Friday, March 8, 2024

EYES OF FIRE (1983) - A FOLK HORROR GEM

EYES OF FIRE (1983) d. Avery Crounse (USA)




When celebrated photographer Avery Crounse set out to make his feature film debut, he didn’t opt for the simple route of an escaped psycho wielding a butcher knife like so many of his early ‘80s contemporaries. Eyes of Fire (1983) is instead an epic venture into the realm of magical realism, following a pair of families in 1750 on the run from their Puritanical community’s torches and pitchforks. As they escape into the wilds of the American Frontier, they encounter not only justifiably hostile Native Americans defending their territory, but also tree demons and tortured spirits bent on taking their lives, stealing their souls, or worse.

Crounse’s visual eye is stunning, capturing the struggle between Man and Nature in bold relief, with breathtakingly beautiful tableaus trading beats with ambitious and creative practical effects. Eyes of Fire is a testament to artistic vision realized on a tiny budget, and, after years of obscurity, is thankfully enjoying a renewed wave of awareness, thanks to its inclusion in Severin’s outstanding folk horror box set, All The Haunts Be Ours.


Join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Aaron AuBuchon, S.A. Bradley, Alan Tromp, John McDevitt) as they celebrate this hidden gem, now revealed to a new generation of adventurous genre fans looking for something outside the proverbial box.















**If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the H101wDrAC channel - you won't want to miss what we have coming up next!**


Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!


.

No comments:

Post a Comment