Giallogy: The Psychic

I love giallo movies. I tend to watch them in bunches, like when I recently plowed through The Psychic, aka Seven Notes in Black (1977), Puzzle, aka The Man Without a Memory (1974), and Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971). Gialli offer an intoxicating blend of glamorous women, gorgeous Italian (or other gorgeous European) locales, and 1970s-style paranoia and neuroses for which I’m a total sucker. Giallo is one of the most fun and rewarding genres for horror fans because there are seemingly hundreds of them from the 1960s–1970s—I keep discovering new ones from that period constantly!—and they are usually so gloriously over the top that you can’t help but love them. So, in an effort to write more regularly about giallo movies I’m watching, this will be an infrequent series to highlight some of the best, or just most fun gialli. I expect these posts to be short and sweet, but if the mood strikes and I feel the need to expound on a certain film, I’ll happily do so.

The Psychic is my favorite out of the three giallo films I watched earlier this week, but I’ll likely write about at least Puzzle in a future post because I love it—and I love leading lady Senta Berger, who is the epitome of giallo girl glamour. But back to The Psychic! It stars the ethereal Jennifer O’Neill—another example of giallo girl glamour—as a clairvoyant trying to solve a murder and exonerate her husband of the crime. But is he actually the murderer? This is a giallo, so everyone seems suspicious, of course.

O’Neill is an impossibly beautiful woman, the kind that makes you blink your eyes open and shut several times because you simply can’t believe what you’re seeing. Director Lucio Fulci takes full advantage of his star’s beauty, framing the stunning and glamorous Brazilian-American in one lush closeup after another. If you ever wanted to spend nearly every minute of a ninety minute movie staring into the captivating eyes of Jennifer O’Neill, then The Psychic is the movie for you. Trust me, that was a longtime wish of mine and, like Aladdin’s Genie, The Psychic made my wish come true.

Beyond O’Neill’s hypnotic eyes, The Psychic is also a stellar giallo, which is no surprise because Fulci is one of my favorite Italian directors—although I usually associate him more with delicious sleazefests like The New York Ripper (a film I love). Here, he exhibits a flare for the hallmarks of giallo—glamorous women, gorgeous locations, and expert camerawork that helps to ratchet up the paranoia and suspense. O’Neill delivers an exceptional performance, while the supporting cast are no slouches either. Also, and this might be a bold statement, but in a genre positively overflowing with glamorous, fashionable leading ladies, Jennifer O’Neill might be the most glamorous and fashionable I’ve ever seen.

Take that to the bank and cash it! And then come back for more Giallogy, won’t you?