Eye in the Labyrinth - Code Red (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1972
Director: Mario Caiano
Writers: Mario Caiano, Antonio Saguera, Horst Hächler
Cast: Rosemary Dexter, Adolfo Celi, Horst Frank, Sybil Danning, Franco Ressel, Elisa Mainardi, Rosita Torosh, Alida Valli

Release Date: February 5th, 2016
Approximate running time: 94 Minutes 32 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"Julie (Rosemary Dexter SHOES OF A FISHERMAN) is disturbed by the disappearance of her psychiatrist lover Luca (Horst Frank) following a bizarre dream where she witnessed him murdered. She travels to a seaside village where he might be and encounters Frank (Adolfo Celi ITALIAN CONNECTION), who tells her Luca has indeed been there. Julie’s investigation leads her the house of Gerta (Alida Valli THE THIRD MAN), where the mystery deepens among the odd characters residing at this artists enclave." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand-new HD master!"

Eye in the Labyrinth comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.8 GB

Feature: 20.1 GB

Though the source used for this transfer is in great shape. Black levels leave plenty of room for improvement and there are some compression related issues. That said, the colors look correct, and the image generally looks crisp.

Audio: 3.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Though there is some minor background hiss, and silabance issues, dialog comes through clear enough to follow. It should be noted that for this release, Code Red enhanced/created new sound effects that sound too loud.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction that plays before the film with Coed Red’s Banana Man and Katarina Leigh Waters (2 minutes, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and a newly created by Code Red trailer for Eye in the Labyrinth (3 minutes 20 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles).

Other extras include trailers for The Devil’s Wedding Night, The Obsessed One, The Night Child, The People Who Own the Dark, and Cut-Throats Nine.

Summary:

The Eye in the Labyrinth was directed by Mario Caiano, a by-the-numbers filmmaker who worked in whatever genre was popular at that time. Notable films directed by Mario Caiano include Nightmare Castle, Violent Milan, and Weapons of Death.

Muder set pieces, more than anything else, are what the giallo genre is most known for. And, despite the fact that Eye in the Labyrinth begins with a spectacular muder set piece that contains all of the elements one would expect from a giallo, what follows is exactly what one would expect from a gaillo. With the bulk of the narrative focusing on the psychological aspects of its traumatized protagonist, the only other kill scene does not occur until the finale.

Rosemary Dexter (For a Few Dollars More) is cast in the role of Julie, a traumatized woman who is searching for her missing psychiatrist, who also happens to be her lover. She is very good in the role of a woman who’s unable to discern reality from what’s only in her mind. The rest of the cast is filled with recognizable Euro-cult faces like Horst Frank (The Cat o' Nine Tails) in the role of Julie’s missing psychiatrist/lover, Alida Valli (Suspiria) in the role of a woman who owns a seaside villa that holds the key to what Julie is looking for, Sybil Danning (The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) as one of the guests at the villa, and Adolfo Celi (Danger: Diabolik) in the role of a mysterious man who helps Julie in her search for the truth.

Though Eye in the Labyrinth contains many elements associated with the giallo genre, it is not a typical giallo film. The result is a film that is more of a psychological thriller than a black-gloved giallo. The areas where Eye in the Labyrinth holds up well are its cinematography and its picturesque main location, the seaside villa. And though there are an ample number of twists, unfortunately there’s only a minimal amount of tension. Ultimately, Eye in the Labyrinth is a slow-moving psychological thriller whose weak narrative is bookended by its two best scenes.

Eye in the Labyrinth gets a strong audio/video presentation from Code Red.

Written by Michael Den Boer