Il terzo occhio

Due to Netflix's rather poor selection of Horror films, I've found myself lately trying many of its foreign Horror titles, namely a few Indonesian films. The 3rd Eye is in a good place in the middle, as it's average and mediocre, nothing more and nothing less. It's far from being a great film that would leave a lasting impression, but it's just as far from being the terrible mess that certain reviews here have claimed it to be. Entertaining enough for a one time watch as long as you don't expect to be swept off your feet.

The plot and pace are good enough, as is the acting. Unlike most reviews here I actually liked the CGI used to show the ghosts, which are actually quite terrifying. The jump scares are numerous and often, and while the very use and utilization of them qualifies as a cheap cheat in my book - they do serve their goal of scaring you straight. The most negative feature by far, in my opinion, is the terrible attempt at creating plot twists that are not merely unoriginal - but bluntly stolen from all too familiar Hollywood films. Such an attempt was unnecessary at best and damaging to the overall viewing experience at worse. I honestly don't understand why the writers would create such a story, all of which is meant to try and make the plot twists more "twisty'. Too bad, as the film could have been more than average and even good had it not been for such amateurish writing (this is also what has made me rate it 4 instead of 5, as no plot twists or even bad original plot twists are better than stolen ones).

All in all? The film is enough. Scary enough, interesting enough and entertaining enough. I wouldn't recommend watching it as I wouldn't recommend avoiding it. I would, however, say that if you find nothing better on Netflix and want to enjoy a nice Horror film - The 3rd Eye could do the trick. As long as you initially lower your expectations and realize that you aren't about to see anything remotely innovative or exciting.

Mata Batin is an Indonesian horror film that explores the supernatural with elements of suspense and mystery. The movie presents an intriguing premise about the ability to see invisible beings, supported by eerie cinematography that enhances the chilling atmosphere. Some horror scenes successfully deliver surprises with tense moments. However, the storyline at times feels cliché, relying too much on jump scares, which reduces the natural buildup of fear. The performances are decent, but the character development could have been deeper to evoke stronger emotions. Overall, it is an entertaining watch for horror fans, though not particularly groundbreaking.

Oddly enough, then I actually watched "Mata Batin 2" (from 2019) before I watched this 2017 movie. Not that it really mattered much for the storyline actually, as luck would have it.

I must say that this 2017 Indonesian horror movie is somewhat better then its sequel, but not much actually. The movie starts out well enough and keeps a good pacing, but the air starts to seep out towards the ending, and it seems a little bit too chaotic and random what happens on the screen.

The acting in the movie was good, and it is always nice to see a movie where I am not familiar with the performers - well, I sort of was slightly familiar with them from the sequel.

As for the special effects, well they worked in favor of the movie, let's just say that. It is not something that will blow you away or anything, but the special effects and CGI team managed well enough.

Now, for a horror movie, then "Mata Batin" (aka "The Third Eye") wasn't really all that scary. Maybe it is for a native Indonesian, I have no idea, but for a seasoned horror veteran as myself, this was a stroll in the park.

I was very amazed with the sheer amount of thunder and lightning that seemed to take place whenever evening would fall upon the place. It was just insane. Sure, I get it that thunder and lightning helps build atmosphere and set the mood, but it was so heavily overdone in "Mata Batin" that it was just downright annoying.

The storyline is adequate. And I must say that writers Riheam Junianti, Rocky Soraya and Fajar Umbara actually managed to sidetrack me and surprise me with the ending of the movie, so that was interesting.

One thing amused me though, for some reason in "Mata Batin", then all perceived lingering spirits (or ghosts) were vengeful and angry, there wasn't a single neutral, helpful or scared spirit around - all were insane with rage and set out to do harm. Well, aside from one single girl, but hey, whatever works to build atmosphere, right?

All in all, an entertaining enough movie for what it was, however, this is hardly a movie that you'll watch more than once. Sadly, it wasn't particularly scary, but there was a good atmosphere throughout the movie.

While the 2017 "Mata Batin" movie is better than its sequel, my rating for this movie lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars.

I saw this for the first time recently. Basically it is an Indonesian version of Insidious (it borrows the astral project stuff) but this shud not deter horror movie fans to skip this cos this one is scary with creepy atmosphere, lots of ghosts, some violent stuff n a good twist. The bed levitating scene is straight outta Exorcist but this time the bed almost touches the ceiling.

A young girl has mysterious powers which enables her to see the supernatural world. As a kid she had a hard time convincing her parents and elder sister about the sightings but 12 years later, her elder sister too, starts seeing malevolent beings inside their house.

The movie possesses some character traits that are similar to the Insidious movies and there are some decent scares and innovative ideas, however there's also some pretty bad effects that really dragged down the movies watching experience and were distracting in otherwise tense and scary scenes. The overall story is familiar and with some decent twists and turns, that heightened the watching experience. Overall it's a decent film if you lower your expectations and have nothing else to watch. On the other hand there are quite a few Indonesian horror flicks that are way more enjoyable and less cheap. [5,4/10]