Summary by Christopher Weedman - Webmaster of
Shortly before he was to make cinematic history with the highly-influential horror classic HALLOWEEN (1978), John Carpenter wrote and directed the excellent 1978 suspense telefilm SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME!, which, after more than twenty years, still ranks as one of his finest directorial efforts.
After breaking up with her lover, television director Leigh Michaels (Lauren Hutton) quits her job in New York and moves to Los Angeles to restart her life. She soon lands a new directing job at L.A.'s KJHC-TV and finds the apartment of her dreams in Arkham Towers, an upper-middle class, high rise apartment complex. For the first time in many of days, Leigh is beginning to find happiness in her life. Unfortunately, she will soon discover that unspeakable terror is awaiting her.
Right across the street, a voyeuristic psychopath is watching Leigh from his apartment with a high-power telescope. He takes in her every move and becomes obsessed with her beauty. The psychopath begins to send Leigh gifts and makes a series of creepy phone calls to her apartment. Leigh soon becomes increasingly aware that something is wrong...dead wrong! Once the psychopath's murderous intentions are revealed, Leigh finds herself in the fight of her life to save herself from his upcoming onslaught.
While SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME! is quite apparently Carpenter's ode to the work of Alfred Hitchcock (particularly his 1954 masterpiece REAR WINDOW), it also owes a great deal to Howard Hawks with its snappy dialogue and smart and sassy female characters. Hutton's self-reliant and sexy heroine is very reminiscent of the characters Lauren Bacall and Angie Dickinson played in Hawks' classic films.
The film boasts an effective Bernard Herrmannesque score by Harry Sukman and a fine supporting cast, including David Birney and Carpenter regulars Adrienne Barbeau, Charles Cyphers, and Robert Phalen.
While filmed prior to HALLOWEEN, SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME! premiered approximately one month after its release on NBC on Wednesday, November 29, 1978 (the telefilm would later be shown theatrically in Europe as HIGH RISE). SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME! was not a tremendous hit in the ratings (in fact, it was beaten in by a special two-hour episode of EIGHT IS ENOUGH), but it has developed a small cult following due to re-airings on cable television.
Unfortunately, SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME! is not available on home video, but it is occasionally shown on cable television. If you are lucky enough to see it, you are in for a real treat!
Triva
Its executive producer was Richard Kobritz. He later served as executive producer for CHRISTINE. JC included an in-joke reference to him in THE FOG by calling the old babysitter Mrs. Kobritz.
Long time JC collaborator Charles Cyphers plays a detective named Gary Hunt, which was also the name of the deputy that Hunter Von Leer played in HALLOWEEN II.
The first murder victim (you only hear her voice...you don't see her on screen) is named Elisabth Soilley, which was the name of a former JC girlfriend. He later named Jamie Lee Curtis' character this in THE FOG.
The news says Soilley's body was taken to BAXTER CLINIC. JC has named characters Dick Baxter often in his films.
Lauren Hutton's character is named Leigh Michaels, which maybe a reference to screenwriter Leigh Brackett.
While talking to herself, Lauren Hutton's character jokes that she should tell her boss that he ought to produce a television film review show with a mexican that only reviews westerns and call it RIO TACO. A nod to RIO BRAVO, of course.
The opening titles has moving white lines on a red background. They form and eventually fade into a large apartment building. Very reminiscent of the opening credits of Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST. It is accompanied by a very Bernard Herrmann-like score (Hitchcock's favorite composer).