Laura Mars is a very successful fashion photographer who one day starts to get visions of brutal murders being carried out. Troubled and in fear for her sanity, Laura turns to the police for help. But this only adds to her problems as Detective Neville points out to her that the murder scenes bare similarities to some of her staged photographs. The pair of them must figure it out quickly because the murderer is closing in on Laura and those close to her.

In 1978, John Carpenter thrilled horror fans with his baby sitting terror piece, Halloween. Also released was this mystery/thriller/horror film, written by Carpenter and directed by Irvin Kershner {The Empire Strikes Back}which is a film that has been called anything from innovative to outright rubbish. The truth is that where Halloween is a horror film of no character substance, Eyes Of Laura Mars is a completely different animal. It's bright blending of 70s fashion photography with Carpenter's dastardly tale {tho the final draft was tampered by many}, is a success. This is a psychological thriller first and foremost, yes horror elements are there {it's a done deal with a serial killer on the loose}, but running alongside a clever romantic angle, the film gains an intensity that few other 70s psychological thrillers can boast.

The cast, other than an insipidly hammy Raul Julia, also come out rather well. Faye Dunaway {Mars}, Tommy Lee Jones {Neville}, Brad Dourif {horror staple that he is}and Rene Auberjonois give credit to well formed characters. Technically it's a fine picture as well, Irvin Kershner and his cinematographer Victor J. Kemper excellently utilise the New York City location. Especially during the fashion shoot sequences, where the 70s and its glamour is fully realised. "Innovated" blurred corridor shots to portray Laura's terrible visions are creepy and highly effective, while i would be surprised if anyone doubted the impact of a mirror shot in the glorious finale.

Thought by many to have not aged well, Eyes Of Laura Mars is often consigned to the cupboard marked "dated", that's unfair because good thrillers are good thrillers, regardless of age. Emotionally strong and pulsing with imminent terror, this is a badly undervalued, and forgotten picture. 8/10

The Seventies seemed to be a time for film makers to push the envelope by shocking viewers and challenging mainstream perceptions with stylized treatments of sex and violence. Other movies that come to mind are 1971's "Klute" and 1977's "Looking for Mr. Goodbar". I would even throw 1970's "Joe' into that mix with it's take on free love and nudity. What's kind of funny as I watched the picture today on cable, was that the exposed breasts of women in Laura Mars' photos were uncensored, but the ones on the live models were. What's the point of that?

There's that other element that gets some treatment from the newspaper reporter in the story speculating on whether the gallery photo exhibit has a desensitizing effect on society, and might possibly be the cause of some deranged killer who gets inspired by the titillation of sex and violence together. There are those, primarily in the position of making these pictures, that think that's all hogwash, but why wouldn't a rational person make the same observation. Sometimes bad ideas get their start in a subliminal way.

Anyway, this was a fair enough thriller. Trying to figure out the murderer in a murder mystery can often be a challenging exercise, but this film tried too hard to pin the crimes on Brad Dourif's character, so I had him dismissed right off. That John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones) turned out to be the killer in Laura's visions wasn't a complete surprise, though the picture could have better explored at which point in his life Neville went completely off the rails. The confrontational scene in which Laura realizes in horror that John is a madman was handled well, I was patiently waiting for her to pull the trigger and she didn't let me down. Good job, Laura.

An enjoyable, time-wasting thriller which, if not entirely successful, is still pretty good stuff. Even though most reviews of this film are negative, they fail to mention the fabulous cast, the hilarious dating of the music (sung by Barbara Streisland of all people) and, primarily, of the fashions. This benefits from a strong screenplay by John Carpenter which thankfully never deviates from the story too much, thus staying interesting. Horror fans will be kept entertained by the brief flashes of eyeball violence (always cringe-worthy stuff) and P.O.V. shots from the killer which narrowly predate HALLOWEEN (but of course, are copied from BLACK Christmas) and cleverly break through the "fourth wall" of the camera, thus propelling the viewer into the action - although it's a shame that this second sight is so cloudy and difficult to see through! The film is sufficiently bleak-looking, with the New York locations looking inhuman (hard streets, faceless masses, a mass of industry) and the sets dingy and shadow-filled. Of primary concern are sex and death, which Mars links together in her fashion shoots in a way that would have the BBFC and the moral guardians of the UK seething! Totally lacking in any special effects, this film downplays the supernatural element (which is incidentally never explained or reasoned) in favour of a murder-mystery thriller type plot with copious use of red herrings.

Faye Dunaway is the pale, fragile-looking lead, and being a leading actress of her time, as you would expect she is good and a character to root for. Tommy Lee Jones is rather stony-faced (like in most of his films actually) to start off with but his character loosens up later on. Stealing the show is a manic-eyed Brad Dourif - looking extremely shifty in his brown leather jacket, curly hair and stubble - as the chauffeur. Rene Auberjonois hams for all his worth as a highly camp fashion designer (who even dresses in drag in one scene),and is absolutely hilarious. Also appearing briefly is the late Raul Julia as another shifty suspect.

The twist ending can be seen a mile off, and it's pretty obvious to spot the identity of the real killer. The explanation behind the murders is a bit trite but good for a laugh, and is pulled off thanks to some good acting from the person playing the murderer (no names here I'm afraid!). Although not a brilliant movie by any means, this is better than a lot of low-budget trash being released at the latter end of the '70s, and I say give it a go to all those who may have been put off by the harsh words of the critics. It's a film which can be watched either seriously or humorously and works both ways - personally I enjoyed both.