Mention Mia Farrow's name to horror fans and most of them will instantly (and understandably) think of Polanski's classic, Rosemary's Baby; my immediate thought, however, would be of Blind Terror, a lesser known thriller in which Ms. Farrow plays Sarah, a blind girl whose relatives become the target of a psycho killer after her uncle accidentally splashes the loony's precious cowboy boots. I first saw this film at a rather tender age and its macabre concept, senseless killing and shocking images have haunted me ever since.

Directed by Richard Fleischer, Blind Terror opens with our nutter leaving a cinema (having caught the amazing sounding double-bill of 'The Convent Murders' and 'Rapist Cult'). He then passes a newspaper stand displaying horrific headlines, a store with a display of toy guns, and a TV shop showing a bloodthirsty film; violence, it seems, is all around us, although often we choose not to see it. Poor blind Sarah, on the other hand, doesn't have much of a choice: after the soggy-footed psycho pays a visit to her Uncle's farmhouse (whilst she is out with her boyfriend),she returns home, and prepares for bed, all the while blissfully unaware that the bloody corpses of her nearest and dearest lay all around her.

Only when Sarah eventually tries to get into her bath does she realise that something is terribly wrong—because that's where her uncle's lifeless body has been dumped! Meanwhile, the killer discovers that he has left behind a vital clue that could reveal his identity, and returns to the farmhouse to find it...

Fleischer's deliberately paced and carefully considered direction (which makes brilliant use of imaginative camera angles and cleverly framed shots),combined with excellent cinematography from Gerry Fisher and a completely convincing central performance from Farrow, ensure that this film is a success despite a few rather contrived moments in an otherwise well-crafted script by Brian Clemens (a case of mistaken identity at the end of the film is rather far-fetched, and the fact that Sandy, Sarah's pretty cousin, would date a 'diddycoy' is also difficult to swallow).

Atmospheric, suspenseful, and packed with nerve-shredding moments, Blind Terror is an under-rated slice of 70s British cinema that, although not perfect, is still well worth seeking out.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

"Rosemary's Baby", "Secret Ceremony", TV's "Peyton Place", not to mention being the youngest Mrs. Frank Sinatra ever. By 1970, Pharaoh had proven herself Adept at playing troubled young women who were either blinded by love or genuinely blinded as in the case of this British thriller. She's quite convincing as a young woman who lost her sight in a horse accident, and after her parents are mysteriously killed, she goes to live with her aunt and uncle and ends up out in the country where she is stalked by a psychopath intent on finishing her off for some unknown reason.

This film truly is troubling in many ways because certainly your sympathy is with her, but the situation is more than just horrific. It is downright call Blaine to watch and get through without wanting to go on to something a little less depressing. The film also has several long periods that are very slow-moving where nothing really happens, and then you get to the point where it's easy to give up when everything does begin to happen.

It seems like her family has abandoned her in the country, and she is tortured by the unseen culprit. Nothing shown but a pair of boots. She walks barefoot through the country house that has been covered in broken glass, and then she ends up out in the field where she falls down a hill, gets muddy, tries to find her way somewhere that she can get help, and miraculously ends up back in the house where the killer is ready to strike. Films like this and "Wait Until Dark" truly are often to get into because the heroine has no idea of what is around them, why they are being stalked and they only psychologically know that they are in danger. Certainly, it becomes very intense, but sometimes the tension just gets a bit too much. Sarah does a good job however, so she comes out of it unscathed. This just isn't a film that I would be revisiting a second time.

Tense and original - these words should be music to the ears of any horror fan. Thankfully, both can be applied to this intriguing little thriller, which unlike most films of the period, is a contemporary story of murder and psychological torment. The film benefits from a number of things, not least of which is Mia Farrow's excellent performance in the lead role as a blind girl who becomes the victim of a psychopath. Farrow (later putting an another effective performance in the spooky chiller THE HAUNTING OF JULIA) has all the tics and mannerisms of a blind person down to a tee, and on top of that she's a charismatic actress too.

The supporting cast is made up of British television actors, indeed almost every face in the cast was on television in the '70s at some point. You might notice Christopher Matthews from SCARS OF Dracula with a dubbed country accent and a young Michael Elphick sporting a beard and playing a gypsy! Although there is absolutely no violence in the film, there are some nasty-looking corpses with wounds and blood all over them, and some really scary moments where they suddenly pop up out of the blue. Plus, the film has plenty of creepy moments as Farrow walks around the house and we spot dead people in the background, or foreground in one instance. The fact that we know there's a murderer about and Farrow is blissfully unaware of what's happened makes this all the more riveting. These slow-burning scenes build up to some moments of extreme fright.

The only flaw would be a rushed ending in which everything happens too quickly to have any real impact. After the slow build-up to this, you would have thought it would have been more exciting. The twist ending is a good one, but again it's bungled leaving the viewer puzzled instead of wowed (as an example of a "wow!" twist, check out THE SIXTH SENSE).