He middle of the night is dangerous business. You can awaken from a dream where your psychiatrist boyfriend is murdered only to find that he has disappeared. Then your life will seem like a waking nightmare, but only if you're Julie, the heroine of Eye of the Labyrinth.Known for her appearance in a two-part episode of The Saint that was turned into the theatrical release Vendetta for the Saint, Marquis de Sade: Justine and The Shoes of the Fisherman, Rosemary Dexter plays Julie, whose search for Luca (Horst Frank, who also appeared with her in Marquis de Sade: Justine) takes her to a small seaside town. From the moment she knows he's been missing, people have been harassing her as to his whereabouts. Everything simply feels off.When she gets there, she meets Frank (Adolfo Celi, Danger: Diabolik, Thunderball), who tells her that her boyfriend had been in town. Then there's Gerda (Alida Valli, Miss Tanner from Suspiria), whose house is full of artists with some level of ill repute, including a young Sybil Danning as Toni.However, Julia keeps meeting people over and over who refuse to believe that they know her, which lends the film even more of a dreamlike quality. Is there a crime syndicate involved in every moment of her life? Is she in constant danger? Or has she simply gone insane? I'm not going to answer this all for you. You should drink it all in yourself.This is a rare film financed by the city of Monaco (along with some German investments and stars). Mario Caiano (Nightmare Castle) was the director and he keeps things both mysterious and driving. There's also a great soundtrack by Roberto Nicolosi, who scored Black Sabbath and Black Sunday. It's a loungy, jazzy affair that adds verve to the proceedings.Code Red released this film on blu-ray, the first time it was released in the U.S. It's worth tracking down, as it fits in well with plenty of the great giallo released in 1972 (The Case of the Bloody Iris, Don't Torture a Duckling, All the Colors of the Dark, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times), which was a banner year for black gloved killers and psychosexual drama.

Having seen well over 60 gialli thus far, including the majority of the more celebrated films in the genre, I now find myself sifting through the less well-known titles in the hope of finding an obscure gem. Eye in the Labyrinth doesn't quite fit the bill, the film far too light on elaborately staged killings to be wholly satisfying, but it does deliver an intriguing mystery with a reasonable twist, and plenty of skin from some very attractive women (including a young Sybil Danning), making it a giallo worth seeking out once you've exhausted the usual suspects.Brunette beauty Rosemary Dexter plays Julie, whose search for her missing lover Luca leads her to a luxurious villa, home to a group of eccentric individuals who know more about Luca than they are letting on. As Julie investigates, she finds herself in mortal danger; will she survive long enough to discover the truth? To writer/director Mario Caiano's credit, I didn't figure out the twist until moments before the reveal, meaning that I was hooked throughout despite the relaxed approach and lack of gore (having said that, the flashback at the end is nice and gruesome, with a really squishy decapitation).6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

This "film" is so exciting stupid, that it's hard, I have no words to express, to describe the horror. Not the horror in the film, but the horror of this production. But look that slowly I realize to find the words to tell you that this is more than a waste of time, it is even an offense to the idea of cinema itself. But as anyone with some money and with a camera can make a movie, it can happen that the result be exactly what Mr. Mario Caiano did. Poor Rosemary Dexter, she has nothing in common with acting, she's so false in everything she does. Adolfo Celi, great great actor wasted in a throwaway production. Sometime, Alida Valli(very beautiful when she was young) was herself a great and very prolific talent. In other people's films(Carol Reed, Alfred Hitchcock, Michelangelo Antonioni, Gillo Pontecorvo, Luchino Visconti...) Horst Frank was too a charming actor, specialized in interpretations of villains, also in other people's films. That's it, nothing more!

This is truly (as most great Italian Giallo's of the time) one of a kind, little gem! Just look at the casting, dazzling cinematography (all strictly invented with class in a cold/blue colors palette, and, despite its Summery setting!), then of course all the sets, another class act per se, since they never feel conventional, but, always, rather mysterious, and, creepy, without ever being silly, though, or exceedingly over the top, if anything, created with newer and unconventional set directors, obviously working hard to make look everything so sleek and rather chic, and, then again, all make up, costumes, and, so on.. all details just coming together to create a bewildering composition, rich of inventions, and, i am thinking, certainly making so fiercely the most, out of a shoe string budget, finally proudly achieving, while fully succeeding in delivering a straight - to the Silver Screen (let's not forget that main point also, and that is the fact these movies were actually going wide screen, in Cinemas back then, since, i mean, we had of course no video's, DVD's, pay-per-view, or streaming, at the time!)- very good product, never less than compelling! And, not only professional, but, very enjoyable, gripping, and, even somewhat, 'personal', in this particular case, i thought! Ah, I truly only wish Cinema in this lamer than lame 2010's decade, had really only a half of the virtues, you may find in here! Truly. The plot is intriguing, puzzling, disturbing, and.. never or rarely, plausible, but, then again, who wanted to go to the movies to point fingers on stretches of plausibility, while enjoying a movie like this one, back then? Nobody: they just wanted to be fascinated, entertained, and, slowly, but surely lured, and, brought into a World they had heard of, or might have imagined or lusted: this is a privileged world belonging exclusively to a certain upper class, and, more precisely, a colorful and erratic group of folks, all linked by some truly sleazy sexual habits, and a fondness for betrayal, while always cheating reality in favor of money, or other even more ambitiously cruel plots and sub plots! Mario Caiano confirms himself immediately (after a decade spent as an Assistant Director, or Production or Script Supervisor, proving that a career is always best, when built over strong premises, such as, an on set preparation, and with legit foundations over a rigorous camera's technique!) as a solid director with this very movie, that has an almost profound visual sense, and, for sure, an appreciation for morbid and conceptual stylization, without certainly lacking of a visionary, and (then) what must have felt as a terribly innovative grip (I remind you again this was shot in the Fall of 1971!) for story telling, and, it is too bad that later, Caiano was not always offered or granted to direct as freely as he is doing here! Would also like to add that, even though, always have been a big fan of Morricone/Nicolai's classic Giallo's scores, i still loved the music here, also: a very atmospheric, very dark, nourish Miles Davis sound, although, most of all, for me, the winner here is truly the whole visual composition, again, that is just exquisite for the most part, and, to say the least! The cast is also a treat, with great Rosemary Dexter, leading, and, with quite a powerful presence, an awesome ensemble of supporters, such as, legend (Alida)Valli (she was already divine as the lead of Hitchcock's hypnotic "The Paradine Case" in 1948, and of Reed's "The Third Man" in 1949, but, also, of Visconti's art house masterpiece "Senso", in 1955, and she truly had an International career that very few other stars could compete with: just look her up!) , and with the always excellent presence of great Adolfo Celi, of course, and one of the beauties is the always sublime, wildly sexy, Sybil Danning, less campy here, but in a way, even in a smaller role, still almost more interesting than her most famous "American" movies. And, a bravo also to all other numerous thespians, of course! These were truly all good actors, but, also gifted with great and unusual presences, faces,looks, moods.. Not like in films today where everyone looks like a Bank's clerk! And i wanna ask all clerks to forgive me, of course, but, it's just an obviously non personal, and, non extremely correct way of saying, i am just trying to stress here, on a point that is very important, people: back then, some movies were so much more rewarding, because all actors had looks, some extraordinary if not, at least, unusual virtues, and, unique or pretty or weird features, in order to interest, and, intrigue, and, to make you care more, about their characters, while, of course always also being watchable, and, i would even say here way more than watchable! All together,"L'Occhio nel Labirinto" is finally a terrific, if slightly unusual, Giallo, definitely showcasing successfully way more personal visuals, and, unsettling tones, which i very much admired thoroughly, and, that, for me, at least, made up exactly for what was at times lacking a bit, from the script, not always of first hand, but, still compelling for the Genre's standards!!! PS: Sorry, but was irate when reading some reviews that were left a few years ago,but, if you are here because you like Giallo's, just get the movie - if you are into this wonderful genre, again, and, if you love Euro, and, Italian films from that wonderful, unforgettable time of creativity and inventions, that were producing ultimately even great B fun movies to watch, such as this one! - just get on it! But, if you wanna be an intellectual you are on the wrong title, and, you should truly know it! OK? Just saying..