Eye of the Devil Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Eye of the Devil Blu-ray Movie Review

ARROW'D!

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 12, 2021

J. Lee Thompson's Eye of the Devil (AKA 13, its designation on the closing credits of this Blu-ray), is a weirdly-edited but occasionally captivating slice of supernatural suspense notable for being the big-screen debut of Sharon Tate. It's got mystery in spades and largely unfolds from the perspective of poor Catherine de Montfaucon (Deborah Kerr), whose husband Philippe (David Niven) has just left their home in Paris for his inherited estate of Bellac, a picturesque castle overlooking Bordeaux in the countryside. The reason, Philippe claims, is because his castle vineyards haven't borne fruit in three years... but Catherine feels that something's not right about his sudden and lengthy departure, so she packs up young Jacques (Robert Duncan) and Antoinette (Suky Appleby) for an impromptu 600km investigation.

Apologies for sounding like a clickbait headline, but what happens next will shock you. Not yet, of course: all Catherine finds at first are two creepy siblings that live on the property, Odile (Tate) and Christian (David Hemmings), the latter of whom has a habit of shooting doves out of the sky with his bow and arrow. Philippe’s aunt Estelle (Flora Robson), who also lives there, likewise gives Catherine a rather chilly reception. Either way, her husband is still nowhere to be found but returns after Catherine witnesses a strange ceremony in one of the castle's towers involving hooded men, a dead dove, the creepy sibs, and a symbol that looks an awful lot like an amulet given to Philippe by local priest Father Dominic (Donald Pleasance). Strange things are afoot at castle Bellac, and they won't be dismissed easily.

Yet they are, and for far too long. That's my main objection to Eye of the Devil, which follows dim Catherine through a series of spooky interactions and even near-death scenarios... some of which involve her kids, including mischief on the castle parapets that almost plays out like a fever dream. She simply sticks around for waaay too long, and nothing (not her loyalty to Philippe, not morbid curiosity, nothing) seems like a good enough explanation for it. This chink in the armor is compounded by the film's initial mystery, which holds up well enough for the first half but eventually fizzles out a little and brings with it the nagging realization that the ending won't live up to any reasonable expectations. Yet it kind of does anyway, with a light "stinger" of a conclusion that implies its spooky embers haven't been extinguished. Its parts are capable... but as a whole, Eye of the Devil is barely above average and nothing more, with its visual strengths (bolstered by the production design, as castle Bellac is one hell of a backdrop) easily outpacing the oddball editing, which is fitfully creative but carries with it some of the sloppiest scene transitions in recent memory.

Still, Eye of the Devil has its charms not limited to the terrific cinematography, engaging performances, initial mystery, and of course the appearance of lovely Sharon Tate, who acquits herself well enough here. Even though it can't help but crumble under its own weight, those with a fondness for this era in filmmaking will find it worth a watch and may even be more receptive to its charms. Warner Archive tips the scales in its favor as usual, entirely due to yet another top-tier restoration sourced from original film elements. Even though its bonus features are basically nil and the audio mix falls short of greatness, this is still the film's best showing on home video to date by a wide margin.

Eye of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Eye of the Devil's haunting cinematography is served well on this new 1080p transfer from Warner Archive, the result of a recent 4K scan of original film elements that reveals stunning details in and around castle Bellac's haunted grounds. A full range of bright whites, silvery grays, and deep blacks is present with excellent contrast levels, respectable shadow detail, and plenty of depth during exterior scenes, especially those shot in the daytime. Even the castle's most dimly-lit interiors fare well, thanks to Eye of the Devil's creative lighting and well-framed compositions, such as the staircase scene during the film's memorable climax. Only the opening sequence, a hazy trip through nighttime Paris, suffers from softness, but it's likely due to either a source material issue or just a variance in the elements used for this restoration. Either way, there's a lot to appreciate here and the disc itself is, as usual, nicely encoded with no obvious compression artifacts or instances of banding, black crush, or blooming. Those familiar with Warner Archive's output should know what to expect here, and even then might still be surprised with how good it looks.

Eye of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sadly, the same can't be said for Eye of the Devil's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, which sounds reasonably fine within expectations for a 55 year-old mono track but suffers from some distracting sibilance issues and a muffled distortion that renders much of its dialogue flat and lifeless, especially during louder moments. Although I had no problems following the story, let's just say that the optional English (SDH) subtitles were put to good use. Whatever the reason for this shortcoming -- age related wear-and-tear, original recording problems -- I'll still give Warner Archive the benefit of the doubt, as they have no record of A/V quality control issues during their largely spotless output of classic catalog titles. But I can't score this any higher than a 3/5 either way: despite relatively crisp music, background effects, and an overall pleasing dynamic range, those nagging issues with the dialogue are too noticeable to ignore.

Eye of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with original poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts. Much like Warner Archive's own 2011 DVD edition (its first and only release on that format), extras are sadly limited.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:32) - This memorable piece can also be seen here, albeit in poor condition.

Eye of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

J. Lee Thompson's Eye of the Devil is an intriguing slice of supernatural suspense that can't quite measure up to its lofty ambitions. He's made more satisfying films, both in this genre (the original Cape Fear) and others (The Guns of Navarone), Nonetheless, Eye of the Devil's atmosphere and location footage are quite good, performances are game (including Sharon Tate in her big-screen debut), and it serves up a handful of admittedly good scares. Even so, it falters in the home stretch but may still appeal greatly to fans of this particular filmmaking era. Warner Archive's new Blu-ray serves up another outstanding restoration, although the same can't be said for its audio track and lack of supplements. It's still well worth picking up for established fans, but newcomers may want to try before they buy.