THE STRANGER WITHIN (1974)
Dir: Lee Philips


The few who remember The Stranger Within often dismiss it as yet another derivative TV movie conveniently riffing on box-office hits of the day. Cast off as an amalgamation
of Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Exorcist (1973), this original film is more of a horror and sci-fi blend than either of those works, and though dated and inexpertly directed, still packs an emotional wallop in its unexpected final act. Legendary horror writer Richard Matheson provides the screenplay, adapted from his short story of the same title. The predominant underlying theme of a foreign element intruding upon the hemegonic atmosphere of the suburban family home is one Matheson has explored many times before. His classic story “ “ examines a young newlywed's bizarre repulsion toward his beautiful bride, inexplicable until he discovers that what he married may not be human after all.

Television seems inherently aware of its audience's location, and in its programming acknowledges viewers' relationship to their surroundings. One does after all consume sitcoms and made-for-television movies within the home only. In accordance, whether it be soap operas, situation comedies or the ubiquitous Lifetime movie, TV offers much more domestic drama than the cinema (or even the popular novel). Many of the more succesful TV horror movies center the fear firmly within the envirions of the archetypal living and/or bedroom – Home for the Holidays, The Babysitter, Trilogy of Terror, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. The Stranger Within establishes its subject of familial unease and terror from the credit sequence, a series of long and medium shots of a comfortable upper-middle class house, subtly tweaked by lowkey lighting an an ominous score (so to be overused).

Barabara Eden plays a middle-aged painter who learns she has unexpectedly become pregnant. Her husband does not take the news well, understandable since he has had a vasectomy due to his wife's inability to safely bear children! Allegations of adultery and arguments over abortion drive the couple farther apart, but Eden insists on having the baby. From this point the drama moves into the realm of the supernatural, as Eden displays some unique cravings; namely gallons of boiling hot coffee, frigid cold temperatures and pounds of salt and raw octupus. She spends her days wandering the hills outside her home and the evenings exposing herself to frigid temperatures. Violent rages and physical changes indicate that this is no average child being carried in the battleground that Eden's body has become.

As mentioned earlier the action moves towards a startling climax that manages to be both satisfyingly bleak and fantastical. The film ends with a montage and voiceover by Eden, who by this point has given a performance perfectly in tune with the story's mounting dread and surprising resolution. A final shot of her husband's gowing comprehension of his wife's (and child's) fate is touching, as he stands before a final painting of Eden's, depicting an eerie alien landscape. By all means search out a copy of this better-than-average TV film, and remember (or learn) how television was still interested in telling unique stories in the 1970s.