HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 18: THE PSYCHIC (1977)

The modern horror template was set by none other than mystery queen Agatha Christie. Not only did she set standards for mystery tales and thrillers but also for the modern slasher film. And then there were none. Over the years filmmakers and storytellers have added to and expanded upon the classic "Whodunit" scenarios with varying degrees of success. It's not easy to create a compelling mystery. To do so requires a talented storyteller. Of the films by Lucio Fulci that I have seen, if one was to say to me that gore maestro Fulci was such a storyteller, I would've been skeptical. And I'd be wrong.

THE PSYCHIC a.k.a. Seven Notes In Black is a deftly crafted thriller mystery. The film runs the viewer through a gauntlet of twists and turns, keeping one guessing, but never losing control. Compared to Fulci's later films such as Zombie, City of the Living Dead, and The Beyond, this film is quite restrained for Fulci in terms of graphic violence and gore. But it is within this restraint that Fulci demonstrates the extent of his abilities as a storyteller.

THE PLOT

Virginia has had clairvoyant episodes, visions, since she was a child. On her way to her husband's second home, a place she's never been to before, she experiences a vision of a woman dead, a murderer loose, and a person being buried alive. When she arrives she discovers one of the rooms in the house is the exact same room from her vision where a body was buried behind a wall. She hacks open the wall and discovers a skeletal corpse. Virginia can't ignore her visions anymore as she finds herself trapped in the middle of a murderous plot.

THE GOOD

The Architecture. Good thriller mysteries are not easy to assemble. The Psychic is well built, well put together film. There is a lot going on in this movie and a lot of elements being juggled together. We see a series of images during Virginia's vision and over the course of the movie these images come together. Then we see images which are close to Virginia's vision but subtly different. Situations pan out differently than expected. These twists and turns lead the viewer on a merry chase of red herrings and new leads. This kind of plot chasing runs the risk of convolution and losing one's audience. That is not the case here. Never does this film lose control.

Restraint. Don't look for Fulci's signature graphic violence and gratuitous gore here. In the beginning of the movie we are shown Virginia's mother's death as she plummets down the side of a cliff (a scene Fulci mimicked from his earlier 1972 film Don't Torture a Duckling). Her face is slowly scraped off as she falls against the rocks. That is the goriest moment in the film. Here Lucio Fulci shows the breadth of his skill presenting an enthralling narrative without the need of gore or extreme violence. Moments arise in the film where Fulci elects to build tension and suspense rather than spectacle. The result is a fantastic mystery that more than just genre lovers can enjoy and engage with.

Score! I also must point out the wonderful and haunting score for the film. Once you hear it you'll never forget it. It is one of the iconic aspects of the film and has been ripped off and reused by others again and again.

THE BAD

The Buzzer Beater. Spoiler Alert! At the end of the film Virginia finds herself the victim of the murderer's evil plot. Virginia survives thanks to her friends coming to the rescue. Now this is purely a point of preference on the part of me, the viewer, but I feel the film would've had a more resonate ending had Virginia died. It's not that I want to see evil succeed but that the ending in the film, really only the last minute, feels like a stock ending. Again this is purely preference and a negative towards the film. Other than that this movie works very well all around. I could nitpick on poor dubbing and the less than believable face scraping off against the rocks scene but I actually don't have much of a problem with those. They come with the territory and they didn't diminish the enjoyment of the film for me.

THE VERDICT

I did not expect this film to be as good as it is. I watched this movie hoping to see more of the Fulci gore and spectacle I have come to know from his latter films. What I received was a well written, well assembled, well executed mystery thriller worthy of the greats. If you're a fan of Lucio Fulci's films The Psychic is a prime example of one of the director's best. If you're merely looking for a break from the blood and gore look no further. The Psychic is worthy of adding to the collection.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10

I couldn't find the trailer so here's a sample of the haunting soundtrack for the film. Enjoy!

For more Gaillo films and more from Lucio Fulci be sure to check out these:

ZOMBIE (1979)
SUSPIRIA (1977)