Premonition, The

BEYOND THE POWER OF AN EXORCIST

The mid-1970s saw the rise in popularity of films centring on the subject of parapsychology, led by Carrie – Brian De Palma’s classic tale of telekinetic terror. Precognition, or future sight, would be the topic under exploration in Robert Allen Schnitzer’s contribution to the psychic craze: the chilling and much-overlooked The Premonition.

Mother Sheri Bennett (Sharon Farrell, Night of the Comet, Sweet Sixteen) is assailed by terrifying visions in which a strange woman attempts to steal away her five-year-old daughter Janie. Are these bizarre occurrences the result of some sort of mental disturbance, or is something much more sinister afoot?

Featuring a haunting score from accomplished classical composer Henry Mollicone, The Premonition has remained unjustly obscure over the years but is heralded as a true classic of ’70s US horror moviemaking by genre aficionados.