Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.0

The Psychic Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 28, 2021

Lucio Fulci's "The Psychic" a.k.a. "Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shameless Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include video program with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti; two video programs with Antonella Fulci; video program with composer Fabio Frizzi; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles. Region-Free.

Do you see what I see?

While there is no doubt that the stylistic identity of The Psychic was shaped up entirely in Lucio Fulci’s head, it is unclear precisely how the film’s story was put together. In addition to Fulci, two other writers are officially credited as contributors. The first was Dardano Sacchetti, who would go on to work with Fulci on a few of his biggest hits (The Beyond, The New York Ripper), but some of his flops as well (Manhattan Baby). The second is Roberto Gianviti, who helped Fulci very early into his career (How to Rob the Bank of Italy) and later on collaborated with him on a few of his best films (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, Don’t Torture a Duckling). Fulci had a strong relationship with Gianviti, but Sacchetti was recommended to him only because of his work with Dario Argento.

So, what happened next? Did Sacchetti and Gianviti agree to work with Fulci at the same time? Or were they used separately after Fulci encountered problems that needed to be addressed? Obviously, someone has an official story that explains precisely what took place, but the real story that emerges from The Psychic is this: the film’s stylistic identity and its story do not sync up particularly well. Indeed, it is pretty easy to tell that the film is trying to head in different directions at the same time, which is probably why Sacchetti and Gianviti were used to make it appear more coherent.

The main protagonist in The Psychic is a young and beautiful married woman named Virginia Ducci (Jennifer O’Neill), whose life begins to unravel after a bizarre car accident leads her to a skeleton hidden in a wall at the vacant villa of her wealthy husband (Gianni Garko). Having previously ‘seen’ in a dream the exact location where the skeleton was placed, Virginia reaches out to her psychiatrist (Marc Porel) to help her properly deconstruct the entire experience. But when it is determined that the human remains from the hole in the wall belonged to a woman that had an affair with her husband and he instantly becomes a prime suspect in what appears to be a very complex murder case, Virginia vows to prove that he is innocent. However, soon after she gets lost in a deep rabbit hole where someone begins tracking her down and eventually attempts to kill her.

The disconnect between the creepy atmosphere that Fulci was obviously trying to attach to the story and the type of suspense that was needed to make it flourish becomes evident immediately after the short prologue where it is revealed that O’Neill has a special gift. A series of poorly scripted situations for instance are supposed to clarify the secret affair behind the murder case, but the bigger picture at the center of which is the crime case is already quite clear. Also, the dialog is so rough that often times many of the same situations begin to look like acting tests. (Could this have been the reason why Sacchetti and Gianviti were asked to assist Fulci?).

The final fifteen, possibly twenty minutes reveal how effective The Psychic could have been if Fulci was handed a proper screenplay. As O’Neill becomes a target, Fulci produces a few sequences with that genuinely creepy atmosphere his best horror films are known for. But the buildup is already complete, and it is only a matter of time before the obvious becomes painfully obvious, so there is just not enough time, or legit opportunities, for Fulci to continue to impress.

The Psychic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Psychic arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shameless Entertainment.

The film looks a tad softer than it should, though the overall quality of the visuals is quite good. Darker areas are the most unconvincing ones because it is often easy to see that shadow definition is destabilized by various ranges of black crush. I think that some of this black crush is caused by the cleanup and digital adjustments. (The restoration demonstration that is included on this release actually confirms that it is so, because the images in Step 2 have more grain and finer darker nuances than the finalizes images in Step 3). Density levels are very good, but on a larger screen it is easy to see that the effects from the degraining adjustments clearly have a negative impact. Predictably, depth is affected as well. Colors are stable, but I think that the overall balance should have been better. There is a tad too much red in some shots, plus select highlights are a tad off. Om darker areas the blacks can appear too prominent as well, though it is the crushing that exacerbates the existing black values. Image stability is very good. The entire film looks very healthy as well. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Psychic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, English LPCM 2.0 Mono, and Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian track.

I viewed the entire film with the English LPCM 2.0 track. As expected, it is quite uneven and with a very limited range of nuanced dynamics. However, the overdubbing that was done for it is just not very good, which means that all of the 'issues' that exist on it are inherited. In other words, the lossless track simply reproduces the native qualities of the original audio mix, which are not overly impressive.

The Psychic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Touching Fate - in this video interview, Antonella Fulci discusses her father's taste in films, the style and narrative construction of The Psychic, as well as the mystery that is at the center of the film. In Italian, with English subtitles. (22 min).

• Daddy Dearest - in this video interview, Antonella Fulci discusses her father's life and personality as well as his diverse legacy of films. In Italian, with English subtitles. (35 min).

• Restoration - this video program highlights some of the cleanup work that was done after The Psychic was transferred in 2K. With music (3 min).

• Escape From Doom - in this video program, screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti recalls his encounter with Lucio Fulci before the production of The Psychic was initiated and explains how the entire film was essentially put together. Also, Mr. Sacchetti addresses different trends in Italian genre cinema from the same period and how Fulci's working methods evolved. In Italian, with English subtitles. (51 min).

• Behind the Wall - in this video program, composer Fabio Frizzi discusses the early stages of his career in the film industry and involvement with The Psychic. In Italian, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Cover - reversible cover.

The Psychic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I found the program with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti absolutely fascinating because virtually all of my suspicions about the production of The Psychic were confirmed in it. Obviously, Sacchetti is very diplomatic and intentionally minimizes the significance of some of the key disagreements that existed when the screenplay for the film was polished, but the main story that emerges from the program is actually pretty simple. Initially, Lucio Fulci and screenwriter Roberto Gianviti had started working with material they thought would be suitable for the former's style, but when they hit a creative block Sacchetti was introduced to them and the screenplay began to change. Unfortunately, I don't think that Sacchetti was able to make a drastically positive difference because in its current form the film is quite simply too linear, meaning that it does not have the type of genre personality that would have allowed Fulci to impress. RECOMMENDED, but only to the fans.