Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Horror violence, blood in trite demon tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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The 3rd Eye 2
What's the Story?
In THE 3RD EYE 2, Alia has taken on a job in an orphanage, working for the kindly married couple Fadli and Laksmi. The orphanage seems pleasant enough, despite the power going in and out at random times for no apparent reason, and objects falling and shattering, also at random times for no apparent reason. Soon, Alia meets one of the orphans, a teen named Nadia. Soon, Alia discovers that Nadia also has visions of demons and ghosts, and hears one demon in particular in the walls. Further exploration reveals a secret room, where Alia and Nadia discover a demon girl there named Darmah, who wants to be freed so she can reveal "the truth." Nadia uses her paranormal abilities to liberate Darmah, but by doing so discovers a shocking truth about who Darmah was, how she died, and who killed her. Now, with the help of her mentor, Mrs. Windu, Alia must find a way to stop Darmah from getting revenge, reunite her with her mother (who was also murdered) in the afterlife, and save the orphanage from demonic possession.
Is It Any Good?
This movie is as trite and derivative as horror movies come. It's hard to even know where to begin. For starters, the overuse of jump scares not only inures the audience to these abrupt shifts in scene and music 30 minutes in, it also diminishes any actual scary or suspenseful moments the movie might actually have had. Setting a horror movie in an orphanage isn't exactly groundbreaking. The 3rd Eye 2 might as well have one of the lead characters urgently whisper, "I see dead people!" Apparently, Hell resembles the interior of an unused office space in a Van Nuys strip mall, only with more red lighting.
It's a cheesy horror movie, and any fun that could be had from the cheese is counterbalanced by how derivative it is. It's also about 30 minutes longer than it needs to be, which is what happens in movies with far too many of the aforementioned jump scares. The acting actually isn't bad, which is probably the best thing to be said for this movie. The special effects and makeup are well done, even if the lead demon character basically looks like Beetlejuice's angry daughter. But these relatively good points don't make up for the rest.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about horror movies. Why do you think horror movies are popular with some audiences? How does The 3rd Eye 2 compare to other movies you've seen?
This movie frequently relies on jump scares -- abrupt changes in scene punctuated by loud blasts of suspenseful music -- in order to make audiences think that something truly suspenseful, scary, or gory is about to happen. What happens when jump scares are used too often? Can you think of other horror movies that use jump scares to great effect?
Why do sequels tend to be worse than the original movie? What are some examples of this? What are some examples of sequels actually being better than the original movie in the series?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 17, 2019
- On DVD or streaming : June 13, 2019
- Cast : Jessica Mila , Nabilah Ratna Ayu Azalia , Jeremy Thomas
- Director : Rocky Soraya
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy
- Run time : 114 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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