Two Evil Eyes

It's always tricky to evaluate a filmmaker when at work on a film that is in an in-between realm of short and feature. Actually, by technical ruling (or what would be considered by most festivals), it is feature-length with each segment. But I found Two Evil Eyes an underrated effort, after reading many mixed reviews (many leaning to the lesser side for especially Romero's film, and some faint praise for Argento's). The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar and The Black Cat are not the tippy-toppest best for either filmmaker, and for Romero it's a strange kind of quasi-conventional experiment while Argento stays in somewhat familiar territory. Each has its own strengths, own weaknesses, and it's a fine little treat.

'Valdemar': This starts with the veneer of what comes in the range of something like a cross between daytime Soap and a 40s melodrama. A woman (Adrienne Barbeau) married Mr. Valdemar late in life, and as he's about to die (and soon does) she stands to collect a load of money with her cuckold- a smooth operating doctor who has a knack for hypnosis.

What unfolds after his death, and their cover-up in order to secure more funds, is something still like a 'living-dead' movie for the director, but more psychological in head-games and, to be sure, a faithfulness to the Poe source. It is a peculiar feat to adjust to in seeing Romero, at least in the first half hour, directing more like an old pro of the studio era than with his trademark panache in editing and shocks.

This time he brings on the dread in a gradual fashion, built on guilt and paranoia, and then as Valdemar is in that freezer, a Gothic form of psychosis: two people stuck with a body, and a voice, they can't get rid of and become absorbed with. I liked it a lot- maybe more than I should have from what I read (the 'Soap' argument against it I read before, though Romero does try to give his actors more to work with than any hack would)- as it preys on the fear of death as not a final measure, with one last wicked kick in the nuts with that bed scene. Top shelf Romero? Not quite, but it's still oddly gripping, like a polished piece of clichés giving way to a wild head game of "old-school" horror.

8/10 'Black Cat': Argento's dip in the Poe pool goes to the lengths that he as a director always goes to: elaborate-to-the-Italian-horror degree style in camera and deranged horror, and even bits of dark horror that almost make Poe seem tame. I can't say how much this is tied into Poe more than I can Valdemar, but try as I might I couldn't see this as being totally peak Argento either, despite (or almost in spite of) everything he has going for it. Like Valdemar, it's about someone not coping with life after death; a photographer (Keitel) into the macabre, with a (color me shocked Argento) violinist girlfriend, has a black cat, whom the photographer strangles while taking some provocative photos. She knows he's behind it, but he can't stop himself- he needs another cat- just like the old cat- which will meet some grisly consequences.

Keitel's always game for something like this part, which plays like his Bad Lieutenant gone Grand Guignol, which makes for one of the best pleasures of the project. He doesn't have a whole lot of range in the role, but it's a fun one for him, chewing on the meat that Argento throws out for him scene after scene. Argento, meanwhile, even for *him* overdoes it with the horror music in certain scenes, and dares to go to too much excess with the symbolism of the white spots on the cat. But it's totally a wonder to see that dream sequence, where Keitel is in the midst of a medieval Pagan sacrifice, with a sharp cut-away in the most violent bit.

And I loved the pleasure that Argento takes in enlivening Poe's macabre with his own, with the violence extending from mania into the visual. I had my complaints at times, but it's hard to not throw up one's hands with Argento and say "why carp!" when he's unabashed in his passions of mostly constant camera movement (tracking, cranes, close-ups, pans, you-name-it) and illogical steps in plot (i.e. why Keitel's character would even put out a book with cat deaths knowing his girlfriend might see them, let alone so soon).

8/10 Bottom line, fans of the directors should check out the films, and decide for themselves how they do. It's two tall tales of curses and death, derangement and the surreal, and it's a concoction worth at least one viewing.

Horror meinsters George Romero and Dario Argento each direct an hour long(or so) segment based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Romero's is first and is based on a lesser Poe story "The Strange Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." A wealthy man is dying and hypnotized by a doctor who is aiding the rich man's beautiful wife for money and other fringe benefits. This segment is fairly well-conceived by Romero(who also wrote the script). The horror is more subtle than what you might expect and not very gory. Adrienne Barbeau, still quite a dish, does a good job as the ruthless wife and Ramy Zada does a mediocre job as her accomplice. E. G. Marshall has a bit part that he devours with gusto. The second segment by Argento naturally is the more bizarre and bloody. It is based on the oft-filmed story "The Black Cat." Argento creates a story about a photographer, played by Harvey Keitel, specializing in crime scene photos that also enjoys killing cats. Eventually his instincts lead to much higher organisms. This is also a decent piece as a whole. It has a load of famous actors: John Amos, Martin Balsam, and Kim Hunter. Argento puts a weird dream sequence that is nicely shot but has little relevance to the plot at all. This segment has a big payoff scene at the end that was very original if nothing else. Although certainly more suspenseful then Romero's piece, I liked the first one a bit more. It seemed to have greater continuity. Neither piece has any real life to it, and I think the film suffers a bit from the two story format. It is entertaining though and does provide a few honest chills.

George Romero and Dario Argento, two great horror directors, tackling two short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Sounds like a surefire hit. So why isn't it? Romero writes and directs his story, "The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar." It's about a woman (Adrienne Barbeau) whose rich husband, Ernest Valdemar, is on his deathbed. A doctor (Ramy Zada) she's been having an affair with hypnotizes Valdemar into signing over all of his money to his wife. But Valdemar dies while hypnotized so he's stuck in between life & death and is surprisingly unhappy about it.

The biggest problem with Romero's story is that it feels like it was made for television. The annoyingly cheap and ceaseless music score doesn't help. Barbeau is the best part. She makes a paper-thin character work. She's also some very nice eye candy. E.G. Marshall plays Valdemar's attorney, who knows something is up but can't do much about it. Tom Atkins plays a homicide detective who conveniently answers 911 calls about screaming neighbors. The climax sees Romero turning Poe's story into something that belonged in Creepshow, which Romero directed and Barbeau, Atkins, and Marshall also appeared in. If this story was the entire movie, I might rate it a little higher. It's not great and there are big problems (that music!) but it's a passable time-killer. However, the other story drags the score down.

The Argento story is more stylishly directed, as you might expect. It's also more poorly written, as you might also expect. It's got lots of Poe references to establish Argento is clearly a fan but there's nothing of Poe's talent in this one. The story is "The Black Cat" and it's about a crime scene photographer (Harvey Keitel) who kills his girlfriend's cat. Then he goes crazy and it's a whole thing. Honestly, even with Keitel's bizarre performance and Argento's visuals, this one was a snoozer for me.

I think if you look at some of the other reviews here, particularly from those who love the movie, you'll see I'm in the minority on this. Most people seem to prefer Argento's story and hate Romero's. In a way, I get that. Argento has more style and a devoted cult following. I have enjoyed several of his horror films, though not enough to call myself a big fan of his. So take that into consideration. If you're someone who generally prefers a Dario Argento type of horror film, you are likely to prefer the second story to the first. Either way I'll be surprised if you love either of them, as they are both pretty mediocre.

This film is an average entry from both directors. If you're a huge horror fan, it's interesting from the perspective that you can compare and contrast both Argento and Romero's styles as they both tackle material from Poe. Just from what I briefly read it seems like this film had some production troubles, so I can't really fault the movie for what it was. It was an experiment that worked in some places, and didn't work in others; it's pretty middling overall.

Instead of your usual trilogy or anthology, TWO EVIL EYES is two hour-long Edgar Allan Poe adaptations written for the screen and directed by two top horror directors. "The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar" (by George A. Romero) concerns a money-hungry wife (Adrienne Barbeau) and a greedy doctor (Ramy Zada) who team up to kill off the elderly husband Ernest (Bingo O'Malley) for his money. They unwisely use hypnotism to lure the victim to catatonia, which also allows Ernest to return from the dead and seek revenge. The storyline is too cliché in this outing and it's pretty dull despite an excellent lead performance from Barbeau and good (though sparsely used) Tom Savini make up FX. "The Black Cat" (by Dario Argento) is the reason to watch the movie. Harvey Keitel is typically good as Roderick Usher, an alcoholic crime photographer who makes a living publishing mondo photographs. His book ("Metropolitan Horrors") stirs up lots of controversy. The horror angle is added by a sinister black cat that constantly pops up in Usher's life and starts to drive him mad. Mixing elements from several Poe stories, Argento's flair for visual style and color schemes, loads of clever Poe reference (including nods to his "Pit and the Pendulum" and "Premature Burial") and lots of surprises, "The Black Cat" manages to be both entertaining and disturbing. Tom Savini also did FX for the segment (and appears). Pino Dinaggio did music for both.