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Your online source for Horror news, info, and reviews. I cover new and classic Horror, as well as Exploitation and Cult films. I also discuss books, comics, games, toys, clothing, etc, as long as it pertains to the Horror genre. My movie reviews are short and to the point, as I know when I come across a long review, I tend to skip that one. I hope you enjoy your time at my House of Horror! Come on in!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

DVD Review: EYES IN THE DARK (2010)

 
  
---------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker---------
 
Written and Directed by: Bjorn Anderson
Production Company: Emerald City Pictures
WOW...it’s been a while since I have run across a movie that blows its DVD cover away. What I mean is that many movies have awesome DVD covers but end up sucking, which is a huge letdown. But there are a few movies out there that are awesome, even though their DVD covers are lacking. EYES IN THE DARK is one of those films with a lackluster DVD case, but it’s a movie you must watch!!
(Note from Zombie Hayes......it looks like the DVD cover art has been updated/improved since we received this screener DVD...check out the film's official website to see the new improved DVD cover art!)
In case you are not familiar with EYES IN THE DARK, here is the synopsis courtesy of the DVD case:
A group of college co-eds take a trip to a mountain lodge looking for relaxation, beer, and maybe a dip in the hot tub. But when they stumble on clues about an ancient legend, they quickly find themselves fighting for their lives. Will they be able to escape this unspeakable evil? And are they the only ones who have ever crossed its path? Shot in hand-held POV style in a remote area of the Washington State Cascade foothills, EYES IN THE DARK shows there’s no terror worse than our own fear of the unknown.
Based on its cover, I didn’t know what to expect before I watched this film. The graphics sorta portray the movie as an alien-feature, but the synopsis is so vague as to not give anything away. But I am very glad I didn’t judge this movie on its cover. EYES IN THE DARK is a terror-filled excursion into darkness!
I can’t say anything specific about the plot because I don’t want to give anything away. But needless to say, it’s really good. It’s well thought-out and smart, although I can’t say it’s anything outlandishly original.
What makes this film so good, though, is the way the terror is built up. There’s one scene in particular that made my skin crawl. A group of park rangers is listening to another group of rangers converse over walkie-talkies. When the rangers on the other end of the line encounter the evil, all hell breaks loose...and it’s some of the most chilling background massacre sounds I’ve ever heard!!
The special effects and gore in EYES IN THE DARK are extremely well done as well. The titular eyes are perfect and scary as all hell!! I got chills the first time I saw them. Granted, they’re probably not very high-tech. But as a medium for frights, they’re perfect. And the gore is great as well, although we don’t get to see as much as I would have liked.
All in all, EYES IN THE DARK is what I would classify as a “Must See Immediately” film. Check this one out for sure, as soon as you can. But be ready to lose some sleep afterwards...
 
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 24, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    Are you giving good reviews just to keep the screener dvds coming your way? The trailer makes the film looks like a weekend project. Blair Witch with Facebook...who needs that?

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  2. ZOMBIE HAYESOctober 24, 2011 at 9:11 PM

    Anonymous...I assure you neither me nor my contributing writer, Scott, are giving good reviews "just to keep the screener DVDs coming". You obviously don't check this blog on a regular basis or you would see plenty of bad reviews (Check out Scott's review of BIKINI VAMPIRE BABES or THE LEGEND OF BLOODY JACK, or my review of EYES OF THE CHAMELEON or BLOOD JUNKIE just to name a few).
    Have you seen EYES IN THE DARK? You might want to check it out before you bash it...you might actually like it. And check out the company that made it, Emerald City Films. This is the only horror film they have made, so they have no other screeners to send us. This was an honest review and I don't appreciate the thought otherwise. In fact, I remember when Scott sent me this review, he put a personal note on it that I need to check it out asap, as it was a great film that he really liked and he thought I would too.
    Sorry, don't mean to be rude, but I don't appreciate someone calling us out and making accusations that we don't give fair, honest reviews. I take something like that very peronal.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 18, 2014 at 3:14 PM

    Some people just don't like low budget films but that's their problem. Why don't they keep their irritating views to themselves and stick to the gore fests or the high budget CGI effects that are expensive to produce, yet look totally crap and unrealistic. What these people will never understand is that true tension or terror, is a combination of atmosphere, character psychology and real physical actions that are done by real people (or animals).

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2015 at 12:30 PM

    Yeah, self-righteous posturing from the previous post aside, this is actually a pretty bad film because of many reasons outside of budget and visuals, which is such a superficial and plebeian way to perceive the quality of a film. The story is generic as hell, with a really lame and pointless framing device. Worst of all however is the acting, which almost steers the movie into so-bad-it's-good territory, but not quite, so it doesn't even have that going for it. Found footage films rely on good and naturalistic acting, otherwise it all falls apart and looks more like a pointless amateur weekend excursion. Skip this and watch Willow Creek instead, or almost any other Found Footage movie.

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