Julia's Eyes (Blu-ray)

Arriving with Guillermo Del Toro’s stamp of approval (he produced it), Guillem Morales’ killer thriller is a sometimes creepy, sometimes jumpy effort from the Spanish director. That said, anyone expecting another The Orphanage (also produced by Del Toro and starring Belen Rueda), will be sorely disappointed.

When her twin sister commits suicide under mysterious circumstances, Julia (Rueda), who is suffering from the same degenerative eye disease as her twin, becomes obsessed with finding out the truth about her sibling’s death. Delving deeper into the mysterious case, Julia becomes ever more convinced that her sister’s suicide was in fact murder, and when a mysterious stranger begins to shadow her every move, Julia starts to realise that her own life may be in danger.

Julia’s Eyes doesn’t mess about and gets straight down to business with a frantic pace that rarely lets up and a barrage of jumps, shocks and twists that should keep the audience on the edge of their seat for the most part. Unfortunately, with a few too many drawn-out scenes, some questionable plot developments and a truly daft ending, Julia’s Eyes falters one too many times for it to be considered an all-out winner. Indeed, while the film strives for Hitchcock, it instead mirrors early Argento absurdity, which doesn’t feel intentional and doesn’t quite sit right with the otherwise sombre tone and Belen Rueda’s intense performance.

While the Blu-ray soundtrack helps to build a truly unsettling soundtrack in places, the visuals struggle now and again during the dark scenes (of which there are many) when detail and clarity are lost. It’s a crisp and sharp picture for the most part though, with 46-year-old scorcher Rueda looking as radiant as ever in hi-def.

Overall Verdict: Creepy, unsettling, absurd and altogether daft: it’s a mixed bag to say the least.

Special Features:
Interview with Guillermo Del Toro
Interview with Guillem Morales
Interview with Belén Rueda
Interview with Lluís Homar
B-Roll

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths