Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Myriam Nys North-America circa 1750. English-speaking colonists are threatened by dangers both seen and guessed-at : natural perils, Indians, disease. Mister Will, a charismatic but disquieting "preacher", entices a married woman away from her husband. The wife and her teenage daughter become part of a small group of followers who believe Mister Will's tales about a promised land. The little band sets out on a journey into the unknown..."Eyes of fire" is basically an allegory about the difficult life of early colonists, who face two great dangers : that of committing suicide through internal strife and that of being swallowed whole by a vast wilderness. It's a pleasantly quirky and unpredictable little horror movie, with interesting characters and an unusual plot. The imagery is both original and unsettling, although some of the visual and special effects, watched anno Domini 2018, can seem somewhat dated or home-spun. "Eyes" also has some intelligent things to say about the kind of religiously inspired guide - or Guide with a capital G - who is all manly and brave and determined when it comes to leading his flock into trouble, but is as useful as a wet sock when it comes to finding solutions. On the minus side : some VERY annoying music.

NateWatchesCoolMovies Avery Crounse's Eyes Of Fire is so rare and forgotten that it's only available on YouTube, as far as I could tell, which is saying a lot because my net of sources stretches pretty far these days. It's truly something special and who knows how long that video will be up for. Belonging to one of my favourite sub genres, the horror western, I'm almost convinced it largely inspired 2014's celebrated horror flick The VVitch, as well as a few others over the years. It's a bit of a heartbreak that it isn't more widely recognized or even available (a DVD release seems to be nonexistent). On the American frontier in the 1700's, a creepy minister (Dennis Lipscomb) is banished from a settlement for suspected adultery and witchcraft. The man and his followers venture out into a mysterious, little traversed valley and find themselves preyed upon by... something. The region is haunted by nature spirits who have imprisoned deceased Natives, now phantom spectres who stalk through the trees consuming souls of the living, also controlled by what the clan's children call a 'devil witch'. There's various plot threads involving women in the group, one of whom has a mountain man ex husband (Guy Boyd) who has been living in the wilderness and has intuitive knowledge about the forces there, imparted in a well written, spooky campfire monologue. There's also a Celtic witch (Karlene Crockett) who acts as a force of good against the dark magic. Once the folk start encountering all this though, plot takes a backseat to a spectacular array of very surreal and thoroughly scary special effects, colour filters, hallucinatory nightmares, unnerving musical sound design and all mannered spook-house atmospherics. It's hectic as all hell and the acting sometimes gets super melodramatic, but what wonders of practical effects they've used here, a showcase of prosthetics, eerie photo-negative filters, Wiccan lore, earth magic and terrifying phantasms. Trees have faces, weird charcoal demons plague everyone, all set to a wonderfully warped score that uses experimental white noise, Gaelic thrums, ethereal tones and elemental cues to chill the spine. A hopelessly forgotten gem, but one of incredible value to any fan of unconventional horror.

jane_cybergarden Watched 'Eyes of Fire' shortly after its release in 1983. Haunting, atmospheric and portraying nature spirits at their most potent. Something about it just captures your soul and stays with you - Leah the Irish faery.. and the faces of the spirits emerging from the trees... It felt as though you were really out there in the woods.Managed to get hold of a video about a month ago - WOW - even better than I had remembered it. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who would jump at the chance to experience this unique, enchanting film. After all, if 'The Company of Wolves' (1984) has just been re-released on DVD, why can't Eyes of Fire...

eddy-28 This motion picture is perhaps the most bizarre film I have ever seen for such a low budget. The film itself brings out more horror than what you would think. The film is about a group of western pioneers set in the early American Frontier around 1750, who travel into an uncharted land and forest and are haunted by evil spirits living in the trees. Director Avery Crounse and his team of special effects rely on old fashion suspense, which is way better than some of the films we have today. Composer Brad Fiedel (who also created the score for James Cameron's The Terminator) conducts a fascinating Irish musical score. The all star cast including Dennis Lipscomb (WarGames), Guy Boyd (Jagged Edge), Will Hare (Back to the Future), Fran Ryan (The Sure Thing) and Emmy award winning actress Karlene Crockett all do a wonderful job at acting. It's a shame that this film isn't around anymore, it should be released to DVD and it's obvioius that films like The Blair Witch Project and Ravenous ripped off this film. Eyes of Fire is highly recommended for fans of early ghost stories.