Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

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... See full summary »

Director:

Irvin Kershner

Writers:

John Carpenter (screenplay), David Zelag Goodman (screenplay),

Stars:

Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dourif

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Faye Dunaway	...	Laura Mars
Tommy Lee Jones	...	John Neville
Brad Dourif	...	Tommy Ludlow
Rene Auberjonois	...	Donald Phelps
Raul Julia	...	Michael Reisler (as R.J.)
Frank Adonis	...	Sal Volpe
Lisa Taylor	...	Michele
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Lulu
Rose Gregorio	...	Elaine Cassell
Bill Boggs	...	Himself
Steve Marachuk	...	Robert
Meg Mundy	...	Doris Spenser
Marilyn Meyers	...	Sheila Weissman
Gary Bayer	...	Reporter
Mitchell Edmonds	...	Reporter

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

police | fashion | model | serial killer | walkie talkie | 

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eyes

Filming Locations:

Columbus Circle, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbra Streisand was originally cast before being replaced by Faye Dunaway.

---

Goofs

When Laura enters her studio above the empty warehouse, she is wearing red high-heeled shoes. When she runs in terror through the warehouse, she is wearing sneakers, but immediately afterwards, she is once again wearing the high-heeled shoes.

---

Quotes

Lulu: Laura I don't like pink.
Laura: Lulu it likes you.

---

Crazy Credits

The films closing credits roll over the first image of the movie, a black and white image of Laura's eyes as a negative.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Dead Talk Back (1994)

---

Soundtracks

"Let's All Chant"
Performed by Michael Zager Band (as The Michael Zager Band)
Produced, Arranged and Conducted by Michael Zager
Courtesy of Private Stock Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Predictable and badly plotted 'suspense' thriller

Eyes of Laura Mars isn't a very well known film, and there's a good reason for that; it's not very good. The premise isn't bad, and there are a few good ideas; but the execution is poor on the whole, and for every idea that does work; there's at least three that don't. Take the main idea for example - the plot follows Laura Mars; a New York artist who has blackouts, during which she witnesses the murderous rampages of the local serial killer. We then follow her and her policeman boyfriend as they try to track down the killer from her visions. Now, this is all well and good, but the film has completely forgotten to explain WHY this is happening to her, thus making it really hard for the audience to care about the plot. It didn't come as a surprise to me to find that John Carpenter wrote the script. After that, many other areas of the film aren't explained properly. The movie throws caution to the wind where characters are concerned, and they are merely a product of the plot itself, rather than the plot being impacted by the characters. This is a guaranteed formula for a cold audience, as it's hard to care anyway; but when it doesn't even give you reason to care for the characters themselves, it's too easy to switch off.

Faye Dunaway has starred in some big films, such as Chinatown and Bonnie and Clyde; but her performance here isn't up there with those films. To be fair, she isn't given much to do - but despite convincing as New Yorker, she cant get into her character and on the whole, her performance isn't the work of a great actress. Tommy Lee Jones would go on to find real fame after this film, so it's a good job that he had some better roles later on, as his performance here is unlikely to have gained him many plaudits. Cult actor Brad Dourif rounds off the central core of actors and he, as usual, stands out the most. Also as usual, his performance isn't anything like brilliant; but Dourif knows how to entertain. The final nail in the coffin for this film is definitely the final twist. Usually, I have to start watching a film before the twist becomes guessable; but I guessed this one before I even saw the movie. Just reading the plot synopsis makes it obvious. On the whole, this film isn't a complete dead loss and if you like your supernatural thrillers, there may be something here. Just be prepared to allow it some room in the credibility department.