MovieChat Forums > A Stranger Is Watching (1982) Discussion > Good title, but doesn't quite suit the f...

Good title, but doesn't quite suit the film...


I love the title and the film, which is full of suspensful moments.

However, I didn't think the title suited for 3 reasons:

1.) He wasn't a 'stranger' in the traditional movie sense. He became known to us almost instantly and to his victims, and wasn't some ambiguous psychopath.

2.) He wasn't really 'watching' - he kidnapped a set of victims and just kept them hostage.

3.) The title and it's premise overall implies that it would be a film about lurking and visual stalking - ie, commuters in the station unknowingly being watched by a stranger, who then selects victims who are never seen again. As it turned out, it was just a kidnap film with a twist of sorts to an earlier event.

I know it was based on a novel, so if it's a faithful adaptation, the same goes for the book.

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Very true! I just watched it and thought the same thing.
There's about 5% "watching" followed by 95% kidnapping.
I have the novel somewhere. I'll have to look.

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