“The ultimate high tech thriller,” this Nico Mastorakis-directed movie — he also wrote it with his regular script partner Fred Perry — succeeds in getting one part of the Giallo genre right: its science is absolute bullshit.

Jonathan Ratcliff (Joseph Bottoms) is an ad exec working in Greece who should be happy with his life and his current flame, Claire (Kirstie Alley). Yet one day, he thinks he sees Marien (the doomed in real-life Lana Clarkson), a woman from the past who went insane after being assaulted by multiple men. He drops everything and starts to stalk her, even after discovering her name is Rachel. And then, the movie is flipped around when Jonathan loses his sight. Helpless to protect Rachel from a knife-wielding point of view, Giallo’s gloved psychosexual murderer — the Scalpel Killer — runs wild through the dark nights of Athens; he has Dr. Steiger (Keir Dullea) create a medical miracle: a small unit that allows his eyes to see Atari 5200-style graphics of the real world. If he uses it too much, he’ll fry his brain. The killer might get him before that.

The Scalpel Killer makes his way through several victims, starting with Antigone Amanitou, who goes from her shower directly to being drawn on and operated without the benefit of any painkillers. His second victim is a pre-Star Trek: TNG Marina Sirtis, back in the days when she was stuck being the victim of Michael Winner in Death Wish 3 and The XXX Lady. There’s some wonderful stalking POV here, making this feel closer to Italy than Greece. The Scalpel Killer changes his M.O., taking out a married couple, played by Kathy Hill and Louis Sheldon, before finding one more single lady in the tub, played by Noelle Simpson.

While Ratcliff may not be the most compelling hero, the film introduces some unique elements. The concept of headphones that transform sound into visuals is fascinating, as is the scene where Ratcliff accidentally unplugs the headphones, rendering himself blind and in danger as he’s being stalked on the edge of a building.

Masorakis knows how to make these video store-era movies. Sure, they can get overloaded and too long, but he also hires gorgeous actresses, somehow convinces them to disrobe (this is Alley’s only nude scene) and also has some genuinely good moments amongst the silliness, such as when the killer sits at Rachel’s bedside and silently watches her sleep. If it had more gloss and fashion, it’d be close to the Italian model mid-80s Giallo that I am obsessed with, but for what this is, I’m satisfied. Ladies, I wish you had a more interesting protagonist, but this definitely matches the genre’s need for enticing victims.

The credits promised a sequel that never arrived, Run, Stumble and Fall.

You can watch this on Tubi.