Not that I don’t have like a 1000+ movies to choose from, but you know how it goes – the more you have, the harder it is to choose. But I am in a mood for an Asian cinema, and I haven’t watched anything horror related for some time either, so the choice has been made.
Thanks to Netflix, we have now a pretty decent selection of the world cinema available, so I’ve opted for an 2017 Indonesian (surprised? You shouldn’t be, lol) production titled The 3rd Eye. Supernatural/Ghost horror? Sign me in, indeed!
The story isn’t complicated and it’s pretty straightforward. A young girl Abel (Bianca Hello) is plagued by ghosts in the family house, so they moved to other one, the house belonging to company for which her father works. But after the death of their parents in the car crash she and her older sister Alia (Jessica Mila) – along with her boyfriend, Davin (Denny Sumargo) – have to move back to their family house, where the hauntings continue.
Later in the movie we learn that it’s all down to Abel’s opened 3rd eye, which is something Alia can’t believe, but thanks to the shaman Bu Windu (Citra Prima) her 3rd eye is opened as well…and as they say, be careful what you wish for.
Alia is now capable to see ghosts as well, and slowly we’re getting to learn the whole story about the haunted house they live in…
The movie itself is nothing new, it also rip offs “The Exorcist” and the moving between the reality and the astral plane (or what to call this ghost dimension) feels like lifted from “Insidious”, but as a whole, it’s not boring and you’re not gonna suffer watching it (unlike some other movies).
Directed by Rocky Soraya, who’s also behind other supernatural/possession movies like the sequel The 3rd Eye 2 (Mata Batin 2), The Doll, The Doll 2, Sabrina, Suzzana: Buried Alive or Jeritan Malam, the film is shot nicely, the interiors and exteriors are also nice, with vibrant colours and I’d say, I prefer this kind of camerawork.
I am very pleased with the cast too. The actors are not ones with long filmographies (except, probably, for Epy Kusnandar in the role of the gardener Mang Asep), quite the contrary, just with a few film credits under their belts and it’s just nice to see a new generation of actors having their chance.
The script plays it safely, so you can predict it pretty much without any surprises, although that being said, the angle with Davin was, in my opinion, absolutely unnecessary and just created an illogical WTF moment when revealed. I get what the Rocky (who is also credited as a story creator) and Riheam Junianti (the script writer) wanted to achieve with it, because it does serve its purpose, but the idea behind it is simply silly.
All in all, it’s nothing earth-shattering or mind-blowing, but it’s a nice little supernatural movie to enjoy when you just want to relax and not trouble your mind with complicated plots or non-linear storytelling.
Although, if you share my love for Indonesian cinema (and music), you will enjoy it even more. And, of course, I will watch the sequel (and other Rocky Soraya’s movies available on Netflix).
