Review of Two Evil Eyes (1990) by Christopher L — 18 Jul 2004

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Adreinne Barbeau, Ramy Zada, Sally Kirkland, Martin Balsam, E.G. Marshall, John Amos, Kim Hunter, Madeleine Potter, and Tom Atkins.

Directed by George A. Romero and Dario Argento.

Written by George A. Romero, Dario Argento, and Franco Ferrini.

Rated [b]R[/b] (for strong horror violence and gore, sexuality/nudity and some language).

Running time approximately 2 hours 1 minute.

This is a duel horror film treat that should have been absolutely fantastic...but sadly wasn't. Masters George A. Romero ([i]Dawn of the Dead[/i]) and Dario Argento ([i]Suspiria[/i]) provide us with two, one-hour films; the first is awful, the second is near-brilliant. So, Argento has once again proven himself, whereas Romero has shown he can really, really go wrong. Romero directs horror alum Adrienne Barbeau in the slow and ridiculous [i]The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar[/i], about a woman whose husband dies while hypnotized, therefore cannot really die. It's goofy and awful. Argento, on the other hand, directs the wonderful Harvey Keitel in [i]The Black Cat[/i], which is shocking, brutal and frightening - everything you want a horror film to be. Too bad the first segment ruined this one's score. [i]The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar[/i]: [b]*1/2 (out of ****)[/b], [i]The Black Cat[/i]: [b]***1/2 (out of ****)[/b], composite score: [b]**1/2 (out of ****) B-[/b].