Someone's Watching Me! (1978)

John Carpenter is thought of by most to be a master in the horror genre. Remembered for movies like Halloween, The Fog and The Thing but right from the beginning his work would reach cult status with movies like Assault On Precinct 13. Well this one has gone pretty much unnoticed by the world unless of course you were watching it on t.v. in 1978 when it came out. Yes it's a made for t.v. movie and yes its pretty soft but it was the directors first crack at horror with a feature film and Carpenter himself claims that Someone's Watching Me set the mood and feeling for his most talked about film Halloween which would come out later the same year.

Lauren Hutton who would go on to do the ridiculously cheesy 80's vampire flick Once Bitten is casted as the victim of a sick and twisted stalker. She is terrorized throughout the film by a man who seems to always know where she is. The stalker is not seen through the majority of the movie and it really helps build the suspense.

Scream Queen Adrienne Barbeau also appears in the movie as a lesbian with a tough side. Unfortunately Hutton and Barbeau don't hook up and do the nasty but then again it is a t.v. movie and there isn't any nudity to be seen at all.

In my opinion Someone's Watching Me! steals greatly from Alfred Hitchcock. One would have to be blind to not see the countless comparisons. Its mainly a Rear Window ripoff but there are elements of other Hitchcock greats as well such as Vertigo. Even the opening credits plays like a low budget version of North By Northwest. Hitchcock ripoff or not, I still found it to be a decent time passer and Carpenter shows his talent in this early television flick. If only there were some bare breasts and a bit of blood this thing would probably have a bigger fan base. Worth a watch for all Carpenter fans.