Eyeball (1978)

On a sight-seeing trip in Barcelona, an eclectic group of tourists finds themselves being stalked by a maniac looking for a particular member of the group who knows the secret about their past criminal life and must find a way to stop the rampage before they're all killed.This was quite the fun and overall enjoyable Giallo. One of the strongest efforts within this one is the fact that there's so much to really like here with the cheesy setting and location of the overall effort. The fact that this one plays with the idea of the tourist group on a trip through the city when they get caught up in the mystery of the killer striking against them sets this off on a solid note, and the scenes of the group on the streets enjoying the city or being chased thinking they've gotten the killer allows for a nice bit of cheese to be offered here. Once they get further along the investigation the engaging mystery takes over the fun cheese on display as the stalking scenes are quite good, from the opening murder in the streets of the town, a shocking ambush inside a carnival ride where the body is discovered upon arriving back at the station and the great stalking down at the farm featuring the killer tossing the body into the pig-pen. The later ambush on the unsuspecting victim in the bathroom waiting for her partner to come in and then later meeting the killer trying to escape makes for a nice scene, and with the follow-up attack on the witness in the hospital that gets interrupted allows for some solid work here chasing them through the room before making the nice escape that keep his identity a secret. Coupled with the fine nudity and one of the finer use of a tragic accident to spur the murders onward here as the motivation for the killings these here allow this one to have some rather fine positives to hold over the few minor negatives. Among the worst flaws here is the fact that the central investigation doesn't make much sense in the way it unfurls since it feels like the least successful investigation in one of the genres' efforts. There's never a great deal of uncovering clues to lead to the next one that brings about the killers' eventual identity, and when we are stuck with the police inspectors they don't do much of anything to investigate the clues left behind which are there for it does come off with a solid mystery at its heart involving why the tour group is specifically targeted. However, the investigation into the missing passenger and the photographic evidence left behind don't really play into the film all that much and it strikes as quite a weak overall investigation which is part and parcel of the genre. That also leaves the film to stumble at times with a slightly lower body count than would be expected for these kinds of films also coming into play in making the second half feel somewhat weaker than the first half as it opens strongly but seems to fizzle out once they know the killers' stalking them. While it's not enough to really lower this, they do knock it down slightly.Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Nudity and Language.

***SPOILERS*** Italian slasher film that takes place in Barcelona Spain involving this hooded, with a red plastic raincoat, psycho killer who after murdering his victims pokes their baby blue left eyes out in some kind of bazaar blood ritual. A number of foreign tourists are targeted by this maniac that has the local police headed by the soon to be retired, in just three days, Inspector Tudela, Andres Mejuto, desperate to catch him. That before the story hits the front pages and decimated the city's tourist business that's it major source of income.Were given a number of clues to who the killer is but they seem so confusing that they in fact give him cover from to police instead of having him tracked down and arrested by them. One of the clues that's revealed with such shock and fan-fear is in him being seen a photo with the mulatto fashion model Naiba Campball, Ines Pellegrini. The confusing photo doesn't really show anything except to Neiba, who has brown eyes instead of blue ones the ones the killer is really after,that doesn't make any rhyme or reason at all to his identity! And leaves you, or those of us watching the movie,totally confused to who he is! ***SPOILERS*** It in fact was the plucky Neiba who's lesbian lover Lisa Sanders, Mirta Miller,was one of the killers victims who figured out who the killer was by seeing the photo that was kept from the audience. And after her tracking him down almost lost her life as well as left eye in doing it. This murder and eye popping spree was finally put to and end by the frustrated, in trying to solve the case, and soon to retire Inspector Tudela who finally got a chance to draw and fire his revolver, that he never did in his entire 30 year career in the Barcelona Police Depertment, and mercifully put an end to the killer as well as the movie.

It's definitely true that the concept of this movie sounds more awesome and original than the actual movie turns out. But having said that, this is basically a very watchable giallo, for the lovers of the genre, that has basically every ingredient in it that you could ask for.But this is also what's making this a very typical and standard genre attempt. Nothing in this movie really stands out, not even its killings, that are being pretty tame to watch actually, despite of its gruesome sound to it. I mean, a killer that stabs the victims in the eye sounds pretty insane and gruesome to watch but in fact it isn't anything too shocking. Probably not because they didn't wanted it to be but more due to technical and practical reasons, I would guess.I absolutely always enjoy watching a good giallo movie from the '70's but I won't make any illusions about it that they are also being particularly great movies. Absolutely the most the of them are actually being quite bad and silly, once you start looking at them- and judging them seriously. It's the foremost reason why these type of movies are only still popular now days by a small group of movie-nuts and the reason why most of those movies are hard to get by now days.One of the biggest problem giallo movies often suffer from are its characters. Not only are the characters quite weak and very often more or less all the same but the movie itself has an hard time keeping track on all of these characters, which makes the movies at times quite confusing and messy. For some reason the movies often feel the need to throw in a whole bunch of characters, probably for the reason that makes it more unpredictable and less easy for the viewers to guess who the killer of the movie is. But they are definitely being too many characters, you just don't ever care about and the movie doesn't really focus enough on any of them. There isn't really a main lead or an hero in this movie, which makes this movie storytelling-wise a bit of a mess at times.It's also real amazing and ridicules how all of these characters keep acting as normal tourist and doing normal tourist things, while people on their tour-bus are slowly getting gruesomely killed, one by one. But oh well, like I said, basically all giallo movies don't make much sense in the real world but they still remain fun movies to watch, with a distinctive style and atmosphere and way of storytelling, that is often alike, which does work out familiar and pleasant, especially obviously when you are already into the genre.The movie does begin very well and promising but it doesn't take long for the movie to start to drag a bit. Especially its middle part just isn't being exciting enough, which also makes you care less about anything that is happening, even still toward the ending. No lesbian love scenes, that came out of nowhere, can safe its middle part.This movie remains a more than good enough watch for the lovers of the genre, though the movie is still not as exciting or original as its original concept make it sound.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Umberto Lenzi's "Eyeball" is a mediocre giallo which is about a vicious killer who gouges an eye out of his female victims while slashing them to death.The setting is sunny Barcelona and the suspects include a bus loaded with coarse American tourists."Eyeball" is one of the weakest giallos I have ever seen.It's a shame,because Lenzi can turn out a really atmospheric giallo like "Sette Orchidee Macchiate di Rosso"(1971).The script is awful and the killer-in-a-red-raincoat is nothing new(check out "Don't Look Now").The score by Bruno Nicolai is terrible.There is plenty of nudity and sleaze and some violent murders including throat cuttings and eye gougings.The film is pretty dull and forgettable,so don't waste your time with it.Check out some other giallos instead.5 out of 10.