Vinegar Syndrome is a US based distributor known for their bespoke restoration releases of classic genre films. Now the organisation has expanded into the realm of film production with Eight Eyes marking their feature debut. Co-written by Matthew Frink and Austin Jennings, Eight Eyes is exactly as weird, wild, and bloody as a viewer would hope for from the boutique label.
Filmed in Serbia on a variety of 16mm and Super8 cameras, Eight Eyes charts the perilous vacation of married couple Cass (Emily Sweet) and Gav (Bradford Thomas). On a late honeymoon, the pair are trying to fix some cracks that have begun to form in their relationship. The trip is meant to create memories that last a lifetime, and the pair get exactly that, but for the wrong reasons.
Early into their visit they cross paths with the self-proclaimed Saint Peter (Bruno Veljanovski). Peter is brash and overly friendly, and insists he become their personal tour guide. It doesn’t take the most horror savvy of viewers to understand that this is a big mistake. Jennings however, spends a long time teasing the audience with exactly why Cass and Gav have made a mistake. There is a lot of misdirection at play, with opportunities for violence skirted at the last minute, and intense moments linked to the most innocent of happenings springing up from nowhere. The ever-morphing perceived intentions of Peter make the viewer uneasy, but the truth is beyond their wildest nightmares.
The use of older cameras ensures that Eight Eyes fits in with films already in the Vinegar Syndrome catalogue. Despite being freshly made, the unsuspecting viewer could almost be tricked into thinking Eight Eyes had wandered straight out of the seventies. The inclusion of Internet cafes and mobile phones means that this is of course a modern setting. The blend of old and new world disorientates the viewer. This disorientation gradually grows until the sensation is so overpowering that Eight Eyes almost induces a fugue state. The addition of some psychedelic visuals push this state further, the viewer finding themselves in a trance that they can’t snap out of.
With Eight Eyes forever pushing forward and switching up locations, it is Cass who is the audience’s constant. Her journey is an interesting one to see develop, going from party crasher to potential final girl in the space of a couple of days; Cass has bundles of resilience. Sweet is very good in the role, delivering a very naturalistic performance that gives the viewer the sensation they are watching something that they shouldn’t. The gritty and grainy realness of the film image blurs the line between reality and fiction. Eight Eyes’ potency and eventual viciousness conjures thoughts of snuff movies. It’s a very uncomfortable sensation, but one that sells Jennings’ story perfectly.
A strange and surreal film, Eight Eyes is grim, grimy, gory and oddly gratifying. Certainly a movie for those of a hardened disposition, Eight Eyes marks a great first feature for Vinegar Syndrome.
Eight Eyes
Summary
A joyful holiday in the sun quickly descends into Hell in Austin Jenning’s beautifully shot slice of graphic surrealism.
Eight Eyes was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2023.
