Highly Overrated But Still Good

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Imagine how good reality TV show Coach Trip would be if instead of voting out the least popular couple, they murdered them instead? I can only imagine the sarcastic remarks host Brendan Sheerin would come away with. Umerto Lenzi finally gets with the programme and gives us a glimpse of eighties Italian cinema by giving us a film that delivers on gore, trash, nudity, things not making any sense and eyeball removal, while removing the scheming couples and huge villas that have permeated his other gialli up to this point. Why have all the victims stuck in one place when you can have them enjoying Flamenco dancing, swimming and sightseeing in between being stabbed to death and having their eyeballs pulled out?Yes, someone on the coach full of tourists is a killer, and in true trash form, every single person acts suspiciously. There's John Bartha, travelling with his daughter and seemingly fascinated by a razor while shaving, then there's George Riguad the priest who lost his daughter to death, there's a lesbian couple (well, not really suspicious) and a lady called Pauline who is thinking about having an affair with her boss who has also arrived on the scene, played by John Richardson, and he's looking over his shoulder because his wife is having some sort of breakdown and hasn't gone to the hospital like she was supposed to.While it's not hard to guess the killer, a lot of fun can be had with this film. One thing that's intact from his earlier films is the cheesy soundtrack, which is similar to the one Lenzi used in The Man From Deep River. He also retains his good eye for composition while introducing a new element of women having their boobs pop out when being attacked, something he would use to great effect in the jaw-dropping Nightmare City. Apart from everyone going to ridiculous lengths to appear guilty, you also have the killer becoming really crap at attacking people three-quarters of the way through the film, and an almost touching relationship between the old, nearly retired cop in charge of the case and his young apprentice. Nice one Lenzi! Oh, and the killer sports a nice red plastic outfit instead of the standard black glove/hat combo.

I'm a big fan of Giallo movies, they're fun and totally over the top and yes incredibly trashy, and always feels like their in another world where logic and sense are totally abandoned in something that feels otherworldly , but that's okay as they're a lot of fun with an intriguing plot and mystery attached.While 'Eyeball' is definitely a Giallo through and through, filled with all the typical troupes such as killer POV, gloved hand killer, overuse of primary colours (Red in this case), inept police force, oddly pacific kills, bad dubbing and a final bait and switch or the killers identity. Despite having these troupes, 'Eyeball' does nothing to enhance them or in fact add any sort of flair to the proceedings.Despite an interesting storyline where a group of American tourists travel to Barcelona on a tour bus, and almost immediately start getting picked off one by one at every stop by a hooded figure wearing a red mac and plucking out their left eye. Now that does sound interesting and this could have been a hell of a lot of fun, but it isn't its just plain flat and completely devoid of any suspense and worst of all the kills are completely tame. There just seems to be a lack of communication between the cast and the crew as each character lifelessly plough from one scene to the next without any understanding of the script or motivation.Even from a technical point everything just seems so lazy and unfocused; with the same theme music used in every scene (even when there's nothing happening) and the same ridiculous zoom in used in every shot. But despite the many, many faults everything does move at a brisk pace and the identity of the killer was a genuine surprise, even if it make no sense whatsoever and only the final scene holds any suspense whatsoever where the girl is all alone at the church and sees the murderer, after viewing an incriminating photograph of the killer's identity in broad daylight standing next to a bush holding a knife, which was hilarious and there are enough red herrings littered throughout to keep you guessing all the way to the end.So on the whole while 'Eyeball' isn't a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, it is quite fun in a so bad it's good kinda way, and while it's nowhere near one of the better Giallo movies from this period, I'd say at least give it a shot as it can be considered an early slasher movie.

Let's face it, there is a finite number of giallos and I have yet to see one with a plausible story line (Anyone see "Watch Me When I Kill"?). Isn't that a prerequisite of the sub-genre, along with the gloved villain and the stylized killings? So why skip this one? Are you waiting for 'The Ultimate Giallo'? This one is alright. Maybe Lenzi has made some crap, especially his latter stuff (Black Demons, Hell's Gate,House Of Witchcraft), but a lot his work kicks ass(Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, Man from Deep River, Gang War in Milan, Almost Human, Syndicate Sadists, Rome Armed to the Teeth, Violent Naples, The Cynic, the Rat & the Fist, Eaten Alive, Nightmare City, Cannibal Ferox). This is not his best, but definitely not his worst. Most likely only giallo fans are going to watch this anyway, so if that is you, go ahead, you won't be disappointed.

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.