They Call Her One Eye, and that really isn’t very nice. You really shouldn’t mock people for their disabilities, particularly if you are the reason they have them. It's bound to come back and bite you on the ass… or worse.

The story of Thriller goes like this. A little girl is molested by a pedophile. A little girl is traumatized and becomes mute. Years later that little girl isn’t so little any more, and becomes a fox - but remains mute. A man in a leisure suit kidnaps the girl, gets her addicted to heroine, cuts her left-eye out, and forces her into a life of slavery and prostitution (except on the weekends, when she gets a day off). The girl’s parents die of broken heart disease because they think she ran away and didn’t love them. What’s a girl to do? What else? She decides to make lemonade out of all those nasty lemons and seek vengeance! Each week her day off consists of learning martial arts, how to drive, and how to handle military weaponry.

Oh yes, motherfuckers, it’s on. It’s on as if Sergio Leone directed a female version of The Punisher.

The bizarre mix of action and exploitation, plus really interesting editing and a stylish look, make this one of the few genre flicks that is both memorable and unrelenting. Add to the mix a very attractive lead (Christina Lindberg) who can be sympathetic, sexy and a convincing ass-kicker and you have a winner on your hands. The cruel story of our one-eyed heroine becomes great entertainment when just the right element of camp is dropped in: Christina’s eye patch always matches her outfit, her victims always die in slow motion, and she becomes a martial arts master in mere weeks.

But it’s the no-holds-barred attitude of the film that earned it the acclaim of Quentin Tarantino. With Thriller's heroine being the inspiration for Kill Bill’s Elle Driver character it is no wonder this film is enjoying a newfound recognition.

For those not in the know, They Call Her One Eye is one of many titles for this film (along with Hooker’s Revenge). Like many exploitation films of the ‘70s, it was released under a slew of names and a slew of edits. This is probably the most popular of the cuts. Thriller was first released on DVD late last year in its full uncut form as Thriller: A Cruel Picture. That release was met with mixed reactions – mostly from people who didn’t know what they were getting into. A Cruel Picture was jam-packed with hardcore pornographic scenes. Not harmless Devil in the Flesh/The Brown Bunny type fellatio stuff either. I mean full-on penetration with the camera so close you could practically smell it. First time viewers (of which I was one) were somewhat put off. I’m all for pornography, but the scenes were spliced in such a way that it took you out of the movie. With a plot offering so much grindhouse style fun, it was disheartening to see it limited by those mood killing scenes.

Apparently, I was not alone. Fans called for distributor Synapse to release the tamer, but still quite brutal, American edit of Thriller. The result was this release of They Call Her One Eye, much more accessible and just as awesome an experience.

The story of Thriller is a gritty tale of taking justice into your own hands, using your limited abilities to your advantage, and saying no to lesbianism. That is material nearly everyone can get behind – well, except for saying no lesbians. It also illustrates how awesome you really have it. It’s hard to bitch about life when you haven’t been drugged, mutilated, and repeatedly raped, isn’t it?

Unless of course you were. In which case, sorry I brought it up…

…On to the DVD!

Presentation
Synapse made no changes in the video department since the previous release of the film. The video quality is nothing fantastic, showing the limitations of the source materials. That said, it still looks really damn good for an exploitation film. To clean it up any more would be a crime, as that would take away from the genre appeal. The film is presented in its original 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratio with both the original Swedish Mono audio track and an English dub. Also included are English subtitles.

And The Extras Are?
Theatrical Trailer – (1:24). A 42nd Street trailer to be sure. I saw this trailer long before I had the joy of seeing the film and it really does a good job in selling the film.

The only other extra is a set of liner notes that seem to be fanboy gushing more than anything else. There is interesting production and distribution info to be found in the book, but overall, I wanted more.

What is particularly saddening about this release as opposed to the previous release, Thriller: A Cruel Picture, is that there were a load of extras on that disc which were not brought over. These include outtakes, alternate scenes, deleted scenes, a much more comprehensive trailer gallery, and enough stills to wear out your ‘next’ button. It’s a shame this superior edit has none of that great material.

And Now Some Parting Words
They Call Her One Eye is a far superior edit of Thriller than the previously released uncut version. Gone are the penetration scenes that take the viewer out of the film. Typically I would say grab the uncut version, but even if you love the nudity, it isn’t at all erotic to see hairy balls in an otherwise fun exploitation romp. That isn’t to say They Call Her One Eye is something you would watch with grandma - it is still a pretty dark themed flick - but it's a hell of a lot more fun to watch this way. This “Vengeance Edition” (whatever the hell that means) is labeled as ‘The movie that has no limits of evil!’ Well, as a reviewer and film fanatic with no limits in bad taste, I strongly encourage everyone (with balls) to see They Call Her One Eye.