The Hypnotic Eye
Encyclopedia
The Hypnotic Eye is a horror film
, released by Allied Artists on February 27, 1960, starring Jacques Bergerac
, Allison Hayes
, Merry Anders
, Eric "Big Daddy" Nord, and Ferdinand Demara, billed as "Fred Demara".
s and Lawrence Lipton
as "King of the Beatniks" — were supposedly filmed at Nord's beatnik
cafe, The Gas House, in Venice, California.
The film, which claimed to be filmed in the "HypnoMagic" process, has been called a "camp classic
" and "misogynist". Bergerac was the former husband of Ginger Rogers
and Hayes had just starred in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, released by Allied Artists on February 27, 1960, starring Jacques Bergerac
Jacques Bergerac
Jacques Bergerac is a former French actor with a brief Hollywood film career.Originally a lawyer, Bergerac met and married Ginger Rogers with whom he appeared in Twist of Fate . He then went on to appear as Armand Duval in a television production of Camille for Kraft Television Theatre, opposite...
, Allison Hayes
Allison Hayes
Allison Hayes was an American film and television actress and model.-Early life:Born Mary Jane Hayes in Charleston, West Virginia, Hayes won the title of Miss District of Columbia and represented Washington, DC in the 1949 Miss America pageant...
, Merry Anders
Merry Anders
Merry Anders is an American actress who has appeared in a number of television programs and films since the 1950s. In 1954, she succeeded Ann Todd as Stuart Erwin's daughter in the final season of his TV series, The Stu Erwin Show.In the 1955-1956 season, she joined Janis Paige in the 26-week CBS...
, Eric "Big Daddy" Nord, and Ferdinand Demara, billed as "Fred Demara".
Plot
Mysterious hypnotist Desmond (Bergerac) comes to town to present his act, just as a series of women gruesomely disfigure themselves, apparently while in a trance. A local doctor and a detective try to find the reason.Production background
Some scenes — showing Nord playing bongo drumBongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
s and Lawrence Lipton
Lawrence Lipton
Lawrence Lipton was an American journalist, writer, and beat poet, as well as the father of James Lipton.Lipton was born in Lodz, Poland, the son of Rose and Abraham Lipton. He was brought to the United States in 1903 and settled in Chicago, Illinois...
as "King of the Beatniks" — were supposedly filmed at Nord's beatnik
Beatnik
Beatnik was a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s and violent film images, along with a cartoonish depiction of the real-life people and the spiritual quest in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical...
cafe, The Gas House, in Venice, California.
The film, which claimed to be filmed in the "HypnoMagic" process, has been called a "camp classic
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
" and "misogynist". Bergerac was the former husband of Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
and Hayes had just starred in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a 1958 American science fiction feature film produced by Bernard Woolner for Allied Artists Pictures. It was directed by Nathan H. Juran from a screenplay by Mark Hanna, and starred Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. The original music score was...
.