First, the cast carries this "B" action mystery into above average territory. Steve Bauer is a cop with a short fuse, an attitude, and a propensity for violence. There is a serial killer on the loose who collects prostitute ears (no graphic mutilations) . Bauer also does well with the women, evidenced by his sex sessions with Psychiatrist, Jennifer Rubin. I should mention that Bauer's partner is not Michael Parks as described in the IMDB Storyline, but William Katt. Parks is their Lieutenant and has very little to do in the film. There are brief one liners that elicit chuckles, rooftop beat downs, one of which involves pitching a bad guy off the roof with electrocution by a neon sign on the way down (very impressive stunt). Like many movies that introduce numerous suspects, the ending is unsatisfying and lacks logic. "Stranger By Night" is still good of it's type and recommended despite a seriously flawed conclusion. - MERK
3 Reviews
Wow!
BandSAboutMovies22 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Gregory Dark has his best cast in this - well, you know, unless you count New Wave Hookers - movie in which detectives Corcoran (Steven Bauer) and Larson (William Katt) hunt for a serial killer. But as the killer continues leaving bodies in his bloody path, Corcoran begins to feel unstoppable rage and has blackouts. Even worse, the evidence that he and his partner start to uncover points to the frightening idea that one of them could be the killer.
Besides Bauer and Katt, Michael Parks is their boss, and Jennifer Rubin (Bad Dreams!) plays the psychologist that Bauer sleeps with when she isn't working on his mental state (anyone in the therapy business in a Gregory Dark film has no idea how to do the patient and provider distance rule properly). And hey! Ashley Laurence, Kristy from the Hellraiser movies!
This one breaks the format we've expected from Dark as while there's sleaze, there's not much sex. There are, however, flashbacks to just how horrific Bauer's childhood was. And I get the feeling that Katt is loving getting to play his character.
Besides Bauer and Katt, Michael Parks is their boss, and Jennifer Rubin (Bad Dreams!) plays the psychologist that Bauer sleeps with when she isn't working on his mental state (anyone in the therapy business in a Gregory Dark film has no idea how to do the patient and provider distance rule properly). And hey! Ashley Laurence, Kristy from the Hellraiser movies!
This one breaks the format we've expected from Dark as while there's sleaze, there's not much sex. There are, however, flashbacks to just how horrific Bauer's childhood was. And I get the feeling that Katt is loving getting to play his character.
No big thrill.
Hermit C-227 September 1999
Maybe I've seen one too many thriller lately. 'Stranger by Night' didn't impress me very much. It's well directed by Gregory Brown (or Hippolyte, or Dark), but he's done better than this one. It stars some veterans of the genre (Steven Bauer, William Katt, Jennifer Rubin) and it has a suitably tangled conclusion, but it's not especially memorable.
A couple of other items: I was surprised to find I liked Michael Parks in this movie, since I never cared for him much before. There also isn't as much sex and nudity as in most of Brown/Hippolyte's films. I hope that's not why I didn't like it so much.
A couple of other items: I was surprised to find I liked Michael Parks in this movie, since I never cared for him much before. There also isn't as much sex and nudity as in most of Brown/Hippolyte's films. I hope that's not why I didn't like it so much.
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