The Premonition (1976 film)

The Premonition

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1976
Founder	Robert Allen Schnitzer
Products	Psychological horror film

The Premonition is a 1976 American psychological horror motion picture produced and directed by Robert Allen Schnitzer. The film features performances by Richard Lynch, Sharon Farrell, Danielle Brisebois, and Jeff Corey. The narrative follows a foster mother who seeks assistance from a parapsychologist after her foster daughter becomes the target of harassment by her mentally disturbed biological mother and the mother's circus clown companion.

Plot

Andrea Fletcher, a former pianist suffering from severe mental illness, tracks down her biological daughter Janie, who has been placed with foster parents due to Andrea's inability to provide care. Andrea is aided in this pursuit by her obsessive partner Jude, a circus clown. Upon locating Janie nearby, Andrea begins to stalk her and approaches her outside of school. Janie, aged five, lives with Sheri Bennett and her husband Miles, an astrophysics professor. Sheri becomes alarmed after spotting Andrea near the school.

One evening, Andrea forcibly enters the Bennetts' residence; Sheri discovers her holding Janie dressed in red. Following a physical confrontation, Andrea escapes with only Janie's doll in hand. Disturbed, Sheri contacts law enforcement. Andrea and Jude return to their dilapidated apartment where Andrea experiences a mental breakdown; their altercation culminates with Jude fatally stabbing her.

Sheri begins to have psychic visions that resemble premonitions. Miles consults Jeena Kingsly, a parapsychologist and his romantic partner. Detective Lieutenant Mark Denver investigates Andrea’s disappearance and interviews her father. Alone, Sheri endures unsettling visions of an eviscerated Andrea laughing in Janie's bed and receives menacing phone calls she interprets as curses from Andrea’s spirit.

On a stormy night, Sheri drives with Janie to meet Miles and Jeena at the university but crashes when the car behaves erratically. Sheri is hospitalized; Janie vanishes from the scene. Janie wanders to Jude’s carnival where he conceals her from the authorities. Sheri feels compelled toward a rural lake; an abandoned farmhouse nearby contains Janie's doll. Police recover Andrea’s body from the lake. At the carnival, fortune teller Lenore attempts to warn police about Janie but is killed by Jude. Sheri senses that Janie's life is in jeopardy.

With Andrea deceased and the main suspect cleared, Jeena advises Sheri to connect with Andrea’s spirit through music. Sheri plays one of Andrea’s piano compositions in the town square. Meanwhile, Jude tries to escape with Janie asleep in his RV but is stopped in traffic near the square. Miles notices a painting inside the RV that matches one from Sheri’s visions and searches for Janie but initially finds no trace. As Sheri's performance reaches its peak, Janie emerges through the crowd toward her mother before collapsing from exhaustion.

Cast

• Sharon Farrell as Sheri Bennett
• Edward Bell as Professor Miles Bennett
• Danielle Brisebois as Janie Bennett
• Ellen Barber as Andrea Fletcher
• Richard Lynch as Jude
• Chitra Neogy as Dr. Jeena Kingsly
• Jeff Corey as Lieutenant Mark Denver
• Margaret Graham as Andrea's Landlady
• Rosemary McNamara as Lenore
• Thomas Williams as Todd Fletcher
• Roy White as Dr. Larabee
• Robert Harper as Carnival Watchman

Production

Filming for the movie took place in Mississippi.

Home media

Guilty Pleasures issued the film on DVD on July 26, 2005. Subsequently, Arrow Video released it on Blu-ray on December 12, 2017, alongside a DVD edition on the same date.

Critical reception

Reviews of The Premonition have been varied, with some commentators pointing out flaws in the screenplay while acknowledging its strong atmospheric elements. Film critic Leonard Maltin gave it a two-star rating out of four, describing it as "mediocre" and criticizing the "confusing script" that detracts from the film's unsettling mood. Clayton Dillard from Slant Magazine emphasized how the film subverts conventional depictions of female anxiety found in ’60s and ’70s art films. The Terror Trap awarded it 2.5 stars out of 4, recognizing its compelling atmosphere despite a perplexing conclusion.

Brett Gallman of Oh, the Horror! commended the film’s mesmerizing pace and supernatural ambiance despite its dark themes. According to VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever, it stands as "a well-executed paranormal story." Chris Coffel from Bloody Disgusting rated it three out of five stars; he criticized the slow narrative start but praised its eerie atmosphere and Lynch’s acting. TV Guide assigned two stars out of five, acknowledging strong acting performances and effective location use despite pacing shortcomings.