Blood Capsule #217

EYEBALL (1975)

Every time I review a giallo, I start by saying the same thing.  I'm not a big giallo guy.  And it's true, but at this point, I don't feel the need to further disassociate myself from the works of lionized auteurs such as Dario Argento, Luigi Cozzi, and Umberto Lenzi.  After all, something is making me return to these films, even if it's just every so often.  I named Argento because...well, he's Argento.  I named Lenzi because he directed the subject of today's capsule.  Eyeball bears the marks of other pictures in this subgenre, though there are key differences.  To wit, the killer dons a red raincoat in lieu of black gloves.  Our cannon fodder consists of American tourists seeing the sights that Spain has to offer.  I'm not sure which crew member to eulogize for picking such gorgeous locales, but that person deserves a firm handshake and a slice of pepperoni pizza.  Thin crust.  No mushrooms.

If you're wondering how the title manifests itself, each victim is bereaved of their left eye.  The entire socket is scooped out.  Don't worry; we only catch the aftermath (I know some folks are touchy when it comes to ocular mutilation).  The kills are plentiful, so the pace never gets bogged down with too much police procedural poppycock.  We are treated to lesbian horseplay.  We're also privy to arguments between those very same lesbians, which I enjoyed.  Hmm, that sounded strange.  What I mean is that same-sex couples are rarely depicted realistically in the ways of exploitation, so it was nice to see conflict stand in for supplementary boobs.  Of course, we still get boobs.  Elsewhere, Lenzi takes advantage of a scuzzy carnival funhouse.  "Shades of Child's Play 3" are words I was not expecting to write, let me tell you.  If I had to sum it all up, I would start a new paragraph.

This isn't life-affirming stuff.  The killer's reveal is about as exciting as C-SPAN, but overall, I had a reasonable amount of fun with Eyeball.  Recommended to fans of Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and glaucoma.