Gilles (Naschy) is an ex-convict who has just been given his ticket to freedom after serving some time.  Allegedly, he tried to strangle his ex-girlfriend.  He may have even assaulted her sexually.  It’s mostly all hearsay.  Gilles wants nothing more than to get on with his life, without having to participate in the worries of the world or recall the past events that haunt him.  Unfortunately, just like that Naked Eyes song, there is always something there to remind him - in this case, it’s his introduction to Claude (Diana Lorys), one of three sisters that resides in a house on the outskirts of a small French village, who offers him a lift and promptly crushes the neck of a wounded bird with her wooden-prosthetic hand.

As fate would have it, Claude is a flawed person (wow, there’s a stretch of the imagination) and, due to her handicap, she feels no man would be attracted to her.  Her two siblings also have flaws: Ivette (Maria Perschy) is a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair and Nicole (Eva León) is a nymphomaniac.

Now, this might sound all fine and dandy to a guy that was just released from stir and, actually, it is all fine and dandy for the guy that was just released from stir… until some homicidal maniac decides to go on a killing spree - slaying innocent, helpless, blonde-haired, blue-eyed women and subsequently gouging their eyes out and dumping them into a bowl of water (while a creepy version of Frère Jacques plays in the background).

Fans of Oscar winner Javier Bardem may be interested to know that his mum, Pilar Bardem, co-stars as the none-too-friendly waitress ho smokes behind the counter at the café.  The late Luis Ciges, a wonderful Spanish character actor who was featured in numerous Naschy vehicles, plays a villager.  Fans of beautiful young Spanish girls (or “perverts” as we are sometimes called) will no doubt admire the sultry lass that visits the café with her friends (whom Ciges’ character ogles - and rightfully so!) - she was played by then fifteen-year-old Sandra Mozarowsky, a beauty that was featured in several Euro productions due to her Lolita-like qualities.  Sadly, Sandra’s career came to a halt in 1977 when she fell to her death from the upper-story window of her Madrid house at the tender age of eighteen (in what is widely considered to have been a suicide).

What is the ghastly secret of the Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll and, more importantly, what the hell does that title mean?  Well, while it may not be on par with the likes of Argento or Bava, Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll is Spain’s notable entry into the genre and still a good way to waste an hour and a half. 

Presentation
Long regarded as “that” film by the many individuals who picked up the severely-butchered version on video in the 80s (once under the World’s Worst Videos label!) under the title House Of The Psychotic Women, Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll is finally given another chance thanks to the efforts of BCI.  The uncut print (which restores a few grisly scenes, including the actual slaughtering of a pig which will have PETA up in arms), mastered in High Definition from the original negative looks so magnificent when compared to those old VHS dubs that some people might wonder if they’re even the same film or not!  Apparently, the movie was shot Open Matte so the transfer here is just that: a 1.33:1 Full Frame version.  Both the original 2-Channel Mono English and Castilian Spanish language audio tracks come through just fine.  Optional English Subtitles are provided for the Spanish track.


Extras
Like several other of BCI’s Naschy titles, Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll contains an Introduction (1:40) from the great one himself (this time, he flaunts a hangman’s noose in our faces, reminding us of an old proverb that we never heard of in the first place) as well as an Audio Commentary featuring Naschy, director Aured (who, tragically, died from a heart attack only a few short months before this DVD was released) and moderator Angel Gomez Rivero.  The Commentary contains optional English Subtitles for those of you that don’t speak-a-the Spanish and it’s a good thing, too, as it sounds like it was recorded with a budget tape recorder (it’s still good, though).

Additional Special Features include the Spanish Credit Sequences (5:09) which give us both the opening and closing credits, an International Trailer (2:37) which is incorrectly referred to as the U.S. Trailer on the DVD cover (a pity, as I would have loved to see what Sam Sherman’s Independent International company came up with trailer-wise for their cut); a Still Gallery showcasing photos and Promotional Artwork from various parts of the globe; and some impressive Liner Notes written by author Mirek Lipinski which include some rare photos and stills.

The Bottom Line
Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll finally receives the treatment it deserves… and to think that it only took 35 years of impatient waiting and the efforts of an entire generation of geeks to make it happen!