Perfectly adorable

Just so...so bad

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"The Clairvoyant", a.k.a. "The Killing Hour", is just a passable thriller at best. Working like an American version of an Italian Giallo, one thing it does have going for it is a killer with an unusual modus operandi: they handcuff their victims to their killing implements. The first person is handcuffed to the bottom rung of a swimming pool ladder and drowns, the next is a Con Ed worker who is electrocuted, another is imprisoned on top of an elevator. The detective on the case is a quirky character named Larry Weeks (the reasonably likable Norman Parker), who moonlights as a stand-up comedian who does bad impressions of Woody Allen and George Burns. His friend is Paul "Mac" McCormack (Perry King, "Class of 1984"), a sleazy TV show host who exploits the case for all it's worth. And rounding out our trio of main characters is Virna Nightbourne (Elizabeth Kemp), an art student who has psychic visions of the murders and then sketches them. It's not too hard to figure out whodunit in this boringly handled film; director / story co-author Armand Mastroianni fails to bring much style to the proceedings. Things get more interesting by the end but by then it's too little too late. There's also a serious lack of true dramatic tension; one never becomes too involved with these characters or this mostly familiar scenario. There is some value in watching this cast at work; Kenneth McMillan is good (if not as good as he can be) as Weeks's superior, and it's nice to see character players Jon Polito (thinner in build but sporting a thicker moustache) and Joe Morton near the beginning of their careers. Also in the cast are Brooke Palance (Jack P.'s daughter) as a hooker, Ted Sorel ("From Beyond") as Ben Cosley, and Robert Kerman ("Cannibal Holocaust") as the medical examiner. King is quite animated and pretty entertaining, injecting a little bit of spark into the film, and Kemp, who's commendably more average looking than the typical leading lady, does have some appeal. The film does begin quite effectively, with two murder set pieces shown in succession, and doesn't go out of its way to explain things, letting the viewers work out the plot for themselves. And the on location shooting in NYC is always a bonus for films of this kind. In addition to Mastroianni and actress Kemp, other hands from the previous year's slasher "He Knows You're Alone" were involved in the making of this one. Five out of 10.

"The Killing Hour" is an American thriller with Italian giallo ambitions. The murders, the killer's disguise & modus operandi and especially the final denouement – which obviously can't be revealed here – are seemingly taken straight from the screenplay of an early 70's Italian giallo highlight. Even the additional topic of clairvoyance doesn't make it typically American, because near the end of the seventies the Italians were experimenting with supernatural themes, like for example in Lucio Fulci's "The Psychic". This certainly isn't a bad little movie, it's just somewhat unfortunate that the pacing is very uneven and the second half is boring and lifeless. What you can't afford to miss about "The Killing Hour" are the first ten minutes. Imagine if you agreed with some of your friends to watch this movie and you're ten minutes late to the party, well than you're just terribly out of luck, because 99% of the horrific images and carnage are already over and done with by then. In the opening sequences we witness the discovery of a naked girl's body floating in the Hudson river and two highly imaginative murders, one in a pool and one in a road construction site. All three victims wore handcuffs and there's undoubtedly a common element that links them all to the same killer. Whilst copper Larry Weeks and TV talk show host Paul McCormack are arguing about whether or not to keep the story out of the media, a shy young girl reports herself to the police. She's an artist in training but claims that at certain moments her hand uncontrollably takes over and draws the murders as they occurred or will still occur. McCormack sees the girl as a sensational guest for his talk show, but obviously doesn't realize this brings her in great mortal danger. The film starts out as a compelling whodunit full of suspense and curious characters (a cop who's a stand-up comedian in his spare time?), but gradually becomes just another dull and predictable little thriller. There's hardly anything exciting going on in the film's second half and the climax is only original and efficient if you haven't seen a single Italian giallo ever before in your life. As soon as you have, the ending of "The Killing Hour" will leave you underwhelmed and stone cold. Writer/director Armand Mastroianni, who probably has some sort of Italian roots despite being born and raised in Brooklyn, was a competent horror director back in the early 80's. He made the underrated slasher "He Knows You're Alone" as well as goofy horror flicks like "The Supernaturals" and "Cameron's Closet". This was his most serious horror effort, but the result is only semi-successful.

"The Killing Hour" is a surprisingly solid (if not overly surprising) entry in the sparsely-populated annals of American jabs at the "giallo" (a genre rooted in Italian pulp mystery novels, and popularized by the films of Dario Argento, among many others). Armand Mastroianni, who also directed the "Halloween" cash-in "He Knows You're Alone," shows considerable directorial skill with a story that's not nearly as convoluted (or as garishly stylish) as an Argento pic, but builds a fine aura of mystery and suspense nonetheless. When a woman's nude, handcuffed corpse is fished out of the Hudson River and two seemingly random men are murdered soon after (including a very effective sequence in an empty gym swimming pool), an NYC cop (Norman Parker) and a talk-show host (Perry King) become involved with a psychic art student (Elizabeth Kemp) who has a "sixth sense" about the murders. While the pace sometimes slackens due to the "suspicion building" middle act (a necessary evil in most gialli), and the film suffers from offering us only two potential killers (there are a few red herrings so transparent they don't merit mention), "The Killing Hour" is still a satisfying whodunit, complete with a chilling climax that doesn't over-explain things. Recommended.

This little-known suspense thriller from Armand Mastroianni (director of the 1980 slasher romp He Knows You're Alone) makes for ripe entertainment for both fans of murder mysteries and horror films.NYC police are trying to find out who is behind a rash of 'handcuff' murders, while a young artist (and psychic) is finding herself drawing the horrid crimes!Cinema in the early 80's was bombarded with numerous slasher films, which is probably how this film became forgotten, but The Clairvoyant a.k.a. The Killing Hour isn't a routine killer thriller. Mastroianni's story is a solid mystery with plenty of dashes of tension and suspense to keep one engaged. The opening sequences are quite grabbing, the murders are inventive (although not gory), and the plot builds to a great showdown climax. The urban filming locations are terrific, Mastroianni's direction is sleekly well done, and the subtle piano score is a nice touch. The film also carries a kind of sexual vibe through out.The cast is quite good in their performances. Perry King is great as a TV journalist exploiting the killings. Elizabeth Kemp makes for a likable young heroine as the clairvoyant artist. Norman Parker is charismatic as the police detective who moonlights as a stand-up comic.Nicely done on all levels, The Clairvoyant makes for a perfect big city thriller.*** out of ****