Director: Joe Begos
Cast: Graham Skipper, Lauren Ashley Carter, John Speredakos
Release Date: October 4, 2016
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10
Synopsis:
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 stop at nothing to track them down so that he may continue to siphon their gifts for his own use.
‘The Mind’s Eye’ takes place in the early 1990’s surrounding a notable increase in both the study of telekinetic activity and the revelation of many gifted (or cursed?) individuals with such abilities. The film follows one particularly gifted man named Zack Connors (Skipper) who after learning his girlfriend is currently being held at a facility claiming to exist in order to learn from those with similar abilities and subsequently help them, reluctantly accepts an invitation to the institute. Before long Zack discovers that the man in charge of the whole operation actually has a far more sinister plan in play that requires siphoning spinal fluid from people such as him for his own power hungry purposes and unless stopped once for and all, he may never quit hunting and exploiting their kind, not to mention Zack and those he personally cares for.
Photographed, Written and Directed by filmmaker Joe Begos who brought us the outstanding film ‘Almost Human’ prior (you can read our review of ‘Almost Human’ here), Begos once again does a tremendous job at the helm (and behind the camera) of his own script on ‘The Mind’s Eye’ and notably upping the ante from his last effort in every conceivable way. The film also owes a share of the credit to the capable individuals who comprise the cast including many lesser known individuals such as Graham Skipper (Carnage Park), Lauren Ashley Carter (Premium Rush), John Speredakos (I Sell The Dead), Larry Fessenden (Late Phases), Noah Segan (Deadgirl), Matt Mercer (Contracted) and more, nearly all of whom deliver capable performances at the very least in each of their respective roles and many cast members will also surely be familiar to fans of ‘Almost Human’.
‘The Mind’s Eye’ is an intense, gorgeous and wildly gory throwback to such classics as Cronenberg’s ‘Scanners’ that should leave many fellow genre fans with a grin plastered on their faces from the moment the opening score kicks into gear, right up until the wonderfully fitting and blood soaked finale. The talented Joe Begos has truly outdone himself here and his obvious passion for his work is evident in every miniscule detail and careful shot he utilizes, all of which combines into an impressive sophomore effort that looks surprisingly upscale and clean, especially considering the miniscule budget Begos was forced to work with while simultaneously creating a film oozing with insane moments and stunning visuals. His passionate guidance is only further complimented by the film’s phenomenal score which features original music by Steven Moore that truly perfects the tone. Many folks who are more familiar with today’s horror releases may have trouble getting into this one, although any fan of the ‘Scanners’ franchise and other similar genre films that focus on the power of telekinetic abilities will definitely want to give this one a shot, particularly fans of many horror flicks released during the 80’s and 90’s. Anyone who enjoyed Begos’ debut film ‘Almost Human’ definitely won’t dare to miss out on this one either; he has once again shown his unique talent and delivers a superior sophomore effort here.
Overall, ‘The Mind’s Eye’ is an aggressive, notably gory and truly gorgeous love letter to such films as Cronenberg’s cult classic ‘Scanners’ and quite the impressive sophomore effort from talented filmmaker Joe Begos who has managed to truly outdo himself this time around, delivering an action fueled (not to mention blood soaked) and visually impressive ride constructed from a minimal budget that any horror fan who appreciated his debut film ‘Almost Human’ and similarly themed genre titles won’t want to miss out on. I can’t possibly recommend ‘The Mind’s Eye’ highly enough to the fellow horror fans and I could not be more thrilled to see what this talented up and coming filmmaker just might bring us next.
VIDEO:
The Blu-ray release of ‘The Mind’s Eye’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.35:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic and delivers a sharp, detailed and vibrant video presentation from start to finish that perfectly captures the rich, bright colors always on prominent display. It holds up impressively even during the numerous darkly lit and/or fast moving sequences and never results in anything occurring on screen to ever become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a wonderful high definition video presentation complimented by a more than sufficient bitrate that should easily please the masses.
AUDIO:
The Blu-ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless multichannel soundtrack provides a marvelous compliment to the overall viewing experience and delivers a crisp, clean and truly aggressive audio presentation throughout. Constantly utilizing all five available channels in order to immerse the viewer within the phenomenal and fitting score, in addition to sending a barrage of telekinetic and numerous other action related auditory elements, plus more at full force throughout the various speakers, yet still managing to keep any dialogue which may be occurring simultaneously from becoming distorted, let alone rendered inaudible. Overall, this is an outstanding 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that shouldn’t disappoint in the slightest.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Blu-ray release of ‘The Mind’s Eye’ includes a couple of worthwhile extras. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Joe Begos’, plus a second ‘Producers’ Commentary with Joe Begos, Josh Ethier, Graham Skipper, and Zak Zeman’. We are also treated to ‘The Mind’s Eye: A Look Into the Eye of Madness’ Featurette (running approximately 28 minutes in length) which includes interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. A ‘Poster Gallery’ (running 30 seconds), and the ‘Trailer’ for the film (approximately 2 minutes) are also included.
*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.
Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10
‘The Mind’s Eye’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray & DVD from RLJ Entertainment.
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