Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Premonition Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 14, 2016

Note: This film is currently available as part of American Horror Project Vol. 1.

The acronym WEHT is typically utilized to wonder where stars of yesteryear have gotten to, and it may be perfectly applicable to at least a couple of people who show up in the three films included in Arrow Films’ American Horror Project Volume 1. But “what ever happened to” might also be used with regard to the films themselves, for this initial trio of offerings may be relatively little known to even some who consider themselves to be diehard horror fans. The Blu-ray era has been a boon to lovers of horror, with any number of cult items seeing the high definition light of day courtesy of a gaggle of licensors and/or niche labels. Many if not most of those offerings, though, were probably at a somewhat higher level of general public recognition than the three films included in this set, which is not to say that those films were automatically of a higher quality than the three collected here. Arrow nonetheless seems to be well aware that they’re dipping into a stratum of horror films that may be perceived as “lesser” material, but each of these initial three offerings has something unique about it, if only frankly some inherent weirdness.

The name Richard Lynch may not even rise to “WEHT” status for many film goers, but chances are those who do recognize his name will never forget his face. Lynch, who evidently had a severe drug problem in his earlier life, had the misfortune to freak out on a trip and set himself on fire, leading to a pretty badly scarred face which then made him perfect for a certain type of villain role. Lynch is almost—almost— sympathetic as carnival clown Jude in The Premonition, but maybe that’s because his would be girlfriend Andrea (Ellen Barber) is so obviously bat guano crazy. The film begins with a kind of funny “carny tai chi” session with Jude, but soon enough he’s sharing some information with Andrea which seems to suggest he may have tracked down Andrea’s long lost biological daughter who it's later revealed was taken from Andrea for probably good reasons. The Premonition is not especially strong at the “setup” portion of the film, instead pretty much plopping the viewer down in medias res and letting the chips fall where they may, narratively speaking, with some subsequent information doled out which at least helps to throw a little light on some early interchanges.

The past connection between Jude and Andrea is in fact one of those salient pieces of information, and one which at least helps to explain the somewhat addled tenor of the two, both separately and (especially) together. The first part of the film details Andrea’s aborted efforts to reclaim the little girl she thinks is her daughter, a cute little tyke named Janie Bennett (a tiny Danielle Brisebois in her first feature film performance), who lives an apparently happy suburban life with her adoptive parents Sheri (Sharon Farrell) and Miles (Edward Bell). In one of several elisions the screenplay by Anthony Mahon and director Robert Allen Schnitzer just kind of glosses over, Andrea knows where Janie goes to school and shows up there to simply take her, though Janie is smart enough not to go with a stranger. Meanwhile, Sheri is overcome with almost debilitating bouts of troubling visions (hence the title of the film).

What evidently began as a more or less straight revenge story anchored around a vengeful mother and her nemeses, her child’s adoptive parents, morphed along the way (evidently due to Robert Allen Schnitzer’s insistence and involvement) into something decidedly more paranormal and/or supernatural. Sheri’s visions are the entrée into this element of the film’s story, but perhaps interestingly they’re initially at least seemingly divorced from reality. Despite a couple of attempts, Andrea in fact does not succeed in kidnapping little Janie, leaving Sheri’s increasing hysteria to seem like incipient madness. One of the film’s less than artful developments turns out to be exactly how Janie ends up in the clutches of Jude and Andrea (and it’s not too much of a spoiler to mention that she of course does), and if there’s a fault to be found with The Premonition’s otherwise brisk development, it’s on what is arguably too much reliance on pure (overly convenient) coincidence.

In a way, The Premonition ends up playing at least somewhat like supernaturally tinged procedurals such as Man on a Swing, especially after Sheri’s worst fears materialize and paranormal investigators are left to figure out what her dreamlike visions “mean”. There’s a rather nicely chaotic feeling to the performances of Lynch and Barber as the would be kidnappers, and the unpredictability of these characters provides a lot of the film’s undeniably discomfiting emotional ambience. In a kind of funny presaging of the fate of a certain bunny in Fatal Attraction, a little pet of Janie’s falls victim to Andrea, who evidently will not be ignored. Turtle soup, anyone?

The Premonition Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Premonition is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The booklet accompanying American Horror Project Vol. 1 offers the following information about the provenance of the elements used for the transfer and the transfer itself:

The original CRI was scanned in 2K resolution at OCN Digital, USA. Kodak Digital Ice was used to remove instances of dirt and debris during scanning. Grading was performed on the Baselight grading system at Deluxe Restoration, London. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, light scratches and other forms of film damage were removed or improved through a combination of digital restoration tools.

While there are occasional slight contrast issues at play here (understandable given the provenance of the elements utilized for the transfer), this is probably the overall best looking film in American Horror Project Vol. 1, despite some general softness in the presentation. Colors are reasonably accurate looking, if just slightly pallid at times, with blues and reds resonating quite strongly and some nice outdoor photography providing well lit scenes which offer decent levels of detail. Close-ups can fare even better than decent levels of detail, with some looks at Lynch's face showing not just the clear signs of scarring around his jowls but some of the efforts of the make-up team to ameliorate them. Some of Sheri's "visions" offer intentionally tweaked imagery which provides blown out contrast and severe color grading, two aspects which understandably deplete detail levels. There are still typical signs of age related wear and tear here despite the restoration efforts, but overall things look very good. Grain resolves naturally and provides substantial texture and depth to the viewing experience.

The Premonition Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Premonition's LPCM mono track was sourced from the original 3-strip magnetic reels according to the booklet included with American Horror Project Vol. 1. While lacking significant depth, things sound very good throughout this presentation, with all dialogue rendered cleanly and clearly, and both ambient effects and Henry Mollicone's score delivered without distortion or any other damage.

The Premonition Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction (1080p; 3:16) features Stephen Thrower, curator of the project. This feature is available under the Play menu.


• Pictures from a Premonition (1080p; 21:19) is a new documentary featuring interviews with Robert Allen Schnitzer, Henry Mollicone and Victor Milt which features some nice production oriented information.


• Robert Allen Schnitzer Interview (1080i; 5:51) looks like an older archival piece.


• Short Films feature early work of Robert Allen Schnitzer:

  Terminal Point (1080p; 40:45)

  Vernal Equinox (1080p; 30:08)

  A Rumbling in the Land (1080p; 11:05)

• Peace Spots (1080p; 3:38)


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:23)


• TV Spots (1080p; 3:27)


• Audio Commentary features Robert Schnitzer.

The Premonition Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Premonition has a certain silliness to it, and there is at least one maddeningly convenient coincidence that propels the plot forward, but there's an undeniable mood to this film which is helped immensely by some truly disturbing performances. Technical merits are generally very good, and the supplemental package quite substantial. Recommended.