Director – Bo Arne Vibenius (Hur Marie Traffade Fedrick, Breaking Point)
Starring – Christina Lindberg (Diary of a Rape, Maid in Sweden), Heinz Hopf (Mask of Murder, The Hired Gun), and Despina Tomazani (Shadow of the Earth, Barbecue Them!)
Release Date – 1973
Rating – 4/5
Blu Release – 4/5
Many moons ago I joined the message boards on Upcoming Horror Movies as a way to discover horror movies that I would have missed out on otherwise. One of the rooms on UHM was for exploitation and considering how much I loved blaxploitation I decided to dive in to see what else I was missing. One film that immediately jumped out to me was 1973’s Thriller: A Cruel Picture aka They Call Her One Eye. Before long I had snagged the film on DVD and checked it out.
It was not what I was expecting and everything I wanted it to be. Since then I’ve learned a lot about exploitation in general and would consider this to be poster child for exploitation cinema. It’s a fantastic film that I recommend to anyone that loved cult cinema or rape revenge flicks. Sometime back Synapse Films announced the release of the film on blu and sometime later MVD was kind enough to send a copy my way. Like always I want to thank MVD and Synapse for hooking me up!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows Madeline (Lindberg) who is mute after an old creep tries to sexually abuse her when she was a child. During her teenage years she is kidnapped by a stranger after he offers her a ride. Her gets her addicted to heroine so she will work for him as a prostitute and after a struggle with a John she has her eye removed as punishment. Over time she discovered that the man that kidnapped her has been mailing her parents nasty letters which upsets them greatly. So bad in fact, they kill themselves. This triggers Madeline and she begins training for her revenge again him and the others he worked with. **Spoiler Alert**
They Call Her One Eye is everything you expect from an exploitation film. It’s sleazy, brutal, and holds nothing back. Honestly, this is one of the most violent and vile exploitation films I’ve witnessed and when you mix that with un-simulated sex scenes you are given something you will never forget.
The acting in this one is not the best but it works for the film. Lindberg is the highlight of the film. She does an amazing job and you really feel for her with everything she goes through. Her stone cold stare works for viewers and her dedication to the role makes the film what it is. I couldn’t imagine this film working if anyone else was in the role. The supporting cast is solid but they don’t hold the screen or your attention like Lindberg does.
The story for this one is rape revenge at it’s finest but we have a lot of character development and build up that works in it’s favor. The film is a little longer than most but it doesn’t feel like it’s wasting your time. Every scene feels like it works and progresses the story instead of feeling like filler.
Finally, the film has a lot of blood and boobs. Most of the kills are done by gunshot but the film makes good use of the scene slowing the kills down for the viewer to enjoy. It’s not a gory flick but the blood, gunshot deaths, and nudity is enough to make the film unforgettable. Overall, They Call Her One Eye is a film that has to be seen to be believed. It’s shocking, sleazy, and timeless. This release from Synapse is perfect for collectors. Check it out.
Special Features:
Uncut and uncensored high definition 1080p (1.66:1) presentation
Original Swedish language version with newly translated removable English subtitles
Alternate English dub soundtrack with newly translated removable English subtitles
Multiple still galleries including rare behind-the-scenes images and nude photos of Christina Lindberg on set
Theatrical trailers and TV spot
Outtakes
Alternate Harbor Fight Sequence
THRILLER: A Cruel Lab Mistake-Rare photos from an unused fight sequence ruined by the film lab during production
THRILLER: The Story in Pictures
Reversible cover art from Wes Benscoter
