The Third Eye

I was extremely astonished to find out that this virtually unknown italian Giallo is actually the original version of the famous BUIO OMEGA. No book on italian horror movies has written anything about this movie and it certainly holds a lot of surprises for those interested in the history of italian exploitation cinema. First, it was made in 1966, black and white, 1:1,66 widescreen. Second as gore goes it's on par with Bava's Sei Donne, so it`s pretty brutal and has an uneasy sadistic subtone. Third Franco Nero (here credited as FRANK Nero) plays the lead role, the necrophil count who has lost his wife. Fourth, theres animal snuff in there. Fifth, a quite explicit rape scene. Anyone who knows Buio Omega will be very familiar with the plot. It's virtually the same. So it is a hidden gem? Yes, absolutely. Is it a classic? Hm ... the acting ranges from wooden to ridiculous and the whole movie looks and sounds and moves more like a teleplay. So it's not really a technically good one (unlike Sei Donne). But anyway, if you have the chance to see this film, get it. Out on DVD currently in Germany with a nice, crisp print (das dritte Auge), but language only in german...

Whilst much of this b/w film is well shot with interesting angles and perspectives, I didn't feel that the director truly had a grip on things. There are good moments and frankly duff moments and despite the presence of franco Nero there were times when I wondered if I was even going to stick with this. First real problem is that as things get under way we are introduced to the overpowering mother of Nero's character, played by Olga Solbelli and she is fantastic, like some Fellini grotesque and , of course, the splendid, EriKa Blanc, and they both disappear from the picture. Almost in the blink of an eye the best are gone and we are left with a struggling Nero and a conniving maid. Nero works very hard in his role as a latter day Italian Bates but the director doesn't seem to help and he sometimes seems to overdue things, to become just too 'crazy'. Worth a look as a supposed forerunner to D'Amato's Buio Omega and it probably features the longest struggle towards a ringing phone in movie history.

A troubled young Count (Franco Nero), living in a crumbling villa with his domineering mother, takes comfort in taxidermy (sound familiar?) until he falls in love with a girl (Erica Blanc) his mother naturally doesn't approve of. The old battle ax tells a servant she treats "like a daughter" that she'd be forever grateful if the girl would make her son's fiancée disappear and not only does the servant kill the son's intended, she offs his mother, too. The Count takes his mom's death hard but not as hard as his fiancee's, whose body he stuffs before he starts strangling strippers. The servant tells him she'll help cover up his crimes if he'll marry her and he agrees but when his dead fiancee's look-alike sister (also Erica Blanc) shows up looking for answers, complications ensue...

To say THE THIRD EYE was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO would be an understatement but it does go off on a crazy tangent of its own and was obviously capitalizing on a spate of Hammer "mini-Hitchcock" thrillers popular at the time (MANIAC, PARANOIA, HYSTERIA). In black & white with cool-looking red subtitles, the damn thing was never dull, that's for sure. Cult director Joe D'Amato "unofficially" remade this as BEYOND THE DARKNESS in 1979.

I recently watched the Italian gem 🇮🇹 The Third Eye (1966) on Tubi. The storyline follows a wealthy count who lives under the influence of an over-possessive mother and a maid who secretly desires him. His mother believes no one is good enough for her son, but when he falls in love and plans to marry, tragedy strikes-his bride is mysteriously killed. Grief turns to madness as the count begins inviting exotic women to visit... women who are never seen again.

This film is directed by Mino Guerrini (The Mines of Kilimanjaro) and stars Franco Nero (Django), Erika Blanc (Kill, Baby...Kill!), Gioia Pascal (Italian Way of Life), and Olga Solbelli (Mill of the Stone Women).

The writing is fantastic and channels a Hitchcockian style, with clear Psycho vibes. It's more of a psychological thriller than a traditional horror film. A young Franco Nero gives a standout performance. The film includes some clever twists and turns-from a laugh-out-loud parrot corpse scene to a chilling meat clever moment and a fantastic beach finale. There's a lot to appreciate here.

In conclusion, The Third Eye is a smartly written and skillfully executed psychological thriller that's well worth your time. I would score it a 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

Franco Nero plays a young taxidermist named Mino,who lives with his domineering mother and a loyal family servant Marta in a Gothic residence.The elderly widowed Countness doesn't want his son to marry his beloved Laura.To achieve her goals Marta cuts the brake cable on Laura's car causing the vehicle to roll off an embankment and into a lake and murders the Countess pushing her down the stairs.This is the beginning of Mino's madness.He takes Laura's body and preserves it and starts picking up women and choking them to death in the presence of his preserved love."The Third Eye" is strikingly similar to "Buio Omega",but nowhere nearly as gruesome and disgusting.The cinematography is elegant and stylish and the use of romantic score is a nice touch.A must-see for fans of "Buio Omega".8 out of 10.