The Psychic review

This 1977 giallo (recently released on DVD in the fully restored European version) has introduced me to the mind of Lucio Fulci (Zombie, The New York Ripper) and you can bet I’ll be visiting his other works soon. I know when a film is something special when I can’t quite figure out as to why that is. THE PSYCHIC is that kind of special!

As a child, Virginia (Jennifer O’Neill of Scanners) had a horrific vision of her mother voluntarily plunging off a cliff to her death, an incident which was actually occurring at the exact same time, though in another country. 18 years later, the recently-married Virginia, now a self-proclaimed clairvoyant undergoing psychoanalysis, has another one of her visions. This new potential premonition is of a sordid murder, providing her with a multitude of distinct visual clues, and ceaselessly haunting her. Her investigation will lead to the remains of a young woman inside of the walls of an abandoned home owned by her husband. This will just be the beginning of a downward spiral of terror as Virginia will keep digging into the past trying to make sense of her vision. But, is this vivid presentiment even of the past or is it of an occurrence still set to take place ?

THE PSYCHIC simply wraps you up in its nightmarish intrigue and never lets go! Fulci makes up for the story’s lack of depth with an astounding visual style. The film dances between Virginia’s timeless vision and present day, at times employing perfectly-crafted camera shots and movements to go back and forth between the two. All the while, Virginia’s vision is heavily revisited, discussed and scrutinized by the other characters. This all amounts to a hypnotic journey into the paranoid realm of déjà vu vs. forewarnings where questions of, what does it all mean & where do I fit in, surface. The script (from Fulci, Roberto Gianviti and Dardano Sacchetti) expertly laid out the foundation for all this madness, with a compelling puzzle of scenes and strategic dialogue.

THE PSYCHIC is superior filmmaking! The score is top-notch and cleverly used. As is the art direction, which has tremendous importance in the film. The camerawork is energetic and inventive, never passing up an opportunity to dazzle, and it all works perfectly with the film. The cast of supporting actors was equally impressive, with standout performances from Gianni Garko (who plays her husband) and Marc Porel (who plays her psychoanalyst, actor also seen in The Sister of Ursula). Holding everything together, at the center of all this nightmare, is Jennifer O’Neill’s incredible performance. Virginia’s premonitions have a deep emotional connection to her, in the aftermath of the life-altering one of her mother she had 18 years ago. O’Neill aptly portrays just how much she is immersed in those visions and the result is riveting.

All of this culminates into a spellbinding finale, with the last twenty minutes generously upping the ante. One final aspect of THE PSYCHIC I liked was that there was no glamourizing of Virginia’s affliction. It’s not always cool to be a clairvoyant!

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