DAY 27. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: Made for TV movies from the ’70s, classic era of the bronze screen.

John Carpenter was hired by Warner Bros in 1976 to write a script based on the true story of a woman who had been spied on inside her Chicago apartment. The script, High Rise, ended up become a TV movie that Caroenter was also given the chance to direct.

“I thought it was a really, really good idea,” said Carpenter. “So I had my first experience with television. And my first union experience. I got into the Director’s Guild through that. I had a real good time on it, I have to tell you. I met my wife.”

This eighteen-day shoot allowed Carpenter to test many of the techniques that he’d use weeks later when he started work on Halloween.

Originally airing on November 29, 1978 on NBC, this movie concerns Leigh Michaels (Lauren Hutton), who has moved to Los Angeles to escape New York City. As she begins her new career at television startion KJHC with new friend Sophie (Barbeau) and a relationship with college professor Paul Winkless (David Birney, who went on to be quite the reader of audio books).

However, she’s soon dealing with phone calls and strange gifts from Excursions Unlimited. She calls the police, but there’s nothing she can do except wait for the voyeur to come to her.

Fans of Halloween take note: Charlie Cyphers shows up as a cop.

Shout! Factory released this on blu ray last year, replacing the four movie multipack that I used to watch this on, where it sat alongside Eyes of a Stranger, Deadly Friend and The Hand.