Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

Directed by

Irvin Kershner

Genre

horror film, science fiction film, mystery film, thriller film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 44m

Rated

R

Rating

5.9 of 10 from 231 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A fashion photographer in New York City suddenly gains the ability to see murders through the killer's eyes. She tries to stop the killings before she becomes the next target.

suspensefuldarkgruesomepsychologicalsurrealtenseparanormal1970s

What happens

Eyes of Laura Mars is a 1978 American neo-noir supernatural horror thriller film directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dourif, René Auberjonois, and Raul Julia. It follows a New York City fashion photographer (Dunaway) who suddenly develops the clairvoyant ability to witness disturbing serial murders from the point of view of the killer. The screenplay was adapted (in collaboration with David Zelag Goodman) from a spec script titled Eyes, written by John Carpenter; it was Carpenter's first major studio film. H. B. Gilmour later wrote a novelization. Producer Jon Peters, who was dating Barbra Streisand at the time, bought the screenplay as a starring vehicle for her, but Streisand eventually decided not to take the role because of "the kinky nature of the story", as Peters later explained. As a result, the role went to Dunaway, who had just won an Oscar for her performance in Network (1976). Streisand nevertheless felt that "Prisoner", the torch song from the film, would be a good power ballad vehicle for her. She recorded the song for the soundtrack and it peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Peters commissioned photographer Helmut Newton to provide the images that stand in for Laura Mars' portfolio in the film. Released on August 2, 1978, by Columbia Pictures, the film was a box-office success, grossing $20 million domestically. Some critics and film scholars have noted Eyes of Laura Mars as an American version of the Italian giallo with elements of the slasher film, and it has gone on to develop a cult following. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Halloween (1978)
• Fiona on Fire (1978)
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
• Coma (1978)
• Dawn of the Dead (1978)
• The Medusa Touch (1978)
• Secrets of Three Hungry Wives (1978)
• Someone's Watching Me! (1978)