Hypnotism Gone Bad

THE HYPNOTIC EYE-1960-This weird shit begins with a woman having her hair set on fire. She also suffers facial burns (“Will I be a monster?”). She seems to have mistaken an open oven flame for a sink. It turns out she is the 12th victim in a series of bizarre mutilations. Detective Dave Kennedy (Joe Patridge) takes his girlfriend Marcia (Marcia Henderson) to see the stage show of a hypnotist much to the chagrin of Dr. Hecht (Guy Prescott). The hypnotist Desmond (Jacques Bergerac) does the usual tricks making subjects think they are in the desert, etc. He also selects three women from the audience to participate in a floating woman stunt. One woman Dodie (Merry Anders) is a friend of Dave and Marcia's and Dave remains unconvinced as to Desmond's powers. Later instead of face cream Dodie uses acid on her face. At another act Marcia volunteers. After she's hypnotized she's wined and dined by Desmond at a beatnik club where a guy reads a beat poem called “Confessions of a Movie Addict” which mentions Clara Bow and THE THING FROM OUTER SPACE. Meanwhile Dave keeps an eye on them. 

When it seems like they have gone back to his apartment for some hi-jinx Desmond's assistant Justine (Allison Hayes; ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN) interrupts and seems to be controlling Marcia through hypnotism. She almost makes Marcia stick her face under a red hot shower but Dave's interference saves her. It seems every woman Desmond has come in contact with has suffered some deformity of the face (but none of them can remember being hypnotized). After he performs his act several times it's revealed that Justine is actually horribly disfigured and taking her revenge out on any beautiful woman Desmond encounters. After Desmond is shot and Justine falls to her death, Dave rescues Marcia and the doctor addresses the audience about being hypnotized. 

This sleazy campy melodrama was filmed in “HypnoVision” by George Blair who also directed several episodes of TV's THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. 

 THE HYPNOTIC EYE also features the only known film role for Fred Demara who's life story was told in THE GREAT IMPOSTER. Former child star Jimmy Lydon appears as a ambulance attendent.  

Co-scripter William Read Woodfield was also a photographer who gained fame later on for taking pictures of Marilyn Monroe on the set of her last (and unfinished) film. He also co-wrote many early episodes of TV's MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE. 

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