Unsuccessful in killing an outspoken television reporter, a cleaner continues to stalk his victim in hospital in this thriller from Canada. The film begins well, full of voyeuristic hand-held camera-work that places us in his shoes, eerily sharp sounding record and moody music. The attack at lead actress Lee Grant's house is effectively drawn out too as we experience her terror for minutes on end. Subsequent scenes also come with bite as he pretends to be a hospital orderly and even a surgeon, yet the film derails in its final hour as focus awkwardly shifts away from Grant's overwhelming fear and paranoia. Michael Ironside as her stalker ultimately gets more screen time. He is sinister enough, but it is not a juicy enough character to sustain the film alone. Linda Purl as Grant's nurse gets more screen time than her too. Again, this seems great since she is fantastic and has quite a complex character in between raising two kids while in a lesbian relationship. The fact that Ironside suddenly takes to stalking her rather than Grant never makes sense though; same goes for all the others he kills since he actually has a reason for wanting Grant! That said, everything culminates in a fantastic silent, protracted face-off between Grant and Ironside and the film remains atmospheric even when the plot derails. This is, however, a film for which the promotional poster is arguably better than the movie itself.
Review of Visiting Hours
