Friday, October 19, 2007

Eyeball (1975)






Full Movie


Directed by Umberto Lenzi.

IMDB

My Letterboxd Review:

It seems a lot of people end up disappointed in this movie and I have a theory about that. Most go in expecting a serious giallo and are put off balance by the bright, cheesy, ridiculous vibe of Umberto Lenzi's film. It has more in common with the oncoming American slasher's of the 80's than it does with Dario Argento or Sergio Martino. The very fact that these tourists in Barcelona on a bus tour are getting slaughtered one by one, with their eyes cut out, doesn't seem to make any of them want to leave Barcelona and go home, which is probably the funniest thing about it. The killer doesn't wear an overcoat and black gloves as is the standard, but instead a bright red raincoat with red gloves.

The opening music is a dead giveaway that this is an exercise in Euro Trash rather than a stylish giallo. The dubbing is among the worst you'll ever hear and the characters are right out of Agatha Christie or the Clue board game. To me, this gets better with every viewing. It's terrible in every conventional sense but it makes me happy when I watch it. It fits alongside "bad" Euro classics like Bloody Moon, Pieces or Burial Ground. In short, Eyeball is a misunderstood trash gem that needs to be watched with the proper frame of reference and different expectations.

No comments: