Movie Review: Julia's Eyes

H.P. Lovecraft said that the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. Guillermo Del Toro explores his theory in the Spanish-made movie Julia's Eyes. Julia's Eyes tells the story of Julia Levin (Belén Rueda) as she investigates the untimely death of her twin sister, Sara. The police insist that Sara's death was suicide, but Julia isn't buying it. Though Sara suffered from a degenerative eye disease, she was awaiting surgery that might have given her back her sight. Julia, who suffers from the same disease, doesn't believe her sister would have killed herself when she was so close to regaining her vision. More than that, the song Sara had playing on her stereo before she hanged herself was one she absolutely hated. No, Julia suspects someone else was there. That Sara was actually murdered.

Considering the film is nearly two hours long, you've probably guessed that there's some truth to Julia's suspicions. Yes. It isn't long before she finds herself being watched from the shadows. Someone is following her. And worst of all, the stress is only speeding her vision loss. As her stalker gets closer and closer, her vision gets worse and worse.

The fact that the protagonist is gradually going blind was one of the biggest selling points for me. Viewers often get to see things from Julia's perspective, during which even brightly lit rooms provide plenty of scares. And it doesn't feel gimmicky. Thank God, the entire film isn't from that perspective. But those momentary glimpses are enough to make us feel as helpless as Julia. Not that seeing clearly helps much, either. Julia's stalker has an uncanny ability to remain unseen. So much so that one character calls him an "Invisible Man."

Whatever you do. Don't. Blink.

The biggest issue I had with the film was that the mystery wasn't all that complex. It doesn't take long to figure out what's going on, even with the occasional red herring tossed in. But that doesn't make things any less horrifying. No, no, be assured, this movie is terrifying from start to finish. Sometimes subtle in its creepiness, sometimes extremely brutal. (Remember the guy in Pan's Labyrinth who gets his face smashed in? That brutal) I can't express this point enough: This movie gave me chills.

Be warned, this movie includes a few extremely violent/disturbing scenes that almost seem to pay bloody homage to Italian horror film great, Dario Argento. If you love Italian horror, no problem, if you have a weak stomach or are prone to nightmares, you might want to give this one a pass. Other than that, there's an awkward scene filled with a bunch of old, naked, blind ladies. . .again, weak stomach, pass.

Overall Score: 4 out of 5