Michael Ironside certainly wasn't the type of guy you wanted to add to your list of enemies back in the early 80's! He spontaneously caused people's heads to explode in "Scanners" and he's an even bigger monster here in "Visiting Hours", as he gives image to a reticent yet malevolent & misogynistic killer who can't accept that one of his target victims survives in the hospital. The victim we're referring to is Deborah Ballin; TV-show hostess and strong activist for women's rights everywhere. Following another one of her much talked-about shows, Colt Hawker perpetrates the house and assaults her, but he doesn't finish the job properly. Then, despite of the huge police and media attention given to the case, he goes to the hospital and kills everyone who stands between him and Deborah, including nurses and unfortunate patients. "Visiting Hours" is a peculiar 80's slasher that doesn't get much appreciation from either critics or regular horror fans. Personally, I have no idea why because this movie is extremely creepy and director Jean-Claude Lord professionally spreads the suspense throughout the entire film even though we instantly know about the maniac's identity and what his motivations are. The screenplay spends quite a lot of time enlightening us about Hawker's private life and childhood traumas through brief flashback-sequences, making "Visiting Hours" some sort of crossover between John Carpenter's "Halloween" (with a knife-wielding maniac butchering innocent people) and no less than Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" (with the complex sociopath background of the culprit). This combination isn't always successful or 100% plausible, but at least it provides a more or less original slasher setting since these flicks usually just involve high school teenagers or summer campers. J.C. Lord creates tension through eerie POV-shots and bone-chilling music (courtesy of Jonathon Goldsmith) and the murders are pleasingly bloody, albeit a bit mundane. "Visiting Hours" is probably one of the ONLY 80's slashers that is occasionally able to really scare you, so I'm more than willing to look past most of the flaws. And yes, there undeniably are some obvious flaws. Like some other reviewers righteously pointed out already, there's a problem with both the editing and continuity. The killer as well as the other characters seems to move from one place to another very fast. One moment he's observing a nurse in her backyard and the next he's walking around the hospital fully disguised in a doctor's coat. Also, the cops guarding the hospital aren't very useful since Hawker hasn't got the least problem of walking in and out of there without having to show identification. Finally, I'm not entirely sure what Sheila's (Linda Purl) profession is. Is she just a nurse covering night shifts or a fully degreed doctor? If she's a nurse, then where are all the doctors? Most of the film takes place inside a hospital duh yet there seem to be only two nurses working there. Then again, the acting performances are another good aspect. Ironside is excellent and genuinely petrifying as the silent psychopath and the two female leads (Lee Grant & Linda Purl) are very convincing in their roles of hunted preys. Oh, Captain Kirk also stars, but his character is about as useful as non-alcoholic beverages at a graduation party. "Visiting Hours" is a good horror film, check it out!
Review of Visiting Hours
