EYES OF THE PANTHER
Classic, my ass
This is another one of Shelley Duvall's "Nightmare Classics" flicks that were made for Showtime. Since these things are running zero for two in my book right now, I don't really see what makes 'em classics.
A crusty old man in the Old West relates the story of the love of his life, Irene (played by an adorable Daphne Zuniga), whose family was visited by a mysterious panther before her birth. Needless to say, things get panther-riffic after that, and he was way too silly a young man to listen to this lady who insisted that he shouldn't love her because she's insane.
Even at sixty minutes, this one's waaay too slow, coming to life only when Zuniga gets all kittenish. C. Thomas Howell plays our narrator, provoking continued wonder at the perpetuation of his career. It doesn't help that two of the cast members are so, so obviously young men in old-age makeup. Jeez, just get some old coot to play the old coot, and pay him scale. (really, the old-age makeup thing has only been done well 2 1/2 times in cinema history - Citizen Kane, Ghosts Of Mississippi and Robert Englund in The Mangler) (that's the half)
Pretty lame stuff. For Zuniga completists only.