The Premonition (1976 film)

The Premonition is a 1976 American psychological horror film, produced and directed by Robert Allen Schnitzer. The lead actors in the film were Richard Lynch, Sharon Farrell, Danielle Brisebois and Jeff Corey.

The Premonition
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Schnitzer
Produced byRobert Schnitzer
Written byAnthony Mahon
Robert Schnitzer
StarringSharon Farrell
Edward Bell
Danielle Brisebois
Richard Lynch
Music byHenry Mollicone
Pril Smiley
CinematographyVictor Milt
Edited bySidney Katz
Production
company
Movicorp Media
Distributed byAvco Embassy Pictures
Release date
  • May 19, 1976 (1976-05-19) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

It tells the story of a young girl whose foster mother has a premonition that her unstable biological mother is coming to claim her and take her away. The premonition comes true and thus the film unfolds.

Plot

The film focuses on a young girl who is terrified that her insane mother will take her away from her beloved foster mother. One day, the crazed real mother attempts to contact the girl at school, but her foster mother has a premonition and gets there in time to protect the girl. Eventually though, the real mother and her boy friend, a carnival clown, succeed and takes her away, leaving the bereaved foster parents to enlist the assistance of a parapsychologist to help them interpret the foster mother's terrifying dreams and psychic connection to the girl and find her before it is too late.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Mississippi.[1][2]

Release

Home media

The film was released on DVD by Guilty Pleasures on July 26, 2005. It was later released for the first time on Blu-ray by Arrow Video on December 12, 2017. Arrow also released the film on DVD that same day.[3]

Critical reception

Critical response for The Premonition has been mixed, with some criticizing the writing, while others praised the film's atmosphere. Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded it two out of four stars, calling it "mediocre", and writing, "[its] Muddled script works against [the] eerie atmosphere in this supernatural tale."[4] Reviewing the American Horror Project Vol. 1 release of the film, Clayton Dillard from Slant Magazine stated that the film "implicitly challenges how art cinema of the ’60s and early ’70s typically utilizes female anxiety as a source of masochistic pleasure for the viewer".[5] Terror Trap gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing, More atmospheric than plot driven, Premonition is a valiant effort at ambient fearmaking, but it comes up just a little short due to a convoluted and confusing tie-up."[6]

Brett Gallman from Oh, the Horror! gave the film a positive review, writing, "The Premonition is a film that zigs and zags, though it hardly does so in a playful manner. Rather, it spirals ominously, as if bent toward some fatalistic doom. Dusk seems to have permanently settled over and around these characters, enwrapping them in a languid, hypnotic rhythm. Despite its very realistic—and grim—subject matter, the film seems to unfold under a foggy, supernatural haze that's deceptively drowsy."[7] VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever called it "a well-done para-norm tale."[8] Chris Coffel from Bloody Disgusting awarded the film a score of 3/5, criticizing the film's slow start, and slightly clunky story, but commended the film's eerie atmosphere, ending, and Lynch's performance.[9] TV Guide gave the film two out of five stars, writing, "Blessed with a strong cast--especially Farrell and Lynch--and an excellent use of location, The Premonition is an effectively creepy film which successfully preys on very real fears without exploiting the situation for cheap thrills. At times talky and a bit slow-moving, the film nonetheless builds tension steadily and contains several unforgettably eerie scenes."[10]

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References
  1. themonstergirl, "Sunday Nite Surreal-The Premonition (1976) Carnival Clowns & Deathly Dreams", The Last Drive-In, February 2, 2014. This blog includes an extensive scene by scene synopsis of the film, mixed with commentary.
  2. "Catalog - The Premonition". AFI.com. American Film Institute. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  3. "The Premonition (1975) - Robert Schnitzer". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  4. Leonard Maltin (3 September 2013). Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 1114. ISBN 978-1-101-60955-2.
  5. Dillard, Clayton. "American Horror Project Vol. 1". Slant Magazine.com. Clayton Dillard. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  6. "The Premonition (1976)". Terror Trap.com. Terror Trap. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  7. Gallman, Brett. "Horror Reviews - Premonition, The (1976)". Oh the Horror.com. Brett Gallman. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  8. Martin Connors and Jim Craddock, editors, Video Hound’s Golden Movie Retriever, Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1998, p. 699
  9. Coffel, Chris. "[Blu-ray Review] 'The American Horror Project - Vol 1' Sheds Light on Lesser Known American Horror - Bloody Disgusting". Bloody Disgusting.com. Chris Coffel. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  10. "The Premonition - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
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