I was going to start this review by saying that this was one of the few Lucio Fulci movies I hadn't seen before, but that's not quite true. There are lots of Lucio Fulci movies I haven't seen before. The Psychic just happens to be one of the other titles I was already aware of, although I don't think I ever saw it mentioned as one of his best film.
A murder mystery that revolves around the visions of a clairvoyant woman, Virginia (Jennifer O'Neill), who hopes to use her particular talent to prove her husband (Francesco, played by Gianni Garko) innocent of a murder, The Psychic is an enjoyable bit of nonsense that is susprisingly satisfying by the time it plays out a fairly predictable finale. The mixed cast of characters aren't really people you care about, this is all about atmosphere and plot ahead of characterisation (standard for Fulci . . . although you could easily argue that he often doesn't even care about plot), but our lead is strong enough to carry the film on her shoulders, and acts in a way that feels plausible and understandable.
I will admit that my memory of this is already fading, having only watched it a few days ago for the first time, but horror fans will certainly view this as a very tame work compared to other Fulci horror movies. There aren't any standout set-pieces, no extreme gore or tension, but the script, co-written by Fulci, the prolific Roberto Ganviti, and Dardano Sacchetti (who would also work with Fulci on the Gates Of Hell trilogy), never tries to pretend it is aiming for anything other than a solid amateur detective tale in which the detective has the "gift"of second sight that may help or hinder her investigation.
It may have helped that I didn't know what to expect from this, all I knew (assumed) was that it didn't feature any major zombie outbreak, but The Psychic won me over quite early on. A large part of that is due to O'Neill, who is extremely watchable in the lead role. Nobody else is quite as good, and that includes Garko, Marc Porel, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ida Galli, and one or two others, but it doesn't matter. What matters is the lead that we are most closely attached to for the bulk of the runtime.
It's easy to see why this is rarely mentioned by people listing the best films from Fulci. It's just a decent little thriller, nothing more and nothing less. But I liked it. The use of the fragmented visions, lacking crucial context until much later in the movie, is a fun, albeit familiar, device, and the musical motif also plays in nicely before the end credits roll (the original Italian title is Sette Note In Nero, which translates to "Seven Notes In Black" . . . if Google Translate can be trusted).
Not an all-time great, but this was a decent distraction while it was on. Oh, and there's some excellent music contained within the score, including a section that will already be familiar to anyone, like myself, who saw the Kill Bill movies before seeing this.
7/10
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