The Hypnotic Eye (1960)
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A curious "gimmick" movie in the William Castle tradition (though not itself a Castle project), screenings of this film featured a hokey but creative "Hypno-Magic" process allegedly designed to hypnotize the theater audience. The otherwise mundane psycho-thriller plot features Jacques Bergerac as stage mesmerist "The Great Desmond," whose act includes hypnotizing entire audiences into performing rather dull Simon-says maneuvers and such. The real trick, it turns out, involves Desmond's Svengali-like seduction of his more comely female patrons -- most of which end up horribly disfigured the next morning, the victims of apparent self-mutilation. Thanks to several scenes hinting at the obvious hatred Desmond's wife and assistant, Justine (Allison Hayes), harbors toward her husband's pretty subjects, there's not much of a mystery here. Nevertheless, the police are baffled, leading one victim's best friend to set herself up as bait and trap the guilty party -- whose secret is revealed in the "shocking" climax. The Hypno-Magic gimmick, though certainly ineffective, provides some of the film's more hilarious diversions, and thoroughly disarms any potential for suspense. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast:
- Jacques Bergerac - the Great Desmond
- Marcia Henderson - Marcia Blane
- Joseph Patridge - Detective Steve Kennedy
- Guy Prescott - Dr. Philip Hecht
- Holly Harris - Mrs. Stevens
- Mary Foran - June Mayes
- Merry Anders - Dodie Wilson
- Allison Hayes - Justine
- Laurence Lipton - King of the Beatniks
- Jimmy Lydon - Emergency Doctor
- Eric Nord - Bongo Drummer
- Carol Thurston - Doris Scott
- Director(s):
- George Blair
- Writer(s):
- William Read Woodfield
- Producer(s):
- Charles B. Bloch, Ben Schwalb
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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