The title Third Eye is actually pretty deceptive. Though the main character does possess the titular supernatural ability, the movie functions on a sturdier horror premise than a person being able to see dead people. It begins with an emotional component, establishing tension between the characters, before turning them into unwilling visitors of a really messed up village. The film has trouble staging some of its danger, but there is plenty of merit to what it eventually produces. The end product is a really solid piece of filmmaking.
When Mylene (Carla Abellana) was just a kid she witnessed the grisly death of her neighbor and her parents. She discovers soon after that she has the ability to see the dead. Her grandmother chooses to close her third eye, protecting her for the time being from the horrors of seeing spirits. But with the death of her grandmother, Mylene's third eye reopens. It is an ability that she must come to grips with, as she, in pursuit of her adulterous husband, inadvertently travels into dark, dangerous territory populated by a community of murderous practitioners of black magic.
The film spends its first act deftly fleshing out the growing conflict between Mylene and her husband. It invests in a central conflict that pays off dividends once the action gets rolling. The standard thrills of having the characters run and hide from dangerous threats is supplemented by all the emotional baggage that they’re bringing along with them. The cloud of conflict that hangs over these characters as they fight for their lives really elevates the tension of every scene. It adds another level to their fear and discomfort, giving flavor to what could have been a pretty bland chase.
The film isn’t very scary in the way that people tend to prefer nowadays. Things don’t jump out of the shadows, and there aren’t a lot of big scary noises. In their place are characters mostly worth caring about, with relationships that feel somewhat genuine. The fear springs from a deeper place, as these characters we care about are placed in situations where harm might befall them. The film isn’t always so skillful in staging these dangerous situations, but it mainly gets the point across. The film just holds back a bit too much, its limitations evident every time there has to be actual violence on screen.
Carla Abellana provides an appealing center to all this. She does go a bit overboard with the dramatics, but her ability to convey determination pretty much carries the entire film. She gets strong support from Ejay Falcon and Denise Laurel, who perform pretty well in fairly limited roles. Camille Prats is pretty fun in this movie, too. She really sells the odd rituals that take place in the movie, committing wholeheartedly to the macabre nature of her character.
Third Eye is kind of fun, even though the limitations of the production keep it from reaching its full potential. The film could have used a more visceral, violent edge to really bring the threat into focus. But it all works well enough. The film has a solid foundation of character, giving the story appeal beyond the typical genre thrills. It all just means more than the average horror flick. The relationship of these lost people is actually worth caring about. It probably sounds like a fairly basic thing, but it’s gotten increasingly rare in an era where horror simply means things jumping out of the shadows. Not everything in Third Eye makes sense, but the clever character dynamics hold things together.
My Rating:
