Intro:"Two Evil Eyes" is a 1990 horror anthology movie consisted of two unique segments directed by two masters of scary, George A. Romero and Dario Argento. The motion picture is loosely based on 2 short stories by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, "The Realities in the Case of M. Valdemar" and "The Black Feline". The movie's narrative merges the horror genre with aspects of criminal activity and psychological thriller.
First Segment: The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar:Helmed by Romero, the very first sector is a modern-day interpretation of Poe's "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". Jessica Valdemar, played by Adrienne Barbeau, manipulates her passing away partner Ernest Valdemar (Bingo O'Malley) and his doctor Robert Hoffman (Ramy Zada) into bequeathing her his estate. To lengthen the procedure, they use hypnotherapy, trapping Valdemar in a ghostly, semi-conscious state in between life and death.
The men's manipulation backfires when they find that this hypnotic, in-between state allows Valdemar to interact with the afterlife. He is possessed by cruel spirits who torment him for disturbing their peace. The sector culminates with the now fully possessed Valdemar dispensing gruesome justice on Hoffman and Jessica.
Second Segment: The Black Cat:The second segment, directed by Argento, is loosely based upon Poe's "The Black Cat". The story follows Harvey Keitel's character, Rod Usher, a criminal activity scene professional photographer who establishes an extreme hatred for his girlfriend's black cat. Usher's enthusiasm to recreate violent death scenes for his personal photography job prepares for a mental horror story filled with gruesome killings.
Usher becomes progressively psychotic due to his fixation with the feline, leading him to murder his girlfriend Annabel (Madeleine Potter) and wall her corpse up in the basement, comparable to the plot in the original Poe story. However, the cat reveals the secret when it meows from within the wall when the authorities check out, resulting in Usher's arrest.
Overall Impression:"Two Evil Eyes" is a dark expedition of human greed, fixation, and psychosis, signifying the scary that mankind causes on itself and others. Romero's section cultivates a tense atmosphere filled with sensations of dread while Argento looks into the mental aspect of scary, diligently concentrating on the descent into insanity. The blending of criminal activity, thriller, and scary aspects makes the film a diverse and interesting narrative.
Conclusion:"Two Evil Eyes" offers a bone-chilling spectacle of scary that's interwoven with themes of criminal offense and punishment, and the effects of vicious control. In conclusion, this anthology, although it has different stories and directorial styles, harmoniously combines Romero's suspenseful storytelling and Argento's extreme focus on macabre information. Likewise, the film pays cinematic homage to Edgar Allan Poe, exploring modern-day reinterpretations of his classic tales.
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