30 September Slashers: Day 9 – EYE SEE YOU

I know I said that I was going to treat you to the film Truth or Dare today but while watching late night t.v. another film happened to catch my EYE(pun intended, you’ll know why later).  Billed as a suspense thriller, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this Sylvester Stallone film was an  honest to God slasher.  With The Expendables kicking ass at the box office, I thought what better way to honor Mr. Balboa himself than to feature this under the radar thriller in 30 September Slashers.  For your viewing pleasure, I now present the 2002 film Eye See You.

Day 9: Rambo vs. Jigsaw……Eye See You

In this film that was originally released under the title D-Tox, we see a down on his luck FBI agent played by Stallone.  He is on the trail of a serial killer who is targeting cops.  After the killings come a little too close to home, Sly goes off the deep end with his drinking and eventually is sent to a detox clinic out in the snow laden wilderness.  This said clinic is specified for recovering law enforcement addicts and was opened by none other than Kris Kristofferson.  Soon it becomes apparent that a killer has infiltrated the facility, slaying staff and cops alike and Sly must find out who it is before it’s too late.

The film itself has a very dark tone and seems very reminiscent of the Saw series.   The kills in the film are impressive with the serial killer drilling out the eyes of his victims.  The body count is high and the tension is so thick at times that you could cut it with a knife.  The snowy backdrop reminds me of The Thing and creates an almost claustrophobic feeling.  This tension creates paranoia and eventually the characters are questioning each other’s actions.

The biggest problem with this film is in some of the characters themselves.  Robert Patrick plays the tough guy cop and tries to act like such a dick that it is beyond belief.  He’s not the only one, the other officers that were sent there are just as bad and come across as caricatures.  Of course there is Sly and Kris Kristofferson, you pretty much know what your going to get with them.  Sly does a great job in this role but I think the film would have actually been more marketable without the action star.  I think his past works have pigeonholed him into being an action star and had the film been released with anyone else, it may have been more successful.

Is this my favorite slasher film, hell no, is it my favorite Stallone film, not a chance but in a day when this genre is plagued by remakes and direct to video garbage, this film is a breath of fresh air.  I hope you watch the film sometime and SEE just what I am talking about(there I go again).  Tomorrow we are going to jump back into the 80’s with the slasher classic The Burning!