Visiting Hours has a fairly typical slasher premise, with an insane killer stalking a woman confined to the hospital after one of his attacks. It features many of the same tropes, such as characters making incredibly stupid decisions and a Freudian explanation for the killer. It turns out above average, though, based largely on Michael Ironside's presence.
Although this is clearly a B-movie with mainly stock characters, Michael Ironside treats the material with the same seriousness as a big budget thriller like The Silence of the Lambs. He brings his character, a misogynistic murderer, a depth and menace most slasher villains did not achieve, particular in 1982, when most were Michael Myers clones.
The film also engages with serious themes of misogyny, framing the killer's violence in terms of his hatred of women. Although many slasher movies deal in this theme, Visiting Hours brings it to the surface, making Lee Grant's protagonist an ardent feminist and featuring several strong female characters. It also points out the ugliness of misogyny with a graphic rape scene, which most likely led to the film's banning as a Video Nasty in the UK.
The film does have some flaws typical of the slasher genre. William Shatner's character is dull, in part because of his lackluster performance. (Luckily, although he has top billing, he actually has a small part.) However, Ironside makes this a film well worth seeing.
Although this is clearly a B-movie with mainly stock characters, Michael Ironside treats the material with the same seriousness as a big budget thriller like The Silence of the Lambs. He brings his character, a misogynistic murderer, a depth and menace most slasher villains did not achieve, particular in 1982, when most were Michael Myers clones.
The film also engages with serious themes of misogyny, framing the killer's violence in terms of his hatred of women. Although many slasher movies deal in this theme, Visiting Hours brings it to the surface, making Lee Grant's protagonist an ardent feminist and featuring several strong female characters. It also points out the ugliness of misogyny with a graphic rape scene, which most likely led to the film's banning as a Video Nasty in the UK.
The film does have some flaws typical of the slasher genre. William Shatner's character is dull, in part because of his lackluster performance. (Luckily, although he has top billing, he actually has a small part.) However, Ironside makes this a film well worth seeing.