Eyes of Fire
Directed by Avery Crounse
On the 18th century frontier, an adulterous preacher and his followers flee to ‘the promised land’ only to enter a valley of lust, madness, pagan vengeance and hallucinatory terror. In 1983, acclaimed photographer Avery Crounse made his debut as writer/director with what is considered to be the seminal American folk horror film. Misunderstood by audiences and mishandled by distributors, it has remained virtually unseen until now.
On the 18th century frontier, an adulterous preacher and his followers flee to ‘the promised land’ only to enter a valley of lust, madness, pagan vengeance and hallucinatory terror.
Cast: Dennis Lipscomb, Guy Boyd, Rebecca Stanley, Sally Klein, Karlene Crockett
Member Reviews
Honestly I love this, whimsical and mystical horror is a necessity for me and this delivered.
Not a perfect movie, but it's still rather enjoyable. Without toning down the color, a trick used frequently today to artificiallly infuse a sense of dread, the filmmakers were successful at creating a sinister atmosphere in the full vibrant color you would expect of the midwest USA in the summertime. Not all, but some of the performances were competent as the characters of Leah, Marion, and Eloise were brought to life on screen, and the character Fanny really draws you into the story nailing all her scenes as a narrator
This is not very good. I appreciate how different this was for its time. I appreciate what the filmmakers were trying to do. But none of it really works. The script is bad. The dialogue is bad. The acting is bad—some of it really bad. It’s not really scary at all. Scenes with potential to be frightening are ruined by cheesy music or cheesy sound effects. There are some cool visuals and some interesting ideas, but that can’t make up for how bad everything else it.
Just dumb.
One reviewer below described this as “a 1980’s version of The Witch”, but it’s clear after watching that The Witch is a “2010’s version of Eyes of Fire.” The influence could not be more apparent. Unlike The Witch, it’s not a perfect film, but an essential for understanding the roots of forest-pagan horror.