The Quentin Tarantino movie called “One of My Favorite Thrillers” is now streaming

Obvious or not, modern genre filmmakers have taken more than a few cues from the Italian gore maestro Lucio Fulci. From the trauma of an open (and dragged out) eyeball to zombies that look as moldy and vicious as possible, a lot of recent horror history on the master’s hand lies quietly over it. But no director has sung Fulci’s praises as clearly as him Quentin Tarantino. His film is regarded with so many blink-and-youll-it Fulci homages that it’s surprising, though Kill Bill Vol. 1he took something more clearly from him. And For decades, Tarantino has even openly explored one of Fulci’s lesser-known works, a 1977 giallo-meets-supernatural film called The Psychic.

At first he was given the more interesting title Seven pounds in black, The Psychic as one of Fulci’s most restrained films, especially considering the Lovecraftian gore epics he would soon deliver in the 1980s, as The Beyond and City of the Living Dead. It’s a very interesting, claustrophobic piece of film that follows an arrogant housewife who discovers a literal skeleton in her husband’s basement, then uses her psychic gift to find the truth – even if she might not like what she finds. The Psychic featuring an unforgettable score by longtime composer Fulci Fabio Frizzi (one piece of them Kill Bill fans will instantly recognise), lush cinematography, a ton of surprises, and plenty of ’70s fashion – so it’s little wonder that Tarantino wanted to put his own spin on it.

‘The Psychic’ is a Psychological Thriller – Italian Style

Opening with a typical Italian cinema scene of a woman throwing herself off a cliff (near a barrier and all), The Psychic then reveals that it’s a flashback to Virginia (played by the charismatic former model Jennifer O’Neill), who is married in the present day to powerful businessman Francesco (a spaghetti Western veteran Gianni Garko). Soon Virginia gets more sightings – this time, of a Amontillado suspension– another femme fatale style, all lensed in classic, scattered giallo fashion. . . and when she discovers a literal skeleton in the walls of her husband’s vacation home, she decides to dive in further.

Fulci films Virginia’s investigation and psychological unraveling with a remarkable sense of calm and melancholy, evidently echoing Hitchcock with his main character no one believes, but also puts his own surreal spin on things. From sudden apparitions to accidental zooms on key pieces of evidence, The Psychic always feels like an Italian suspense master at the height of his powers with a bit of a lark – and putting many others to shame. It doesn’t feature even a fraction of the graphic gore that Fulci would later become famous for, but it’s a vital reminder of how versatile and general he was, regardless of genre. He even described the film as a “mechanical” exercise, according to the book Beyond Question: The Films of Lucio Fulci. But even that was an inspiration to one of our most interesting and artistic contemporary filmmakers.

Tarantino Fulci-Worshipping Planned ‘The Psychic’ Remake

Quentin Tarantino has been a renowned proponent of Fulci since the 1990s: he introduced the maestro’s 1981 gut-wrenching cult classic The Beyond to US audiences under his Rolling Thunder distribution company, and says Fulci lensed some of the “greatest moments in cinema history”. More obviously, new viewers of The Psychic He will immediately recognize the eerie, recurring orchestral motif as the tune that plays when Beatrice Kiddo first wakes up Kill Bill Vol. 1.

But Tarantino’s love for Fulci didn’t stop with re-releases. From the late 90s onwards, he has shown a desire to remake it The Psychicthe film he called “one of my favorite thrillers.” At the time, Tarantino raved about O’Neill’s performance and said, “I love everything about that movie.” For years, he planned to do it again Jackie Brown a star Bridget Fonda in O’Neill’s role, but copyright problems put the project on hold.

However, fans of Italian horror, Tarantino, or just plain old-fashioned psychological thrillers owe it to themselves to check out The Psychic. This Halloween, it’s streaming for free on Tubi – and Fulci’s more infamous gore trilogy is also available to watch for free.