Visiting Hours (1982)

From my favorite movies..

Fresh and Exciting

Best movie ever!

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I'll start by saying that the slasher film genre is one of my least favourites. This is generally because, after a few excellent movies, the films that flooded the 1980s all became derivative, repetitive, and downright boring. The only thing you could look forward to in these movies were the gory special effects, where the oh-so-annoying teenage victims finally got their just desserts. But just occasionally you'll find a slasher flick that transcends the genre and becomes more than just a routine bloodbath; I'm pleased to say that VISITING HOURS is such a film. Instead of a faceless monster stalking young girls, instead we get a psychological slasher film which explores the character of its antagonist – the stalker/murderer who hates women, thanks to a childhood incident – and the protagonist, an outspoken reporter trapped in a hospital and waiting to be attacked.The film is leisurely paced and takes a while to get going, and there are a lot of sub-plots getting in the way before we get to the conclusion. Despite this, the production values are good and the script realistic. Although the film does contain its fair share of clichés and predictable moments, it always feels more realistic and more horrible than most in the genre. In some ways it feels like a less-weird David Cronenberg movie, with the almost clinical detachment from the action; maybe it's just some vibe that Canadian horror movies possess.The film's success is mainly a result of the casting. Without Michael Ironside, I can't imagine this film being half as good. In a mostly silent performance, Ironside creates a totally cold, ruthless, and downright frightening personality, a maladjusted killer who has great intelligence but a corrupted mind. Ironside is fantastic. I always admire the actor and his performances but here he just goes off the board with his subdued portrayal. Far better than hammy Anthony Hopkins and his Hannibal Lector and Kevin Spacey and his clever-clever killer. In fact I would consider this Ironside's finest moment.The rest of the cast are adequate but can't match Ironside. Lee Grant is an unusual choice as the female lead but she makes a pretty good job of it and at least proves to be something more than the blonde bimbo. William Shatner lurks around the sidelines but doesn't get to do anything, worse luck. The various stalking sequences are very atmospheric and suspenseful and the final cat-and-mouse chase in the hospital is up there with the best of them. It's just a shame that the cold subject matter and horrific images (Ironside photographing the slowly dying old woman) are too much to handle for some viewers. Get past them and you have a great little film in your hands.

This is a movie I seen as a teen that gave me the creeps - and I think of this film every time I go to a hospital *shivers*.The movie is a thriller and has some slasher type qualities to it. Most people do not identify this film as a slasher film I guess because it did not have 10 sequels after the first.If you have a love for horror/thrillers then you may like Visiting Hours. The movie seems to be underground these days and should be brought back into the "must see horror arena". It is quite chilling and will leave you on the edge of your seat.I have to agree with other reviews I've read on Visiting Hours that maybe the reason this film is so underrated is because Bill Shatner is in the film. William has played other movie and TV roles quite well but most people only see him as Kirk and cannot shake that image - he's been wrongfully stereotyped. Shatner's role in this film was good! Do not let your love or dislike of William Shatner keep you from watching and, maybe, enjoying this film.8.5/10

Having survived an attack by a vicious madman, a journalist tries to recuperate at the local hospital but finds herself continually stalked by the psycho intent on finishing her off and must rely on her friends to stop him from doing so.This is an incredibly bland and really overly boring slasher/psycho thriller that really doesn't have all that much going for it. The constant ability of the psycho to get in and out of the hospital without being caught stretches logic and believability in the worst ways with the constant ability to escape unnoticed and menace couples outside, taking away from the suspense of the situation where it takes time out of the main storyline to focus on another, nearly making the entire section of the film just utterly endless. It never really manages to be as suspenseful as it thinks it is by not really engaging in that much of a body count either, as there's hardly all that many in here to get worked up over and the deaths are very bland anyway. The main stalking through the inner workings of the building do manage to get some good stuff in, and the investigative build-up of the identity to the police is rather fine, but overall this one wasn't all that great.Rated R: Violence and Language.

I found Visiting Hours to be a pretty good thriller, able to effectively create a feeling of tension when the killer was stalking his victim. Michael Ironside played the killer well and created a sense of menace in his character.There are a few flaws I noticed with what the characters do and say (or don't say). For example, the one girl who was assaulted by the killer knew where he lived so she got back at him by hiring some friends to trash the place, if she knew where he lived, why didn't she tell the cops? There's also a scene where the main woman is running from the killer in a hospital, she doesn't scream or make any noise at all really. I understand not wanting to give away where she is, but there were people there, the hospital was empty, but there were cops outside, and there actually was a janitor that walked by not hearing anything, because she didn't scream for help!!!.Though I found that the level of suspense and tension in the movie was rather effective so I was able to forgive these things, but they did keep me from possibly giving it a higher rating.