Blu-Ray Review: The Psychic

Lucio Fulci made a wide range of films, including several comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, but it’s his work in giallo and horror that established the Italian’s reputation and for which he’s best known today. During the 1970s and 1980s he made a number of cult films, including City of the Living Dead, Don’t Torture a Ducking, The Beyond and Lizard in a Woman’s Skin. The Psychic (aka Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes) is one of his lesser-known films.

As a child, Virginia (Jennifer O’Neill) had a vision of her mother’s suicide despite being in a different country at the time. Now an adult, much to her chagrin she retains these psychic powers. Newly married to a rich Italian businessman Francesco Ducci (Gianni Garko), she is plagued by confusing visions of abuse and a bloody death. To her horror she gradually begins to realise that what she’s seeing are actually premonitions of the future.

The Psychic is a stylish giallo which has a story to match. This is what makes it stand out from many of its peers. The plot is cleverly conceived and the script continually drives the action forward. Sergio Salvati’s cinematography is bright and lucid, enhancing Virginia’s own inner turmoil. It’s this edge which Fulci cultivates so well. We’re kept as much in the dark as our hapless heroine. The Psychic is crime mystery where the terror is never far from the surface.

Special features:

Extensively restored in 2k from a new scan
Limited edition numbered O-Card (first 2,000 units)
English and alternative Italian audio
Revised English subtitles
Touching Fate – A new exclusive interview of Antonella Fulci about The Psychic
Daddy Dearest – An interview with Antonella Fulci about her father Lucio Fulci
Restoration process for The Psychic – showing different stages
Escape from Doom – An interview with writer Dardano Sacchetti on working with Fulci
Behind the Wall – An interview with Fabio Frizzi on scoring The Psychic (the music later used by Tarantino)