Visiting Hours

Plot synopsis:
Deborah Ballin (Grant), a feminist activist, inspires the wrath of misogynistic psychopath and serial killer Colt Hawker (Ironside) on a TV talk show. He attacks her, but she survives and is sent to County General Hospital.
Hawker begins stalking her. Deborah befriends nurse Sheila Munroe (Purl), who admires her devotion to women's rights. Hawker murders an elderly patient and a nurse. He overhears Sheila's opinions on Deborah and "that bastard" who attacked her. Hawker decides to focus his attention on Sheila, stalking her and her children at home.
Hawker courts a young punk girl named Lisa (Zann), then brutally beats, tortures, and rapes her. The next day, Deborah discovers that the patient and nurse have been killed, so she suspects her attacker is back to finish the job. She tries to convince her boss, Gary Baylor (Shatner), and Sheila that she is not safe, but both think she is simply paranoid.
Hawker visits his father, who was disfigured years ago by his mother, explaining his hatred for self-defending women. Soon he tries again to kill Deborah, but is thwarted by her security. A frantic Sheila is paged and finds Lisa (whose wounds she had treated) waiting for her. Lisa says she knows the identity of Deborah's attacker, and where he lives.
Before she can alert anyone, Sheila gets an ominous phone call from Hawker, warning her that he is in her house with her young daughter and babysitter. She sends Lisa to warn Deborah, then rushes home, only to find her daughter and babysitter safe in bed. She places a call to Deborah, but a hidden Hawker springs forth, stabs Sheila in the stomach and pushes her to the ground, phone to her ear, torturing her for Deborah to hear. He moves toward Sheila's young daughter. Sheila can only scream in terror. At the last second, he walks out, leaving Sheila to die.
Hawker goes home, where he devises one last plan to get to Deborah. He busts a beer bottle underneath his arm, wounding himself badly. Gary and Deborah have an ambulance sent to Sheila's house. Still alive, but badly wounded, she is rushed to the hospital. Gary accompanies the police to Hawker's apartment, where they discover photos of Hawker's previous victims, as well as of Deborah and Sheila. They also learn that the wounded Hawker has been taken to County General.
Just as Sheila is taken into the emergency room, Hawker is wheeled in. After being bandaged and medicated, Hawker sneaks away to find Deborah and attacks her. She flees to an elevator. In the basement, she goes into a radiography room, finding a helpless Sheila, all alone, waiting for X-rays.
Realizing she must lure Hawker away to protect Sheila, Deborah leaves and deliberately gives her location away. As Hawker approaches the curtain she is hiding behind, Deborah stabs hims with a switchblade, killing him. Sheila is wheeled to safety, while Gary comforts Deborah, who faints at the sight of what she has done.

Tags: cruelty, grindhouse film, murder, cult, violence, flashback, sadist

Review:
Some of the acting in minor roles (notably the nurses) is weak, but Zann does a pretty decent job as a slutty date of Ironside's and the leads hold the film together (as much as they can with the somewhat contrived script.)  Grant's conviction to her role and Ironside's steely determination go a long way to saving the movie..
One of the better Canadian killer-thrillers of the 80's is this solid shocker.TV journalist is attacked by a maniac and taken to the hospital, now the obsessive creep is determined to make sure she doesn't get well soon!Visiting Hours is a film that, like most slasher films of the 80's, has gotten a bad reputation from critics.
It seems in getting fixated on the (in my view, non-existent) laughs from Shatner, viewers seem to have a blind spot to a lot of good things that VISITING HOURS achieves.Ironside is strong as the killer (Colt Hawker), whose desire to kill comes from a terrible childhood and an abusive father.
"Visiting Hours" is a forgotten slasher film which stars Michael Ironside as a murderer stalking TV journalist Lee Grant.The film is pretty slow,but there is enough violence to satisfy fans of horror cinema.Ironside is pretty believable as a misogynistic serial killer,the rest of the cast is also impressive.The film is pretty scary and suspenseful,so fans of slasher movies won't be disappointed.It was made the same year as similar "Halloween 2".Overall,I enjoyed this one and you should too,especially if you like slasher movies.My rating:8 out of 10..
i really enjoyed this movie.the pace is frantic at times(in a good way)there's lots of suspense.the villain is definitely menacing,to say the least.even better is the fact that this movie contains no stoned or drunk, easy target teenagers.the victims are all adults and the killer is not just some faceless murdering machine.he has a personality(not a good personality,but at least he has 1)the other thing i liked is that we are shown some insight into why this particular psycho kills women.this is a Canadian movie,which may surprise some people,given how good the movie is.William Shatner is in this movie,but thankfully his role is small enough not to torpedo the movie.others in the movie include Michael Ironside,Lee Grant and Linda purl.1 other thing i should say is that "Visiting Hours"is a "smart" horror flick.easily 8*/10.
"Visiting Hours" has Lee Grant as an outspoken and controversial feminist journalist who becomes the prime target of women-hating serial killer Colt Hawker (Michael Ironside).
Unfortunately, that's the least of her worries, because Hawker hasn't let her go as prey, and she can't leave the hospital.Underrated as a thriller and overblown as a "slasher," "Visiting Hours" is one of the stronger and lesser-seen killer thrillers of the 1980s, but there is plenty in it to be admired.
Thrown into the mix is a confused albeit interesting social commentary angle on non-violence, and Grant's moxie-filled character punctuates the film's time period and the social landscape of second wave feminism.Overall, "Visiting Hours" is one of the classier horror films of the early '80s, and has a much more mature feel to it.
I was a kid when it came out on video, and I thought the picture of the hospital at night with the image of a skull appearing in the matrix of the lighted rooms was just the coolest thing I'd ever seen.When I finally got around to renting it this past weekend, I was quite disappointed.The basic plot is that an outspoken tv host (Lee Grant) criticizes a guest on her show because he defended a known criminal in court.
This is an interesting change from most slasher films that either don't explain a killer's motives, or do it by exchanging  dialogue between other characters.William Shatner has a small role as the producer of the tv show that Grant works on.
Furthermore, neither the psychopath nor any of his victims are elevated above the very basic level of characterisation needed for this sort of film, and since this plot was done to (slightly) better effect a year earlier with Halloween 2, there really isn't a lot of reason to bother with this hospital slasher.
Of course, the film did feature on the DPP 'Video Nasty' list back in the eighties, so it will always have something of a fan base as well as a list of people wanting to see it; but even as a Video Nasty, it isn't all that good as the scenes of gore mostly feel rushed and in true Halloween style, the murders aren't exactly imaginative.The hospital setting ensures that the film stands out as hospitals are traditionally 'safe' places where the sick get better; whereas here we've got someone bumping off the patients.
Linda Purl and Lee Grant both give typical performances as typical female victims (although the film features no nudity) and William Shatner also has a small role.
The problem is that none of the characters except the villain come off as plausible or interesting.I usually like Lee Grant but I found her performance here to be so wooden, strident, and annoying that I was actually hoping for Ironside to finish her off in the end.
And as interesting as Ironside's character is he is given little to work with in terms of back story and NOTHING in terms of dialog (are all psychos mute or illiterate....apparently).Linda Purl is out of her league on film (as usual) and Bill Shatner is just there, as pretty much usual --- this is way before they were allowing him to have a personality....too bad.
It's no surprise that he went on to become a fairly well-known star after his great performance here.To sum up, "Visiting Hours" is flawed and no classic, but as an example of the slasher film genre, it's definitely above average, and a must watch if you are a fan of this genre..
Visiting Hours has a fairly typical slasher premise, with an insane killer stalking a woman confined to the hospital after one of his attacks.
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.
He's in, he's out!" And she's right!Michael Ironside as Colt Hawker might as well be stomping about wearing a T-shirt with "PSYCHOTIC LONER" printed in capitals on it, but throughout the film has the run of the place without ever attracting attention despite making no attempt to put those around him off their guard by at least attempting a passable impersonation of a normal human being.More and more police pile into the building, but Hawker is never short of deserted corridors down which to skulk; and the only time the cops ever seem to stir themselves out of their torpor is to obstruct people who are genuinely trying to help.
But the twisted killer has returned to finish the job and Deborah doesn't stand a chance.Co-starring the likes of William Shatner, Linda Purl and perennial heavy Michael Ironside, 'Visiting Hours' is a way out-of-date slasher.
After a vicious knife attack by misogynistic psycho Colt Hawker (Michael Ironside), feminist TV reporter Deborah Ballin (Lee Grant) is taken to hospital where the maniac repeatedly tries to finish the job by posing as members of staff.I vividly remember this film's cinematic release back in '82; the advert was on TV at the same time as I was in hospital with a broken leg and, rather unsurprisingly, it struck a nerve.
The film clearly struck a nerve with the BBFC as well, the censors later adding it to the UK official video nasty list thanks to the killer's disturbing brand of misogyny and sadistic violence: as slasher villains go, Ironside's Hawker is particularly cruel, the character primarily targeting females, delighting in their fear and pain, teasing them with his switchblade and taking photos of them as they die.However, as memorably nasty as Ironside's psycho undoubtedly is, the film doesn't quite live up to its potential; there is a notable lack of gore (a mainstay of the genre), and the pacing is rather weak, with matters tending to drag after Hawker's initial assault on Ballin.
We also get pointless filler in the form of William Shatner's concerned TV producer, who does nothing to further the plot, Linda Purl's single parent nurse, whose primary job is to look cute in her uniform, and lots of cheap scares (including one from a parrot!).With more grisly killings and tighter pacing, this could have been one of the genuinely great slashers of the 80s, especially given the intensity of Ironside's performance; sadly, it only qualifies as essential viewing to those determined to see all of the video nasties..
A lot of the times the censors banned films like Day of the Woman (I Spit on Your Grave) and The Witch Who Came From the Sea because of graphic content while totally ignoring the artistic value and symbolism behind the brutality and just labeling them as cheap exploitation but with Visiting Hours its the exact opposite.The story is pretty much what it seems like and there isn't much going on in the background.
"Visiting Hours" was actually kind of scary.Lee Grant plays Deborah Ballin, a TV reporter who has caught the attention of serial killed Colt Hawker (Michael Ironside), who has a deep hatred for women.
It will scare you senseless and at the same time make you wonder why you wasted 105 minutes of your life on something that reeks of bad acting (not in Shatner's case)and low budget horror gimmicks that have been used more than your fridge on a NIGHT OF THE MUNCHIES (that could be a good s**t film title,like this one) Finally if you have the urge to watch this for some odd reason then do, take your self back to the early 80's and listen to Wham afterwards.
This video nasty was initially banned in Britain, but released with 2 minutes cut in 1896.It is a good tale of suspense with a professional, misogynistic slasher, Michael Ironside (Scanners), stalking a woman (Lee Grant) and anyone who gets in the way.The music was really good and added to the suspense.
Instead of b-actors that don't know what they're doing, this cast is made up of some pretty good actors such as Academy-Award winner Lee Grant, William Shatner, the ever-creepy Michael Ironside, and Linda Purl.
Nurse Sheila Munroe also finds herself involved in this terrifying affair, as Hawker sees as her as the next possible victim.What might seem like a basic run-of-a-mill early 80's slasher entry, happens to be better then expected, because of a sterling cast with confident performances and there being a little more weight to the premise's chilling set-up.
Lenore Zann is bitingly good in her minor part and William Shatner sticks pretty close to the sidelines, seeing very little of the action with his timid role.An unsettlingly above-average slasher with few effective heart pounding scenes and strong-willed performances.
A not bad slasher flick that came before the tidal wave of badness overcame the genre.This one is worth a look for the name stars.Seeing Oscar winner Lee Grant and William "Star Trek" Shatner play in this type of film was a bit of a trip.
Granted, no new ground was broken in this little venture but a moody performance by MICHAEL IRONSIDE as a woman killing psycho and mostly good performances and production values makes this an addaquite venture into this horror sub-sub-genre.
There are some pretty suspenseful scenes (particularly in the beginning, in Grant's home), and Ironside -- the mean-looking villain from "Scanners" and "Total Recall" -- was born to play at least one psycho slasher in his career, but much of the plotting and the killer's motivations were baffling to me, and it's a wonder some of the characters didn't fall into one of the several plot holes scattered all over the place.
Still, there's more insight into the killer's character (who doesn't speak his first line of dialogue until about forty minutes into the movie) than you usually get in an early-'80s slasher, and you also get William Shatner as Grant's encouraging boss.
Also stars Linda Purl as a pretty nurse who the killer, for some reason, starts stalking for a big part of the movie.HIGHLIGHT:  The first time we see Ironside, he jumps out naked from Grant's closet wearing all of her jewelry on his face.
Seriously, why shouldn't you like and enjoy this movie, especially when you are into the genre.Part of the reason why the movie really works out as an effective one is because of the fact that it's almost entirely being set inside an hospital, which is always a great and creepy environment for a movie of this sort.You could say that the movie its story is lacking at times and the killer's motivations are a bit unlikely perhaps, as are some of the other character's reactions to certain things but when watching a movie like this you always already have to take certain things like this for granted.
It's hard to understand how HALLOWEEN and Friday THE 13TH managed to spawn so many knock-offs because most were pointless garbage and never made any cash at the box office, anyway.This Canadian-lensed slasher, set in a hospital, is so slight and slow it's barely a horror movie.Michael Ironside, fresh off SCANNERS, is a troubled nutbag who finds a reason to hate and hurt Lee Grant.
Visiting Hours (1982) 1/2 (out of 4) Incredibly silly horror film from Canada about a woman-hating psycho (Michael Ironside) who gets upset with a news reporter (Lee Grant) doing a story on an abused woman so he decides to break into her home and kill her.
A crazed, women-hating killer (Michael Ironside) attacks journalist Deborah Ballin (Lee Grant).
It has it's moments of suspense, a relentless killer well played by Michael Ironside, a couple effective jump scares, a script that upgrades the slasher genre by cleverly including some character development, and all of the above I like.
Unfortunately offsetting the good is a very unsympathetic, unlikable heroine news reporter played by Lee Grant, at least a bunch of logic sinkholes that swallow all believability, William Shatner appearing in a non essential supporting role that goes absolutely nowhere, and an overlong run time for such an obvious story.
In these type of films, the movie only works if the villain is good enough, thankfully the horrifying subdued performance of the great Ironside makes this slasher flick rise above the more mediocre ones.
It must be hard to find a movie more incoherent than this one.The killer,-M.Ironside ,aping Jack Nicholson in "shining"-seems to be everywhere at once.Although the hospital is full of cops,anyone can just walk right in.And how comic Lee Grant's  horror scenes are!Every time she screams ,her eyes popping out of her head,she makes the movie seem like a spoof.But it's not!It's serious.Short flashbacks "explain" the killer's behavior:his father treated her wife so bad that she scalded him (with the French fries oil).The killer takes photographs of dying people .This "peeping tom" rip-off is a regression :in 1960,the killer filmed his victims' death!Avoid at any cost..
One of the good things is the killer, Colt Hawker, played by the ever cool Michael Ironside, who is out to silence a very opinionated TV Journalist Deborah Ballin (ballin he he) from spreading her feelings all over TV about a self defense case involving a woman who was abused by her spouse.Ironside's character hates woman all because of an incident he watched as a child of his father being burned by hot water that his mother throw at him to keep him from getting his drunk hands all over her.
Vicious misogynistic psycho par excellence Colt Hawker (a truly chilling and convincing portrayal of seething brutality by the always intense and effective Michael Ironside, who's positively terrifying in a substantial full-blown villain role) assaults feisty and outspoken feminist TV reporter Deborah Ballin (a fine Lee Grant) in her home after she delivers a scathing put-down of male chauvinism on live television.
Lee Grant enrages misogynist serial killer Michael Ironside because of her strong views on women's rights.
Ironside is good and creepy as the killer which is what a slasher film really needs to work, but Grant does seem to stretch the hysteria bit too much at times.
Good "killer psycho loose in the hospital" movie with a very intense Michael Ironside..
Michael Ironside, Lee Grant, Linda Purl, Lenore Zann and William Shatner star in this 1982 horror film.
****SPOILERS***** First off this film has a great cast and decent acting but when Lee Grant is being stalked at the end of the film BY THE always awesome Michael Ironside, where the hell is everyone in the hospital?
She ends up in the local hospital for surgery, and with the realization that she's doing better and still plans to do the interview, the crazed man returns to finish what he started.The beginning of this movie really has you hooked as it's created more on suspense than actual murders or cheesy slasher movie going on's, because we have a long sequence where Michael Ironside is attacking Lee Grant at her home, (Don't worry I haven't given away the killer's idenity as it's revealed almost straight away).
The movie ends with a long long list of credits of the people in the movie, on and off the screen, about the size of the Montreal White Pages.Better then you would expect slasher film only because of Michael Ironside's creepy performance as Colt Hawker who comes across as someone who just doesn't give up.
The film had Michael Ironside as the villain, William Shatner as a potential hero, and the always creepy hospital setting.