Eyeball (1975)

A maniac killer in a red cape and hood is killing off American tourists on a tour bus by gouging out their eyeballs.

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writers:

Umberto Lenzi (screenplay), Umberto Lenzi (story)

Stars:

Martine Brochard, John Richardson, Ines Pellegrini

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martine Brochard	...	Paulette Stone
John Richardson	...	Mark Burton
Ines Pellegrini	...	Naiba Campbell
Andrés Mejuto	...	Inspector Tudela
Mirta Miller	...	Lisa Sanders
Daniele Vargas	...	Robby Alvarado
George Rigaud	...	Rev. Bronson
Silvia Solar	...	Gail Alvarado
Raf Baldassarre	...	Martinez - the tour guide
José María Blanco	...	Inspector Lara
Marta May	...	Alma Burton
John Bartha	...	Mr. Hamilton
Olga Pehar	...	Mrs. Randall
Verónica Miriel	...	Jenny Hamilton
Olga Montes

Storyline

A maniac killer in a red cape and hood is killing off American tourists on a tour bus by gouging out their eyeballs.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | serial killer | fear | violence | psychopathic killer | 

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Taglines:

A blinding vision of horror.

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy Spain

Language:

Italian Spanish

Release Date:

9 June 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eyeball

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Cinematografica, Pioneer, Estela Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Paulette Stone: I was like you... before this friend of mine ripped out my eye playing doctor with me... leaving an empty socket.

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Connections

References Don't Look Now (1973)

User Reviews

Eye like Eyeball

Imagine how good reality TV show Coach Trip would be if instead of voting out the least popular couple, they murdered them instead? I can only imagine the sarcastic remarks host Brendan Sheerin would come away with.

Umerto Lenzi finally gets with the programme and gives us a glimpse of eighties Italian cinema by giving us a film that delivers on gore, trash, nudity, things not making any sense and eyeball removal, while removing the scheming couples and huge villas that have permeated his other gialli up to this point. Why have all the victims stuck in one place when you can have them enjoying Flamenco dancing, swimming and sightseeing in between being stabbed to death and having their eyeballs pulled out?

Yes, someone on the coach full of tourists is a killer, and in true trash form, every single person acts suspiciously. There's John Bartha, travelling with his daughter and seemingly fascinated by a razor while shaving, then there's George Riguad the priest who lost his daughter to death, there's a lesbian couple (well, not really suspicious) and a lady called Pauline who is thinking about having an affair with her boss who has also arrived on the scene, played by John Richardson, and he's looking over his shoulder because his wife is having some sort of breakdown and hasn't gone to the hospital like she was supposed to.

While it's not hard to guess the killer, a lot of fun can be had with this film. One thing that's intact from his earlier films is the cheesy soundtrack, which is similar to the one Lenzi used in The Man From Deep River. He also retains his good eye for composition while introducing a new element of women having their boobs pop out when being attacked, something he would use to great effect in the jaw-dropping Nightmare City.

Apart from everyone going to ridiculous lengths to appear guilty, you also have the killer becoming really crap at attacking people three-quarters of the way through the film, and an almost touching relationship between the old, nearly retired cop in charge of the case and his young apprentice. Nice one Lenzi! Oh, and the killer sports a nice red plastic outfit instead of the standard black glove/hat combo.