More than anything, 1973's "The Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll" seems to pose the question "Can a film be called a giallo if it was not made in Italy?" Well, since this Spanish picture has every attribute of a classic giallo except the Italian soundtrack, let's just say the answer is yes, call it an "amarillo" and move on! This film was my first introduction to the huge oeuvre of the late Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy, an actor/writer/director/producer who in this film contented himself with merely being the lead man. Here he plays Gilles, a likable ex-con in northern France who signs on as handyman at the run-down estate of three very unusual and beautiful sisters: Claude, who is aloof and sports a burnt arm and prosthetic hand; Nicole, a redheaded nymphomaniac; and Ivette, an embittered, wheelchair-bound invalid. When a crazed psycho killer starts slaying women in the area and plucking out their baby blues, Gilles is automatically deemed suspect No. 1. But is he really the guilty party? Anyway, this amarillo, directed by Carlos Aured, provides giallo fans with all the requisite elements they have come to expect. It features any number of grisly and murderous set pieces (although the actual butchering of a pig may be the hardest thing to look at), stylish direction from Aured, some pleasing flashes of nudity courtesy of Eva Leon as the lusty Nicole, and an alternately sprightly and sinuous jazz score from Juan Carlos Calderon that should stick in your head for days. Typical for a giallo, red herrings abound, but the story ultimately manages to cohere very well and make perfect sense, unlike a lot of other gialli that I have seen. You may even be able to figure out the murderer in this one; as usual, the ending came as a complete surprise for me. And I must say that that ending is as pleasingly sick as any viewer could want. "Have a horrible time...and have fun," Naschy urges us during this film's introduction, and a fun time will certainly be had by all genre fans with this one. Oh...the DVD in question here, from the fine folks at Deimos, looks fantastic, is excellently subtitled and comes with some nice extras, too. Gracias, guys!
43 Reviews
Bloody and sleazy thriller with Naschy as ex-convict and suspect psycho-killer
ma-cortes14 February 2011
Spanish Giallo in Italian style with Naschy as ex-convict and accused as psycho-killer and rapist . It's packed with fetishism killings on blue-eye women , claustrophobic sets , mysterious suspects , and rare characters . This thrilling film deals with Gilles (Paul Naschy or Jacinto Molina , here as Iberian sex-symbol) who seeks job and Claude (Diana Lorys) a beautiful woman with orthopedic hand offers him employment as handyman . Claude lives along with her two sisters , Nicole(Eva Leon) a gorgeous nymphomaniac and Ivette ( Maria Perschy) who is wheel-bound, . Gilles's arrival originates a terrible drama among them . The best friend of the family is the doctor (Eduardo Calvo) who cares of Ivette along with a nurse named Michelle (Ines Morales) . After that , on the Angers (France) county occurs various deaths who belong to blue-eyes and blonde hair girls , furthermore their eyes are pulled off. The gendarme named Pierre (Antonio Pica) to investigate the case of the killing series that have been committed by an ominous murderer and discovers Gillian actually is Alain Dupre a dangerous criminal , imprisoned for rape . The psycho-killer murders his victims cruelly by means of slashing , knife and axing . There are several suspicious , who's the killer ? .
This is a Spanish Gialli in low budget about 8.000 Euros and filmed in Navarra and Torrelodones (Madrid) . It contains suspense , tension , whodunit , plot twists and lots of blood and guts with abundant sensationalistic scenes and a Naif style. The movie has a bit of ridiculous gore with loads of blood similar to tomato . B-entertainment with a fairly suspenseful and horrifying story in which a killer series undergoes a criminal spree by means of slitting , decapitation and other brutal executions . Typical Spanish touches as the pig slaughter , the tractor and ordinary Spanish Bar , in spite of French setting is completely shot in Spain . This tale about a suspicious ex-con and a malevolent murderous begins well and grows more and more until the exciting and twisted finale in which we figure out the nasty guilty . There is another double version that packs nudism in charge of Eva Leon, Diana Lorys and other women , as there are gratuitous nudism and top-less . Lots of blood and gore and throat slitting in several images that impacted the viewers for that time . The film follows the Dario Argento wake from his early period when he made Gialli-classics as as ¨Four flies on grey velvet , The cat with nine tails and The bird with the crystal plumage ¨ . Nice cinematography in correct remastering by Francisco Sanchez and shot on location Pamplona and the mansion of Naschy's parents. Ample support cast , usual of Eurotrah as Maria Perschy ,Antonio Pica and Luis Ciges ,Eduardo Calvo , both of whom habitual of Jacinto Molina films . Anti-climatic and unappropiated musical score by Juan Carlos Calderon . The late Naschy was a good professional , writing, filmmaking and acting about hundred titles , mainly in terror genre. ¨House of doom or House of psychotic women¨ is written by Molina along with 21 screenplays as ¨Mark of Wolfman¨, ¨Night of Walpurgis¨, ¨Vengeance of the mummy¨, ¨Licantropo¨, among them . He directed 13 films as ¨The Cantabros¨, ¨Return of Wolfman¨, ¨The Beast and the magic sword¨ and many others. This slasher motion picture is professionally directed by Carlos Aured , a slick craftsman who directed all kind of genres, especially Erotic and Terror for Paul Naschy as ¨Horror rises from tomb¨¨¨Vengeance of the mummy¨ and , ¨Return of Walpurgis¨ . The picture will appeal to Paul Naschy fans and Giallo buffs .
This is a Spanish Gialli in low budget about 8.000 Euros and filmed in Navarra and Torrelodones (Madrid) . It contains suspense , tension , whodunit , plot twists and lots of blood and guts with abundant sensationalistic scenes and a Naif style. The movie has a bit of ridiculous gore with loads of blood similar to tomato . B-entertainment with a fairly suspenseful and horrifying story in which a killer series undergoes a criminal spree by means of slitting , decapitation and other brutal executions . Typical Spanish touches as the pig slaughter , the tractor and ordinary Spanish Bar , in spite of French setting is completely shot in Spain . This tale about a suspicious ex-con and a malevolent murderous begins well and grows more and more until the exciting and twisted finale in which we figure out the nasty guilty . There is another double version that packs nudism in charge of Eva Leon, Diana Lorys and other women , as there are gratuitous nudism and top-less . Lots of blood and gore and throat slitting in several images that impacted the viewers for that time . The film follows the Dario Argento wake from his early period when he made Gialli-classics as as ¨Four flies on grey velvet , The cat with nine tails and The bird with the crystal plumage ¨ . Nice cinematography in correct remastering by Francisco Sanchez and shot on location Pamplona and the mansion of Naschy's parents. Ample support cast , usual of Eurotrah as Maria Perschy ,Antonio Pica and Luis Ciges ,Eduardo Calvo , both of whom habitual of Jacinto Molina films . Anti-climatic and unappropiated musical score by Juan Carlos Calderon . The late Naschy was a good professional , writing, filmmaking and acting about hundred titles , mainly in terror genre. ¨House of doom or House of psychotic women¨ is written by Molina along with 21 screenplays as ¨Mark of Wolfman¨, ¨Night of Walpurgis¨, ¨Vengeance of the mummy¨, ¨Licantropo¨, among them . He directed 13 films as ¨The Cantabros¨, ¨Return of Wolfman¨, ¨The Beast and the magic sword¨ and many others. This slasher motion picture is professionally directed by Carlos Aured , a slick craftsman who directed all kind of genres, especially Erotic and Terror for Paul Naschy as ¨Horror rises from tomb¨¨¨Vengeance of the mummy¨ and , ¨Return of Walpurgis¨ . The picture will appeal to Paul Naschy fans and Giallo buffs .
A Giallo Starring Paul Naschy... Need I Say More?
Witchfinder-General-66627 April 2010
Since I have been a great fan of the late Spanish Horror/Exploitation legend Paul Naschy for many years now, and the Italian Giallo is (along with Gothic Horror) my favorite Horror/Suspense sub-genre, I have long been anticipating this film which is a Spanish Giallo starring Naschy. And I was not at all disappointed when I finally saw "Los Ojos Azules De La Muñeca Rota" aka. "Blue Eyes of a Broken Doll" (1973) recently, as this weird, sleazy and brutal little film truly delivers what we Naschy fans want to see. Directed by Carlos Aured, who, in the same year 1973, made two other, more widely known films starring (and co-written by) Naschy, "El Espanto Surge De La Tumba" ("Horror Rises From The Tomb") and "El Retorno De Walpurgis" ("Curse of the Devil"/"Return of the Werewolf"), "Blue Eyes of a Broken Doll" is a film that no Naschy fan should consider missing.
Naschy plays Gilles, an ex con, who gets employed as a handyman in a mansion owned by three very dissimilar sisters, Claude (Dina Lorys) who has a heavily scarred arm, the gorgeous nymphomaniac Nicole (Eva Léon), and the wheel-chair-bound Michelle (Inés Morales). Needless to say that he soon gets sexually involved with more than one of them. Around the same time, an unknown maniac is stalking the area, killing merely blonde teenage girls, and cutting out their blue eyes...
Though the plot may not always be logical (for ingeniously complex plotting, watch Italian Gialli from around the same time), it is wonderfully demented and the atmosphere is creepy from start to finish. The murders are gory and genuinely sadistic, and since this is a Naschy flick it is needless to say that there is sleaze and gratuitous female nudity (especially from the yummy Eva Léon). Naschy's charisma and unique screen-presence is great as always. Dina Lorys, Eva Léon and Inés Morales are great as the three sisters. Most of the films this great Spanish Horror icon was part of may not be masterpieces, but they are all entertaining, and have a certain inimitable charm that can only be found in Naschy films. Overall, this Spanish film may not be the prime example of brilliantly convoluted Giallo-plotting, but it is creepy, atmospheric, sleazy and incredibly entertaining stuff that none of my fellow Paul Naschy fans could possibly afford to miss! 7.5/10
Naschy plays Gilles, an ex con, who gets employed as a handyman in a mansion owned by three very dissimilar sisters, Claude (Dina Lorys) who has a heavily scarred arm, the gorgeous nymphomaniac Nicole (Eva Léon), and the wheel-chair-bound Michelle (Inés Morales). Needless to say that he soon gets sexually involved with more than one of them. Around the same time, an unknown maniac is stalking the area, killing merely blonde teenage girls, and cutting out their blue eyes...
Though the plot may not always be logical (for ingeniously complex plotting, watch Italian Gialli from around the same time), it is wonderfully demented and the atmosphere is creepy from start to finish. The murders are gory and genuinely sadistic, and since this is a Naschy flick it is needless to say that there is sleaze and gratuitous female nudity (especially from the yummy Eva Léon). Naschy's charisma and unique screen-presence is great as always. Dina Lorys, Eva Léon and Inés Morales are great as the three sisters. Most of the films this great Spanish Horror icon was part of may not be masterpieces, but they are all entertaining, and have a certain inimitable charm that can only be found in Naschy films. Overall, this Spanish film may not be the prime example of brilliantly convoluted Giallo-plotting, but it is creepy, atmospheric, sleazy and incredibly entertaining stuff that none of my fellow Paul Naschy fans could possibly afford to miss! 7.5/10
Entertaining Spanish giallo
rundbauchdodo27 October 2000
While many of the Italian gialli have been co-produced with Spanish money, this movie is maybe the only real "pure" Spanish giallo - with Paul Naschy playing the most impressive role of his career. His character is a ex-convict who comes to a small town. He gets a job in a big house inhabited by three women who all seem to suffer from severe psychological problems (they are not psychotic, however, even though the American title "House of Psychotic Women" suggests so). Worst of all, a killer stalks the young women in the neighborhood and steals their eyeballs (eyeballs again... films like "The Headless Eyes" and "Gatti Rossi in un Labirinto di Vetro" come in mind).
No wonder that Naschy's character becomes soon a main suspect, even though the policemen of the small town don't know that he's an ex-convict. Naschy's portrayal of the hapless man is more tragic and sympathetic than all his portrayals of wolfman Waldemar Daninsky, the role he repeated playing throughout most of his acting career.
The movie is very low-budget but nevertheless quite thrilling, and the revealing of the killer's identity at the end is at least as surprising as in your typical eerie Italian giallo. Highly recommended to all those who love this kind of stuff and European horror cinema in general.
No wonder that Naschy's character becomes soon a main suspect, even though the policemen of the small town don't know that he's an ex-convict. Naschy's portrayal of the hapless man is more tragic and sympathetic than all his portrayals of wolfman Waldemar Daninsky, the role he repeated playing throughout most of his acting career.
The movie is very low-budget but nevertheless quite thrilling, and the revealing of the killer's identity at the end is at least as surprising as in your typical eerie Italian giallo. Highly recommended to all those who love this kind of stuff and European horror cinema in general.
Strange, but excellent giallo
Destro5120 August 2001
This is an above average Spanish made giallo with odd characters and atmosphere. The plot begins when ex-convict Paul Naschy comes to a small town and finds work as the caretaker of a desolate house owned by three sisters. Soon after, the town is plagued by a series of killings, the victims of which are all girls with blonde hair and blue eyes. The mystery behind these murders then unwinds from there.
Los ojos azules de la muneca rota contains all the elements of a good giallo. It has strange characters, including Paul Naschy who experiences eerie flashbacks and the three sisters he works for, whom all suffer from some form of psychosis. This movie has some very suspenseful and brutal murder scenes as well, including a nasty killing with a small garden rake. The plot, too, is excellent and filled with countless twists. Just when it seems to not make any sense it suddenly does. This film also boasts a truly bizarre atmosphere that cannot really be described but stems partially from the fact that there are no typically normal characters anywhere in the film and, at times, things seem to be happening for no particular reason.
Overall, this is a fine giallo that has all the essential components of the genre and, with its strange atmosphere, manages to be slightly different.
Los ojos azules de la muneca rota contains all the elements of a good giallo. It has strange characters, including Paul Naschy who experiences eerie flashbacks and the three sisters he works for, whom all suffer from some form of psychosis. This movie has some very suspenseful and brutal murder scenes as well, including a nasty killing with a small garden rake. The plot, too, is excellent and filled with countless twists. Just when it seems to not make any sense it suddenly does. This film also boasts a truly bizarre atmosphere that cannot really be described but stems partially from the fact that there are no typically normal characters anywhere in the film and, at times, things seem to be happening for no particular reason.
Overall, this is a fine giallo that has all the essential components of the genre and, with its strange atmosphere, manages to be slightly different.
Paul Naschy at his best: surrounded by luscious and psychotic women!
Coventry26 November 2008
Certain movies put you at ease and make you feel confident right from the first sequences. "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll" opens with moody and enchanting yet remotely ominous musical tunes as Paul Naschy is drifting across a remote and desolate countryside. If you're into 70's and European-made exploitation movies, you know right away this is the ideal intro for a film like this. Naschy the star and writer and director of numerous movies like this plays an ex-convict arriving in a secluded house occupied by three eccentric and suspiciously behaving sisters. One is lustful and promptly shows a sexual interest in the new arrival, the second one is wheelchair bound and remains out of sight and the oldest sister (with an impressively mutilated arm) is the bossy and arrogant leader of the pack. With the arrival of yet another ravishing woman a private nurse to look after the ill sister Gilles is completely surrounded by lurid women that may not be as defenseless and innocent as they look. One of the more apt and enticing titles of this movie is "House of Psychotic Women"; which gives a slightly more accurate though sadly exaggerated indication of what to expect. Or at least what to expect during the first half! Parallel with the sexual escapades in the mansion, there's a sadistic killer on the loose in town, exclusively prowling for girls with blond hair and bright blue eyes that he/she cuts out and collects in a jar. The perverted killer sub plot, with its vile gore and misogynist violence, makes "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll" also qualify as a bona fide Giallo next to being a sleazy early 70's Euro-sexploitation feature. It's not the greatest Giallo, since the relevance of the murders in connection with the events at the mansion remains too vague and develops quite late, but it does guarantee a suspenseful and blood-soaked third act. Like the case with so many movies in this genre, it's far more amusing if you don't even bother paying attention to the complete absence of logic and coherence. Enjoy the bloodshed, the fantastic score (courtesy of Juan Carlos Calderón), Naschy's testosterone-laden charisma, the sickening killings and of course the various offerings of gratuitous nudity!
Satisfying Spanish Giallo
lastliberal14 December 2009
Gilles (Paul Naschy) takes a job on a farm with three sisters, one (Eva León) of whom is trying very hard to get next to him. To complicate matters, a new nurse (Inés Morales) arrives to take care of one of the sisters, and she is very attractive.
Nicole (León) manages to bed him first, only to get locked in her room at night by her hateful older sister Claude (Diana Lorys) But, it isn't long before he Claude in bed.
Meanwhile, someone is killing women and stealing their eyes.
Suspicion falls on Gilles after it is found that he is an ex-con. But is he guilty? A fascinating Spanish giallo that will keep you guessing.
Nicole (León) manages to bed him first, only to get locked in her room at night by her hateful older sister Claude (Diana Lorys) But, it isn't long before he Claude in bed.
Meanwhile, someone is killing women and stealing their eyes.
Suspicion falls on Gilles after it is found that he is an ex-con. But is he guilty? A fascinating Spanish giallo that will keep you guessing.
The Spanish Giallo
gavin694219 June 2017
An ex-convict, troubled by dreams that he strangles women, is hired as the caretaker on an estate owned by three very strange sisters. Soon after his arrival, a serial killer begins slaughtering blonde, blue-eyed women - and leaving their eyeballs in a bowl of water.
This film was co-written by Naschy and director Carlos Aured, allegedly loosely based on a true story of a doctor in the 1800s. Naschy himself felt that this was "the best film of those directed by Carlos Aured." Although many notable actors appear, one of the more interesting is Pilar Bardem. Today, she is less known for her own work than for being the mother of an even more successful actor: Javier Bardem. Diana Lorys appears and has the distinction of having been in Jess Franco's "The Awful Dr. Orlof" (1962), which is widely considered the first Spanish horror film.
The style and themes fit into the giallo subgenre, with an appropriate title to match. Purists may say that gialli can only be Italian, but can a genre really be language or country specific? We even have the killer with the dark gloves and a sharp weapon -- some sort of gardening tool. We also have a theme of claustrophobia and confinement, which plays out with the house being a prison without bars.
Like an good giallo, there are also a multitude of suspects. Naschy named his character Gilles as a nod to serial killer Gilles de Rais, which instantly makes him a suspect by connotation. But he is far from the only one, especially considering the killer uses gardening tools and there is, in fact, a very suspicious gardener lurking around.
Sam Sherman founded Independent-International Pictures, which is today best known for distributing the Z-grade movies of Al Adamson. But Sherman also brought "Blue Eyes" to the United States, cut some offensive footage out, and retitled it "House of Psychotic Women", the title it was eventually known as on the home video market, as well. Strangely enough, Naschy and Aured apparently started to use the new title, despite having no say in its change.
On the Scream Factory Blu-ray (as part of their Paul Naschy set), we get an excellent commentary from the fine folks at NaschyCast. Most interesting is their reference in the commentary to author Kier-La Janisse, who has really become a rising star in the horror world in the last five years (2012-2017). Of course, the Blu-ray has all the "offensive" footage intact, including the scene of a pig being slaughtered.
This film was co-written by Naschy and director Carlos Aured, allegedly loosely based on a true story of a doctor in the 1800s. Naschy himself felt that this was "the best film of those directed by Carlos Aured." Although many notable actors appear, one of the more interesting is Pilar Bardem. Today, she is less known for her own work than for being the mother of an even more successful actor: Javier Bardem. Diana Lorys appears and has the distinction of having been in Jess Franco's "The Awful Dr. Orlof" (1962), which is widely considered the first Spanish horror film.
The style and themes fit into the giallo subgenre, with an appropriate title to match. Purists may say that gialli can only be Italian, but can a genre really be language or country specific? We even have the killer with the dark gloves and a sharp weapon -- some sort of gardening tool. We also have a theme of claustrophobia and confinement, which plays out with the house being a prison without bars.
Like an good giallo, there are also a multitude of suspects. Naschy named his character Gilles as a nod to serial killer Gilles de Rais, which instantly makes him a suspect by connotation. But he is far from the only one, especially considering the killer uses gardening tools and there is, in fact, a very suspicious gardener lurking around.
Sam Sherman founded Independent-International Pictures, which is today best known for distributing the Z-grade movies of Al Adamson. But Sherman also brought "Blue Eyes" to the United States, cut some offensive footage out, and retitled it "House of Psychotic Women", the title it was eventually known as on the home video market, as well. Strangely enough, Naschy and Aured apparently started to use the new title, despite having no say in its change.
On the Scream Factory Blu-ray (as part of their Paul Naschy set), we get an excellent commentary from the fine folks at NaschyCast. Most interesting is their reference in the commentary to author Kier-La Janisse, who has really become a rising star in the horror world in the last five years (2012-2017). Of course, the Blu-ray has all the "offensive" footage intact, including the scene of a pig being slaughtered.
seen it all before
trashgang25 February 2009
Oh yes, you have got those people who adore and who hate Paul Naschy. And he's in this flick. I still don't know what to think of him, obvious is that he still can't act in this film, it's just that he's watching for his cues or something especially when he's making love to the girls. The movie itself is a typical who done it in a giallostyle. What annoyed me the most was the use of a stupid score sometimes, made me think of those cheap porn flicks. But when the killings starts they use "Frere Jacob" and that gives the movie a special atmosphere. It isn't bloody, and when the killings happens it's bad acting, watch the girl die in the barn, her eyes flicker when the blood is dropping on her face, don't think you do that when they slash you, and when she dies she looking were to lay down and die. Paul too, when he's running for the cops, the shooting is ridiculous, the bear trap to say the least, anyway. It could have been better done, the three sisters are okay and give a good performance. It's the storyline that made me give this flick a 5. Easy to catch this one full uncut, wondering what the cut version was like, it's never messy or bloody, maybe they cut out the nudity scenes. Anyway, if you can see the broken doll, give me a call.
Naschy does Giallo
Groverdox9 October 2018
Giallo was never really a good fit for Spanish horror legend Paul Naschy. There's a reason why he was known for straight horror entries like the classic "Horror Rises From the Tomb" and the Waldemar Daninsky werewolf movies. He was at his best dealing with the supernatural.
As such, "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll" is fairly subpar for a giallo, and for Naschy. All the typical hallmarks of giallo are there: it's a violent murder mystery with a mostly unseen black-gloved killer, and yes, the movie offers a red herring.
If you've never seen a giallo before, you might actually fall for it.
That's the trouble: "Blue Eyes" sticks with the giallo formula without really doing anything different or interesting with it. At times, this formula seems to undercut the movie, like the silly music which was used by the likes of Argento to heighten the mood, but here just seems unnecessary.
As such, "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll" is fairly subpar for a giallo, and for Naschy. All the typical hallmarks of giallo are there: it's a violent murder mystery with a mostly unseen black-gloved killer, and yes, the movie offers a red herring.
If you've never seen a giallo before, you might actually fall for it.
That's the trouble: "Blue Eyes" sticks with the giallo formula without really doing anything different or interesting with it. At times, this formula seems to undercut the movie, like the silly music which was used by the likes of Argento to heighten the mood, but here just seems unnecessary.
Superb Spanish giallo about an ex-convict and three unstable sisters
Milo-Jeeder18 May 2007
Based upon a real life story that I'm not going to share here, in order to avoid obvious spoilers, "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll" is perhaps one of the most unreasonably overlooked giallos ever made. I know this term is essentially meant to classify certain Italian horror and mystery movies, but whoever thinks other countries cannot produce decent giallos that can be equally entertaining and highly appreciated, is wrong. "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll", is perhaps one of the best examples to demonstrate this, without actually emulating some of the most distinguished giallos that were released back then. As a matter of fact, it seems that director Carlos Aured, was clever enough to avoid the cliché of putting the name of an animal on the title. Many other directors were inclined to do so, during the giallo profusion that took place during the 1970s. No big deal, after all, but I just thought it would be fair to comment on this little detail as well.
In "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll", an ex-convict named Gilles, tries to start a new life by taking refuge in a small town of the French border. Regardless of the people's aloofness, he stays around to find a job in this new place. Claude, on the other hand, is a beautiful woman with an orthopedic hand, who lives in a big gloomy house in the outskirts with her two eccentric sisters, Yvette and Nicole. Gilles starts working at Claude's house as a handyman and simultaneously, a mysterious nurse called Michelle arrives to take care of Yvette, who is crippled and has to be under constant surveillance. Concurrently, young girls begin to appear brutally murdered out of the blue and the police have no clue about what is going on. All the victims share certain parallels, like, having blue eyes and light-colored hair, but it seems like there's nothing else to tie them with each other. The only thing that matches perfectly with the sudden murders is the arrival of Gilles and Michelle to the old house. Everyone gossips about the former convict, but Claude remains loyal to her secret love towards him and continues to give him shelter and a job no matter what. Unfortunately, Gilles has strange visions of himself murdering young women for no reason and struggles with himself to avoid doing something that he might regret later. As the days go by, the relationship between Gilles, Michelle and the three psychotic women becomes more and more tense each day and meanwhile, the mysterious killer keeps slaughtering beautiful girls out there.
To be honest, I was actually looking forward to something satisfying but in a less serious way. I assumed this was going to be some kind of mindless exploitation flick with lots of gore and pointless sex, lesbianism and a mildly predictable ending. Unexpectedly, I got a genuinely good product with a truly unexpected ending and a decent and yet moderate share of gore that somehow doesn't make the movie fit in the exploitation category. Not that I have anything against exploitation films. As a matter of fact, I also enjoy these films very much, but my point is that "Blue Eyes of the Broken Dolls", didn't fall into this less-respected category and it ended up being a charming giallo that has nothing to envy to the Italian ones. Frankly, I still cannot believe that being a film with Paul Naschy, there's no nudity or sex whatsoever. Especially if we keep in mind that these is a movie that has four attractive female character and a lusty man with all the ladies for himself. Of course, Mr. Naschy didn't miss the opportunity to appear shirtless and showing off his body all sweaty. It's alright, a little bit of vanity doesn't hurt anyone, I suppose. So concluding, I think this film will be highly regarded by anyone who is in the mood for a nice little giallo with a twisted ending and repetitive dancy music here and there.
In "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll", an ex-convict named Gilles, tries to start a new life by taking refuge in a small town of the French border. Regardless of the people's aloofness, he stays around to find a job in this new place. Claude, on the other hand, is a beautiful woman with an orthopedic hand, who lives in a big gloomy house in the outskirts with her two eccentric sisters, Yvette and Nicole. Gilles starts working at Claude's house as a handyman and simultaneously, a mysterious nurse called Michelle arrives to take care of Yvette, who is crippled and has to be under constant surveillance. Concurrently, young girls begin to appear brutally murdered out of the blue and the police have no clue about what is going on. All the victims share certain parallels, like, having blue eyes and light-colored hair, but it seems like there's nothing else to tie them with each other. The only thing that matches perfectly with the sudden murders is the arrival of Gilles and Michelle to the old house. Everyone gossips about the former convict, but Claude remains loyal to her secret love towards him and continues to give him shelter and a job no matter what. Unfortunately, Gilles has strange visions of himself murdering young women for no reason and struggles with himself to avoid doing something that he might regret later. As the days go by, the relationship between Gilles, Michelle and the three psychotic women becomes more and more tense each day and meanwhile, the mysterious killer keeps slaughtering beautiful girls out there.
To be honest, I was actually looking forward to something satisfying but in a less serious way. I assumed this was going to be some kind of mindless exploitation flick with lots of gore and pointless sex, lesbianism and a mildly predictable ending. Unexpectedly, I got a genuinely good product with a truly unexpected ending and a decent and yet moderate share of gore that somehow doesn't make the movie fit in the exploitation category. Not that I have anything against exploitation films. As a matter of fact, I also enjoy these films very much, but my point is that "Blue Eyes of the Broken Dolls", didn't fall into this less-respected category and it ended up being a charming giallo that has nothing to envy to the Italian ones. Frankly, I still cannot believe that being a film with Paul Naschy, there's no nudity or sex whatsoever. Especially if we keep in mind that these is a movie that has four attractive female character and a lusty man with all the ladies for himself. Of course, Mr. Naschy didn't miss the opportunity to appear shirtless and showing off his body all sweaty. It's alright, a little bit of vanity doesn't hurt anyone, I suppose. So concluding, I think this film will be highly regarded by anyone who is in the mood for a nice little giallo with a twisted ending and repetitive dancy music here and there.
Decent Giallo
Prof-Hieronymos-Grost9 February 2009
Gilles (Paul Naschy) is a convict on the run, he has bad dreams that he at one point strangled women to death, he is unsure as to whether or not they did or did not happen. Travelling through France he is hired as a handyman at a country house where three beautiful but very different sisters live. One is wheelchair bound, due to psychological issues and is constantly attended by the family doctor, another has a false arm and is afraid men will not like her, the third is a nymphomaniac who immediately sets her sights on Gilles. When women begin to get brutally murdered in the area, the local Gendarme naturally believe the suspicious new guy in town, Gilles, is a suspect.
Decent Giallo, where the killer preys on women with blue eyes, gouging them out after killing them (Hence the title) In classic Giallo style, Aured succeeds in keeping the identity of the killer secret while throwing suspicion on everyone, while also keeping up a fair tempo of sexual goings on at the house. There's the usual misogynistic stuff you might expect, along with some daft plot set up's, like the blonde girl who decides to take a short cut through the cemetery while there's a killer on the loose, but if you can ignore these points, its not a bad film. There is a moment just before the final reveal of the killer, where we are left briefly with no legitimate suspects, to me this was the place to end the film, but that's just my personal taste for vague endings.
Decent Giallo, where the killer preys on women with blue eyes, gouging them out after killing them (Hence the title) In classic Giallo style, Aured succeeds in keeping the identity of the killer secret while throwing suspicion on everyone, while also keeping up a fair tempo of sexual goings on at the house. There's the usual misogynistic stuff you might expect, along with some daft plot set up's, like the blonde girl who decides to take a short cut through the cemetery while there's a killer on the loose, but if you can ignore these points, its not a bad film. There is a moment just before the final reveal of the killer, where we are left briefly with no legitimate suspects, to me this was the place to end the film, but that's just my personal taste for vague endings.
Slow start with a stronger ending than I expected
dopefishie8 December 2022
Slow start with a stronger ending than I expected.
It's a seriously slow start. It takes 5 minutes just to get through the opening credits. It's supposed to be a giallo, but I don't think we get a death until like half way through the movie. The special effects range from average to poor. Finally, during the last 10 minutes of the film, the plot starts to move, action happens, and we are blessed with an ending that is much better than the scenes leading up to it.
The acting ranges from average to below-average. The cinematography is nothing to write home about. The score is quite good. There is one piece which is over used. But there was some genuinely creepy music in some scenes.
At the end of the day, it ain't good, but it also ain't the bottom of the barrel.
It's a seriously slow start. It takes 5 minutes just to get through the opening credits. It's supposed to be a giallo, but I don't think we get a death until like half way through the movie. The special effects range from average to poor. Finally, during the last 10 minutes of the film, the plot starts to move, action happens, and we are blessed with an ending that is much better than the scenes leading up to it.
The acting ranges from average to below-average. The cinematography is nothing to write home about. The score is quite good. There is one piece which is over used. But there was some genuinely creepy music in some scenes.
At the end of the day, it ain't good, but it also ain't the bottom of the barrel.
Pretty decent movie, but try to get the European version
lazarillo21 July 2006
This is the most famous of the Spanish gialli, and not surprising the stout and hirsute one, Paul Naschy, was heavily involved in it. He plays a criminal who comes to a provincial Spanish town and finds work as a handyman for three sisters, one of whom is in a wheelchair and another of whom is a nymphomaniac. He begins to have dreams of murdering women. The three sisters also act suspiciously and seem to be harboring a dark secret about the tragic death of their parents. Then someone begins murdering blue-eyed girls (which there seems to be an abnormal amount of for rural Spain)and taking their eyes, thus the Spainish title which translates roughly to "Blue Eyes of a Broken Doll".
This movie drags a little frankly, but the ending is great. Naschy makes a very unusual choice regarding his character. The identity of the killer is pretty predictable--it's almost always the least likely character in these movies--but the movie has a great double-twist at the end. I don't want to say too much, but imagine the character who sums every thing up for the viewer at the end of movies like "Psycho" himself being a "Dr. Caligari" figure. And the motive of the killer is sublimely ridiculous. It was probably inspired by "Eyes Without a Face", but it more closely resembles the preposterous resolution of "The New York Ripper".
Unfortunately, I saw the American cut of this movie, "House of Psychotic Women" which strangely seems to have left in all of the very graphic violence, but cut out all the sex (I can't believe a Naschy movie directed by sleazemeister Carlos Aured and featuring a nymphomaniac would have NO gratuitous nudity and sex in it). Usually, unedited cuts of Naschy movies aren't any better, just longer, but "House" (the version I saw anyway) actually seems to be missing whole scenes. At one point, for instance, three female hitch-hikers in short-shorts show up at the town bar. One of them even bends way over the bar to give all the sleazebags in the bar (and all us sleazebags in the audience) a long look at her lower glutes. Delectable little involuntary eye donors, you would think. But then the three girls are never seen again in the movie. They were either meant to be brown-eyed, red-herring victims, or there's something missing in the American version. Who knows? This movie didn't leave enough of an impression on ME to look for the uncut European version, but if you have a choice in the matter you should probably go with that one.
This movie drags a little frankly, but the ending is great. Naschy makes a very unusual choice regarding his character. The identity of the killer is pretty predictable--it's almost always the least likely character in these movies--but the movie has a great double-twist at the end. I don't want to say too much, but imagine the character who sums every thing up for the viewer at the end of movies like "Psycho" himself being a "Dr. Caligari" figure. And the motive of the killer is sublimely ridiculous. It was probably inspired by "Eyes Without a Face", but it more closely resembles the preposterous resolution of "The New York Ripper".
Unfortunately, I saw the American cut of this movie, "House of Psychotic Women" which strangely seems to have left in all of the very graphic violence, but cut out all the sex (I can't believe a Naschy movie directed by sleazemeister Carlos Aured and featuring a nymphomaniac would have NO gratuitous nudity and sex in it). Usually, unedited cuts of Naschy movies aren't any better, just longer, but "House" (the version I saw anyway) actually seems to be missing whole scenes. At one point, for instance, three female hitch-hikers in short-shorts show up at the town bar. One of them even bends way over the bar to give all the sleazebags in the bar (and all us sleazebags in the audience) a long look at her lower glutes. Delectable little involuntary eye donors, you would think. But then the three girls are never seen again in the movie. They were either meant to be brown-eyed, red-herring victims, or there's something missing in the American version. Who knows? This movie didn't leave enough of an impression on ME to look for the uncut European version, but if you have a choice in the matter you should probably go with that one.
For a gialli, not bad
jriddle7320 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I'm just not much of a giallo fan. As a sub-genre, it's wonderful in theory, and usually godawful in execution. I was somewhat hesitant about picking up the new BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL disc, because as its title suggests, it's an intentional effort to ape the Italian gialli, this one brought to us by the Spanish. It stars the most excellent Paul Naschy, Spain's version of Lon Chaney, and was directed by Carlos Aured, a fellow pioneer of Spanish dark fantasy who has recently died. Those two facts helped prompt me to pick up the movie, but the two real selling-points for me were that I also wanted to help feed BCI/Deimos, who have done a FANTASTIC job on their series of Spanish horror films, and I wanted the Aured/Naschy commentary, recorded not long before Aured's death, and probably his last public words on his career. That, in particular, made it a must-have item. Still, I didn't have very high hopes for the movie itself.
Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a pretty solid film. Our man Naschy is a drifter who breezes into a town in the north of France and goes to work for three odd sisters, living a reclusive life in a big, old house. Almost immediately after he arrives (and starts getting very friendly with two of the sisters), blue-eyed ladies start turning up dead around town, each one having their eyes stolen by their killer. Naschy's drifter, it turns out, has a past from which he's on the run, and when it emerges, all suspicion turns no him.
But there's more to this mystery than meets the blue eyes.
The movie, though certainly worth a look, is far from perfect, and it would probably be fairly ranked as a relatively minor Naschy outing. It suffers from some of the shortcomings that so violently sink most gialli, but, unlike so many of the Italian films, it isn't sunk by them. The police procedural elements are fairly minimal. The "big reveal" at the end is, as in practically every giallo, utterly ludicrous, but the final sequence is so odd and so well played that viewers will tend to forgive the film for failing to solve a critical piece of the mystery (a major character is stabbed, but it's never revealed who did it), and for building up a minor one, then leaving it completely unexplained (the matter of the accident that resulted in the injuries to the two sisters). We're given at least one red herring that is never unexplained--one of the sisters spies Naschy's boots covered in mud, which was potentially very important, but no explanation for their being muddy is ever given. As a mystery, it has far too much of the giallo in it to be very good. As a movie, though, it's pretty consistently entertaining, with plenty of nifty directorial flourishes and a really good score.
I may be going easy on it because I was so surprised it wasn't a complete waste of space. Still, I'd give it a marginal recommendation (with all the caveats I've outlined here, at least).
Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a pretty solid film. Our man Naschy is a drifter who breezes into a town in the north of France and goes to work for three odd sisters, living a reclusive life in a big, old house. Almost immediately after he arrives (and starts getting very friendly with two of the sisters), blue-eyed ladies start turning up dead around town, each one having their eyes stolen by their killer. Naschy's drifter, it turns out, has a past from which he's on the run, and when it emerges, all suspicion turns no him.
But there's more to this mystery than meets the blue eyes.
The movie, though certainly worth a look, is far from perfect, and it would probably be fairly ranked as a relatively minor Naschy outing. It suffers from some of the shortcomings that so violently sink most gialli, but, unlike so many of the Italian films, it isn't sunk by them. The police procedural elements are fairly minimal. The "big reveal" at the end is, as in practically every giallo, utterly ludicrous, but the final sequence is so odd and so well played that viewers will tend to forgive the film for failing to solve a critical piece of the mystery (a major character is stabbed, but it's never revealed who did it), and for building up a minor one, then leaving it completely unexplained (the matter of the accident that resulted in the injuries to the two sisters). We're given at least one red herring that is never unexplained--one of the sisters spies Naschy's boots covered in mud, which was potentially very important, but no explanation for their being muddy is ever given. As a mystery, it has far too much of the giallo in it to be very good. As a movie, though, it's pretty consistently entertaining, with plenty of nifty directorial flourishes and a really good score.
I may be going easy on it because I was so surprised it wasn't a complete waste of space. Still, I'd give it a marginal recommendation (with all the caveats I've outlined here, at least).
A very average Giallo
bensonmum217 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll is a decent enough Spanish Giallo with enough twists and turns in the plot to make it reasonably entertaining. The biggest problem, however, is that it lacks the style I usually associate with the genre. The set-up is wonderful – a drifter, Gilles (played by Spanish horror legend Paul Naschy), is hired as a caretaker at a house inhabited by three beautiful women – all of whom have some sort of problem. Claude has a prosthetic arm, Ivette is wheelchair bound, and Nicole is a raging nymphomaniac. Gilles arrival coincides with a series of brutal murders. Gilles has a secretive past, but is he really capable of the string of vicious deaths? Don't worry, it'll all be sorted out in the end.
First - the good. As I've already indicated, I loved the set-up. The big old house full of crazy women provides a wonderful backdrop for the film's events to unfold. The acting is okay. I was most impressed with Diana Lorys' very sympathetic performance as the vulnerable Claude. Next, the plot will keep you guessing right up to the end with its numerous red herrings. Suspicion is thrown on just about everyone. And, even though the ending comes out of nowhere and hardly seems plausible, the final reveal has one of the things I love about Gialli – the total unpredictability of the finale.
But as my rating would indicate, there are things about Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll that didn't work for me as well as they could have. First, I'm not the biggest fan of Paul Naschy. I try and try to enjoy the man's work, but for the most part, I don't see the appeal. Next, the special effects are very weak – even for a low budget Giallo. The eyes look ludicrous. Finally, as I indicated in the opening, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll lacks that style I look for in a Giallo. Leaving out the works of Dario Argento and Mario Bava, just compare this movie with the Gialli of Sergio Martino, Luciano Ercoli, or Emilio Miraglia and you'll quickly see what I mean.
In the end, I'll give Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll a weak 6/10, verging on a 5/10.
First - the good. As I've already indicated, I loved the set-up. The big old house full of crazy women provides a wonderful backdrop for the film's events to unfold. The acting is okay. I was most impressed with Diana Lorys' very sympathetic performance as the vulnerable Claude. Next, the plot will keep you guessing right up to the end with its numerous red herrings. Suspicion is thrown on just about everyone. And, even though the ending comes out of nowhere and hardly seems plausible, the final reveal has one of the things I love about Gialli – the total unpredictability of the finale.
But as my rating would indicate, there are things about Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll that didn't work for me as well as they could have. First, I'm not the biggest fan of Paul Naschy. I try and try to enjoy the man's work, but for the most part, I don't see the appeal. Next, the special effects are very weak – even for a low budget Giallo. The eyes look ludicrous. Finally, as I indicated in the opening, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll lacks that style I look for in a Giallo. Leaving out the works of Dario Argento and Mario Bava, just compare this movie with the Gialli of Sergio Martino, Luciano Ercoli, or Emilio Miraglia and you'll quickly see what I mean.
In the end, I'll give Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll a weak 6/10, verging on a 5/10.
A brilliant Spanish Giallo Movie!
laslowhite17 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The movie Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll is a film that i find is very much underestimated amongst some fans of the horror genre.
I was reminiscent of the film and watched it again last night under the video version of the same name which i believe to be the uncut version as the American versions were entitled House of Doom and House Of the Psychotic Women were both cut versions but i am uncertain as to which scenes were cut out although i suspect that one of them would upset members of PETA.
In regards to the movie which is Spanish but set in France, an escaped convict named Gilles has gone to a town in France searching for a new life and work. He visits a local café in waitress is less than welcoming. He later meets a young woman named Claude who after much hardship and a disfigured hand lives with her two sisters Yvette who is wheelchair bound and Nicole who is a nymphomaniac within a house and estate and need some help so he is invited to work and stay with them. Gilles suffers from flashbacks at times from his previous crimes of strangling a woman who was his lover. Nicole wastes no time in seducing Gilles who later turns his affections to Claude who believes a man would never be interested in her. There is bitter rivalry between all three sisters who have different ways of living.
Yvette's condition is being helped by the local doctor and a nurse named Michelle who turns up to replace another nurse, Margo since her disappearance, she is suspicious of Michelle who has problems outside of work but her doctor reassures her that she has her best interests at heart.
All the main characters are introduced within the first half an for the plot development and all have something to hide once we get to know a little about them, the story takes a more sinister turn when police first discover that the nurse who was supposed to care for Yvette has been found murdered and then an unknown killer starts to stalk and murder young, attractive, blond haired and blued eyed women. There disguise is to be completely covered in black with gloves trademark is to cut out the blue eyes of their victims, although the viewer does not get to see this unfortunately. The set up of the killings is dark and atmospheric like in many other European horror films from the giallo genre with the music from the children's rhyme Feres Jacques playing in the background and it gets more catchy each time, it is very memorable in reference to the film. Although the killings are not as graphic as you would expect due to production limitations and one misleading cover photo in which tries to make you believe the decapitation of one of the women in the film is more explicit then it actually is. This film turns more from horror to that of a thriller when it comes to the viewer finding out who is the culprit if these gruesome murders.
The first hour appears quite predictable but no one could expect the disturbing outcome of this classic and intelligent storyline which is only revealed in the last few scenes makes it definitely worth the watch alone, I wont spoil it for you but it should definitely make you appreciate the films plot and understand the killers motive.
I am also pleased that after 35 years Blue Eyes Of the Broken Doll has finally been released on DVD and presented in high definition so i hope to see this version soon.
I would give this film a 7 out of 10!
I was reminiscent of the film and watched it again last night under the video version of the same name which i believe to be the uncut version as the American versions were entitled House of Doom and House Of the Psychotic Women were both cut versions but i am uncertain as to which scenes were cut out although i suspect that one of them would upset members of PETA.
In regards to the movie which is Spanish but set in France, an escaped convict named Gilles has gone to a town in France searching for a new life and work. He visits a local café in waitress is less than welcoming. He later meets a young woman named Claude who after much hardship and a disfigured hand lives with her two sisters Yvette who is wheelchair bound and Nicole who is a nymphomaniac within a house and estate and need some help so he is invited to work and stay with them. Gilles suffers from flashbacks at times from his previous crimes of strangling a woman who was his lover. Nicole wastes no time in seducing Gilles who later turns his affections to Claude who believes a man would never be interested in her. There is bitter rivalry between all three sisters who have different ways of living.
Yvette's condition is being helped by the local doctor and a nurse named Michelle who turns up to replace another nurse, Margo since her disappearance, she is suspicious of Michelle who has problems outside of work but her doctor reassures her that she has her best interests at heart.
All the main characters are introduced within the first half an for the plot development and all have something to hide once we get to know a little about them, the story takes a more sinister turn when police first discover that the nurse who was supposed to care for Yvette has been found murdered and then an unknown killer starts to stalk and murder young, attractive, blond haired and blued eyed women. There disguise is to be completely covered in black with gloves trademark is to cut out the blue eyes of their victims, although the viewer does not get to see this unfortunately. The set up of the killings is dark and atmospheric like in many other European horror films from the giallo genre with the music from the children's rhyme Feres Jacques playing in the background and it gets more catchy each time, it is very memorable in reference to the film. Although the killings are not as graphic as you would expect due to production limitations and one misleading cover photo in which tries to make you believe the decapitation of one of the women in the film is more explicit then it actually is. This film turns more from horror to that of a thriller when it comes to the viewer finding out who is the culprit if these gruesome murders.
The first hour appears quite predictable but no one could expect the disturbing outcome of this classic and intelligent storyline which is only revealed in the last few scenes makes it definitely worth the watch alone, I wont spoil it for you but it should definitely make you appreciate the films plot and understand the killers motive.
I am also pleased that after 35 years Blue Eyes Of the Broken Doll has finally been released on DVD and presented in high definition so i hope to see this version soon.
I would give this film a 7 out of 10!
Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll
Scarecrow-8811 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Deranged Spanish giallo from director Carlos Aured, written by and starring Paul Naschy, who portrays a recently released con named Gilles, troubled by odd nightmares regarding his intense strangulation of a specific woman, who finds a job as a grounds-keeper under the employment of three troubled sisters. Not long after starting work, Gilles is bedding two of the sisters, fiery red-headed nympho Nicole(Eva León)and Claude(Diana Lorys) victim of an unfortunate car accident leaving a nasty burnt scar down her arm and missing fingers on the hand. Nicole, wearing a metallic hand and often hiding her arm under long sleeves, is not only wounded physically, but carrying inner anguish deeming herself hideous completely devoting her life to the family. Also "damaged" in the car accident was sister Ivette(Maria Perschy) , seemingly paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. With the arrival of Gilles, friction begins to surface as both Nicole and Ivette desire his touch. Meanwhile, a murderer, wearing black gloves(..not leather this time)begins to attack blond headed, blue-eyed beauties in the general area at night with various weapons at his/her disposal. Obviously, the ex-con will be an immediate suspect, while the authorities search for a disgruntled former employee of the sisters, who confronts Gilles in a knife fight leaving both men sliced by the weapon during their brief skirmish. The town detective(Antonio Pica)confides in the trusted doctor(Eduardo Calvo)in assisting him on the difficult case. The doctor often pays visits/house calls to Ivette, for he believes her problem is more mental than physical. He, too, resists Nicole's feminine wiles, and harbors deep sadness due to the loss of his beloved daughter during an eye operation which went awry. Another important character is the newly arrived nurse, Michelle(Inés Morales), who is to take care of Ivette under the doctor's orders. The reason Michelle is the nurse over Ivette has a bit of notoriety, she was not the one that was to take the job, but replaced a nurse murdered not too far from the town.
Like the Italian giallo thrillers populating the cinematic landscape at the time, Naschy's script throws in lots of red-herrings and twists. He gives himself another interesting character, this one a troubled man, burdened with a past that haunts him. Gilles can never be fully trusted, which makes this type of character just right for a giallo. To create doubt in the viewer's mind by providing us with someone with a checkered past, coupled with strange nightmares and violent tendencies(..Gilles even attempts to harm Claude and Michelle), Naschy successfully brings this wacky thriller up a notch. The nature of Nicole, channeled by the lusty León always on the prowl for some lovin', bored by the trappings of such a repressive environment, adds some fun to the mix. I really liked Lorys as the anguished Claude who displays the hurt and self-loathing needed for such a character carrying the disability that shows on the outside. No matter how much she hides the hideous scar and warped hand, we are able to see the repulsion for her condition expressed in not only the way she talks but through the face and eyes. Naschy also gives himself another tragic, flawed hero, who meets a sad fate, not far removed from his El Hombre Lobo. The violence suffers the most due to obvious budgetary constraints, certain attacks(..like when a neck begins to bleed before the knife even cuts the flesh, or a garden fork which slices across bloody glass instead of the victim's body)aren't exactly the most believable. I think most giallo fans will forgive this, if just for the crazy reveal of who the real mastermind behind the killings is at the end. It seems Naschy studied the Italian giallo philosophy well..I consider this a winner.
Like the Italian giallo thrillers populating the cinematic landscape at the time, Naschy's script throws in lots of red-herrings and twists. He gives himself another interesting character, this one a troubled man, burdened with a past that haunts him. Gilles can never be fully trusted, which makes this type of character just right for a giallo. To create doubt in the viewer's mind by providing us with someone with a checkered past, coupled with strange nightmares and violent tendencies(..Gilles even attempts to harm Claude and Michelle), Naschy successfully brings this wacky thriller up a notch. The nature of Nicole, channeled by the lusty León always on the prowl for some lovin', bored by the trappings of such a repressive environment, adds some fun to the mix. I really liked Lorys as the anguished Claude who displays the hurt and self-loathing needed for such a character carrying the disability that shows on the outside. No matter how much she hides the hideous scar and warped hand, we are able to see the repulsion for her condition expressed in not only the way she talks but through the face and eyes. Naschy also gives himself another tragic, flawed hero, who meets a sad fate, not far removed from his El Hombre Lobo. The violence suffers the most due to obvious budgetary constraints, certain attacks(..like when a neck begins to bleed before the knife even cuts the flesh, or a garden fork which slices across bloody glass instead of the victim's body)aren't exactly the most believable. I think most giallo fans will forgive this, if just for the crazy reveal of who the real mastermind behind the killings is at the end. It seems Naschy studied the Italian giallo philosophy well..I consider this a winner.
There's better Giallo's out there
acidburn-1022 May 2021
'Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll' is a moderately entertaining Spanish Giallo with just enough going on to keep you interested with enough suspenseful scenes & an overall grim atmosphere with a decent murder mystery plot & interesting reveal at the climax. But this does lack the finesse of the genre's more finer efforts, but it does manage to superficially capture the feel of them though.
The plot follows Gilles (Paul Naschy) who arrives in a small town looking for work & soon finds himself employed as a groundskeeper at the home of three sisters who like him have dark secrets of their own. However, at the same time young blonde women begin to get murdered and having their eyes cut out & the local police soon think Gilles is the culprit, or is he?
There is some voyeuristic sleaze going on with the near first-person perspective murder scenes and in this regard, it struggles to really deliver in the murder scenes, which are fairly brutal, but lacking in showmanship, what should come across as shocking, merely comes across as flat in its construction. While the plot is moderately intriguing, begins to falter very quickly into camp territory with cartoonish motives and methods.
Overall, despite an alluring title & an interesting premise, this falls a bit short.
The plot follows Gilles (Paul Naschy) who arrives in a small town looking for work & soon finds himself employed as a groundskeeper at the home of three sisters who like him have dark secrets of their own. However, at the same time young blonde women begin to get murdered and having their eyes cut out & the local police soon think Gilles is the culprit, or is he?
There is some voyeuristic sleaze going on with the near first-person perspective murder scenes and in this regard, it struggles to really deliver in the murder scenes, which are fairly brutal, but lacking in showmanship, what should come across as shocking, merely comes across as flat in its construction. While the plot is moderately intriguing, begins to falter very quickly into camp territory with cartoonish motives and methods.
Overall, despite an alluring title & an interesting premise, this falls a bit short.
A blue eyes for a death doll !!!
elo-equipamentos21 July 2020
It's sounds funny a Spanish Giallo supposedly as through was shot on France, however is perceptible the Spanish architecture, the furniture as well, starring the prominent Paul Naschy plays a wanderer Gilles which has been incarcerated for years, looking for a job in a small town where he wasn't welcome, soon he finds a work in a great house as caretaker making all sort of tasks, there lives three weird sisters, the paralyzed at wheelchair Ivette (Maria Perschy), Claude (Diana Lorys) with a hand prosthesis and the younger and raunchy Nicole (Evan Leon), Gilles soon is harassed by the beauty Nicole, then came up Claude who falling in love for him, however he had recurring nightmares who he see himself committing a murder, meanwhile begins appears some death bodies of blonde girls, the local police due his dark past starts suspecting of Gilles, a picture with sexploitation style very usual in that time, so complex plot with several potential suspects, further for a small village had many blondes with blues eyes, a bit contrived, nonetheless plenty acceptable!!
Resume:
First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.25
Resume:
First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.25
Naschy does giallo.
BA_Harrison31 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
As the enigmatic title suggests, Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll sees Spanish horror star Paul Naschy putting away his fangs and fur for a stab at the giallo genre. Directed by Carlos Aured (who had previously worked with Naschy on Return of the Werewolf and Horror Rises From The Tomb), the film has its stout star playing drifter Gilles, who finds work as a caretaker for three sisters, wheelchair bound Ivette (Maria Perschy), nympho Nicole (Eva León) and Claude (Diana Lorys), who has a disfigured arm; when women start to turn up dead, their eyes gouged out, suspicion falls on Gilles.
For almost everything that Blue Eyes gets right, it also gets something wrong, making it a frustratingly mediocre murder mystery overall. The killer wears regulation black gloves and mask (tick), but their identity isn't too hard to guess (being the seemingly most unlikely suspect, as is often the case in these kind of films). The murders are accompanied by a creepy rendition of nursery rhyme Frère Jacques (tick), but the rest of the score is unsuitably jaunty. There are several nasty murders (tick), but the gore is cheap and unconvincing. And of the numerous sexy ladies (tick), only one of them gets her clothes off (sexy redhead León).
Aured conducts matters with little sense of style (Argento, he is not!), and even throws in some unnecessary animal cruelty with the slaughter of a pig (a knife inserted into its jugular so that it can be bled to death). A silly ending sees the previously inept police chief (who happily gunned down Gilles despite no concrete evidence against him) suddenly acquiring Miss Marple levels of deduction and revealing the secret behind the murderer's psychosis.
5/10.
For almost everything that Blue Eyes gets right, it also gets something wrong, making it a frustratingly mediocre murder mystery overall. The killer wears regulation black gloves and mask (tick), but their identity isn't too hard to guess (being the seemingly most unlikely suspect, as is often the case in these kind of films). The murders are accompanied by a creepy rendition of nursery rhyme Frère Jacques (tick), but the rest of the score is unsuitably jaunty. There are several nasty murders (tick), but the gore is cheap and unconvincing. And of the numerous sexy ladies (tick), only one of them gets her clothes off (sexy redhead León).
Aured conducts matters with little sense of style (Argento, he is not!), and even throws in some unnecessary animal cruelty with the slaughter of a pig (a knife inserted into its jugular so that it can be bled to death). A silly ending sees the previously inept police chief (who happily gunned down Gilles despite no concrete evidence against him) suddenly acquiring Miss Marple levels of deduction and revealing the secret behind the murderer's psychosis.
5/10.
Another Homerun for Mr. Naschy
BloodTheTelepathicDog18 April 2011
Give Paul Naschy credit, the man knows how to write an entertaining screenplay. Although he oftentimes enters the arena of vanity--numerous couplings with sexy women and showing off his former bodybuilder physique--his films are highly watchable. Give me a Paul Naschy flick over anything made today.
In this Naschy vehicle, Paul plays a man trying to start all over. He enters a sleepy little community looking for work and is offered a job by a disfigured woman named Claude (Diana Lorys). Claude's right arm has been badly mutilated and she wears a plastic covering over her arm to hide her disfigurement. She takes Paul to her estate where she engages him as a handyman. Living with Claude are her two sisters, the nymphomaniac Nicole (Eva Leon) and the wheelchair bound Yvette (Maria Perschy). Paul Naschy's arrival coincides with the arrival of a new nurse for Yvette, Michelle (Ines Morales) and beginning of a brutal string of murders where blond women are strangled and their eyes cut out.
Of course Paul Naschy is a suspect but the Police Inspector (Antonio Pica) believes Claude's former handyman is the culprit. His theory gains steam when the man shows up and attacks Paul with a knife. So the police chase their man while Nicole chases Paul and Paul chases everything with a skirt. He beds both Nicole and Claude and makes a pass at Michelle all the while dealing with visions of a violent crime from his past. Are Paul's visions of strangling a blond woman just dreams or has he taken to offing lovely dames while under the influence of dementia?
STORY: $$$$ (Naschy, who often writes under his real name, Jacinto Molina, pens a strong Giallo here. There are many plot twists and turns that will leave you second guessing yourself. Right when you think you have the murderer stamped out, the script throws you a curveball and you have to reevaluate your stance. There are a handful of suspects to choose from).
ACTING: $$$$ (Paul does a fine job as usual. Given his werewolf background, he is adept at playing the tortured soul. With his role as Gillies, he is able to branch out a bit, mixing his tortured background with a twisted sexuality. Diana Lorys is brilliant as Claude. She has allowed her disfigurement to ruin her self image and when Paul shows an interest in her, she grapples with her feelings--unable to believe that a man could find her appealing. Her love for him is strong because of her years of rejection. Eva Leon is marvelous as the trampy sister, seducing anything with opposite organs. Eduardo Calvo, as Yvette's doctor is good and Maria Perschy does a fine job with the role of Yvette).
NUDITY: $$$ (Paul has a bedroom romp with Eva Leon who enters his shack wearing the sexiest lingerie getup this side of Victoria's closet. Later, Eva wears a provocative cheerleader like outfit when she visits the doctor, wanting him to check out her stiff back. Of course she takes off her shirt for the inspection and wears nothing underneath. Diana Lorys has a darkly lit topless scene as she gives in to Paul who shows her that her disfigurement doesn't repulse him).
In this Naschy vehicle, Paul plays a man trying to start all over. He enters a sleepy little community looking for work and is offered a job by a disfigured woman named Claude (Diana Lorys). Claude's right arm has been badly mutilated and she wears a plastic covering over her arm to hide her disfigurement. She takes Paul to her estate where she engages him as a handyman. Living with Claude are her two sisters, the nymphomaniac Nicole (Eva Leon) and the wheelchair bound Yvette (Maria Perschy). Paul Naschy's arrival coincides with the arrival of a new nurse for Yvette, Michelle (Ines Morales) and beginning of a brutal string of murders where blond women are strangled and their eyes cut out.
Of course Paul Naschy is a suspect but the Police Inspector (Antonio Pica) believes Claude's former handyman is the culprit. His theory gains steam when the man shows up and attacks Paul with a knife. So the police chase their man while Nicole chases Paul and Paul chases everything with a skirt. He beds both Nicole and Claude and makes a pass at Michelle all the while dealing with visions of a violent crime from his past. Are Paul's visions of strangling a blond woman just dreams or has he taken to offing lovely dames while under the influence of dementia?
STORY: $$$$ (Naschy, who often writes under his real name, Jacinto Molina, pens a strong Giallo here. There are many plot twists and turns that will leave you second guessing yourself. Right when you think you have the murderer stamped out, the script throws you a curveball and you have to reevaluate your stance. There are a handful of suspects to choose from).
ACTING: $$$$ (Paul does a fine job as usual. Given his werewolf background, he is adept at playing the tortured soul. With his role as Gillies, he is able to branch out a bit, mixing his tortured background with a twisted sexuality. Diana Lorys is brilliant as Claude. She has allowed her disfigurement to ruin her self image and when Paul shows an interest in her, she grapples with her feelings--unable to believe that a man could find her appealing. Her love for him is strong because of her years of rejection. Eva Leon is marvelous as the trampy sister, seducing anything with opposite organs. Eduardo Calvo, as Yvette's doctor is good and Maria Perschy does a fine job with the role of Yvette).
NUDITY: $$$ (Paul has a bedroom romp with Eva Leon who enters his shack wearing the sexiest lingerie getup this side of Victoria's closet. Later, Eva wears a provocative cheerleader like outfit when she visits the doctor, wanting him to check out her stiff back. Of course she takes off her shirt for the inspection and wears nothing underneath. Diana Lorys has a darkly lit topless scene as she gives in to Paul who shows her that her disfigurement doesn't repulse him).
Eyes of the Broken Doll is an above-average addition to the giallo genre that had the potential to be so much more
kevin_robbins14 April 2024
I recently watched the Spanish giallo 🇪🇸 Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974) on Tubi. The storyline follows a former soldier, now a civilian, who grapples with nightmares of strangling women. He takes a new job watching over an estate, but shortly after, a serial killer emerges, leaving his victims' eyes in a bowl of water. Is the new guy responsible, or is he being framed?
This picture is directed by Carlos Aured (Curse of the Devil) and stars Paul Naschy (The Night of the Werewolf), Diana Lorys (The Texican), and Eva León (Mansion of the Living Dead).
This is one of those movies with all the ingredients for a masterpiece that just falls short. The torn main character with his visions is fascinating and mysterious. The settings are well-selected, isolated, and realistic for the premise. The storyline has some great twists and turns, and just when you think it's predictable, it surprises you. The kill scenes definitely could have been better, but there are some solid corpses and good use of maggots. There's also a brutal use of a pig and a "where'd that bear trap come from" moment that had me cracking up.
In conclusion, Eyes of the Broken Doll is an above-average addition to the giallo genre that had the potential to be so much more. I would score this a 5.5-6/10 and recommend it to genre fans.
This picture is directed by Carlos Aured (Curse of the Devil) and stars Paul Naschy (The Night of the Werewolf), Diana Lorys (The Texican), and Eva León (Mansion of the Living Dead).
This is one of those movies with all the ingredients for a masterpiece that just falls short. The torn main character with his visions is fascinating and mysterious. The settings are well-selected, isolated, and realistic for the premise. The storyline has some great twists and turns, and just when you think it's predictable, it surprises you. The kill scenes definitely could have been better, but there are some solid corpses and good use of maggots. There's also a brutal use of a pig and a "where'd that bear trap come from" moment that had me cracking up.
In conclusion, Eyes of the Broken Doll is an above-average addition to the giallo genre that had the potential to be so much more. I would score this a 5.5-6/10 and recommend it to genre fans.
Naschy nasty!
BandSAboutMovies19 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is also known as House Of Psychotic Women, which is an edited version for U.S. audiences. There's also an even further edited TV version called House of Doom. I'll tell you, this is the only movie I can think of where the children's song "Frere Jacques" plays during murders.
It was directed by Carlos Aured, who would also make Horror Rises from the Tomb, Curse of the Devil and The Mummy's Revenge with this movie's star and co-writer, Paul Naschy.
Naschy plays a ne'er do well named Gilles who wanders into a French town looking for work but ends up getting a ride from a woman named Claude (Diana Lorys, Fangs of the Living Dead) with a fake hand. She soon hires him to put in some work on the house that she shares with her sisters, the insatiable Nicole (Eva Leon) and the wheelchair-bound Yvette (Maria Perschy).
Oh yeah - it's giallo week. I forgot to mention that a black-gloved killer is murdering only blue-eyed women and putting them eyeballs into glasses of water. The top suspect? Lucio Fulci. No, no, it's Gilles.
All those eyeball scenes earned this movie a spot on the section 3 video nasty list. Trust me - it's not as rough as many of the films on that list, but it probably disturbed enough people that it got picked. It's an odd film with a strange atmosphere.
It was directed by Carlos Aured, who would also make Horror Rises from the Tomb, Curse of the Devil and The Mummy's Revenge with this movie's star and co-writer, Paul Naschy.
Naschy plays a ne'er do well named Gilles who wanders into a French town looking for work but ends up getting a ride from a woman named Claude (Diana Lorys, Fangs of the Living Dead) with a fake hand. She soon hires him to put in some work on the house that she shares with her sisters, the insatiable Nicole (Eva Leon) and the wheelchair-bound Yvette (Maria Perschy).
Oh yeah - it's giallo week. I forgot to mention that a black-gloved killer is murdering only blue-eyed women and putting them eyeballs into glasses of water. The top suspect? Lucio Fulci. No, no, it's Gilles.
All those eyeball scenes earned this movie a spot on the section 3 video nasty list. Trust me - it's not as rough as many of the films on that list, but it probably disturbed enough people that it got picked. It's an odd film with a strange atmosphere.
He's The Handyman...
azathothpwiggins14 February 2022
A drifter (Paul Naschy) gets a job as a caretaker at a huge, country estate occupied by three beautiful sisters. Indeed, this caretaker quickly sets out to "take care" of each one of them with that irresistible Naschy charm and manliness, leading to much nudity and odd moaning.
Oh no!
Far from being just another soft core movie, there's a black-gloved killer on the prowl attempting to ruin everyone's fun. In the local village -mostly populated by gorgeous women- suspicions run high as police try to figure out who's been killing the many blonde lasses who walk alone at night.
Could the world's luckiest caretaker be to blame?
BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL is a solid, twisty tale of murder, revenge, and nakedness. With multiple red herrings, oddball characters, and an unfocussed soundtrack, this is a wild classic!
Watch immediately...
Oh no!
Far from being just another soft core movie, there's a black-gloved killer on the prowl attempting to ruin everyone's fun. In the local village -mostly populated by gorgeous women- suspicions run high as police try to figure out who's been killing the many blonde lasses who walk alone at night.
Could the world's luckiest caretaker be to blame?
BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL is a solid, twisty tale of murder, revenge, and nakedness. With multiple red herrings, oddball characters, and an unfocussed soundtrack, this is a wild classic!
Watch immediately...
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