Someone's Watching Me [DVD] [1978] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Someone's Watching Me is sort of the forgotten movie of John Carpenter's career. Someone's Watching Me aired back on November 29th of 1978, which was almost a month after Carpenter's career took off with the horror classic Halloween.

Originally John Carpenter wrote the movie as theatrical film, but Warner Brothers decided to make it a TV movie. In my opinion I think that was the right move. Even though this movie aired after Halloween it was actually filmed prior.

I have to admit I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, but I don't think it would have worked as well as a theatrical film. You can clearly though see flashes of the brilliance Carpenter would show through out his career. Despite his reputation as a filmmaker who uses violence, Carpenter aims more for suspense and tension. This is a TV movie so the violence will obviously be lacking, which in some ways I think is a plus. Carpenter had to create a certain amount of tension and suspense and rely on that to make up for the lack of violence.

John Carpenter has stated many times his love of Alfred Hitchcock and here he pays homage to the master of suspense with a movie clearly inspired by Rear Window. The screenplay by John Carpenter is well-written though there are some cheesy moments in the script. The structure of the script I don't think really works well as a theatrical film. Had it been a feature I'm sure there would have been changes made though.

As I stated Someone's Watching Me is one of the forgotten movies in John Carpenter's career; while watching this flick you can see the potential John Carpenter had and in my opinion very much lived up to. Like I brought up earlier despite coming out after Halloween, this was shot prior to it and Carpenter really grew as a filmmaker in that short period of time. While not every single moment of the film works great, Carpenter was learning his craft and does a wonderful job.

Despite being a TV movie Carpenter makes up for everything and does a solid job at creating suspense and tension through out. One of my favorite things about the movie is the phone calls. While they can be a bit creepy at times they start off as more annoying than anything. The caller isn't really saying anything that could get him in much trouble and he's actually sending gifts, which prompts Lauren Hutton's character to say something along the lines of what do I tell the police he's sending me gifts?

There are a couple of creepy moments in the phone calls, but it's not really about that. It's more on the fact this guy knows her every move and that is why it gets creepy. The 2nd half of the movie really picks up with the suspense and delivers on that area more than a lot of theatrical movies. One of the very best scenes is when Lauren Hutton's character is in the callers' house and Adrienne Barbeau is in Hutton's house. I don't wanna spoil the scene, but it was a classic John Carpenter moment.

The cast delivers mostly solid performances with Lauren Hutton in the lead. Adrienne Barbeau and Charles Cyphers have supporting roles and both would work with Carpenter a couple of times.

Overall Someone's Watching Me is a solid suspense/thriller early in John Carpenter's career and the potential was shown and he lived up to that. Don't expect much violence keep in mind this is a TV movie so there is only so far Carpenter can go, but like I said he makes up for that is suspense and tension.

Someone's Watching Me may not be one of the best movies Carpenter has ever made, but it's a very solid one and can stand proud in his body of work. Due to the fact this movie for the longest time was not available on VHS or DVD it's rarely seen. Hopefully now with the DVD release from Warner Brothers more Carpenter fans will seek out this forgotten classic.

Little bit of trivia, this movie is the first time John Carpenter and Adrienne Barbeau worked together and this is the movie in, which they first met and would later get married.

Just prior to shooting Halloween (1979), what would become his breakout film, John Carpenter worked on the made for TV movie Someone's Watching Me (1978), which he both wrote and directed. The film featured fashion model turned actress Lauren Hutton, as a TV producer being terrorized by an unknown stalker. With virtually no violence until the end, the film spends most of its time trying to ratchet up the pressure, and building the level of suspense and frustration. The effort is moderately successful, but the film moves at a very slow pace. The perpetrator turns out to be someone completely unknown, which somewhat lessens the film's impact.

A new arrival to Los Angeles, TV producer Leigh Michaels (Hutton) has just taken a luxury unit in the Arkum Tower, a high rise apartment building, and found a job at a local TV station. Trying to settle in, she has no idea that someone has bugged her apartment, as she begins to receive crank phone calls, and the lights in her apartment mysteriously dim down.

Leigh makes friends with Sophie (Adrienne Barbeau), a coworker at the station, and also begins a relationship with college professor Paul Winkless (David Birney). She receives a letter from a company purporting to give away gifts, and a free vacation trip to a mysterious location. A telescope arrives as a gift, and as the taunting calls continue, it becomes apparent that someone is watching her inside the apartment. Leigh also finds notes stuck to her door, which leads to her doing some investigating. Utilizing the telescope, Sophie and Leigh scan the surrounding buildings and spot a man with a telescope. Finally able to get some assistance from the police, their efforts lead to a suspect with a suspicious past. The man is driven out of town, but when Leigh spots another man using a telescope, her problems aren't over yet.

The story nicely builds up the pressure, as Leigh continues to be tormented by a twisted unknown weirdo. There is a sense of frustration, first because things develop so slowly, and then because the police totally ignore proper procedure, when Leigh witnesses a crime. With Paul's help, Leigh gets on the trail of the only man in the entire city of Los Angeles who could be responsible. After such an interminable wait, the final confrontation in Leigh's apartment, a brief flash of clichéd violence, is a bit of a letdown, as it is not staged or executed very well, and Carpenter makes a completely obscure character the villain.

Lauren Hutton's acting performance is pretty good, except perhaps in some of the action scenes. John Carpenter met his future wife Adrienne Barbeau making this film, and they would collaborate several more times, including The Fog (1980), and Escape From New York (1981). Barbeau is very good, and the reliable David Birney also delivers a solid performance.

With its provocative subject matter, sense of mystery, and attractive stars, it's easy to understand why Carpenter's tale of suspense was solid entertainment for the small screen at the time, though today it may seem rather tame. Intended to fit into a two hour block, the story seems longer than it needs to be, and drags at times, but is still a decent enough watch for a TV thriller.

Right after his bleakly hilarious DARK STAR and the wonderfully tense ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (where even a little girl is not spared from the mayhem), John Carpenter ran head-on into man's greatest horror- Network television! Confined to a medium consisting of almost pure cheeze, Carpenter directed a decent thriller called SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME. TV director, Liegh Micheals (Lauren Hutton) is "stalked" by a creep w/ a telescope and surveillance equipment. This guy is serious about his obsession, even bugging Liegh's apartment and controlling her electricity! Liegh has tried moving, changing her number to an unlisted one, etc., but nothing works. Now, with the help of her friend Sophie (Adrienne Barbeau of The Fog, Creepshow) and her new boyfriend (David Birney), Liegh sets out to catch the bothersome freak. With some obvious (and frequent) nods to REAR WINDOW and a strong, gutsy female lead, SWM is not typical tele-junk. I enjoyed Liegh's courage and her "I'm not gonna put up with this" attitude. Especially when she begins taking it right to her tormentor's home turf! Check it out... P.S.- Watch for Charles Cyphers (Halloween 1+2, The Fog) as a cop...

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