Someone's Watching Me! (1978) + Extras [w/Commentary] [2 Cuts]

Lauren Hutton stars as stylish career girl Leigh Michaels, who lives in an ultra-modern, glassed-in high rise apartment. Leigh's relatively tranquil existence is shattered when she begins receiving disturbing phone calls – and ostentatious gifts – from a man living in the high-rise next to hers. Despite the increasingly threatening tone of her mystery caller, Leigh is unable to get any help from the police, simply because there's no real evidence that she's in danger.

I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled on to this movie at a local video store in Iceland. It had subtitles and everything. What a find! As many of you know, this is the "lost" John Carpenter movie, and it's nothing short of fantastic. It plays like an homage to the likes of Dario Argento and Alfred Hitchcock, although the Hitchcock influences are more apparent here.

Lauren Hutton moves into a fancy apartment building and starts receiving mysterious phone calls and presents. And we, as the audience, know that this stalker lives in the building across from hers and that he's watching her every move.

Although not much actually happens here, the film's gradual buildup to a terrifying finale is nothing short of brilliant, orchestrated by a very fresh John Carpenter at the height of his creativity.

The cinematography (especially the POV's) makes one think of Dario Argento but the atmosphere (and storyline) reeks of Hitchcock. John Carpenter has admitted to the fact of having been inspired by both.

I strongly recommend this film. If you can locate it, that is.

NEW Audio Commentary With Author Amanda Reyes (Are You In The House Alone?: A TV Movie Compendium 1964-1999) - in the future, Reyes needs to stick to her script as she rambles through this feature-length track with a lot of ahs and ums. She provides a bevy of factoids and nuggets about Carpenter, the actors, other TV movies of the period, Laura Mulvey and the male gaze, et al. The problem is she can get so caught up in a shot or scene that she'll try to comment on a different aspect than what's she speaking about at the moment. Her several digressions indicate that she needs to focus more on timing. Still, this is an informative listen and I'm glad that Shout! asked her to record this audio essay. In English, not subtitled.

Extras:
– Adrienne Barbeau: Looking Back at Someone's Watching Me! (10:32) - Carpenter's first wife recalls how the California filmmaker saw her in Maude (1972-78) (leading to her casting in this telefilm), how Carpenter directed her in Someone's Watching Me!, and how her lesbian character Sophie bucked a trend. In English, not subtitled.
– Horror's Hallowed Grounds – A Look at the Film's Locations Today (7:12) - another featurette revisiting original filming locations hosted by Sean Clark, who guides viewers to several LA venues where Someone's Watching Me! was shot.