The 3rd Eye (2017) User Reviews

Average film with bluntly stolen "plot twists". Try it if you find nothing better to watch.

[nitzanhavoc · 4/10 · 26 January 2019]

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.

It's alright

[classicsmy · 6/10 · 25 April 2018]

Don't listen to the other guy above giving it a 1 star. The acting is fine. CGI is bad at some scenes though. Many jump scares, and it's good. Good plot. Too bad if haunted houses are "old and boring" for you. Overall it's an OK movie, not bad by any means.

The 3rd Eye: Another passable Indonesian effort

[Platypuschow · 6/10 · 26 January 2019]

I'm building up a real appreciation for Indonesian cinema, sure the movies are hardly ground breaking but they're at least consistent which is more than can be said for the US.

It tells the story of a girl who see's spirits and is being tormented by one in her old family home which she is forced to return to after her parents pass away.

With a fantastic lead and some genuine creepy moments the 3rd Eye succeeds in doing everything it set out to do. I'd say that Indonesian horror takes influences from both the US and Asia so expect to see many of the usual tropes and the Japanese insistence of having the creepy long black haired antagonists.

I was quite shocked at several points throughout the film how creepy and how scary it was, they played it perfectly. But then it hits the half way mark and the films quality dips heavily, it begins to take itself a tad seriously and fails to deliver.

By the end I was happy at some of the incredible sequences that the movie had presented me with but saddened that it hadn't been more consistent. If the whole movie had been like the first half I'd be likely ranting and raving about how great it is.

The 3rd Eye is another solid but flawed bit of Indonesian horror, if you like one you'll likely like them all.

The Good:

I'm still in awe over Indonesian architecture

Jessica Mila

Some genuine tension

Great visuals

The Bad:

This "everyone in Indonesia is wealthy" thing is getting silly

Some ropey sfx

I really tried..

[ProstheticPrincess · 3/10 · 1 June 2020]

I really tried to like this movie (I even started watching it again after I turned it off) but it's just all over the place. Pick a horror "genre"! I love asian horror, and it's ghosts but this movie had every single one of them. Creepy child, old lady, nurse, hospital patient, ghost hanging upside down in an elevator, ... It's TOO much. And then suddenly it's "gore". There's legs being chopped off and someone's going to town with a hedge saw. Then it's the exorcist with the bed floating around. It's like they took every single aspect that was remotely scary and tried to put it into one movie. So there's that AND the acting is pretty horrible. I'm giving it 3 stars because the special effects and make-up were good but that's it's only redeeming quality.

A Question to Ponder on

[MBlenks91 · 1/10 · 13 February 2021]

Weaving through the many narratives through this film, I was left with one important question:

How did that man get through customs without realising he was dead.

1. He would have had to print out his boarding pass. Dead hands can't print.

2. How did he not notice everyone was ignoring him when he tried to purchase his prawn mayonnaise sandwich at the airport?

3. And when the staff asked for his passport.

4. When he was on the plane, how did he manage to secure a seat. Most planes are full brim. Surely someone would have through him?

5. The trolley would have surely passed, an his request for a prawn mayonnaise sandwich would have fallen on deaf ears.

Possibly the most implausible part of the film.

The absolute worst.

[hnhnyc · 1/10 · 17 October 2018]

Took the best elements of about 5 amazing, uniquely renowned horror movies, "twists" and all, and, like mixing 5 vibrant paint colors on an artist's palette, turned it to absolute brown muck. "Cheap knock-off" and "desperate attempt" don't even begin to cover it.

The word here is total GARBAGE. I kept watching hoping for some originality, since I'd already wasted so much time on this too-long piece of crap, but nope, just more predictable nonsense, extremely un-scary in execution and laughable until the end. Usually a bad movie is just a bad movie, but this one literally ruined my day. For the first time, I'm using the phrase "avoid at all costs."

There is nothing here but compost taken from scraps of worthier films.

Fans of Insidious will definitely enjoy this spooky R rated horror film.

[Fella_shibby · 7/10 · 5 November 2020]

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.

It was adequate, but lacked scary contents...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 27 October 2019]

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.

Predictable, but a decent ride

[mistressofevil001 · 7/10 · 30 September 2018]

Ok, so *spoilers*, this is kinda haunted house meets Insidious meets The Sixth Sense. Which means that the plot twists you can see a mile away. But quality-wise, this is no worse than a middling Hollywood horror film. And, honestly, its better than a lot of B-movies. The acting is fairly solid, the effects are quite high all things considered, and it is interesting to look at. This is not a bad film! It's not a great film, but hey, at least it's not terrible. So if you forced yourself to sit through any mid-2000's horror movie from Hollywood, you can watch this and feel that nice warm feeling of comfort of knowing what you're in for.

Bad Script. Show and explain. For dumb only movie

[doorpintoatbp · 2/10 · 6 October 2018]

1 star for the sound that makes you jump Another star for the acting is effective.

• very predictable
• no surprises. Everywhere the casts turn, they intend to scare. But its not scary because we are expecting to be scared.
• no twists. The bf being dead but unaware he is a lost soul is obviously foreshadowed by the gothic-shaman. First sign of bad script.
• the Gothic-shaman, (always in jet black lipstick.. Why?? Looks poser to me) knows everything in spiritual realm. She is omniscient and the spiritual realm is no mystery to her at all. She went beyond nirvana, christian enlightenment and had opened all 7 gates of chi. If she were like a god, then why didn't she just resolve everything by herself, end of story.
• the characters went into the crossworlds which is basically a tunnel in a horror house. Looks fun if you were actually in there but sooo sooo lame in a movie. A+ for the supporting characters who were hanging upside down that tunnel. They must have been dizzy for that shooting might have taken hours.
• extremely bad script. Are they expecting movie goers to be so thick that the script needed to fully explain everything? If that is the case, I would have read a novel instead of watching a movie. I blame the script writers for this.
• This is what happens if a movie is one-man team. Ask the director which also the producer to hire a crew. Humble yourself please!

Thank goodness for Netflix making world cinema so accessible.

[leishayoung · 10/10 · 17 June 2019]

A very classy affair.

This film should tick the box of any horror/thriller fan; from acting to story, this film is strong and keeps you guessing, whilst offering up solid chills and some serious (though limited), gore, for lovers of 'blood-and-guts' horror.

This film delivers a great story with heart (yes, a horror film with heart), tied in with a wonderful theme.

Honestly, for a horror flick I cannot fault this film. It had me engrossed from beginning to end, and at no point did I feel that it descended in cliche or 'jump fright-for-the-sake-of-it' territory.

This is a film that is solid from start-to-end when it comes to acting, story, genuine creepiness and just some good fun.

I highly recommend.

Better than many Americans horror films

[eduaranguren17 · 7/10 · 7 October 2018]

This is not an excellent movie. But I rather see this Indonesian B flick, than many Americans horror films. Why? Just because is enjoyable, I'm tired of horror films with bad plots, millions of dollars and again bad plots. This one is not the case, of course it has some holes in the plot but at least you don't feel hours of life have been drained from you.

I wanted to like it

[jukief · 3/10 · 30 September 2018]

What happened to the days when Asian horror was innovative and scary? This movie is not just a ripoff of Asian horror of 20 years ago, it's also a ripoff of American movies like The Sixth Sense. I keep hoping I'll find a scary movie one of these days. This definitely isn't it. It *does* kind of work as a comedy, though.

An Utter Monstrosity and Chaos.

[naelbehel · 1/10 · 23 December 2017]

To be honest,I didn't know what to expect before entering the theater. Right from the beginning we were served with an overused plot of haunted old creepy house,and except for the main protagonist the overall acting was genuinely horrible.The story was rushed, and they rely too much on jumpscares, which weren't necessary.Not to mention the awful CGI make it even worse.trust me if it weren't for my scared girlfriend I would've walked out of the theater.It feels like the producers knew they screwed up along the way and decided to finish it midway.Towards the ending it was actually quite better because of some plot twists they've made.but still it could not save the movie from getting a 1 star rating.

HILARIOUS

[gayatri_widyasanti · 1/10 · 26 December 2018]

Basically the story is very similar to The Eye (asian version and Hollywood version) and Insidious. The story, acting, CGI are just some kind of joke...

See more

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 27 March 2019]

Or is it C-more - C as 3, as 3rd Eye, which is the international title of the movie apparently. And what I also found out when I typed the title to write my review: there is a sequel coming out in 2019 - when I watched the movie I did not have this in mind and I don't think it will affect your first time viewing of the movie (at least it shouldn't).

The jump scares are quite simple but still somewhat effective. The acting really does not deserve to be called that. So if you feel that this movie is not good or not for you, you are not really far off. The thing is since I've seen quite a few movies (also in the horror genre) I can say that there are worse examples of movies out there. But again, that doesn't mean you have to feel that way - maybe watch the trailer and decide if this is even remotely a movie you want to spend your time on

where is the police???

[mohammadirfan274 · 7/10 · 30 September 2018]

The movie is a decent horror with many scary parts in it!! everything was perfect but i don't understand why the police didn't showup when a man got brutally killed in the open place!!! besides that its a perfect horror movie to be enjoyed!!

Not bad but passable

[jainti-13326 · 5/10 · 17 September 2020]

This Indonesian horror movie seems to have been highly inspired by American supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense by Shyamlan with a bit of twists and turns here and there. So, in place of Cole, a kind of gifted child who can see and also connect to the dead world, we have here a small girl Abel, who can see the dead, but is too scared to talk to them. Abel thus keeps her fears intact and remains psychologically affected till her elder sister Alia decides to help her out by approaching Mrs. Windu, a spiritual healer, who assists Alia in helping Alia's already half opened third eye become completely active so that Alia would be able to understand Abel's condition. So, now instead of only Abel facing the dead people, we have her elder sister who too begins her not so pleasant experiences with the dead. The difference between the two movies i. e. The Sixth Sense and The Third Eye is in terms of how the narrative progresses with the unusual gift of these gifted characters. Abel and Alia get to know that the house they have currently occupied was of the family which was brutally killed by the family's own gardener and now the entire family needs revenge. Both the girls get tormented by these spirits till Alia's body is possessed by these vengeful spirits and eventually succeed in killing the gardener responsible for their death. Should the movie end now? No, not yet. Though the gardener is killed, the vengeful family wishes to have a human body and though Windu with her spiritual power gets Alia back to her human form, Abel is taken to spirit world by the dead! When will our torment end along with that of the sisters'? It does, but not so soon. It appears that Alia's boyfriend is also a dead youth( remember Malcolm Crowe ( Bruce Willis) ?), who is a kind spirit. Alia, in order to save her sister and get her back to human world travels with her dead boyfriend to the "other world" and Hurrah! viewers should be relieved now because "All's well that ends well". Overall the movie is not bad, but seems to have been handled not so deftly by the director.

Above average

[neosoul1500 · 7/10 · 11 April 2020]

I watch a lot of horror and this is one of the better ones. If you find this boring then maybe you're watching the wrong genre or you're not accustomed to foreign horror films.

Interesting though flawed

[aronharde · 5/10 · 24 February 2024]

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]

Solid if slightly flawed Indonesian genre effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 9/10 · 22 May 2021]

Following the death of their parents, a teenager is forced to take care of her younger sister and move back into their childhood home together only to realize that the claims of it being haunted are true and must rely on the wisdom of a paranormal expert to put everything in place for them.

Overall, this one serves as quite an enjoyable supernatural effort. One of the film's better qualities is the strong use of classic haunted house tropes for the supernatural scenes throughout the film. This one offers up numerous shock scenes with the ghosts walking behind someone suddenly with a piercing musical sting afterward, flash-cut sequences of ghastly inhuman figures interacting with characters only to disappear suddenly as well as a tendency to focus on intense and vicious attack scenes. Opening up with a vicious attack on the daughter where she's visibly and graphically slashed up along her legs is a great start, much like the later exorcism scenes or the possessed seeking revenge on the guilty party amongst them. On top of this, the film's strong atmospheric touches provide several chilling encounters. The first encounter in the house offers an eerie ambiance with it obviously not being lived in for a long time while the later scenes featuring them wandering through the darkened house during the thunderstorm provide strong atmospheric touches. The other impressive aspect here is the strong supernatural overtones implied through their physical gifts. Much is made about the fact that they're only able to see the ghosts around them due to the supernatural gift the sister has in having her third eye open. The visit to the witch doctor who informs them about the gift and what it means serves as a fine turning point in the film with the ghostly incidents switching focus for more conventional and commercialized shock scenes. There's so much to like here with the bloody, deformed ghosts appearing to her in the hospital which set up the scenes of the ghost family attacking in the house that night as we see them interacting with her in quite brutal manners. Since these scenes are based on the newfound experience she has with being able to see the spirits through the supernatural process of accepting the ability to see ghosts and spirits, the change in character and focus is quite impressive leading into these supernatural sequences. Exploring not just supernatural-inflicted ghost scares but also moving into outright possession and exorcism through the on-screen actions, none of this feels out-of-place or tacked on as the storyline manages to build a solid framework for these scenarios. Even a last-minute trip into the underworld complete with more ghosts and strange visuals that emerge. These here are what hold the film up overall. Still, the film does have a few issues. One of the problems is that this one focuses so heavily on cliched ghost scenes that so many of them miss their mark due to the overfamiliarity of the sequence. The attack by the ghost in the bedroom when it appears under a white sheet and charges forth fails miserably since we're expecting it based on the circumstances since that's always the case with that setup. The influences are also quite readily apparent in the finale where the two venture into the spirit world to retrieve a character lost inside and the colored lighting for the entire sequence comes off as a retread of other films and ideas. Other scenes are just as associated with familiar setups and scenarios, from the sudden ability to see the ghost girl in the hospital to the crazed reactions to things no one else knows about, have very little impact because it's all quite familiar and repeated here by the story forcing them into action. That's also hurt by the instances of utterly woeful and abysmal CGI present for these scenes as the ghosts crawling over trucks or objects with inhuman speed and ability look laughable rather than scary. These here are what hurt the film overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language and children-in-jeopardy.

Derivative but fun.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 18 April 2023]

The 3rd Eye blatantly rips off The Sixth Sense, as well as Poltergeist, The Exorcist and more than a handful of Asian horrors. Despite being wholly unoriginal, I had a reasonably fun time with this Indonesian ghost movie: it's got some effectively atmospheric scenes, a smattering of gore, and a sense of fun. Lead Jessica Mila is also very easy on the eye, which doesn't hurt.

Mila plays Alia, whose younger sister Abel (Bianca Hello) has been plagued by nightmarish visions ever since she was a child. When the sisters' parents are killed in a car accident, they return to the family home -- the place where Abel's terrifying visions began. Abel eventually admits to Alia that she is able to see the dead, and has been visiting psychic Bu Windu (Citra Prima) to help her understand her special 'gift'. Alia agrees to have her own 'third eye' opened so that she too can see the ghosts that haunt her sister...

Visions of a brutal murder, possession by evil spirits, an Indonesian exorcism complete with levitating bed (but no vomiting), and a trip to the 'other side' via astral projection are a few of the supernatural occurrences the siblings have to contend with, the girls aided by Bu Windu and Alia's boyfriend Davin (Denny Sumargo). We also get a couple of lopped-off limbs, death by garden shears, and a Shyamalan-style twist that is so derivitive one has to admire writer/director Rocky Soraya's chutzpah.

6/10. I might have been a touch more generous with my rating if it hadn't been for some dreadful visual effects.

It's alright, but nothing too big or special.

[HorrorDisasterGuy-90617 · 5/10 · 17 January 2024]

This movie feels like it tries to be like other popular horror movies, but it's not that bad. The story seems similar to The Eye, with the two main characters seeing ghosts that are haunting them. I do think the idea of the 3rd eye is interesting , causing someone to see the supernatural around them. The creepiness factor is a mixed bag with the movie have a pretty good atmosphere and tension to it during either the hospital or the climax of the movie. Although it does sometimes use cheap jump scares in current areas. The movie barrows elements from other movies like Insidious, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, and even The Sixth Sense due to one of the twists of a supporting character. Also, the movie brings a couple of reveals that don't really impact the movie that much. The climax itself is decent, but it feels similar to the insidious climax. And the ending left as a cliffhanger.

an old idea!

[noror-39650 · 5/10 · 26 June 2019]

First of all , who saw these movies would know that this movie has stolen some scenes from other movies and so . 1- The sixth sense, the basic idea of 3rd eye is exactly like the 6th sense's idea and all of us noticed that! 2- Insidious 1, when the father slept to return his son = when the sister slept to return her sister! 3- The Exorcist , the girl's body is taken by an evil soul and the bed was rising while the father was trying to exorcism. It's so clear in this movie . 4- Bleach (anime) , the hole in Espada's body looks like the hole in Mera's body at the end of this movie. The evil soul was moving from body to another like what happened in "Drag me to hell" . And regardless of direction it might be likable from who has started seen movies newly .

Basically a copy of Insideous

[lanierbear · 4/10 · 4 October 2018]

Twists in the storyline were good, but it was obvious this was a low budget film. Acting by the lead characters wasn't bad, except for the medium. All in all, I'd say this is a cheap knockoff of the Insideous franchise.