Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 3/12/2026 – A beautiful, blind violinist practices for an upcoming concert with the Rome Symphony…but how can she focus when she’s being stalked by a mysterious, black-gloved killer? One by one, those around her are gruesomely eliminated – and only her seeing eye dog knows the murderer’s identity!
Reading the above, you might think this is a review for the re-release of a 1970s giallo film by Dario Argento or Umberto Lenzi. But in a surprise twist, this plot belongs to a brand-spanking-new and exuberant homage to the genre, Eric Jackowitz’s The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much. It premieres this weekend at SXSW in the festival’s Midnight Shorts Competition.
For the uninitiated, giallo – which means “yellow” in Italian – is a subgenre of horror made popular by a cadre of Italian filmmakers in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. (Giallo novels were crime story paperbacks with yellow covers, giving the genre its name.) Giallo films include elements of Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries, exploitative sex and violence, and/or supernatural horror. To their credit, gialli are usually a feast for the eyes and ears, with gorgeous cinematography and musical scores. But they often suffer from awkward dialogue and dubbing, and plot twists that defy logic – though many devotees of the genre would say these characteristics are a feature, not a bug.
The talented Jackowitz, who wrote, directed, edited and scored The Seeing Eye Dog, clearly loves all facets of the genre and has nailed every one of them. If you’re already a fan of giallo (like myself), you’re in for a real treat with this film. For those new to this cinematic breed (pun intended), this film could be an immensely entertaining “gateway drug,” leading to further exploration of the genre.
Jackowitz and his producer Colton Mastro have studiously recreated the feel of classic giallo movies, but have also heightened the comedic aspects just enough to poke gentle fun at them. Blake Gaytan’s luscious cinematography and the well-chosen locations convincingly transport the viewer to Roma in the 1970s. The cast expertly plays the campy high drama, both in their on-screen performances and those recorded for the perfectly out-of-sync overdubbing. (My favorite actor was the titular seeing eye dog – I laughed out loud every time the film cut to him.) And the over-the-top gore effects are just the right blend of lurid and ludicrous.
Jackowitz and Mastro have also added an extra layer of fun via a backstory, that The Seeing Eye Dog is actually what remains of an unfinished 1970s giallo by director “Enrico Januzzi,” and that the film we’re watching has been cobbled together from celluloid detritus found decades later in a dumpster in Rome. In that spirit, all cast and crew members have been given Italian pseudonyms in the credits.
In sum, The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much left me wanting to see more from these filmmakers. They apparently have a script for the feature-length version of TSEDWSTM, and if it comes to fruition, I’ll be first in line to buy a ticket.
The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much premieres in the SXSW 2026 Midnight Shorts Competition: Saturday, March 14, 9:15PM at Alamo Lamar 5 and Monday, March 16, 7:00PM at Alamo Lamar 4. Future festival screening dates TBA will be posted on film’s website: theseeingeyedogwhosawtoomuch.com.
