The Hypnotic Eye (1960)

The Hypnotic Eye (1960). 1h 19m | Approved

“What could be driving various beautiful young women to mutilate themselves? What do they all have in common? Could it be the devilish hypnotist Desmond (Jacques Bergerac) and his mysterious assistant Justine (the 50 foot woman, Allison Hayes)? A skeptical detective (Joe Patridge) becomes personally involved when a friend (Merry Anders) becomes the latest victim, and his own girlfriend (Marcia Henderson) falls under the spell of the hypnotist.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs with other movies from the era, this originally came complete with a gimmick designed to lure people away from their TV sets and into the theatres. In this case, that would be u0026quot;Hypno-Magicu0026quot;. Overall, the movie is pretty amusing, with the suave, handsome Bergerac doing a fine job of taking centre stage. The makeup effects are fairly good for the time this was made, and some of the methods of self mutilation are a hoot, even if we donu0026#39;t see all of them: flammable shampoo, lye cocktail, face pressed into fan blades, etc. One has to wonder if Herschell Gordon Lewis was somewhat inspired by this one when he made u0026quot;The Wizard of Goreu0026quot; 10 years later.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe cast keeps it watchable, particularly the striking Ms. Hayes, who does have a (not terribly surprising) twist in store for us right near the end. The filmmakers also get some credit for not over explaining things; for example, not giving us a back story for Desmond and Justine. The movie takes a brief detour into beatnik culture at the start of the second half, showcasing poet Lawrence Lipton and bongo drummer Eric Nord. Jimmy Lydon plays an emergency doctor, and in another doctor role the real life u0026quot;Great Impostoru0026quot; Fred Demara is cast.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;The Hypnotic Eyeu0026quot; is agreeable goof ball entertainment for people looking for a vintage u0026quot;shockeru0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSix out of 10.”