The Psychic (1979)

Good movie but grossly overrated

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Seven Notes in Black (1977) ** (out of 4) Italian giallo about a woman (Jennifer O'Neill) who sees a vision of a woman dying. Soon she moves into her fiances house and realizes it to be the house in her dreams so she breaks down a wall and discovers a skeleton of a woman. Her fiancé is thrown in jail but she sets out to prove he isn't the killer. Here's another film that I had heard plenty of good things about but it didn't work for me. I was really letdown by the story, which was just too simple and boring to be entertaining. Most giallos from this era are full of twists and turns but that's not the case here as Fulci seems to just be trying to tell a straight story. Another problem with the film is the lead O'Neill who comes off very stiff and not once did I buy her in the role. Fulci's direction is pretty good throughout and he handles the material quite well but one wishes the story had been stronger. There are several good moments in the film including O'Neill's visions at the start of the film, which are handled very well. Another big plus is the music score by Franco Bixio, Fabio Frizzi and Vince Tempera. Then, there's the ending where things really start to come to life. I won't spoil anything but the twist that's added here makes up for all that came before it and Fulci really manages to make some nice suspense in the closing minutes. Originally released in America as The Psychic. Original title: Sette note in nero.

In 1959 Virginia Ducci (Jennifer O'Neill) has a vision of her mother's suicide. Virginia was in Florence, Italy and at the very same time her mother committed suicide in England. In the 70's, Virginia is married to Francesco (Gianni Garko) When she goes to the old abandoned house of her husband, for redecorated it, she found the rests of a dead body and is all related to a vision that Virginia previous has. When Francesco is accused for the murder Virginia must find the proofs, for her husband's freedom, thought her vision.This is the plot of this terrific giallo of Lucio Fulci. "Sette Note In Nero" is the only film of Fulci that has been released on DVD in Mexico and was my introduction to Fulci's work. The plot is great showing a simple murder mystery story with suspense all of its 95 minutes. The unexpected change in the plot is great just as the end.First the film is about one murder mystery with Virginia relating all to her vision but later her vision doesn't agree with the case and we realize that she saw the future. So is great how the film suddenly has two different murder cases unsolved, one of the past and the other that is going to happen in a very near future. The climax and the end are just excellent and it was because of the music that Virginia was saved or at least we like to imagine that.Conclusion: I love this film that was just a terrific introduction to Lucio Fulci. It has a great atmosphere, perfect for a story full of suspense. The cast is good, with the amazing beauty of Jennifer O'Neill that here's plays a brave role. If you're expecting to see a very bloody film, maybe because you have hear something about Fulci, this is not what you're looking for but I do recommend this film. 9.5 out of 10Region 4 DVD: Like I said, this is the first film of Fulci on DVD in Mexico and the presentation is just good. Is a single disc edition without extras but the quality of the image is just terrific and is great that is in Italian with Spanish subtitles. So is always great to can get this kind of films. We need more films of Fulci on DVD in Mexico!

I must confess: I do not like the cinema of Lucio Fulci. Although he is often considered a top tier director of Italian horror/gialli, I found his films to be nothing more than exploitative and shameless, capitalizing on violence and sex to appeal to nothing but the viewer's carnal desires while providing little (if any) intelligence for the viewer's mind and cognitive thinking.Imagine my surprise when I found this not only to be a *good* movie, but also quite possibly one of the best gialli I have ever seen (second only to some of Dario Argento's best work).Despite a rather unnecessarily violent and gory opening (which is more laughable than shocking), the film is very subtle and restrained, with no nudity and very little violence, focusing upon its labyrinthine mystery to provide the thrills rather than anything visceral.And the mystery is superb, playing out very much like a jigsaw puzzle. The main character (Jennifer O'Neal) sees a barrage of images in the opening of the film, like pieces of a puzzle, and as the film progresses we see the pieces beginning to come into place and form a whole picture. All of this creates a very engrossing experience as we get en-wrapped within he mystery.That is not to say the film is totally devoid of visceral thrills. The suspense sequences are genuinely suspenseful, with the chase scene in the run-down church being almost unbearable in its potent tension. Not to mention, the very last sequence in the house will also have you on the edge of your seat.And the story isn't the only thing that makes this giallo work so well - the direction by Fulci (I can't believe I'm saying this) is magnificent, with such stunning sequences of camera movements and edits that just draw the viewer into the action. Also, the music by Bixio, Frizzi, and Tempera is hypnotic, creating a very much palpable atmosphere of dread and ominous foreboding.However, I don't mean to sound like this is a masterpiece of Italian cinema - it's not. I am merely so shocked at how good this film is considering its film-making pedigree. The opening scene, as mentioned earlier, is entirely out of place, and the plot, while complex, is strangely predictable once you begin to understand what's happening.Despite this, the plot is tight, focused, and clever, with genuine suspense, which makes it one of the best giallo films ever.Essential viewing for not only giallo fans, but also any lover of a good mystery.

Fulci's tendency to try to outdo his rivals in disgusting scenes ("L'Aldila") is not a problem in this film.This is a suspenseful story ,with an elaborate screenplay à la Argento (note the importance of pictures in both directors' works ,photographs or paintings)and special effects with make-up kept to the minimum level.Combining a subject dear to Edgar Allan Poe with a whodunit a la Agatha Christie and supernatural facts (O'Neil is some kind of medium) ,with a good supporting cast featuring Gabriele Ferzetti (Antonioni's "L"avventura" ) and French Marc Porel (sadly to die prematurely ) as a shrink whose assistant is smarter than him,"Sette Note In Nero" is worth seeing.Like this?Try these..."Eyes of Laura Mars" Irvin Kershner 1978 "Dead zone" David Cronenberg 1983