The mystery was intriguing and suspenseful and the acting was well done. The plot was very mature. The child recalls her mother being raped and murdered and is forced to watch her father's girlfriend being touched (against her will) in a sexual manner. Lots of swearing. Several GD's, Sh--, and Bi---. The "F" word was used throughout (whispered, mumbled, and openly stated). Child endangerment throughout. Child trauma throughout. Not appropriate for young viewers.

"A Stranger is Watching" is a tale of a parent's worst nightmare, a film so angry and horrific, with graphic violence that doesn't really move the plot forward. It seems like a television movie with graphic footage thrown in to give it a movie theater release, taking it from a "parental guidance suggested" television warning to an "R". This is a shame because a few similar movies which told the human side of similar tales were able to be touching rather than exploitive. Another shame is the fact that the film is so well acted that you can't fault the stars, only the writers who took this down a road of ugliness from which it has not escaped.Young Shawn von Schreiber is extremely memorable as the early teen who as a child witnessed the rape and murder of her mother. Now on the verge of becoming a young lady, she is forced to re-live the situation with the public exposition over the upcoming execution of the man she insisted was the killer. But, as the title says, "A Stranger is Watching", and he has no intention of letting her live in peace even though up to this point he has pretty much gotten away with murder.Schreiber's father (James Naughton) is dating a pretty television reporter (Kate Mulgrew) who upsets him by recapping all of the details of the killing. His daughter hasn't quite accepted her as the new lady in his life, but when a mysterious stranger (Rip Torn) breaks into Naughton's home and kidnaps both Schreiber and a visiting Mulgrew, they are tossed together in a situation which can't help but make them closer, no matter how hard Schreiber resists.If only there had been more focus on the two women bonding and less emphasis on the violence which erupts when they end up in the bowels of Grand Central where arriving trains go through a seemingly endless tunnel filled with hidden nooks and crannies where homeless mole people reside and Torn keeps them prisoner. The two make various attempts to escape, but as per usual in films like this, they are just one step towards freedom when the villain strikes again.Mulgrew, just on the threshold of stardom, is excellent, and for "Ryan's Hope" fans, it is a thrill to see the original Mary Ryan playing a New York City reporter (just like Mary was) just a few years after that character's untimely demise. Mulgrew is unconventionally beautiful, her gorgeousness a combination of spunkiness, wisdom, a huge heart and eyes that speak volumes even without words. Schreiber is also very good too, and Torn is a horrific villain that is as scary as Freddy Krueger and Jason, even without a hockey mask or a scarred face. Some great character performances (Roy Poole, Stephen Joyce, Maggie Trask) are also worth mentioning, but when surrounded by such ugliness, that quality is lessened and you wish that they had been given a better script so this film could have been more memorable than it was.

A Stranger Is Watching is a half way decent horror/thriller movie. directed by Sean Cunningham director of the first Friday The 13th movie. when the psycho guy pops up its a little creepy, and the suspense is good to, but at times the movie is kind of slow, Sean Cunningham shows he has some skills, but i feel he did way better in Friday The 13th, in that the directing was real good, A Stranger Is Watching is an average film from an Average director, i give it 5/10

Like watching any movie after reading the book, I felt expectedly disappointed. The plot was altered in many ways from the novel, which I deem to be much better than this mediocre adaptation of yet another Clark masterpiece. All of the movies based on Clark's books have been disappointing, because no movie can capture the intricacy and suspense designed by Clark, one of America's top mystery/suspense writers. I'm 16 years old and have never idolized an author's talent more than Clarks, and it is disappointing to see her novel made into a movie of this quality. Thoroughly disappointing.