Last year French filmmaker Alexis Bruchon debuted The Woman with Leopard Shoes at Glasgow FrightFest. Now, just over a year later, he returns to FrightFest with his follow-up, The Eyes Below. The second part in a proposed trilogy, The Eyes Below sees a reporter who is investigating the events of the first film, suffer a very sleepless night at the hands of a demonic being.
An illustrator by trade, Bruchon’s work is highly stylised. His visuals play into the aesthetics of the fifties and sixties, conjuring up the sensation of stepping into an old-fashioned film noir. Whereas his debut was striking monochrome, for The Eyes Below, Bruchon experiments with colour. Careful not to venture into psychedelic territory, Bruchon has carefully picked a select few colours for this new story. The black and white of the first film transitions into blue hues, fiery red, oranges, and shadowy blacks. This limited colour palette creates the ideal setting for this new tale to unfold within. Set almost exclusively in the twilight hours, these colours capture the feeling of night closing in.
Darkness plays a key part in both the story and cinematography. This time the plot follows a more traditional horror path. Writer Eugéne (Vinicius Coelho) settles in for the night but finds himself the target of a demon. Before the demon fully unveils itself, Bruchon introduces the being via visual flashes. The kind of little glimpses that distort clothing and chairs into something more sinister under the cloak of night. Here there is something malevolent lurking, and as Eugéne’s room grows darker, more shadows and places for the demon to hide materialise. The demon itself is oily black; its ability to morph into the surroundings and appear anywhere is enough to keep anyone on edge.
Once the creepy setting has been established, there are some clever sequences that play on the phenomena of sleep paralysis. These moments are horribly creepy and fully assert The Eyes Below as being firmly horror. As The Eyes Below progresses, there are sequences with some excellent shadow play that captures attention.Then there is a bold and colourful split-screen, one half blue, the other red, that ties in with the colour scheme whilst also presenting something unexpected. Another strong moment is surreal enough that one could be forgiven for thinking that Michel Gondry turned up on set to direct a scene. And those that enjoyed the almost exclusive shots of shoes in Bruchon’s first film, can rest easy as there are plenty of foot shots on display too.
A technique that Bruchon does replicate from his former work is his underuse of dialogue. Just like The Woman with Leopard Shoes, much of The Eyes Below is set only to music, with no dialogue to be heard. Most modern audiences are so accustomed to a mixture of audio and dialogue that it can take a little while to adjust to the lack of spoken words. With Eugéne devoid of speech, it helps perpetuate the sensation of the film being a waking nightmare. A common trait when having a bad dream is the inability to speak, and by rendering Eugéne mute, it makes the viewing experience fractionally more intense. Eugéne may be silent, but the score communicates his terror superbly. Whilst still primarily jazzy in nature, the score this time around also features some heart-grabbing strings. Their inclusion conjures up memories of James Wan’s Insidious and heightens the sense of dread.
Whilst The Woman with Leopard Shoes took some time to warm-up to Bruchon’s storytelling structure, The Eyes Below is more accessible. Those familiar with the other project will already have an idea of what to expect and so Bruchon and the viewer can jump right in. With the final part of Bruchon’s proposed trilogy due out next year, The Eyes Below is a sturdy middle film. Whereas The Woman with Leopard Shoes was light on horror elements, The Eyes Below throws the door to terror wide open. One can only hope that the final instalment pushes these elements further still. Another sophisticated and beautifully designed film, The Eyes Below will torment and tantalise in equal measure.
The Eyes Below
Summary
A surreal waking nightmare from start to end, The Eyes Below is a haunting portrayal of one man’s horrifying ordeal.
The Eyes Below was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest 2022.
