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Released by: Troma Entertainment
Released on: 5/10/2011
Director: Ron Atkins
Cast: Annie Teal, Lawrence Bucher, Robert Scott Howard, Mikos Zavros
Year: 2005
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The Movie:
Sara is at a crossroads in life. She's in a crap job and her love life is lame. She goes with her friend to a psychic and somehow a curse is put on her. Then her friends start to become the victims of brutal murders. Who's committing the murders? A big dude that just grunts, that's who. At the beginning of the movie, a little boy is locked in a hole in the floorboards and subjected to horrible abuse at the hands of the man of the house. Apparently this abuse has turned him into a serial killer. But why is he stalking Sara's friends?
Sara's world goes into a spiral and she engages in all kinds of behaviors seemingly not typical of her, including group sex and drug use, all the while Detective Lundi is in search for the killer. Will he get to the killer before the killer gets to Sara? Hmm…mayhap…
Eyes of the Chameleon is played pretty straight, staying away from overt attempts at humor and sticking to most of the basics slasher movies follow. And that's a good thing. Seems more aimed at the horror crowd then going for a broader audience. With the little budget it was obviously made on, it puts forth a pretty hefty effort in creating atmosphere and tension. Unfortunately is doesn't achieve said atmosphere and tension. Really it just kind of jumps around and appears to be missing a few things. The filmmakers puts forth the initiative to set up Sara and her descent into darkness but they fail to set her up personally. Hence she's a character that doesn't garner pity from the audience and that right there is a big hurdle the makers never seem to get over.
They do however give the drooling fans what they want: lots of nudity and lots of blood. The killings have a lesser impact than say Friday the 13th, or Cat in the Brain, but they still give up the wet stuff and the boobies are nice. Too bad a horror movie can't rely on just those gimmicks to work, and this one just doesn't work. Even the “twist†ending falls flat because it can be seen 26.2 miles away.
The acting is ok, no one really stands out though. The production values appear to be higher than they actually are, but again, nothing stands out. They throw in some interesting camera angles here and there but it doesn't help the movie at all. The gore effects are pretty basic and none of the kills really inventive, so nothing there stands out either. The filmmakers put forward a valiant effort but the comes across the finish line with a “mehâ€. This one is at the back of the pack. Check it out if you like looking at boobs and blood, but for no other reason.
Video\Audio\Extras:
Presented here by Troma with a 16:9 aspect ratio, non-anamorphic. It's pretty murky and at times looks pretty crummy to be honest. Too much low lighting it would seem. Also, there's trouble with what looks to be interlacing (see image below). The audio is a 2.0 channel Dolby Digital track. It sounds okay, nothing great. The music seems a lot louder than the dialogue, but it's mostly just the bass rumbling from the woofer. No pops and hisses to report. Just mediocre run-of-the-mill.
The DVD cover boasts a commentary track by the director and a slideshow, but neither is on this disc. Instead, choose from 2 minutes and 12 seconds of deleted scenes, the movie's trailer, and Tromatic Extras. Don't know what Tromatic Extras are? Then you've not watched a Troma disc in the last few years. Same recycled stuff as always: Troma T&A, a preview of the Make Your Own Damn Movie boxed set, Transvestite PSA, Net Neutrality PSA, Radiation March, and Troma trailers. Come on, Troma. You can do better than that.
The Final Word:
Hasn't enough been said? You like tits and bloodshed, this might work for you. You like a bit more than that, don't put it at the top of your “watch†list. With a murky image and crap supplemental material, this one may be more trouble than its worth.
