3 Short Reviews: Black Sunday and 2 more!
Eyes of Laura Mars (Kershner, 1978)
5.5/10
IMDB Summary: Suddenly Laura Mars can see through the eyes of a serial killer as he commits his crimes. She contacts the police and with the aid of a police detective, tries to stop the killer. But first, they have to figure out who it is.
Eyes of Laura Mars has the type of horror kitsch that draws me in. Featuring elements like opening to Barbara Streisand’s “Prisoner” and elaborate sequences that focus on fashion photography accompanied by disco music, its time-specific elements and ludicrous nature cannot help but suck one in. There are a number of reasons that the film, even though it is not successful as horror, works. The characters, even the secondary ones, are rather well-rounded. It gives us a sense of the characters both as individuals and in their dynamic with Laura Mars (Faye Dunaway). Even the two models she regularly works with, Lulu and Michelle, are sympathetic. Most slasher films have flat characters that function and are presented as objects to later be killed. In fact, many sub-genre characters are purposely made unlikable just so the audience can look forward to their kill scene. Thankfully, this tactic is not employed here. The performances are also rather good. Tommy Lee Jones in an early role brings a great deal more than was needed as Lt. John Neville. Also standing out are Brad Dourif as Laura’s driver Tommy and Rene Auberjonois as Laura’a agent and friend Donald Phelps.
Entering the second half of the film is where it begins its descent into disappointment. Laura’s visions and her reaction to them become more than a little redundant. All of the relatively interesting conversation about violence in the mass media is dropped. Finally, the last 10 minutes dislodge any quality that came before with its twist ending. Making no sense and seemingly tacked on for impact, the film simply ends. Overall, it was well worth seeing. I probably personally enjoyed it the most out of these three, but the film had nothing exciting up its sleeve after a certain point.
Play Misty for Me (Eastwood, 1971):
6/10
IMDB Summary: A brief fling between a male disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening, and perhaps even deadly turn when another woman enters the picture.
Clint Eastwood’s first directorial debut is a standard entry into the psycho stalker woman type of horror film, later to be populated by Fatal Attraction. Jessica Walter fills the film with life, giving an unpredictable performance. It is admittedly fun to see increasing desperation play on Eastwood’s face. The scenes between Dave (Clint Eastwood) and Evelyn (Jessica Walter) are the high point. Evelyn constantly walks the line between assumed “cutsy”-talk and aggressive outbursts. Contrasting those scenes, it is difficult to get involved in the subplot between Dave and Tobie (Donna Mills), a former flame who he is in the midst of reuniting with. The two actors have no chemistry and deliver their lines monotonously when together.
Eastwood also mistakenly forays into lengthy scenes that completely remove us from the narrative and offer nothing in return. These include a scene at a jazz festival that chops up the final act and a corny extended sex scene in the woods between Eastwood and Mills. Play Misty for Me is certainly enjoyable but its standard issue packaging offer little else beyond killing a couple of hours.
Black Sunday (The Mask of Satan) (Bava, 1960):
5/10
IMDB Summary: A vengeful witch and her fiendish servant return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the witch's beautiful look-alike descendant. Only the girl's brother and a handsome doctor stand in her way
Black Sunday manages to live up to its reputation visually but ends up being marred down by a number of other elements. Most of Black Sunday’s praise and legacy comes from the way Bava, in his first credited directorial feature, uses the camera. He does not disappoint. Filmed in striking black and white, Bava creates fear with his ever moving camera. He manages to make the camera’s presence feel somehow unwanted, resulting in an additional feeling of dread. The fake sets are used effectively and the film’s black and white cinematography (also done by Mario Bava) sustains the tension and wonder throughout. Barbara Steele, who became a horror icon, carries the presence necessary for the epic dual role. Her wide eyes filled alternately by fury and fright contain its own visual spectacle. By bridging the gap between the Universal horror films of the thirties with its visual flair and ushering in the wave of sixties horror with its use of then shocking violence, Black Sunday is understandably considered important.
In all other aspects, the film falls flat and comes off as quite mediocre today.
The acting itself outside of Steele (who herself is marred down by bad dubbing) is atrocious. Added to this, the dubbing on top of everything predictably creates a stilted feel that the film cannot overcome. The story and script are subpar as well. Loosely adapted from Nikolai Gogol’s short story “Viy”, the film creates a bare bones story relying on flat characters and bad dialogue to usher the audience through an hour and a half. The story meanders through its running time and it laden with cliché. The dialogue itself never enhances character and rarely pushes the story forward. It is essentially the same conversation again and again. Roberto Nicolosi’s score has a romantic theme running through the scenes with Katia (Barbara Steele) and Dr. Gorobec (John Richardson) that becomes instantly laughable and is used throughout. We are never given reason to care about anybody and the story is never interesting, relying only on Bava’s admittedly wonderful visual aesthetic. The visuals cannot make up for the absence of interest contained in the rest of the film, making it an overrated classic.
Horrorphile