I haven’t seen a lot of Argento’s work and certainly only one of his most recent attempts (but, shhh, if you talk about Dracula 3D, shitty CGI bats will come eat you up). So I was skeptical about Dark Glasses, especially when it premiered on Shudder. But I was surprised… this is – for the most part – a confident, entertaining, and grounded thriller.

A serial killer is targeting prostitutes in Rome and almost gets our protagonist… but she is escapes but is blinded in the attack. Now she has to figure out how to get along in life, earn money, and stay one step ahead of the killer (with the help of a Chines boy and her very good guide dog).

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the first two acts of this film. Surprised mainly because my enjoyment had nothing to do with the horror/serial killer genre. I was connecting with the woman and her plight… and I really grew to adore the relationship between her and the kid (and the dog).

It was almost a disappointment when the killer showed up again. And definitely a disappointment at her race through dark places since it turned into a disjointed random slog. The pacing dipped real low… but at least it had a satisfyingly savage conclusion.

Not a lot of random unexplainable weirdness in this modern day Argento. A very grounded film without any flights of fancy. It does have that distinct Argento musical style… and random boobs. Can’t forget the random boobs.

I enjoyed this far more than I expected. If the ending hadn’t sagged so much, my rating would be a notch higher. But it managed to turn it back around at the very end so it’s still a pretty solid recommendation.

Score: 84