#avery crounse

[doubtfultaste]

Eyes of Fire (1983)

[clemsfilmdiary]

Eyes of Fire (1983, Avery Crounse)

Also known as: Cry Blue Sky

12/9/23

[ddzzaaii]

eyes of fire dir. avery crounse

[apicturespeaks]

Eyes of Fire, Avery Crounse

[sloshed-cinema]

Eyes of Fire (1983)

A core tenet of folk horror is the conflict between traditional, often Judeo-Christian, faith with more elemental, pagan beliefs.  The faithful espouse their “truths” while the counter-argument manifests as a more literal, physical rebuttal.  Eyes of Fire melds the traditional type horror with the psychotronic, rendering a supernatural threat in video negative.  The period mixes itself with more psychedelic aesthetics, setting the valley on edge.  While practical effects abound, there’s something to be said for the jarring nature of characters being Chroma-keyed into scenes as tree facades.  It’s Lynchian and surreal, utterly out of sorts with the pre-Revolution American frontier.  And all the better for it.

American imperialism is a key source of horror here.  The fleeing interlopers never should have come here: white feathers mark forbidden places for the indigenous Shawnee people, and early scenes in the valley are bathed in this plumage.  They ignore all the signs.  Mud spirits should be a real signal to GTFO.  Yet they remain, the would-be patriarch claiming he can change this heathen land.  If they’d not ignored the terrifying face trees, maybe this could have all gone better.  But instead, they have to face the gloriously grotesque and terrifying tree witch and her offspring, the embodiment of suffering.  

A rare entry in this type of film, a positive supernatural force exists to counteract the negative.  Leah is an Irish fae in the flesh, experiencing visions and manipulating matter on this mortal plane.  As she comes into her own, she begins to pose a serious threat to the monster haunting this satanic valley, drawing in her flock.  Sure, it’s an excuse to get a few extra tiddie shots.  But it’s also a fascinating way to interrogate good as well as evil.  She may seem imbalanced at first, but she does more to help her community than the shitty-wigged pastor who stole everything at the start.

THE RULES

SIP

Voiceover narration begins.

Mobs with at least one torch.

Hanging is mentioned.

Faces in trees.

BIG DRINK

White feathers in a scene.

Someone displays telekinetic powers.

Creepy yellow eyes.

[doubtfultaste]

Eyes of Fire (1983, Crying Blue Sky)

[mabellonghetti]

Eyes of Fire (dir. Avery Crounse - 1983)

[squirrelfm]

"Goddamn Barbarians!" ~ Will Smythe