White of the Eye (1987)

In a wealthy and isolated desert community, a sound expert is targeted as the prime suspect of a series of brutal murders of local suburban housewives who were attacked and mutilated in ... See full summary »

Director:

Donald Cammell

Writers:

China Kong (as China Cammell), Donald Cammell

Stars:

David Keith, Cathy Moriarty, Alan Rosenberg

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Keith	...	Paul White
Cathy Moriarty	...	Joan White
Alan Rosenberg	...	Mike Desantos
Art Evans	...	Detective Charles Mendoza
Michael Greene	...	Phil Ross
Danielle Smith	...	Danielle White
Alberta Watson	...	Anne Mason
William G. Schilling	...	Harold Gideon
David Chow	...	Fred Hoy
Marc Hayashi	...	Stu
Mimi Lieber	...	Liza Manchester
Pamela Guest	...	Caryanne (as Pamela Seamon)
Bob Zache	...	Lucas Herman
Danko Gurovich	...	Arnold White
China Kong	...	Ruby Hoy (as China Cammell)

Storyline

In a wealthy and isolated desert community, a sound expert is targeted as the prime suspect of a series of brutal murders of local suburban housewives who were attacked and mutilated in their homes. As he desperately tries to prove his innocence, his young wife starts to uncover mysteries of her own...

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Plot Keywords:

psychopathic killer | psychopath | insanity | husband wife relationship | subjective camera | 

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Cathy Moriarty, Donald Cammell was so attentive to the dialogue that neither her or David Keith were allowed to ad-lib during their scenes. Moriarty has spoken of the difficulty she had with this at first, as it was the first time ever that a director hadn't allowed her to improvise.

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Goofs

The Detective says to Paul that they know of four people who have bought tires with tracks matching those at a murder scene and Paul is one of them. Paul then asks "What about those other four?" when he should say "What about those other three?"

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Quotes

Mike Desantos: Because you can't change a channel, man. Future or past.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credit montage the films title dissolves in from a negative image of a sun glare.

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Alternate Versions

The 2014 UK Arrow Video Blu-ray release includes the original opening credits sequence featuring actor John Diehl.

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Connections

Referenced in Into the White: Filming 'White of the Eye' (2014)

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Soundtracks

You Sexy Thing
by Hot Chocolate
Written by Errol Brown (uncredited)

User Reviews

A real "sleeper"

The term sleeper is overused but I think it applies to this movie. It's got one of those titles like "The Stepfather" and "Cop," titles that are bad and misleading and really don't give you a sense of how well-made the film is. Like the other movies, White of the Eye benefits from an intense performance by its leading man. David Keith has always been underused in movies but there was a period in the early '80s when he seemed to be on the brink of major stardom. In this movie, he completely loses it and becomes a suburban monster; those looking for the appealing David Keith from An Officer & a Gentleman or The Lords of Discipline should look elsewhere. Cathy Moriarity was less effective as she will always be typecast as the tough New York broad. She seemed a little out of place in Tucson, Arizona. I recommend this movie for the same reasons I recommend The Stepfather, Cop, and The Reflecting Skin--I saw these movies years ago and they really left impressions I can't seem to shake.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1987 (UK)

Also Known As:

White of the Eye

Filming Locations:

Globe, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$225,132

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mrs. White's Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1