Directed by indie filmmaker Todd Greenlee and written by Alex Greenlee, All Eyes appears at first to be a lighthearted mix of wry humour and contemporary creature feature (if you’ve seen Ron Underwood’s Tremors from 1990 (one of my personal favourites, incidentally) you’ll land pretty close to the mark). Don’t be too quick to label it though; it’s not as simple as it seems.

Through the snowballing catastrophe of events which unfold it actually becomes something of a thoughtful foray into the complexities of the human animal, and the quiet dignity that can lie within the depths of just about any person’s complete devotion to another. In a rather touchingly understated way it highlights the superficialities of life and how readily people can be bogged down by them, losing sight of the truly important stuff.

Popular podcast host Allen’s success is largely due to the airtime he gives to the contents of his ‘Box of Freaks’ (namely reams of letters of the ‘I had Bigfoot’s love child’ variety), which fans of his show can’t get enough of. Unfortunately, this backfires in spectacular fashion after a shocking livestream interview with what proves to be a dangerously paranoid individual; things get scandalously out of control, and Allen (Jasper Hammer) and his show, right in the crosshairs of outraged public opinion, are shelved.

Jobless, depressed, and demoralised, he nevertheless decides to look into the story of Don Thomas (Ben Hall), a recently widowed farmer who claims there’s a beast with a thousand eyes living in the woods behind his farm. He’s offering Allen a tidy financial carrot to join him in trapping and killing it, the bonus being the resultant podcast will hopefully get Allen’s show (Don’s late wife’s favourite) back on the radio, even though Don himself can’t stand it. If that’s not the definition of true love then I don’t know what is, but it’s also a hint about the deeper meaning behind the story. With few other choices open to him, Allen allows himself to be driven out to the middle of nowhere and, well, things get weird.

Whether or not you’re up for the underlying message or are just looking for a quirky cosmic horror with some pretty decent action scenes, All Eyes easily supplies both in impressive style, particularly given its indie status.

I like to think I’m not alone in both supporting and admiring independent movies, and fully salute the efforts of anyone with the guts and motivation to get out there and create. However, it’s no secret that unavoidable constraints such as a limited budget can sometimes reflect on the overall impression of a production. In the case of All Eyes, the filmmakers have managed to expertly bring together an interesting and insightful plot with a touch of intelligent wit and a well-crafted chunk of full-on action. Slicker than a whole forestful of thousand-eyed beasts.

8 out of 10 Metaphorical Monsters