When I was so young - now I'm measuring in the air with my hand, but can't figure out exactly when it was in my life - I got scared shitless a couple of times. One of them was reading a book. James Herbert's The Rats. Let me show you how it looked:
Terrifying! Yeah, terrible. As a young man it was both fascinating and scary with gory death scenes and sexual tension in books. I've read a lot of Enid Blyton (terrible author really) and Agatha Christie (dare say something bad about her!), and those are pretty weak when it comes to violence and sex. So it was a bit of a shock for me to examine my dads shelf with horror and thriller novels. It was another good way into the depraved state of geekiness I am now.
But it wasn't until tonight I saw Robert Clouse's Hong Kong-financed (yes, Golden Harvest!) adaptation for the big screen, Deadly Eyes. Clouse is a director I get back to from time to time and I often loves his work. He's a working man's director, a hired gun, someone to fix a decent action film quick. He's never original, but always stylish. The Pack is one of the best killer animal films made during the 70's and in 1982 he obviously decided it was his duty to make a new film in the same genre.
You know, Deadly Eyes is no masterpiece. But I'm also sure that it would fit better in a decent, restored, widescreen and crystal clear print. Clouse's films always had a big movie feel even if they were cheap to made and small in locations, and the best way to see them is in perfect quality. I have so far never seen a good version of it! Blu-ray, please? Someone?
Behind that terrible VHS-quality quality you can see that glorfied dirt Clouse so talented used as make-up on his productions. Dirt of humanity, dirt of opinions. Dirt on location. It looks nice, but look a little bit closer and you'll see the grit. Deadly Eyes have a down-to-earth look, it set in the winter and everyone is a bit pale and sad, but it makes it uniqly fresh. No sunshine like Jaws!
How's the effects then? It's a bloody movie, no doubt about it, but it's blood and not gore - which is a two very different things. But like always when Clouse is working, it's gritty and nasty violence. I find it funny that people laugh at the rats, but I guess it's mostly because the KNOW they dressed up some form of small dogs to rats and just by knowing it makes the scenes funnier. If you look beyond that detail it doesn't look that bad actually.
This was a short review, but it's not a movie with deep meanings or something important to say. It's just rats and more rats and traditional disaster movie (for example that the rats attack at the exact same time as a celebration of some kind - and there's a greedy mayor who doesn't believe in that they're in danger!) clichés!
It's a fun movie. It is.
"Terrifying! Yeah, terrible. As a young man it was both fascinating and scary with gory death scenes and sexual tension in books."
Well....you won´t get any sarcasm from me.....reading Night Shift a short story collection by Stephen King scared shit out of me.....especially, One for the Road a sort of sequel to salems lot.
Also you get the prequel, very Lovecraftian inspired story, Jerusalem's Lot.
"I've read a lot of Enid Blyton (terrible author really)"
Never read anything by her.....terrible person by some accounts, and they don´t sugarcoat anything in her biopics.
"and Agatha Christie (dare say something bad about her!),"
Yeah....I dare...hahahhahahah....no, didn´t even like her as kid.....where´s the action ninja...?
Too damn polished for me....
"Clouse is a director I get back to from time to time and I often loves his work. He's a working man's director, a hired gun, someone to fix a decent action film quick. He's never original, but always stylish. The Pack is one of the best killer animal films made during the 70's and in 1982 he obviously decided it was his duty to make a new film in the same genre."
Yeah, The Pack (1977) is a cool flick, and The Ultimate Warrior(1975), Black Belt Jones(1974) etc.
He did some very entertaining stuff.
"I have so far never seen a good version of it! Blu-ray, please? Someone?"
Well.....if Shout factory can release Ninja III: The Domination(1984) on blu ray.....who knows what the future brings.
"This was a short review, but it's not a movie with deep meanings or something important to say. It's just rats and more rats and traditional disaster movie (for example that the rats attack at the exact same time as a celebration of some kind - and there's a greedy mayor who doesn't believe in that they're in danger!) clichés!
It's a fun movie. It is."
Well, not all animal horror/cretaure feature need a subtext, look at Jaws (1975), sure some scenes with social commentary and whatnot.....but not much.
Good review and thanks.....I might see it some day.
Posted by: Megatron | March 16, 2013 at 02:00
You'll be getting your wish in July. Scream Factory is doing a blu-ray/DVD combo for this film. It'll even have interviews with some cast members and the guy who wrote the final screenplay.
Posted by: Schlockmania | May 29, 2014 at 02:22
Just read about it, awesome news :)
Posted by: Fred Anderson | May 29, 2014 at 06:07