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[tab title="Movie Review"]
The phone rings. You answer. “I like you better without the robe. Take it off.” Oh, snap. Someone is looking right at you. Shit. This is the territory of one of John Carpenter's most disturbing and psychologically bent horror movies. The things that go on in our head when we feel watched. Ugly, ugly, ugly.{googleads}
The open window. Apartment living in a high-rise. You think you are safe. You feel freedom every single time you look out the window. Doesn’t matter how high up you are. Doesn’t even matter how far away the next building is. You feel total exhilaration. Nothing and no one can bother you.
WRONG. And we have this cult classic, hailing from 1978 and network television, to thank. But, really, all thanks should go to writer/director John Carpenter. That’s right, dear readers, we have yet another Carpenter release this month. For those counting, we are up to three titles in just under two weeks of new releases. Things for Carpenter’s disciples couldn’t be better.
Should you ever receive a telescope from an anonymous person – and it arrives at your front door – you had best just leave it there. Unopened. Or else you could suffer the same fate as Lauren Hutton in Someone’s Watching Me, a damn effective horror film that was originally produced by Warner Brothers and aired on NBC. Made for television movies, especially from back in the day, rarely hold up. This horror film, full of great tension and rousing situations involving a peeping Tom, is the rare anomaly. It STILL works. It is intelligent and never insults its audience. It is also great at creating tension and atmosphere thanks to a creepy dude, never fully seen, that knows no boundaries when he has selected his next victim.
Written and directed by John Carpenter, this horror film celebrates its blu-ray debut thanks to Scream Factory and, with a brand new 2K scan from the original interpositive, this flick doesn’t disappoint. The editing is sharp, some of the shots are long single-takes and close to perfection. The colors simply burn with intensity. Simply put, there is no escaping the stalking that is going on here; it will creep you out thanks to its shadow play. Someone's Watching Me is a gem of a horror movie. It is intense, perverse, and, as the stalker never lets up, beyond maddening to witness the lengths he will go to. There is no escape from this guy.
Co-starring David Birney as Paul Winkless and Adrienne Barbeau as Sophie, once Leigh Michaels (Hutton) settles into her fancy new high rise situation, she starts receiving phone calls. They are suggestive and all from the same man. And then the gifts come pouring in. Is Los Angeles typically this friendly, she wonders. She already knows the answer. Something is wrong.
Soon enough, Leigh is calling the police for help. Useless. And then hiding in grates to avoid being caught by this stalker. He’s a pro at this, loves every note he leaves and taunting phone call. He’s a killer, too. We soon realize that Leigh is his white whale. But has the hunter met his match this time? Leigh’s smart and athletic and not about to take much of his shit. But he’s good at driving her crazy. Doubt is a funny thing.
But, under this microscopic scrutiny, who can survive? This dude has thought of it all. He’s relentless and the paranoia that he causes is tearing away at Leigh’s sense of reality. And it has so much to do with the constant ringing of a phone that it might just drive you insane. Ring, ring, ring. Did you see his shadow, too?
With a great working definition of what exactly rape is, Someone’s Watching Me is a classic horror film that deserves a release as magnificent as this. Maybe this time you can get someone to believe you.
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[tab title="Details"]
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 97 mins
Director: John Carpenter
Writer: John Carpenter
Cast: Lauren Hutton, David Birney, Adrienne Barbeau
Genre: Horror | Mystery | Thriller
Tagline: The Lost John Carpenter Suspense Classic - Never Before On Video Or DVD!
Memorable Movie Quote: "What do I say? Somebody's sending me presents and wants to take me on a six month vacation, make them stop?"
Theatrical Distributor: No theatrical release. Warner Bros. Television
Official Site:
Release Date: November 29, 1978
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: August 7, 2018
Synopsis: Los Angeles newcomer Leigh Michaels moves into a chic high-rise apartment building. She loves the view. So does the Peeping Tom who lives somewhere in the adjacent tower.
John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) writes and directs this thriller where the breath-catching suspense starts at the moment Leigh (Lauren Hutton, American Gigolo) is framed in the lens of a telescope. For Leigh, it's the beginning of terrors that escalate from anonymous calls and gifts to lights that mysteriously flicker to prove that someone watches every moment of her life. Leigh fights back, matching her tormentor's obsession with her own relentless drive to uncover his identity. The prey is now predator – and that escalates the stalker's game to a deadly new level. Someone is watching.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - August 7, 2018
Screen Formats: 1.33:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono; English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Scream Factory goes above and beyond the call of duty here. The NEW 2K scan of the original film elements for Someone's Watching Me is wonderfully crisp. It is presented in in both 1.85:1 and 1.33:1. Colors are bold. Shadows run deep and the crisp textures in the walls and in the backgrounds are on point. This is a fabulously fun movie that, rather successfully, makes for one hell of a transformation thanks to the efforts of Scream Factory.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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Author Amanda Reyes (Are You In The House Alone?: A TV Movie Compendium 1964-1999) gets the ball running with her feature length discussion about the movie and its obvious Hitchcockian themes.
Special Features:
The new 2K scan of the movie is only the beginning. This release is loaded with strong supplemental material. Fans get a new interview with Adrienne Barbeau and Charles Cyphers. There is also a look at the film’s location as they appear today. Archival footage includes an interview with Carpenter and a still gallery.
- NEW 2K Scan Of The Original Film Elements – In Both 1.85:1 And 1.33:1 Aspect Ratios
- NEW Audio Commentary With Author Amanda Reyes (Are You In The House Alone?: A TV Movie Compendium 1964-1999)
- NEW Adrienne Barbeau: Looking Back At Someone’s Watching Me
- NEW Carpenter’s Enforcer – An Interview With Charles Cyphers On His Career In John Carpenter’s Films
- NEW Horror’s Hallowed Grounds – A Look At The Film’s Locations Today
- John Carpenter: Director Rising
- TV Promo
- Still Gallery
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