See No Evil (1971)

A young blind woman is pursued by a maniac while staying with family in their country manor.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writer:

Brian Clemens

Stars:

Mia Farrow, Dorothy Alison, Robin Bailey

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mia Farrow	...	Sarah
Dorothy Alison	...	Betty Rexton
Robin Bailey	...	George Rexton
Diane Grayson	...	Sandy Rexton
Brian Rawlinson	...	Barker
Norman Eshley	...	Steve Reding
Paul Nicholas	...	Jacko
Christopher Matthews	...	Frost
Max Faulkner	...	Steve's Man
Scott Fredericks	...	Steve's Man
Reg Harding	...	Steve's Man
Lila Kaye	...	Gypsy Mother
Barrie Houghton	...	Gypsy Jack
Michael Elphick	...	Gypsy Tom
Donald Bisset	...	Doctor

Storyline

Sarah is a blind girl who has returned to her home, a country manor in which all of the occupants are dead. She unknowingly sleeps overnight, among a houseful of corpses, arising the next morning to quietly creep out of bed, in order not to awaken the other members of the household.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | psychotronic film | backwood slasher | horse | house | 

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Taglines:

Have You Ever Been Scared Out of Your Wits?

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sarah (Mia Farrow) talks about her plan to train as a physiotherapist. See No Evil/Blind Terror's writer Brian Clemens later used a training center for the blind that taught physiotherapy as the setting for his story Thriller: The Eyes Have It (1973).

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Goofs

Sarah drops her boots on the floor after she takes them off. However, as a blind person (even one new to this condition), she would make sure that everything was put away tidily so that it could be found again easily i.e. put her boots standing together next to the cupboard.

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Quotes

Gypsy Mother: Tom?
Gypsy Tom: Don't worry, momma. I'll take care of everything.

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Connections

Featured in Cinemacabre TV Trailers (1993)

User Reviews

She didn't see it coming.

Mention Mia Farrow's name to horror fans and most of them will instantly (and understandably) think of Polanski's classic, Rosemary's Baby; my immediate thought, however, would be of Blind Terror, a lesser known thriller in which Ms. Farrow plays Sarah, a blind girl whose relatives become the target of a psycho killer after her uncle accidentally splashes the loony's precious cowboy boots. I first saw this film at a rather tender age and its macabre concept, senseless killing and shocking images have haunted me ever since.

Directed by Richard Fleischer, Blind Terror opens with our nutter leaving a cinema (having caught the amazing sounding double-bill of 'The Convent Murders' and 'Rapist Cult'). He then passes a newspaper stand displaying horrific headlines, a store with a display of toy guns, and a TV shop showing a bloodthirsty film; violence, it seems, is all around us, although often we choose not to see it. Poor blind Sarah, on the other hand, doesn't have much of a choice: after the soggy-footed psycho pays a visit to her Uncle's farmhouse (whilst she is out with her boyfriend), she returns home, and prepares for bed, all the while blissfully unaware that the bloody corpses of her nearest and dearest lay all around her.

Only when Sarah eventually tries to get into her bath does she realise that something is terribly wrong—because that's where her uncle's lifeless body has been dumped! Meanwhile, the killer discovers that he has left behind a vital clue that could reveal his identity, and returns to the farmhouse to find it...

Fleischer's deliberately paced and carefully considered direction (which makes brilliant use of imaginative camera angles and cleverly framed shots), combined with excellent cinematography from Gerry Fisher and a completely convincing central performance from Farrow, ensure that this film is a success despite a few rather contrived moments in an otherwise well-crafted script by Brian Clemens (a case of mistaken identity at the end of the film is rather far-fetched, and the fact that Sandy, Sarah's pretty cousin, would date a 'diddycoy' is also difficult to swallow).

Atmospheric, suspenseful, and packed with nerve-shredding moments, Blind Terror is an under-rated slice of 70s British cinema that, although not perfect, is still well worth seeking out.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 September 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

See No Evil

Filming Locations:

Wokingham station, Wokingham, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,315,680

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Filmways Pictures, Genesis Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 82 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1