The Hypnotic Eye

The first woman lights her hair on fire in her kitchen after bending over a gas burner. Doctors and police tend to her while Detective Dave Kennedy asks why she did it. The scene hints at a pattern that will plague the city.

Dave is present at the hospital aftermath and begins questioning the motive behind the self-immolation. He suspects there might be a broader conspiracy behind the incident. The case sets the stage for a wider investigation into similar acts.

In the following months, ten more women mutilate their faces, suggesting a linked influence rather than random acts. The pattern unnerves the public and catches the attention of investigators. Dave and Dr. Hecht start considering hypnosis as a possible factor.

Dave seeks advice from his friend Dr. Philip Hecht, a psychiatrist who is an expert on hypnosis. Hecht disapproves of using hypnosis on the stage and cautions about its potential for manipulation. Their conversation establishes the central tension around hypnotism.

Dave, his girlfriend Marcia Blaine, and her friend Dodie Wilson attend Desmond's hypnotist stage show. The crowd cheers as volunteers are called up on stage. Dave remains skeptical about whether true hypnosis is happening.

Desmond selects Dodie as a volunteer; she becomes rigid as a board and levitates before the audience. Desmond whispers something to her and then releases her from the trance. Dave suspects Dodie isn’t faking, though Dodie denies that she was truly hypnotized.

Back at home, Dodie sabotages her own appearance by pouring acid into her washbasin and applying it to her face. The act foreshadows the facial mutilations tied to the hypnotic influence. Marcia and Dave react with shock and concern.

Dave and Marcia question Dodie in the hospital, learning she cannot recall how her burns occurred. Marcia grows suspicious that Desmond’s hypnotic techniques are connected to the mutilations. They decide to investigate Desmond further by returning to the theater.

Marcia volunteers for Desmond's show and sits for a demonstration with a flashing-light device. She closes her eyes before being told to, and she is not hypnotized this time. The incident leaves Dave and Hecht unsure, but curious.

Marcia reports a post-hypnotic command to come to Desmond's dressing room at midnight. She goes there and is truly hypnotized, with Desmond in control.

Desmond takes Marcia through a string of venues—restaurant, beatnik coffee-house, and back to her apartment—while Dave and Hecht trail by car. The public display of control makes them fear for her safety. The chase intensifies as real danger emerges.

Desmond stages a mass-hypnosis demonstration, using balloons with his hypnotic eye design to illustrate the power of suggestion. Dave and Hecht break in, trying to rescue Marcia as Justine's influence grows. The scene builds toward the climactic confrontation.

Justine drags Marcia onto a swinging catwalk and removes her mask, revealing a mutilated face like Dodie's. Desmond overpowers Hecht, but Dave shoots Desmond to end the threat. Justine then leaps to her death beside him.

Dave pulls Marcia from the trance, and Hecht addresses the audience, warning against hypnotism outside medical supervision. The case ends with a cautionary note about manipulation and mass suggestion. The film closes on a reminder of safety and ethics.