This review and analysis naturally contains spoilers. So does the author’s comprehensive audio review of the film, which may be heard at Bitchute. or Cocoscope. Hear all of the monologues of Sophia diGregorio.
Quite possibly the best movie ever made on the theme of parapsychology, The Premonition, released in 1976, starring Richard Lynch, Sharon Farrell, Ellen Barber, Edward (Michael) Bell, Chitra Neogy, and Daniel Brisebois, and written and directed by Robert Allen Schnitzer.
The Premonition is an intelligent horror film, one for the thinking fan of the horror-thriller genre. The style of the film is such that if you are not paying attention, you can easily miss important details.
The syle of the film is fast-paced, but cerebral and driven by character and dialogue. There are no explosions or chases, rather the action is often in the minds of the characters and not just the mind of Sherrie, the main clairvoyant, but also in the minds of And
The script is well-written and beautifully executed. Three primary storylines are interwoven throughout the film. The music by Henry Mollicone is haunting and there are many breathtakingly beautiful scenes all throughout. The artistic aspect of the film seems to overshadow the substance of it, which is a very important statement on the nature of psychic abilities and the power of witchcraft.
Primary Themes
While the story of the film may be summarized as a story of child abduction, this is not really the primary theme. The themes of this film are far more profound and less mundane.
Clairvoyance is a major theme throughout the film. It provides a representation of how clairvoyance manifests. It also shows how clairvoyants are mistreated by skeptics.
Parapsychology is the scientific study of the metaphysical reality, especially concerning the powers of the mind, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and claircognizance. A great deal of modern communications and warfare technology has grown out of this study. It is an area of science in which some remnant of true scientific inquiry has remained. The orthodox science has long been under the control of corporate and political interests. Parapsychology retains the essence of true scientific inquiry and represent rebellion within the scientific establishment. Publicly, parapsychology has been subjected to ridicule, however, behind the scenes, it has been the force behind the highest forms of modern technology.
A related theme throughout the film is that of parapsychology as a metaphysical science in relation to physical science and the failures of the scientific orthodoxy to account for the metaphysical reality.
Possession by disembodied spirit seeking to reunite with her daughter and fulfill her dream of giving a piano concert plays a large role in the latter part of the film. Characters are represented as being under possession, which is exhibited by changes in their speech, behaviors, apparent desires, and abilities.
Motherhood and that which is sometimes called “Mother’s Intuition” is another theme some viewers have identified.
The Characters
The main characters:
The Hero, Professor Jeena Kingsley (Chitra Neogy)
The Antagonist, Professor Miles Bennett (Edward (Michael) Bell)
Sherrie Bennett, the adoptive mother of Janie and wife of Professor Miles Bennett (Sharon Farrell)
Jude the Clown (Richard Lynch)
Andrea, the natural mother of Janie (Ellen Barber)
The five-year old daughter Janie (Danielle Brisebois)
Symmetry in the Script
There is beautiful symmetry between the characters, which may be observed in terms of parallels and contrasts between characters and scenes.
The are parallels between the couples, that of Sherrie and her husband Professor Miles Bennet and that of Andrea and Jude. In both relationships, there is deception, hidden desires and secret agendas. Andrea deceives Jude and Mile Bennett deceives both his wife and Dr. Kingsley, at least, for a time.
Dr. Bennett represents parapsychology and Miles Bennet, the astrophysicist husband of Sherrie, represents orthodox science, or materialist science, which is referred to as “physical science” in the film. Dr. Kingsley may also be seen to represent Eastern thought and Dr. Bennett as representative of the mainstream Western world view.
Examples of contrasts between he artists and the non-artists, those who are psychically receptive and those who are not. There are contrasting scenes in the film, most notably that of the landlady in pink curlers and Jude at the farmhouse.
Other contrasting scenes, include the carnival work environment in contrast to the clinical setting of the paraphysics laboratory and the pristine, stable middle-class home of the Bennetts in contrast to Jude’s trailer and succession of shabby, temporary accommodations.
The three main story lines involve the following character pairings: Jude and Andrea; Sherrie Bennett and her adopted daughter Janie; Professor Bennett and Professor Jeena Kingsley.
Tension is achieved in scenes in which Sherrie opens the door to Janie’s bedroom or whenever the telephone rings. The music of Henry Mollicone provides the mood for many scenes, especially those involving Jude and Andrea. At times, a harpsichord is heard instead of the piano, a subtle change which affects the mood of many important scenes. In the final scene Sherrie is playing a harpsichord.
Synchronicity is part of the metaphysical reality, which is expressed this film when we see that Professor Bennett meets a parapsychologist through his workplace while his wife is experiencing clairvoyance.
Andrea goes to retrieve her daughter from the house of her adoptive mother, but fails. Andrea’s insanity consumes her and soon drives Jude to his own insanity. He murders her. She possesses him and he finds and keeps the child. At the end, the parapsychologist arranges for Sherrie to become possessed by Andrea. The child returns to both Sherrie and Andrea who now possesses Sherrie.
The ending seems open, since Andrea has entered the entranced body of Sherrie. Now both of them are the girl’s mother.
Doctors Kinglsey and Bennett are metaphors. Ultimately, the parapsychologist, Dr. Kingsley, emerges as the strong, confident hero of the story while the orthodox scientist, Dr. Bennett appears weak, uncertain, inconstant, and corrupt. Dr. Bennett is a metaphor for the scientific orthodoxy and his corruption appears in his pursuit of an extra-marital affair with his colleague Dr. Kingsley.
Significant Statements About Telepathy and Clairvoyance
There are many significant quote in the dialogue, especially made by the character Dr. Jeena Kingley, the parapsychologist.
Dr. Kingsley: Evidence of telepathy appears most readily when the unconscious minds is most receptive and it is most receptive when it is in the dream state. We can tell when the subject is dreaming through Alpha brain wave activity, pulse rates, breathing patterns, REMs (Rapid Eye Movements).
Dr. Kingsley: Trying to understand the phenomena of the real world sometimes reveals more the nature of the mind more than things.
In another scene:
Dr. Kingsley: That’s because the fundamental principles which your science is based on are incomplete.
Professor Miles Bennett: Would it help if I close my eyes?
Dr. Kingsley: You might find you can see a lot better.
In yet another scene:
Dr. Kingsley: And so the fundamental assumption of modern science is that we are separate entities and everything is external to us. This approach however obscures our true nature. Parapsychology becomes a rather philosophic and theological science at this point.
Student: What is the cause of such an illusion?
Dr. Kingsley: It arises from the structure of our nervous system and the false way we are trained as children to perceive. The clairvoyant reality is totally rejected by science and finds expression only in art, music, and religion.
The 2005 Richard Lynch Interview:
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