I love this movie so much

A Masterpiece!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The acting in this movie is really good.

A fantastic, intriguing, fascinating sprawling mess, but a mess of the best kind - full of ideas and avenues and thoughts and musings. Don't believe the low rating on here, this film displays some of the great things that genre-crossing films can manage, things that more straight- laced and disciplined films can't. Hopping from thriller to horror to near avant-garde musical fantasy, this is a brilliant rediscovery and while it might not be the tidiest of films, it is free and explorative and brave and should be seen. That it sometimes tries for more than it achieves is testament to its ambition.

The Premonition (1976) ** (out of 4) Andrea (Ellen Barber) lost custody of her child but with the help of a circus performer (Richard Lynch) she plans to kidnap her. The adopted mother (Sharon Farrell) goes through some horrifying events as her child comes under attack from her original mother who is using ESP.THE PREMONITION has picked up a small cult following over the years thanks in large part to some positive press from critics and historians like Stephen Thrower. Before Thrower somewhat rescued the film, it suffered a pretty bad reputation as horror fans really ripped it apart but I'm going to go out and say that they were a bit too harsh. There's no question that the film is very flawed but at the same time there are enough interesting moments to make it worth watching.There are some effective things scattered throughout Robert Allen Schnitzer's film. This includes a very chilling sequence where the adopted mother walks into a room to check on the daughter only to find her in the arms of a mysterious woman. I'd also argue that the director creates a pretty good atmosphere that runs throughout the picture. Another major plus is that the performances are actually very good with Barber stealing the picture as the mother who wants her daughter back. I also liked Lynch in his role as well as Jeff Corey who plays the Detective.As far as the film's problems go, the majority of them are in the screen writing department. The film just gets bogged down with way too much plot and before long things get rather confusing. I think the screenwriter was trying to do too much in regards to the mystery and it just doesn't work in the end. Another problem is the stuff dealing with the ESP and the professor who is helping things. As it stands, THE PREMONITION is certainly worth watching but I think the horror crowd should probably stay away since it's really not a horror movie.

Andrea Fletcher (Ellen Barber) is recently out of a mental hospital and still unhinged. Declared an unfit mother prior to her hospital stay, she's desperate to get back her young daughter. Jude (Richard Lynch) is an acquaintance she met while institutionalized. Now working as a carnival clown, he keeps an eye out for Andrea's daughter. He spots the girl one day with her adoptive mother, Sheri (Sharon Farrell). After sharing the news with Andrea, the two plan to kidnap little Janie from her foster parents. The stress of the events sets off a series of psychic visions in Sheri. With the help of her husband's colleague, a professor in parapsychology, she attempts to use her abilities to get Janie back.This Mississippi-lensed slice of regional horror is one of the most underrated films I've ever come across. Just take a look at that absurd IMDb rating. In no way, shape or form does this haunting little chiller deserve to be rated that low. Yes, it does have it's problems. The early scenes between Sheri's husband and Dr. Kingsly feel shoehorned in, and the development of ESP in Sheri later on seems to be a bit too coincidental. Her husband has just met an expert on the subject a day or two before this all happens. The metaphysical elements also never come together as cohesively as director Robert Allen Schnitzer likely hoped. They certainly add to the intrigue of the picture, however, not to mention the mood. What doesn't add to the mood are some scene transitions that are really jarring.With all of that said, this is a beautiful film. The hypnotic atmosphere is vividly rendered, striking me as a mixture between Val Lewton, "Carnival of Souls" and "Let's Scare Jessica to Death". The haunting tone and emphasis on character are also things that "The Premonition" has in common with the aforementioned films. The people on display here are emotionally wounded, be it Andrea's unbearable need for her daughter or Sheri's desire to have a child of her own, which she's incapable of. Even Jude has his issues. He clearly wishes to settle down with Andrea, but she's only intent on using him. Her rant about him never being a father to Janie or anyone else gets under his skin to the point that he keeps the kid when he has no real reason to later on. Sharon Farrell and Richard Lynch are both very good in their roles, though it's Ellen Barber who really shines. At first appearance, her Andrea looks to be a normal young woman, but she flies off the deep end at the drop of a hat. There's an intense hatred behind her eyes, one to which even her partner in crime isn't immune.Another thing in the film's favor is that it's never predictable. There was one big surprise about midway through, and Schnitzer takes a unique approach to his ending. I think it paid off, as the climactic sequence is a thing of beauty in regard to how it relates to our characters. That's the gist of it, too. This is a strictly low key affair, very character-driven. Is it a masterpiece? No, but it is a damn fine sleeper that deserves much more respect than it's been given in the 34 years since it's release.

This film had a very good idea, and some good visual stuff, and a good story to tell, and great acting by Richard Lynch and Ellen Barber as kidnappers of Sharon Farrels adopted girl (she is the birth mother of the adopted child) but ultimately the film is bogged down with slowness, and also Richard Lynch's character's later motives on why he still wants to kidnap and keep the child is rather unclear, and despite winning the viewers some sympathy to Barbers character, and how she wants to reunite with her birth child, they make her into a super crazed loonie in the middle of the film, whcih defeats the set up earlier. A good rewrite would have helped. Good ending though! This is a good example of low budget "regional, local" filming in far away states with Hollywood actors that Avco Embassy was picking up for release back in the 70's. (similar to SCALPELS)