Henry Mancini sued Warner Bros. for repurposing large sections of his score for the 1967 movie WAIT UNTIL DARK for this 1972 TV movie. The audience should have sued for such a massive waste of time and a decent premise.
THE EYES OF CHARLES SAND starts out strong with an interesting supernatural hook, some creepy imagery, and an affable hero played by Peter Haskell. Joan Bennett and Adam West are good in supporting roles too. Unfortunately, by the midway point, the movie goes off the rails, from the moment the character of Emily Pankhurst first starts to get dialogue in earnest. Played in a histrionic, shriek-heavy style by Shannon Farrell, she becomes so irritating that you want her to just get killed. Barbara Rush falls into the same boat as well once we learn she's the main baddie.
By the last twenty minutes, this supernatural thriller becomes a cheesy proto-slasher, where Farrell and Rush compete to see who can chew the most scenery and the people in charge of the soundtrack see who can hack and slash Mancini's eerie music to the point of dramatic incoherence. The whole thing feels awkward and even Haskell's solid performance cannot save it in the end. It's a shame because this could have been quite good. Ultimately, it's a dated curiosity.
THE EYES OF CHARLES SAND starts out strong with an interesting supernatural hook, some creepy imagery, and an affable hero played by Peter Haskell. Joan Bennett and Adam West are good in supporting roles too. Unfortunately, by the midway point, the movie goes off the rails, from the moment the character of Emily Pankhurst first starts to get dialogue in earnest. Played in a histrionic, shriek-heavy style by Shannon Farrell, she becomes so irritating that you want her to just get killed. Barbara Rush falls into the same boat as well once we learn she's the main baddie.
By the last twenty minutes, this supernatural thriller becomes a cheesy proto-slasher, where Farrell and Rush compete to see who can chew the most scenery and the people in charge of the soundtrack see who can hack and slash Mancini's eerie music to the point of dramatic incoherence. The whole thing feels awkward and even Haskell's solid performance cannot save it in the end. It's a shame because this could have been quite good. Ultimately, it's a dated curiosity.