One of the best entries in the excellent "Thriller" anthology shown on the UK ITV channel in the mid 1970's, the "Snakes On a Plane"-type obvious title tells you pretty much what to expect. Written by show-runner and main contributor Brian Clemens, this is a gripping, atmospheric story of a young female American P.A given to working late hours high up in her employer's office block building, who finds herself the quarry of a relentless knife-wielding killer at her deserted place of work.
When she becomes the only witness to a serial killer after he's slain a young girl in a neighbouring flat, she at first takes courage from the romance she starts with the lead detective on the case, played by Tony Selby, more so when he later tells her they've got a man in custody answering the murderer's description. Unfortunately he's the wrong guy and when the real killer trails her to her place of employment, he learns she's working the late shift and apart from the security man on reception duty, will be the only person in the building, giving him the opportunity to silence her for good, once he's taken care of the hapless guard and locked the exit to the building.
A game of hide and seek up, down and round about the tower block then ensues, cat and mouse style with many tense near-miss moments for the poor girl as the plimsoll wearing stalker hunts her down.
A fine exercise in suspense, for the second half there's almost no dialogue and indeed an almost silent soundtrack as the tension is ratcheted up to the nai!biting conclusion.
Robert Lang is very good with almost no dialogue to speak, conveying menace through his staring, piggy eyes. Julia Summars also does well as the girl on the run but most credit must go to writer Clemens and director Shaun O'Riordan for doing more with less and proving you don't need continuous conversation or all-pervading background music to create an effective chiller.
When she becomes the only witness to a serial killer after he's slain a young girl in a neighbouring flat, she at first takes courage from the romance she starts with the lead detective on the case, played by Tony Selby, more so when he later tells her they've got a man in custody answering the murderer's description. Unfortunately he's the wrong guy and when the real killer trails her to her place of employment, he learns she's working the late shift and apart from the security man on reception duty, will be the only person in the building, giving him the opportunity to silence her for good, once he's taken care of the hapless guard and locked the exit to the building.
A game of hide and seek up, down and round about the tower block then ensues, cat and mouse style with many tense near-miss moments for the poor girl as the plimsoll wearing stalker hunts her down.
A fine exercise in suspense, for the second half there's almost no dialogue and indeed an almost silent soundtrack as the tension is ratcheted up to the nai!biting conclusion.
Robert Lang is very good with almost no dialogue to speak, conveying menace through his staring, piggy eyes. Julia Summars also does well as the girl on the run but most credit must go to writer Clemens and director Shaun O'Riordan for doing more with less and proving you don't need continuous conversation or all-pervading background music to create an effective chiller.