Too many fans seem to be blown away

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Two Evil Eyes is a collaboration by two horror masters; George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead), and Dario Argento (Suspiria). Special effects are also provided by the top name in horror movies of the period, Tom Savini. To top it off, both stories are based on works by Edgar Allan Poe, arguably one of the largest influences on works of horror, well... ever. And the efforts of these great names quite lives up to expectations. In fact, it may succeed them if you are aware of the decline in the quality of output by both of these directors around this time period. Romero's next film after Two Evil Eyes was the appalling King adaptation The Dark Half, and Argento's the lukewarm Trauma. So if one is knowledgeable of this it would be nothing but natural to approach this film tentatively. Fortunately, your fears will be calmed. The first half is titled The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, and is based on the Poe short story of the same name. Romero's adaptation is a fun and concise update. The storyline is engaging, easy to follow, well acted, well shot. I wouldn't say that it's going to blow your mind but it's certainly enjoyable. Argento's effort, as would be expected, was somewhat more complicated. In terms of quality, plot, and appearance. The Black Cat is, mainly, based on the well known Poe story of the same name. It also incorporates nods to other works by the author and the main character's last name is Usher. The story is somewhat muddled and confusing, but that really comes with the territory when Argento is concerned. There are also a few questionable set choices but overall I really found the second half very enjoyable as well. Overall I really think that Two Evil Eyes is a pretty damn enjoyable selection and probably more even than I've made it sound. It's better than its place in the filmographies of the respective directors would suggest as well.

On the surface, this would seem like a horror fan's wet dream. Two of horror's most celebrated directors, George Romero and Dario Argento, in a pseudo-anthology film, dedicated to the works of American legend, E.A. Poe. The reality, however, is that the film has its' shining moments, but the negatives outweighed the positives for me.Most of us have some passing familiarity with Poe's work, maybe you've read it in grade school, or maybe you're more familiar with the Corman adaptations from the 60s. He is considered to be the father of American horror, as well as the inventor of the detective story. His work has been used as a launching point for many horror films and here they attempt to adapt his work somewhat faithfully, though with plenty of additions and embellishments. The stories were originally created for a proposed television series. Unfortunately it was abandoned with only two episodes and, thus, we get the two one-hour segments shown here. The fact that they were created for the small screen is one of the biggest drawbacks to the film. Romero's segment, especially, just reeks of low budget and bad production values. The first story is THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M VALDEMAR done by Romero. It utilizes some of the weakest parts of the Poe oeuvre, in my opinion. It's very indicative of the sort of "detective fiction" that was crafted by Poe letting a plot VERY slowly unwind and, also, shows his preoccupation with the mysticism and hypnotism so popular at the time. The problem is that all the tension that he tries to build just goes nowhere and never provides a satisfying resolution. Maybe I'm just too jaded, but a guy laying frozen with a disembodied voice just doesn't elicit many chills for me. Of course, being Romero, he uses the story as an excuse to comment on capitalism and drag out one of his trademark zombies. The second story is THE BLACK CAT by Argento, which is really a strange melange of several Poe stories, including THE CASK OF AMONTIDALLO. It stars Harvey Keitel a few years before his Tarantino-fueled resurgence. The story has a few of the best elements of Argento's work, including some gorgeous looking crime scenes. Unfortunately, it has some of the worst elements of his work, as well, namely an odd, meandering plot and a bad male lead character that is hard for anyone to relate to because I've never met one person who acted remotely like him. Both directors were about five years past their prime, at this point, and do a serviceable job of translating stories that are now over a hundred years old, to make them more modern. I found the Argento segment to be much better than the Romero, but neither one would even have made a very good episode of TALES FROM THE CRYPT, let alone an entertaining horror film.

I saw this 2 parter on The Horror Channel. I totally agree with the other two reviewers here, part one is lame, looks like an episode from a naff '80s TV prog, is acted badly and George A Romero's talents have been wasted.Black Cat, the second, however, with a fine actor performing well - Harvey Keitel - manages to carve itself some great scenes, a few of which are truly blood-curdling. Yes, it does need some of its fat cut off, but that's applicable to 90% of horror flicks.If you are a cat lover with a sensitive nature, this is best avoided. Even though immediately after the last frame has faded we get an American Animal Humane Society certificate that states clearly 'no animal was...' etc, its very prominence means it was heavily on the mind of someone involved that many of moggy's scenes could be upsetting.As for the actual story, well, it's all a bit over the place but involves photographer Keitel, who hates cats and his common-law wife has a black one. He disposes of it, shall we say and when she gets another, he takes photos of himself "disposing" of that one too, for a book that he gets published. Obviously, his partner isn't too happy about this state of affairs, she moans a lot and then she disappears....There's a nod or two to 'Psycho' in the way she 'disappears' but I'm not going to say any more than that, apart from that it's worth seeing. It's probably worthy of 8/10, whereas the first, just two or three.

Two adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe's dark tales. Two famed directors and recognizable stars. I was real eager to view TWO EVIL EYES, but it didn't take all that long and I was bored to death. Not enough action; not enough gore. George Romero directs THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR, where a deceitful cheating wife(Adrienne Barbeau)plans on killing her husband(E.G. Marshall); and while he is in a vegetated state, she cashes in some of his major assets. Even a fully clothed Barbeau is gorgeous.THE BLACK CAT is directed by Derio Argento and tells the tale of a crime photographer(Harvey Keitel), who is haunted by cats after himself being involved with a murder. Keitel,who is known for playing some quirky roles, does not disappoint.Other stars involved in these twin tales: Sally Kirland, John Amos, Kim Hunter, Martin Balsam and Ramy Zada.