleine Stowe is an adult version of Leigh in Michael Apted's superior Blink (1993)]. Scream Factory delivers a very good transfer and a defect-free lossless mono mix. The audio commentary with Kerswell and Reyes is enlightening, as is Felsher's interview with Richard Einhorn. The disc is presently priced at or above $30 on the market so you may want to wait for a price dip before purchasing. A MODERATE RECOMMENDATION for Eyes of a Stranger.