Return of a Stranger

Return of a Stranger is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Max Varnel and starring John Ireland, Susan Stephen, Cyril Shaps and Timothy Beaton.[1]

The quiet suburban world of Pam and John Allen is shattered when a strange man begins stalking them with late night phone calls and sudden disturbing appearances. It emerges that the man, Homer Trent, was a part of Pam's teenage past at an orphanage. He was besotted with her then, and was eventually imprisoned for her rape. Now free, Trent is intent on claiming Pam.

Monthly Film Bulletin said "The suspense of a happy household jeopardised by a homicidal psychopath is steadily built up in this compact if rather predictable Danzigers' thriller. Unfortunately the direction is careless and the acting undisciplined, so that the opening promise of mysterious phone calls and a lurking figure from the past is none too successfully fulfilled. Smarter editing, too, might have given the picture the element of surprise it badly needs."[2]

Britmovie called the film a "Creepy yet risible Brian Clemens scripted quota-quickie thriller from low-budget specialists the Danziger Brothers."[3]

TV Guide gave it two out of four stars, and called it a "Creepy, very suspenseful thriller ... Taut direction by Varnel and good performances from the principals make this one memorable."[4]