The Eye of Menw
For those who seek out the dark eye...
With her relationship on the verge of becoming serious, Victoria (Giovanna Galdi) comes home to find an unexpected gift in the form of a black box containing a skull. Not surprisingly, she is less than thrilled at receiving such a gift and wants nothing to do with it. But this is no ordinary skull.
After experiencing some indications of the skull’s unnatural nature, however, Victoria finally gives in and takes the skull from its box. The skull is, of course, the Eye of Menw and it will grant knowledge of the future to the pure hearted. So Victoria asks about her own future…
With The Eye of Menw writer/director, Charles A. Christman III has set out to make a film that harks back to the horror films of the 1930s and 40s. And he has succeeded spectacularly.
Although the setting is clearly modern, the film is shot in black and white and the beautifully crisp cinematography on display really does capture a very classic feel. This is a film that relies on glimpses of the things that might lurk in the shadows and hints of horrors unseen.
It’s also a film that manages to generate a genuinely chilling atmosphere that thoroughly permeates every aspect of the steadily unfolding events.
The film is very centred around the character of Victoria – indeed, for much of the film she is the only person on the screen. Obviously, this means that a lot depends on Giovanna Galdi’s performance, and she acquits herself superbly.
You really do get a sense of who Victoria is and, not only does she manage to remain utterly believable throughout but Galdi also manages to bring a real sense of empathy to her character. And it’s this outstanding performance that really does carry the film.
Far too often these days filmmakers can rely far too heavily on gore and special effects for their, so it’s nice to encounter someone with the confidence to depend instead on a strong script and a convincing lead performance. And when the result is as spine-tinglingly good as The Eye of Menw, I really can’t recommend it strongly enough.
Saturday 26 Jul 2008 | Paul Pritchard | Horror
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