Terror Eyes | 1981 | USA | Ken Hughes

Heavily inspired by the Italian giallo and poliziotteschi genres, this film was directed by Ken Hughes, famous for bringing us Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The plot concerns a mysterious biker who is murdering various women by decapitating them with a kukri and submerging their heads in water. A pair of bumbling cops on the case trace the assailant to a girl’s night school where there’s a whole lorryload of suspects and the key to the entire nastiness. Whilst most of the kills are bloodless with a greater focus on tension building, it’s likely the mean-spiritedness of the screenplay and the constant brandishing of knives that upset the DPP’s sensibilities.