Eight Eyes

Part Hostel, part Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and part bizarre neon horror.

Eight Eyes might not quite fully come together in the end, and might be an offender of style over substance. But dang, it was still a pretty cool movie.

It looks fantastic, the acting is pretty good, and it doesn't come off as amateur hour, even though I am sure the budget was low. The special effects are great, and while it is a slow burn, I was pretty locked in and engaged. So, it does enough right for me to still give it a full throated recommend and an 8 star rating for Eight Eyes.

Definitely my kind of thing, and I have a feeling this will appeal to fans of the genre.

Eight Eyes, to me, especially after viewing the Blu-ray extras (be prepared to get talked down to by a co-writer!), is more of a technical feat than anything else. Vinegar Syndrome (in their first original film production) seemed to have set out to create as authentic of a 70's grindhouse (also, giallo) experience as possible. I'd say they succeeded. So... kudos? There IS still a movie to write.

It's certainly well-shot and well-acted, with standout performances by Emily Sweet as Cass, and Bruno Veljanovski as Saint Peter. Also, incredible setting. You really can't go wrong filming horror in Serbia. I've seen some seriously messed-up stuff sourced from this region of Europe.

Where this film really falters is the story. It is precisely one half Hostel, the strangers-in-a-strange-land trope, and one half Texas Chainsaw Massacre (substitute the mask of flesh with a mask of wax spatterings... and lots of unpleasant nudity). For what seems like such an insane film production, this horror movie surprised me precisely ZERO times. There is one kind of a new-agey twist (the concept of the eight eyes), but it's pretty heavily foreshadowed, and you're led right to it. Like any other event in this movie, you're always led to what would be the most logical choice if you're reading Horror 101. And it follows through right to the final frame! ...Insert The Price Is Right losing sound here... This is obviously what disappointed me most, in what appeared to be a promising endeavor.

Austin Jennings creates a darkly romantic portrait of Serbian family dysfunction. It explores a couple's (Cass and Gav) travels while filming footage with vintage equipment.

The story follows them until meeting a stranger, Saint Peter. Then like with many cinematic tropes of the American tourists in a foreign country, things go array.

It's slow moving but if you are a film technie, this film is for you. The director explores Italian filmmaking, 70s Giallo and horror genres by using practical effects with a selection of cameras. Although Jennings really tried to produce something new, rather than mimicking.

The acting by Emily Sweet as Cass, the woman in peril, holds the storytelling with the performance of Bruno Veljanovski as Saint Peter. Location shots are well photographed and as well as interior shots of trains, apartments, etc.

Eight Eyes takes you on a wonderful trip of tension building and release cycles. 16mm film, in camera effects, and the eastern European setting mesh well to create a cohesive art direction for this memorable film.

I was pleasantly surprised by the restrained use of gore. What was there was effective, but never so much or so often as to become desensitizing or tiresome.

The acting was fantastic (especially female lead and the main antagonist) with a solid script. It also includes an interesting story/thematic twist on the genre. So, while the film nailed the genre(s) it was going for, it was also unique and memorable. Definitely worth a watch for anyone into indie or throwback/analog horror.

Caught this tonight on Shudder and really liked it even though I didn't understand the ending, which I will not.spoil for you. It doesn't reach the level of gruesome horror of A Serbian Film or Life and Death of a Porno Gang, but it's in that neighborhood. There's a sense of menace early on and you'll think you know where that ominous feeling Is coming from, but you'll be wrong. The tension is unrelenting and the characters and situations are interesting. The films atmosphere reminded me a little of Hostel but the plots of the two movies are very different, of course. It kept me guessing what was going on. But the ending was so crazy all I could do was shake my damn head and say Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!