Blind Date

Blind Date tells the story of Jonathon Radcliffe, who on recovering from an accident that left him without sight, finds himself an integral part in the mystery of a series of grisly murders in Athens.

Nico Mastorakis is one of the best cult film makers of the eighties, and its for movies like this that show why.

A brilliantly subtle Hitchcokian idea, but better, it is full of interesting scenes, if not suspenseful moments. The acting is good but is brought down by the performances of the killer's targets.

Not for everyone, but a real overlooked classic.

I only want to know what happened to the proposed sequel promised at the end, that says Jonathon Radcliffe will return in 'Run, Stumble and Fall.'

Part psychological thriller, with just a bit of sci-fi, it really never does work. Joseph Bottoms was pretty boring as the lead. Kirstie Alley was pretty good, and this film DOES have her only known topless scene. (There is a long feature on the director on the DVD which contains some additional footage of this scene.) The late Lana Clarkson was good enough here, and Marina Sirtis looked fantastic as the hooker. Keir Dullea was simply wasted on this material. The biggest plot hole had to do with the special effects (which really weren't all that special). The grid outlines that Jonathan Ratcliffe (Bottoms) were able perceive simply weren't nearly good enough for him to get around as well as he did. And I mean walking about, we don't even have to go as far as the driving scene. Also, he really wasn't very convincing as a blind man. Poor screenplay plus poor acting equals poor movie. The only reason to check this one out is if you are interested in Alley. Grade: D-

Blind Date is a unique giallo flick with a decent amount of substance. It follows the story of Johnathan Ratcliff whose life is changed dramatically when he loses his sight in an accident, but he's lucky that an experimental sonar device has been created which when installed restores their sight. He agrees and becomes the first to try this new technology. This happens while around the city an un-named killer armed with a surgical scalpel murders beautiful women.

This is probably the best out of the work I've seen from Nico Mastorakis, his direction and camera work is very polished on this film. The killings are very tame and the visual effects for John's point of view are dated by today standards, but those aspects don't take away from the film. The Hitchcock styled story with a mix of Sci-Fi is excellent and where the movie shines. The performances from the actors in this flick aren't the most memorable but, some acting is bad from the minor characters however the leads serve their roles and do a good job. I found myself losing interest in the film at some moments but it would quickly draw me back in.

You could do a lot worse when picking an 80's horror thriller, especially considering it's currently free with prime. So I'd recommend this flick if you enjoy B-movies of this style.

An average thriller about a stalker who goes blind after hitting his head on a tree while being chased by an angry boyfriend. He gets implanted with a chip that lets him see in vague computer graphic outline. Meanwhile a killer is experimenting on female victims. This film is nothing that special except for geeks, which should see it because it has Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: TNG's Diana Troy) topless in it. Oh and Kristie Alley has a nude love scene in it as well, but I'm not too fond of her.

Omega DVD extras: The films of Nico Mastorakis:part one-From the beginning to "Sky High" (for parts 2 and 3 you have to get 2 more of Nico's films..greedy bastard) ; 2 Music tracks; Filmographies; Bios; Theatrical trailer; Trailers for "In the Cold of the Night", "Sky High", "Bloodstone", and ".dot com for Murder"

My Grade: C-

Don't we all have someone in our circle of friends of whom we say: "Don't pay too much attention to X, that's just how he is. He is a bit weird and insane in the brain, but we like him". Well, that's also the best way to describe what kind of writer/director Niko Mastorakis is. His films are pleasantly deranged cocktails of far-fetched plots, sleazy perversions, extreme violence, and unconventional humor. But hey, it's Mastorakis... He's harmless and he means well...

"Blind Date" is almost impossible to describe. It's about playboy/businessman Jonathan Ratcliff who is actually a stalker and voyeur, but he's still portrayed as the hero. He goes blind from running against a tree, but his fancy doctor tells him it's actually due to an unprocessed trauma. He wants to use Jonathan as a guinea pig to plant a kind of computer chip in his skull that will replace his eyes and be directly connected to the brain. Now, Jonathan has the vision of a Commodore-64 computer, and his brain goes bonkers when he plugs his head into a video game. Meanwhile, in Athens - yes, we are in Greece - there is a serial killer wandering around who slices open young women, but only after they have undressed. Although a dozen women have already gotten into an old taxi before they were found dead, there is apparently no police looking for the killer. Don't worry, because Jonathan is connected to the killer (and I really have no idea how that's possible) and he goes after him with his black and white vision and a terribly ugly car!

As I said, there is nothing of structure or logic in "Blind Date". BUT, there are a lot of topless actresses (including Kirstie Alley... for lovers of "before they were famous" lists), gruesome massacres, and an arsenal of corny crooner songs! With a little imagination you could also call "Blind Date" a Greek variant of the Italian giallo. Proceed at your own risk.