Italian legend Umberto Lenzi is perhaps best known to casual film fans for his controversial cannibal films (Cannibal Ferox being the peak of controversy) and naff-but-fun ‘zombie’ flick Nightmare City. He was, however, accomplished in many genres and the giallo was one in which he shone. Eyeball revels in the tropes of the murder mystery while providing enough visual thrills to delight your peepers.
The action takes place during a Spanish sightseeing holiday of a group of American tourists. It’s a motley bunch who look suspicious even before anything happens and their tour guide is a lecherous sleaze who delights in humiliating the women (and, in particular, the young girls) he’s meant to be looking after. Unfortunately, someone is killing his guests at various stops and gouging out one of their eyes. The police – headed by a cynical older cop just a week off retirement – are convinced the murderer is among them but it doesn’t stop the survivors attempting to enjoy their jollies.
Eyeball isn’t Lenzi’s best giallo, but it’s certainly a lot of lurid fun. The stunning Spanish vistas are shot beautifully by Antonio Millán and Bruno Nicolai’s jaunty score adds to the sleaziness in the best possible way. All the giallo tropes are present and correct and it’s almost as though Lenzi dialled the ridiculousness to eleven to glorious effect – which is never actually a bad thing. It’s even successful in wrong-footing the viewer in the whodunit stakes with an almost continuous stream of red herrings as the police and the holiday makers try to figure out who the killer is.
88 Films’ Blu-ray presents the film splendidly. An English-dubbed track is available for those with no patience for subtitles (or would just like to enjoy the movie as if it’s just come off the video shelf) as well as a commentary from the team behind The Hysteria Continues gialli podcast. The most impressive extra is the feature length All Eyes on Lenzi: the Life and Times of the Italian Exploitation Titan documentary, which gives an interesting overview of the director’s career and includes discussion and insight from academics, writers, actors such as Giovanni Lombardo Radice and even Lenzi himself, from footage filmed when he made his only UK appearance a few years before his death. It’s just a shame that during the separate interview with Eyeball star Martine Brochard, she’s upstage by a cat.
Fans of giallo movies should certainly seek this out, as it’s a fine example of the genre, and immensely entertaining.
EYEBALL (1975) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: UMBERTO LENZI / SCREENPLAY: UMBERTO LENZI, FÉLIX TUSELL / STARRING: MARTINE BROCHARD, JOHN RICHARDSON, INES PELLEGRINI, GEORGE RIGAUD, JOSÉ MARÍA BLANCO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
