Eyes of Fire (1983)

People are voting emotionally.

An Exercise In Nonsense

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

"Eyes of Fire" is a curious oddity in the already curious universe of 80s horror movies. On one hand, it's truly incomprehensible that this film isn't more well-known or doesn't have a much larger cult-following, because it is an atmospheric and genuinely unsettling tale with an original plot, a unique setting and a handful of downright disturbing moments. On the other hand, however, it's rather easy to see why "Eyes of Fire" is obscure and almost forgotten, as it's a slow-brooding and intelligently scripted ghost tale that got released in the middle of an era when horror audiences were mainly just demanding for brainless teen-slashers with lots of gratuitous T&A and extreme violence. Well, the least you can say is that "Eyes of Fire" is overripe for rediscovery and Avery Crounse should be acknowledged as a competent writer/director, even though he only made three films (and this is by far the only one worth seeking out). The story is inventively set in the year 1750 and narrated via a group of children that are found hidden away in a ramshackle cabin near the American/Canadian border (back then still referred to as "French territory"). They start explaining how their parents fled from the peaceful community they lived in because they were close followers of Reverend Will Smyth and he narrowly got executed at the charge of adultery and polygamy. They followed the river on a raft and then ventured into the deep woods where they eventually settled in a couple of abandoned cabins at an open spot. The cowardly and hypocrite reverend keeps proclaiming they are blessed by God and one a mission to revert the Indian tribes in these woods to Christianity, while Marion Dalton (the betrayed husband who went after the group) quickly realizes they entered sacred burial grounds where the restless spirits of slaughtered Native Americans wreak havoc on trespassers. There are numerous of very powerful and petrifying sequences in "Eyes of Fire", notably the grisly images of human faces captured in ancient holy trees or zombie-like creatures emerging from the muddy swamp grounds. The script and dialogues are unnerving as well. I have a personal weakness for good old-fashioned clichés, and "Eyes of Fire" features a delightful monologue around a campfire where Guy Boyd's character explains how the spilled blood of innocent natives eventually clits together in the underground and forms a powerful and vengeful demon. I loved that part! Admittedly the film also contains a few too many dull and overly confusing moments, and the special effects - albeit of respectable quality level - are often used too randomly. The performances are overall very decent, with one actor truly standing out. Dennis Lipscomb is genius as the vile and totally unreliable reverend Smyth. With his almost naturally evil charisma, Lipscomb depicts one of the most loathsome and malignant characters of 80s horror cinema. He's not a perverted murderer, but an arrogant and cowardly hypocrite. Those are generally worse that masked serial killers.

The American Frontier, 1750: A motley bunch of Irish pioneers led by the meek Reverand Will Smythe (a strikingly quirky performance by Dennis Lipscomb) trespass onto sacred Native American territory that's haunted by a malevolent devil witch who turns pesky interlopers into tortured souls whose faces are implanted on trees. Although marred by a confusing story and often lethargic pacing, this compellingly peculiar horror-Western oddity nonetheless casts an effectively spooky and arresting spell on the viewer thanks to Avery Crounse's stylish direction (Crounse also wrote the idiosyncratic script), a creepily off-kilter and nightmarish atmosphere, plenty of stunningly bizarre and beautiful visuals, Brad Fiedel's fine, eerie score and the sheer fascinating weirdness of the outré story. The uniformly solid acting from a tip-top cast constitutes as another additional plus, with noteworthy turns by Kathleen Crockett as a strange mute psychic teenage girl who knows what's going on, Guy Boyd as a rugged mountain man, and Will Hare as an ill-fated old-timer. By no means a perfect fright flick (it's rather slow, sometimes unfathomable and the ending is dissatisfying), but an admirably unusual, inspired and unconventional genre-blending low-budget indie effort just the same.

Eyes of Fire is one of the most visually stunning horror dramas I've seen. The film is masterfully shot and beautifully photographed, which is a shame because I didn't thoroughly enjoy it. The story follows some pioneers forced to leave their village after being suspected of witchcraft. They settle in a valley where not even the native Indians will set foot on. That should have tipped them off to the cursed earth and set them on their way. Fortunately for us, they stay and nightmarish scenes follow. It has a creepy atmosphere and an almost drug-induced imagery. Unfortunately the pace was too uneven. It has long periods of lows and short bursts of highs. That is my main complaint. It just needed to be punched up some more in certain areas. A few characters could have been omitted altogether. I also didn't enjoy the performances. Most of the actors are a bit on the hammy side. But, I can't fault the actors. If anything they add to the overall weirdness of the film. And that is the most positive thing I can say: this is one of the most unusual and outright bizarre movies period. If you're looking for something WAY off the beaten path, check out Eyes of Fire.

Watched 'Eyes of Fire' shortly after its release in 1983. Haunting, atmospheric and portraying nature spirits at their most potent. Something about it just captures your soul and stays with you - Leah the Irish faery.. and the faces of the spirits emerging from the trees... It felt as though you were really out there in the woods.Managed to get hold of a video about a month ago - WOW - even better than I had remembered it. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who would jump at the chance to experience this unique, enchanting film. After all, if 'The Company of Wolves' (1984) has just been re-released on DVD, why can't Eyes of Fire...