Tentacoli di paura

The citizens of an island fishing community in Canada find their livelihoods threatened by the existence of an unlikely predatory animal: a fresh water giant squid! Among the heroes are a young scientist (James Van Der Beek) called in by NORA, and a hottie Fisheries officer (Alexandra Castillo) who had encountered this beast as a child.

For such a routine story that displays a complete lack of originality, 'Eye of the Beast' is fairly watchable, and somewhat superior to most of the creature features made for TV. This is because we never see THAT much of the squid - mostly, we see its enormous tentacles. We only see a bit more of it during the finale, when it comes to the surface during the inevitable battle. And even then, this scene takes place at night. Since the body count is actually quite minimal, and the special effects aren't as terrible as people would tend to expect, this is a little more than mere cheese. Rather, the narrative focuses more on the lives damaged by the lack of good fishing in the area.

Reasonably competent filmmaking helps, as well as decent if unexceptional acting. One exception is Ms. Castillo, whose bright, engaging presence helps a lot.

If you're a fellow Manitoban, like this viewer, the movie will have more resonance, as this was not only filmed entirely on location here (in Winnipeg, Selkirk, and Gimli), but it appears to be SET here as well. Van Der Beek a.k.a. Dawson is really the only true name actor here; other than Chilean born, Canadian raised dancer / actress Castillo, much of the cast are locals.

The formulaic tale is groan-worthy at times - complete with supporting characters who remain stupidly stubborn until the time comes for the monster to reveal itself - but it also comes complete with a subtext of racism and intolerance. Naturally, those that head into the final battle with the giant squid are finally able to put aside their differences.

Not VERY good overall, but not all that bad either.

Six out of 10.

but somewhere in between.James Van Der Beek has come a long way since his Dawson's Creek days.he was actually very good here.he plays a scientist sent to a small fishing community to find out why the fish stocks have depleted.Alexandra Castillo is also good as the local only)law enforcement in the town.the movie itself is entertaining enough.there's not really much excitement though.for a creature feature,you don't see much of the creature.most of time,you are shown only a tentacle or two.there is one scene which shows the beast(a giant squid)but it's not a really clear view.for me,Eye of the Beast is somewhere in the middle,so i give it 5/10

And this one seems to know just when to attack so that nobody knows it's out there. Just like all its relatives seem to.

A lot of influence from Jaws (a nice way to say they ripped off some plot devices from it), but there is a well developed story here. The plot centers not to so much on the creature itself, but the lives (and of course some deaths) of those who have encountered it. Witnesses to its existence are treated like an outcast nut cases, while fishing revenues drop mysteriously and steadily, and mutilated bodies wash up on beaches all over. A few characters are given more dimension than to be just screaming victims, but there is a tad too much talking. It's done to give exposition on the characters and the creature they're up against, but there were probably some better ways to do this.

The movie lets the monster remain an unseen foe until near the end, which succeeds at making it more threatening. The monster appears hokey when you do finally see it, although the acting of the people in a life-or-death struggle with the creature is convincing enough to offset this.

Overall, decent enough for rainy Saturday afternoon entertainment.

The first thing to do when approaching this picture is to accept that it is a thoroughly conventional low budget monster flick with zero originality .This need not be a problem when the standard ingredients of its type are served up with some professionalism and style and this is the case here. The Beast of the title is a giant squid which is chomping its way through the fishing grounds near a small Canadian township which depends upon fish for its economic well being and as a result the place has fallen upon hard times .A researcher has been sent from a government organisation to investigate the cause of the poor catches and meets with some hostility from the local residents who fear he may advise shutting down the whole fishing area .There is also a deal of racial tension between the majority white population and the Native peoples ,who are firmly convinced of the existence of the squid . Stir into the mix a newly elected female sheriff of Native ancestry and the usual "Jaws" inspired debate between opposing factions about closing down the main industry or carrying on as normal and you have a standard tale redeemed by some decent special effects and competent performances . Its no world beater but it is watchable and professionally done

You can either take them or leave them, where the cheaply made straight to TV horror effort "Eye of the Beast" starring former teen idol James Van Der Beek turned out to be a neat, if unassuming b-production. It might somewhat get bogged down within the halfway mark and consist of some daftly cheesy clichés, but there's enough going on; you know tentacle action (you can't get enough of that), feuding fisherman, James Van Der Beek frowning a lot and to top that off 10 reasons are given to why fishing is a lot better sex. Quite convincing arguments too. The special effects for such a low-budget are well implemented, but actually there's very little (up until to the squid's glorious reveal) and the tentacles when they come into play are mainly prosthetic. It could have used a little more action and creativity in its attack sequences, but Van Der Beek and Alexandria Castillo are agreeable in their parts making it enjoyable to watch. Then there's the constant bickering (ecological messages) and dramas between the characters of this drably lit small ocean community to keep it moving, despite it's fairly laid-back pace. Mildly amusing, lazy afternoon entertainment.

"A giant squid in a lake"?