The Mind’s Eye is a 2016 American science fiction horror film written, produced and directed by Joe Begos (VFW; Bliss; Almost Human). The excellent synth score is by Steve Moore.
The movie stars Graham Skipper (Dementia; Worry Dolls; Beyond the Gates), Lauren Ashley Carter (Jug Face; The Woman; Pod), John Speredakos, Noah Segan (Deadgirl; Looper), Matt Mercer (Beyond the Gates; Dam Sharks!; Contracted and sequel), Larry Fessenden and Jeremy Gardner (Psychopaths; The Battery; Spring).
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Plot:
Zack Connors and Rachel Meadows were born with incredible psychokinetic capabilities. When word of their supernatural talents gets out, they find themselves the prisoners of Michael Slovak, a deranged doctor intent on harvesting their powers.
After a daring escape, they are free from his sinister institution, but the corrupt doctor will seemingly stop at nothing to track them down so that he may continue to siphon their gifts for his own use…
Review:
Joe Begos’ Almost Human was uneven yet hugely enjoyable in a trashy way. Unfortunately, The Mind’s Eye feels like rehashed themes from Scanners, bogged down by weak acting and too many police procedural scenes that offer little to draw the viewer in. Only Steve Moore’s synth score and the truly impressive special effects stand out. Sadly, it’s a wasted opportunity, overall.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“The Mind’s Eye is a B picture through and through and unashamedly so. It grows perpetually sillier as it progresses along. The third act erupts in a full-on display of hilariously gargantuan acting and buckets of bloody fireworks that satisfies in spades. Begos successfully captures the unpretentious absurdity that the genre’s less respected but much-loved (by hardcore fans) gems possessed. ” Bloody Disgusting
” … a horror film so infatuated with the style of ’80s straight-to-vid fare that unwitting viewers could have mistaken it for something rediscovered from that era … this one works so hard at its ultra-grave air of menace that it eventually turns (intentionally, one hopes) comic, building to third-act violence that will leave the right kind of audience howling with delight.” The Hollywood Reporter
“While always gratuitous and often kooky, what makes the insanity in Begos’ film work well is that is also never feels pointless. The Mind’s Eye may not carry the metaphorical weight of Scanners, but the story is engaging enough and Begos channels his influences from the most genuine place of admiration. He is clearly a director who adores the subgenres to which he is paying homage and his approach is gleeful, but reverent…” Dread Central
“Color shifts throughout the film as scenes are lit it in primary hues, and Steve Moore’s score also stands out with a propulsive electronic beat and a powerful use of bass. The Mind’s Eye is an unabashed homage that plays like Cronenberg’s Scanners meets John Carpenter’s synthesizer meets Dario Argento’s lighting designer. There’s wet fun to be had here, but it ultimately leaves little room for Begos.” Film School Rejects
“With the radiating mediocrity of the direction being sadly ludicrous, the sincere performances of the actors seem too awkwardly good. The entire movie appears to be a frustrated nostalgic attempt at reviving the somewhat winning ones with a similar core idea.” Leaky Loonage
“The practical effects, coordinated by John Ruggieri, are resolutely old-school, a feast of head-splitting (and head-rolling) gore and squishy detonations of flesh. The make-up, too, is a Fangoria pictorial of popping veins, infected pustules, and evolving facial decay. Begos spends much of the film raising the stakes for the climactic battle between Zack and Doctor Slovak, and he succeeds at a minimum in scaling up the physical and psychic power of their confrontation.” Variety
“Writer/director Joe Begos and his compatriots have grown as filmmakers since their debut feature Almost Human. The pacing is better, the storytelling is stronger and The Mind’s Eye is overall more fun—and much gorier. In fact, Brian Spears and Peter Gerner’s makeup creations are the highlight of the movie, which is a wild splatterfest of head explosions and bulging veins.” Fangoria
“For those eager for gore, it’s an absolute blast watching Zack and Rachel throw furniture, pop heads and split people in two, but the movie doesn’t have the character development, story or performances to make the gross-out moments anything more than fleeting thrills.” Collider
Release:
In the UK, the film was released on DVD by High Fliers as Supernatural Forces on 6 February 2017.
Buy: Amazon.com
Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk
