The box art suggested a slasher kind of horror movie. It came out in 1982, which is usually a good sign. I start it up, and I'm pleased to find two notable cast members; William Shatner has a supporting role, and Michael Ironside is the villain!
Michael Ironside is an actor who I best know from his role as the right-hand-man in Total Recall, as well as the tough teacher in Starship Troopers. He plays a villain well, but I think this is the first time I've seen him as a lead. And he's great! I have no idea why he didn't catch on.
The story itself is a little thin, but it plays out better than the summary suggests. Much of the movie is taken up with the villain stalking a variety of people, and occasionally attacking. His performance is reserved, but intense, but it works with the direction very, very well. The audience is never fed information about what will happen next. We can't predict what his plan is. Since we discover it at the same pace, it makes for a genuinely surprising movie.
There's also an unusual change in focus. First, we pay close attention to the newscaster. After she's in the hospital, we start to pay more attention to the nurse. Then we have some worry about her family. The variety of targets also serves to make the villain's actions harder to predict.
It all ties together for a pretty predictable ending. Along the way, we got a decent amount of character development, and a very solid middle for the movie. I expected worse, but it's really not bad!
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