VISITING HOURS (1982)
Starring Lee Remick and William Shatner
A for-the-most-part forgotten early '80s psycho-thriller, marketed then as a slasher film, "Visiting Hours" enjoyed a brief revival of interest when it returned to DVD in 2006. Although much better than the direct-to-video junk heading to disc that year, it's still not a great slasher, but fans of eighties horror will enjoy the cheap scares, and its similarities to the sleazy "Eyes of a Stranger."
Remick is a TV reporter who passionately defends a woman convicted of the attempted murder of her husband, using what today is known as the "battered wife syndrome." A psycho ( "Scanners" star Michael Ironside) breaks into her home to attempt to kill her. She survives, and during her stay in the hospital, the psychopath continues pursuing her, killing off a patient and terrorizing a nurse along the way.
Not really a horror film so much a psychological thriller, "Visiting Hours" lacks the teen cast to even qualify it as a slasher film. But the DVD transfer sure looks great. Worth catching if you run into it at your local rental outlet, or if you're a William Shatner fan. But don't expect to witness a lost 1980s horror classic.