Between Leo Fulci’s earlier giallo offerings such as Don’t Torture a Duckling (Non si sevizia un paperino; Italy, 1972) and his later outre horror fare like The Beyond (. . . E tu vivrai nel terrore! L’aldilà; Italy, 1981), the director served up an intriguing play on Hitchcockian mystery with one of his more reserved efforts, The Psychic (Sette note in nero; Italy, 1977, AKA Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes). Though the film has its creaky moments, overall it is a fine, fun example of 1970s horror elements — ESP and other psychic abilities were hot that decade — and its cast members and set decoration all look fabulous.
Former CoverGirl cosmetics model turned actress Jennifer O’Neill stars as Virginia Ducci, a stunning, well-dressed woman who, as an elementary school student in Italy, envisioned her mother leaping to her death in Dover as it happened. Virginia has married wealthy Italian businessman Francesco Ducci (Gianni Garko). After he flies away on a business trip, she begins having visions of a woman in her fifties being murdered and walled up a la Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” with specific details haunting her. She goes to a second house owned by her husband, breaks open precisely the section of wall that is actually where a body was hidden, and then tries to find concrete evidence to clear her husband’s name after he becomes the prime suspect, while a man she saw in her visions acts increasingly suspicious in real life.
Equal to O’Neill’s fashion ensembles is her ability to tear up seemingly at will, adding an extra note of gravitas — or at least theatrical flair — to her character’s second-sight visions. She heads up a solid cast whose members are all dubbed well.
Fulci’s direction is solid, and though a few scenes seem to last a little longer than they might have needed to, the overall pacing and building of suspense is highly satisfying. The sequences of Virginia’s visions are impressively shot and edited, and the cat-and-mouse chase scenes between Virginia and the man she believes to be the true killer are quite thrilling.
Shameless’ extensively restored print from new 2K-scanned materials looks terrific, making everything from the garish fake blood to the actors’ smoldering eyes to the ornate settings and 1970s high-fashion clothing really pop. The score from Bixio, Frizzi, and Tempera sounds dynamite. The presentation in both of those departments is crisp and clear.
Shameless presents The Psychic on UK Blu-ray and on digital August 9, 2021.
