An unpredictable giallo yarn from director Mario Caiano, who injects plenty of Italian style into his movie with unusual camera positions and music effective for the action. The opening stalk-and-slash sequence is truly artistic and easily rivals the more acclaimed work of director Dario Argento. However it's unwise to judge the rest of the film on this gory prologue because up until the ending there is no more gore to be had on offer. Instead, Caiano concentrates on plenty of shifty, mysterious characters, and lines his cast with some fine supporting actors. The plot is unpredictable throughout and takes in diverse elements such as a secret drug-dealing organisation, a mentally handicapped boy who unknowingly witnesses murder, rape, transvestites, psychology, and the expected macabre images with bodies popping out of the water etc.The movie has an unusual backdrop in that a sun-bleached villa, full of people laying around bathing and relaxing, is the setting for the tortuous plot to play out rather than the usual grubby back streets of some nameless Italian seedy town. Every single character in the film is unusual and suspicious in some way or another and Caiano has assembled a more than adequate cast to flesh out the roles.First up is the fragile Rosemary Dexter who is effective in her part as Julie, who begins the film as the lead protagonist and finds herself a victim of circumstances she cannot begin to explain; Dexter is an unknown to me but on the strength of her turn here it's a surprise she hasn't appeared in more Italian leading roles. Then we have the inimitable Adolfo Celi, who has a large role for a change and does very well in the part, as is to be expected with an actor of his skill and experience. The rest of the cast - or should I say 'suspects' features such familiar faces as Franco Ressel (TARZANA) as the sleazy character of 'Eugene'; Alida Valli (THE TEMPTER) as the harsh-faced owner of the villa, Greta; Euro-regular Horst Frank as the bullying psychiatrist boyfriend, Luca, and even an early appearance from later cult babe Sybil Danning.One thing that does make this film above average for the genre is the twist ending, which is truly unusual and very cleverly done. I don't want to spoil it, only to say it's worth waiting for and difficult to predict. Although the film sometimes seems slow-paced and unfocused, it's worth sitting through to see the ending which goes on to make sense of everything. Oh, and it's worth watching for the eventual explanation of the title, which is both bizarre, blackly comic, and pretty horrific!

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..

This is a giallo that like "In the Folds of Flesh" released a year or so earlier, combines the traditional giallo formula with the kind of "pop"-Freudian nonsense that was big at the time in Europe especially, resulting in a movie that is pretty goofy but fun. A young woman (Rosemary Wilcox) is haunted by pop-Freudian dreams of her recently murdered psychologist (and lover), so for some reason she goes to a resort where the psychologist liked to hang out and becomes involved with a gangster (Adolf Celli) and the strange female resort owner (Alida Valli). Soon more murders occur involving the other guests at the resort, and it's not too hard to guess who is responsible.The ridiculous portrayal of psychoanalysis in this movie makes even Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie" look realistic, but personally I find this kind of preposterous psychobabble, unbelievable plot twists, and bizarro dream sequences far more entertaining than most of your more realistic "psychological thrillers". There's also some solid acting talent involved here, especially Alida Valli and Adolf Celli as the two most obvious viallians. Lead Rosemary Dexter was originally casts as "Justine" in the Jess Franco film of the same name, but she was replaced American daughter-of-a-name actress Romina Powers, which is unfortunate because she proves here to be an infinitely better actress than Powers--and she gets naked a lot too. And speaking of getting naked, a young Sybil Danning also has a supporting role as a murder victim, pretty much doing what she always does in movies. (As with Linnae Quigley, I find Danning's early work much more interesting in that it is not ENTIRELY an excuse to show off her impressive nude torso).This isn't one of the best giallo. And if you either hate Freud, on one hand, or take him very seriously, on the other, you may not like it too much. Generally though, I would recommend it.

I got this film from a private collector and was very curious about it. It had a 7,8 in IMDb (9 votes only) and some external comments were pleasant. But I have to say that it is a very usual and uninteresting giallo. Yes, great cinematography, the film is well directed, but it never freaked me out. It starts well, but although it not bored me at all, the story is so ordinary and the things that occur so normal, that I didn't like it very much.You can make a few laughs. And you can see some little tits. But if you like the kind of giallos I like (bizarre, surreal, nonsenseful, gory, atmospheric, brutal murders...) you won't appreciate much this film.I give it a 4 for the good directing and editing, and the final twists, that make the film entertaining. But it could be much better.