Bad, and not in a bad-its-good kind of way. Dull, boring, and never pays off. Good scene of the hand initially getting severed and goes downhill for an eternity following that scene. Yeech.

Horror fans will have seen this story a half dozen times already. For an 80's Hands of Orlac it's alright. Michael Caine's performance isn't that great, and there's this overarching "stuck in the 70s" feel to the whole thing. Compare this to any of the great horror films that came out in '81 (there's a lot), it just feels a bit dated. Michael Caine's character is absolutely hateable, and his hippie vegetarian wife isn't much better. That really just leaves Michael Caine's daughter and the vaguely autistic girl he briefly has an affair with for semi-sympathetic characters. Decent soundtrack and a couple OK moments of suspense and gore, but not a film worth going out of your way for. Only recommended to huge Oliver Stone fans or people who really need _another_ Hands of Orlac remake.

Off the To-Watch Pile for my 31 Days Of Horror. 1st time viewing!