I like watching classic movies. They reveal quite a few of the less-than-subtle inspirations for famous movies nowadays while also shining in their own right, providing quite an enjoyable experience.

Today, I was almost about to watch the 1930s’ murder mystery The Thin Man and Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps but I was sidetracked by The Shooting, a western made in 1966 which featured none other than Jack Nicholson. I had to see what it was about.

Turns out, The Shooting is the strangest Western I’ve ever seen, relying on a somewhat riveting storyline that never lets the viewer know what’s happening until the conclusion which was so shocking and unexpected that my mind was positively blown. It wasn’t the best Western I had ever seen and yet it’s one I’ll definitely remember for its unique qualities.

4/5 stars

And then I finally got the nerve to watch Eyes Without a Face, a film whose title is synonymous with my favorite Billy Idol song and whose featured image always kind of scared me. But I sucked it up and watched it and I was rather blown away by the film’s grisliness for 1960.

The film is totally horrifying in a silent way. There were some moments where I found myself asking, pertaining to the special effects, “How did they do that?” The conclusion was expected but no less shocking or satisfying. As the French horror classic displayed FIN (“The End”) on the screen I sat back and let out a pent-up breath from this almost fairy tale like nightmare. Will Eyes Without a Face haunt my dreams? I surely hope not.

4.5/5 stars

Was Eyes Without a Face better than Psycho? Not by a long shot…but it did have its charm. But I can say that The Shooting was better than Once Upon a Time in the West which bored the crap out of me when I first watched it.

All in all, these were two movies worth watching.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a splendid day.