Review by John Delia
You really have to be a film buff of the seventies to enjoy this sinister B movie. Loaded with old style filming, special effects and stunts, Death Has Blue Eyes brings back a good measure of nostalgia. The film is the visionary of cult director Nico Mastorakis’s and his first debut for the screen. This one is mainly a collector’s item to add to your personal time capsule, but if softcore sex and a wicked plot are of interest this little ditty has both. The Blu-ray is loaded with bonus material and offers two screen size versions.
Ches Gilford (Chris Nomikos) meets his best friend Bob Kovalski (Peter Winter) at the airport in Athens for a long awaited vacation together. While at the airport Bob, also a thief, steals the identity of business man Fred Keeling in the restroom. Later while having a quick bite at their hotel Bob meets the wealthy Geraldine Steinwetz (Jessica Dublin) and her sultry daughter Christine (Maria Aliferi). The chance meetings leads to a relationship that will change all their lives, including the guy in the john.
Director Nico Mastorakis keeps his film moving at a fast pace as Bob and Christine hook up and Chess finds himself in a scheme with Geraldine involving telepathy, government politics, assassination attempts and a twist or two. He treats his audience to some very cool locations in Greece while carrying out the plot. I do like his slow burn of keeping the characters active with the girls, but at the same time involved in the mystery. His old school of special effects does tend to make it a bit laughable, but it’s all in fun. And then there’s Kaye and Maria for some extra eye candy.
Bonus Materials:
Brand new restoration from the original camera negative approved by the director
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Two versions of the film: the widescreen 1.85:1 version and the full-frame 1.33:1 version
Original mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Exclusive new interview featurette with Nico Mastorakis
Exclusive new interview with actress Maria Aliferi
Dancing with Death: tracks from the Death Has Blue Eyes original soundtrack
Original theatrical trailers
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Julian Grainger
I’m not a big fan of the film, but as cult films go this one is definitely in the mix. Now available on Blu-ray the remastering gives the film a brighter look, but does dilutes a bit of the camp for which cult films are known.
Death Has Blue Eyes has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains explicit nudity, soft core sex, violence, and language. The film will be available anywhere you buy Blu-ray’s and DVD’s.
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Chris Nomikos, Peter Winter, Jessica Dublin, Maria Aliferi
Directed by: Nico Mastorakis
Genre: Action Adventure
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains graphic sex/nudity, language, violence
Running Time: 1 hr. 17 min.
Video Release Date: April 6, 2021
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Subtitles: English
Distributed by: Arrow Video
Released first time on: Blu-ray