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Sylvester Stallone, renowned for his iconic roles in action films, skyrocketed to fame with the 1970s hit “Rocky” and continued his success with the “Rambo” series in the ’80s. More recently, Stallone has embraced television with his role in “Tulsa King.” However, it’s intriguing to note that there was a period when Stallone’s popularity waned, and he was associated with a string of unsuccessful projects. During this challenging phase of his career, Stallone ventured into the horror genre with his only horror film, the peculiar 2002 release “Eye See You,” also referred to as “D-Tox.”
Universal Pictures
“D-Tox” is a peculiar piece, combining a high-profile star with a lackluster horror storyline. The film centers around a distressed police officer, trapped in a detox facility during a blizzard, while a relentless killer targets him and other residents. As convoluted as this synopsis seems, the film struggles with its execution. Despite boasting a talented cast including Kris Kristofferson, Jeffrey Wright, Charles S. Dutton, and Robert Patrick, the film squanders their talents in an uninspired blend of a teen slasher and a poor imitation of “Se7en.”
Is “D-Tox” worth your time? In a peculiar way, it is. It stands as a prime example of a so-bad-it’s-good horror flick. The entertainment value lies in watching a strong cast navigate a subpar script, offering a unique viewing experience that costs nothing on platforms like Tubi, Plex, and Roku.
Stallone, a seasoned Hollywood figure with extensive experience in writing, directing, acting, and producing, seemed aware that “Eye See You” might not achieve box office success. In a 2006 interview with Aint It Cool News, he recounted the troubled production when a fan asked about the film. Initially, the producer withdrew from the project before shooting began.
“Immediately, the film was tagged as damaged goods,” Stallone revealed. He explained how the project was fraught with budget constraints and creative disputes among producers, directors, and writers, leading to its shelving. Eventually, the studio attempted to salvage the film with reshoots and post-production adjustments overseen by Ron Howard. Despite these efforts, the movie was burdened with an aura of failure. It received a limited release under the new title “D-Tox,” but it faded into obscurity with minimal impact.
Stallone says the movie was doomed from the start
Universal Pictures
A veteran of Hollywood who’s done just about everything a man can do there — writing, directing, acting, producing — Sylvester Stallone knew while making “Eye See You” that it probably wasn’t going to be a hit. And he acknowledged it in a 2006 interview with Aint It Cool News, where a fan inquired about the film. According to Stallone, the film’s original producer backed out of the film even before it began filming.
“Right away the film was considered damaged goods,” Stallone answered. As he detailed, the film was plagued with problems, with budget issues and creative differences between the producers, director, and writer, and eventually the studio simply shelved the project. Eventually, they decided to dig it out and try to fix it with some reshoots. “We screened it, it tested okay, Ron Howard was involved with overseeing some of the post-production … but the movie had the smell of death about it.” Ultimately, the movie received only a limited release and the name was changed to “D-Tox” to help market it, but it came and went with little fanfare.
Thankfully, Stallone has a good sense of humor about the film, and joked that during production, “If you looked up, you could see celluloid buzzards circling as we lay there dying on the distributor’s floor.”
