You’ve probably seen the poster. A close-up of Faye Dunaway’s piercing eyes, her face framed by a camera lens, looking like the epitome of 1970s New York grit and glamour. Honestly, Eyes of Laura Mars is one of those movies that feels like a fever dream from a specific era of cinema that just doesn’t exist anymore. It’s weird. It’s kinky. It’s kinda messy in the way only a big-budget studio film from 1978 can be.
But here’s the thing: most people dismiss it as just another slasher or a failed psychic thriller. They're wrong.
The John Carpenter Connection Nobody Talks About
Before he became the master of horror with Halloween, a young John Carpenter was a writer-for-hire trying to break into the studio system. He wrote the original treatment for Eyes of Laura Mars, then titled simply Eyes. It was his first major studio credit, and you can see his fingerprints all over the "POV" gimmick.
The premise is basically high-concept gold. Laura Mars is a controversial fashion photographer whose work features hyper-stylized violence. Suddenly, she starts getting these "flashes." She isn't just seeing visions; she’s literally seeing through the eyes of a serial killer as he murders her friends.
Imagine trying to navigate a New York street while your brain is suddenly hijacked by the perspective of a guy holding a pair of ice picks. It’s a terrifying concept. Carpenter actually hated how the studio handled it. Columbia Pictures brought in David Zelag Goodman to rewrite it, and Carpenter later famously said the script "got shat upon."
He felt the mechanics of the "sight" were clumsy. If you’re seeing through someone else’s eyes, you’d lose your balance immediately. You’d fall over. The movie doesn't always lean into that physical disorientation as much as he wanted, but the tension is still there.
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Why the Fashion World Hates (and Secretly Loves) This Movie
If you look at the photography in the film, it looks incredibly authentic. That’s because it basically is. Producer Jon Peters—a former hairdresser who was dating Barbra Streisand at the time—wanted that "chic" look. He hired legendary photographer Helmut Newton to provide the gallery photos.
Newton’s work in the real world was already causing a stir for its S&M themes and "porn-chic" aesthetic. Seeing those images on a massive cinema screen in 1978 was a huge deal. It forced the audience to confront the same question the characters ask: Is Laura’s art reflecting violence, or is it inciting it?
The fashion in this movie is literally iconic:
- Faye Dunaway in those high-waisted, split-leg skirts.
- The camel-colored capes and fedoras.
- Theoni V. Aldredge’s costume design, which basically predicted the 80s "power suit" vibe.
- Models like Lisa Taylor and Darlanne Fluegel making their debuts.
It’s easy to get distracted by the clothes, but the movie is actually a pretty biting critique of how the media consumes tragedy as a commodity. Laura’s photos are "art" until they start happening in real life. Then, suddenly, the glamour feels pretty gross.
The Secret "American Giallo"
Film nerds love to argue about whether Eyes of Laura Mars is a slasher or a giallo. If you aren't familiar, giallo is a subgenre of Italian thrillers known for stylish cinematography, black-gloved killers, and bizarre, convoluted plots.
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This movie is 100% an American giallo.
- The Killer's POV: Those orange-tinted, distorted shots.
- The Mystery: Everyone is a suspect.
- The Urban Decay: 1970s New York City looks absolutely filthy and beautiful at the same time.
- The Cast: You have a very young Tommy Lee Jones as the detective, Brad Dourif (before he was Chucky) as a twitchy driver, and Raul Julia as a shady ex-husband.
It’s a weirdly stacked cast for a movie about a psychic photographer. Tommy Lee Jones actually wrote his own monologue for the film, which gives his character a weird, soulful depth that probably wasn't in the original script.
The Production Was a Mess
Jon Peters was notoriously hands-on. He reportedly flew to New York just to color Faye Dunaway’s hair himself. There were rumors of a "tense" relationship between Dunaway and Peters. Honestly, you can see some of that friction on the screen—there’s a raw, jagged energy to Dunaway’s performance that feels less like acting and more like genuine exhaustion.
The movie was originally supposed to be a vehicle for Barbra Streisand. She turned it down because she thought the story was too "kinky." She did, however, sing the theme song, "Prisoner," which became a hit. It’s this weirdly soaring love ballad that plays over a movie about a guy stabbing people with scissors. Total tonal whiplash.
Does the Twist Ending Actually Work?
I won't spoil the specific identity of the killer here just in case you haven't seen it, but the ending is... controversial. Critics like Roger Ebert hated it. He thought the mystery was too easy to solve and the psychic connection was never explained.
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But maybe that’s not the point.
Eyes of Laura Mars is more of a sensory experience than a logic puzzle. It captures a moment in time when New York felt like it was falling apart, and the "art world" was obsessed with the wreckage. It’s a movie about the act of looking. About being a voyeur.
How to Appreciate It Today
If you’re going to watch it (or re-watch it), don't look for a tight, Christopher Nolan-style plot. Look for the atmosphere. Look at the way Victor J. Kemper shoots the city—cold tones, warm keylights, and sudden splashes of red.
- Watch for the Columbus Circle scene: The one with the burning cars and the models. It took four days to film and perfectly captures the "fashion-as-war-zone" vibe.
- Listen to the soundtrack: It’s a mix of disco and Artie Kane’s eerie score. It’s peak 70s.
- Notice the camera gear: Laura uses a Nikon FM with a motor drive. For photo geeks, seeing how accurately they handled the technical side of the photography is actually pretty refreshing.
Practical Takeaways for Film Fans
If you're a fan of modern thrillers like James Wan’s Malignant, you basically owe it to yourself to see where the "seeing through the killer's eyes" trope got its big-budget start. Wan has explicitly cited this film as a major influence.
- Seek out the Kino Lorber Blu-ray: It has a great commentary by director Irvin Kershner (who went from this movie straight to directing The Empire Strikes Back—talk about a jump).
- Look past the plot holes: The supernatural element is never fully explained because it doesn't need to be. It's a metaphor for the camera's eye.
- Compare it to Blow-Up: If you like movies about the "truth" hidden in photographs, this is the grittier, bloodier cousin to Antonioni’s 1966 classic.
Ultimately, Eyes of Laura Mars remains a fascinating footnote in cinema history. It’s the bridge between the high-art European thrillers of the 60s and the commercial American slashers of the 80s. It’s flawed, sure, but it’s never boring.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Movie Night:
- Check the Cinematography: Watch for the "iris" shots that indicate the killer’s POV—this was a precursor to the visual language used in modern horror.
- Contextualize the "Art": Research the work of Helmut Newton before watching; it helps explain why the public in the movie was so outraged by Laura’s photos.
- Track the John Carpenter Influence: Look for the themes of isolation and "the watcher" that he would later perfect in Halloween and Someone's Watching Me!