Terror Eyes (2021) Review – A Cringey and Amateurish Found Footage Fumble
Terror Eyes: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A catastrophic failure of found footage filmmaking that manages to be both irritatingly manic and incredibly boring. Terror Eyes fails to provide even a shred of the “techno-indie” tension it aims for, resulting in a derivative mess that relies on every “dark web” cliché in the book. The film is plagued by nauseating camera work, amateurish acting, and a script that insults the intelligence of the viewer with unnecessary exposition and redundant scenes. While it tries to capture the zeitgeist of 2020s social media horror, it feels more like a cringeworthy parody written by someone who has never actually used the internet. It is a 1.5 star disaster that offers no scares, no likable characters, and no reason to keep watching past the first ten minutes. Save your eyesight and skip this amateurish fumble entirely.
Details: Director: Delaney Mundy | Cast: Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Ayla Kell, Matt Perfetuo, Lisseth Chavez | Runtime: 1h 21m | Release Date: 8 June 2021
Best for: People looking for a “what not to do” guide for found footage filmmaking and those with an exceptionally high tolerance for “shaky-cam” cinematography.
Worth noting: Despite its low quality, the film features Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, a veteran of indie horror and wife of 80s icon Michael Biehn, though her role is disappointingly brief.
Where to Watch: Amazon🛒, Tubi, Vudu
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
(Nauseating camerawork, unlikable characters, and a ruthlessly predictable plot.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today I will be reviewing social media themed, found footage horror movie Terror Eyes from 2021.
Highlights
A really simple plot
In summary, this movie follows a group of friends who are heading to the Joshua Tree festival, only to find themselves the victims of harassment by a greaser (yes, really) and his douche friend. Is it just random violence or could the cause be something a little closer to home?
So you probably already know what to expect here. Friends constantly posting to social media, a heavy focus on the dark web and sites that promote shocking videos, a romance sub-plot, voyeurism, and a bunch of footage shot from a mix of cameras, phones, security surveillance and other such devices.
It’s a tried and tested formula that has been done to death. When approached with care and a distinct directive to shock, it can work well. When handled poorly, it can be one of the worst types of horror movie in the entire genre. What could go wrong, right?
Actually, a hell of a lot
Terror Eyes is a very specific kind of bad, a kind of bad that makes you wish that we could vet people before we sell them video cameras and give them access to editing equipment. It really is that awful. It’s almost difficult to explain.
“Terror Eyes is a very specific kind of bad; the kind that makes you wish we could vet people before we sell them video cameras and give them access to editing equipment.”
Terror Eyes tries to have a bit of a techno indie horror vibe, if you get my drift. It is highly stylised and full of ‘tude, a little bit like the original V/H/S but with a more 2020s twist. The thing is, none of it works. It feels hokey, low budget, incredibly cheap, and rather pandering.
The issue that hits straight away is the quality. This feels DIY and not in a charming way. It’s rough around the edges, poorly acted, and stinks of a lack of care. Sets feel poorly thought out for filming purposes, the cast is ill fitting for a horror, and what little hope there is falls apart instantly. The story is massively derivative, too. Just the words “dark web” make me shudder. It’s an immediate red flag that a movie is going to suck.
Absolutely no intrigue and ruthlessly predictable
Terror Eyes is predictable from the very get go. Despite that, the movie dumps out tons of exposition throughout its run time, even when it absolutely isn’t needed. This is of particular note when things hit something of a climax. You don’t need the big reveal, you blew your load over 45 minutes ago. We’ve already cleaned up, rolled over, and went to sleep.
“The poor direction and haphazard editing leads to us watching the same scenes multiple times. It feels unnecessary and reckless with the viewer’s time.”
It’s bizarre stuff and makes for a messy film. The poor direction and haphazard editing leads to us watching the same scenes multiple times, only with very slight changes. It feels unnecessary and reckless with the viewer’s time. What makes it worse is these moments are sandwiched between long periods of boring nothingness.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the cast were good. Instead, the characters are completely unlikable and spending any excess time with them is an utter chore. The fact that the story sees us stuck in the car with them for long periods is extremely annoying. Don’t even get me started on the horrible karaoke scene.
Another big problem is that the things that happen here just don’t feel that significant or threatening. The revelations that come as the movie goes on, don’t feel important or surprising. On top of that, who cares? These characters are pricks so fuck ’em. Their farcical decision making is what lands them in trouble. Not one of them has an ounce of self preservation and they continually do the wrong thing.
A really tough watch
This is one of those movies that really smacks of someone in their thirties attempting to market to kids. And I say that as someone who grew up in the 90s. There is a distinct feeling of chaos, with scenes fluttering around manically without any real rhyme or reason. Constant buzz words and references to the dark web litter every other shot.
Shocking videos occasionally play out hinting at the seedy underbelly of the internet. All while an absolute idiot of a character repeatedly makes you cringe with his “how do you do fellow kids” aesthetic style and verbiage. It’s almost like a parody but I am fairly sure it is supposed to be serious.
On the technical front, direction here is terrible. Shots move around from character to character like the camera was mounted on a human sized bobble head. It’s nauseating for much of the movie. As mentioned above, continuity is a big issue. If you can’t elaborate on what is taking place without presenting the exact same scenes from a slightly different angle, don’t bother doing it. It doesn’t work in High Tension and it doesn’t work here. Frequent cutaways to another redundant character don’t help.
“Direction here is terrible. Shots move around like the camera was mounted on a human-sized bobblehead. It is nauseating for much of the movie.”
Acting is pretty awful throughout. I can’t point to a single character as standing out in a good way. Jennifer Blanc-Biehn is criminally underused; another sign that this movie huffs farts. Ayla Kell, as Lisa, seems to have more confidence and experience than the other actors but the script frequently lets her down.
Matt Perfetuo, as Mike, is particularly bad. He provokes a feeling that they dragged him in off the street and made him read cue cards under the threat of being shot. It’s all just incredibly amateurish. From direction to editing to almost every single acting performance, this movie feels like it was made to bait negative comments on YouTube.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Ayla Kell: The only actor who seems to have any screen presence or professional experience, though she is severely hampered by the script.
- Brief Runtime: At just over 80 minutes, the suffering is relatively short-lived compared to other indie horror slogs.
The Bad
- Nauseating Camera: The shaky-cam is so extreme that it becomes physically difficult to watch, lacking any of the artistry found in better found footage.
- Predictable Plot: The “twists” are visible from a mile away, yet the movie insists on dumping exposition as if they were masterfully hidden.
- Cringeworthy Dialogue: The attempts at “youthful” verbiage feel incredibly forced and out of touch.
The Ugly: The Repeated Scenes. A desperate attempt to stretch the runtime by showing the same footage multiple times from slightly different angles, adding zero value to the story.
Should You Watch Terror Eyes?
No. It is a 1.5 star waste of time that fails to justify its existence in a crowded genre. If you want social media horror, watch Deadstream or Spree instead. Terror Eyes is a poorly acted, technically inept mess that will only leave you with a headache and a sense of regret for the time lost. It is truly bottom-of-the-barrel filmmaking.
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