Ah, The Third Eye. A gothic Italian horror film where young Franco Nero, still years away from his Django glory, spends his screen time taxidermying corpses, strangling hookers, and arguing with his mother like a deranged Norman Bates with a stuffed-animal hobby. Spoiler: this isn’t so much a horror movie as it is a really long advertisement for therapy.
Franco Nero: From Django to Dr. Frankenstein’s Sad Nephew
This was one of Nero’s first leading roles, and boy, does he commit. Unfortunately, he commits to playing Mino—the rich, mommy-coddled aristocrat who treats corpses better than his living friends. Watching him cradle Erika Blanc’s taxidermied body is less “tragic romance” and more “this guy’s dating life explains why pigeons avoid him in the park.”
Mommy Dearest… and the Maid From Hell
Mino’s mother is the kind of overbearing matriarch who makes you want to drink bleach just to escape family dinner. Marta, the maid, takes things up a notch: she sabotages car brakes, shoves old ladies down stairs, and then pouts when Mino doesn’t marry her. Honestly, Marta deserves her own spin-off called I Killed the Boss’s Mom and All I Got Was This Crappy Acid Vat.
The Plot: Weekend at Laura’s
Laura, Mino’s fiancée, gets shoved off a cliff thanks to Marta’s tinkering, but don’t worry—Mino fishes her body out and stuffs her like a hunting trophy. Instead of grief counseling, he opts for necrophilia-lite, bringing prostitutes home to “play house” next to Laura’s preserved corpse. Shockingly, this doesn’t go over well, and he strangles them when they scream. Honestly, the real mystery here is how word didn’t spread faster through the local escort community: “Avoid Villa Creeper. He has a stuffed girlfriend in the bed.”
Erika Blanc Pulls Double Duty
Erika Blanc shows up as Laura’s twin sister Daniela, because nothing says “subtle horror” like the old twin-swap gag. Naturally, Mino loses his mind again, convinced Laura has resurrected. Marta, jealous as ever, tries to stab Daniela, but Mino turns her into a human pincushion instead. By the end, Marta is half-dead, dialing 911 with her last drop of blood, while Mino speeds into the countryside with Daniela like a deranged Uber driver from hell.
Why It Fails
The film tries to sell itself as tragic Gothic horror but ends up looking like a soap opera directed by someone who just discovered acid baths and bird taxidermy. It drags endlessly, the violence is awkwardly censored in spots, and the script seems confused whether Mino is a tragic romantic or just the creepiest man alive. Spoiler: it’s the latter.
Final Verdict
The Third Eye is a messy cocktail of Psycho, House of Wax, and your weird cousin who “collects things.” It’s worth watching only if you enjoy Franco Nero looking like a puppy caught in a blender of Freudian nightmares. Otherwise, do yourself a favor: skip this and go straight to Beyond the Darkness (1979), Joe D’Amato’s remake, which at least leans into the sleaze with unapologetic gusto.
Final Thought: If you ever find yourself dating a taxidermist aristocrat with mommy issues, remember—check the brakes before every drive.
