THE PSYCHIC (1968)
Directed by James F. Hurley/Herschell Gordon Lewis
Camp Video VHS
Reviewed 01.23.04
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba

THE FILM
The cup of sleaze doth runneth over...welcome to The Psychic!

Here’s a brief backstory: Herschell Gordon Lewis was hired by the ESP-obsessed script writer James Hurley to direct Something Weird in 1967. While I feel that Something Weird is one of the greatest b-movies ever, Hurley wasn’t so thrilled with the outcome. So a year later, he rehired Herschell to produce a reworking of the film. It was called The Psychic and filmed in Chicago. The distributor was bored with the finished film, so H.G. went back and shot some topless sex scene inserts. Voila, everyone’s happy, and a magnificent train wreck is born.

The movie begins at the end, as our story unfolds in flashbacks after the opening sequence. Dan Thomas (played by Dick Genola, who vaguely resembles Fred Willard) is a family man and an executive at an advertising agency. He falls off a ladder and somehow gains psychic abilities, turning him into a total jackass. Dan decides to leave his wife and daughter to make his mark as a celebrity psychic. Along the way he starts up a nightclub act, appears on national tv and “outs” a celebrity that calls him a zero, has strategically placed intimate relations (you’ll know when they’re coming, as Dan’s sideburns grow to gargantuan size), and becomes recognized in bars. But how far will his power go?! Will it last forever? Destroy his life? Only the 75 minute run time of The Psychic will tell.

Ok, The Psychic is positively awful. However, it’s an awful that you’ll love every minute of. The script is so deliriously bad, that you can’t help but laugh throughout. Pretty much every plot point is implied and nothing makes sense at all. I don’t need to tell you how bad the acting is -- I’m sure you can imagine. On top of that, there are loads of hilarious dialogue bits -- “You’re not exactly a cadaver yourself!” and “I guess THAT’S why she received straight A’s in college.” The film drips with sleaze as well: over-exaggerated (or actors bored to tears) sex scenes with classic bad narration explaining what’s going on, implied rape, implied child molestation, and an absolutely hilarious, innuendo filled tv talk show reenactment.

Oh yeah, and the whole shebang is post-dubbed. Astoundingly bad. Thoroughly entertaining.

AUDIO AND VIDEO
Considering this tape is close to twenty years old, not too bad. The picture is nice and bright for the most part, but the print is washed out at times and tends to have a blue tint in certain scenes. The audio fares worse, with lots of clicks and pops present. Probably due to the age of the tape.

EXTRAS
I was hoping for a couple of trailers from other Camp Video releases, but alas, nothing.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The Psychic is a home run as far as bad movies go. Hopefully, Something Weird will release it on DVD soon...maybe as a double feature with Herschell’s The Girl, The Body, And The Pill or Suburban Roulette?

The Psychic at play


The Psychic at home


The Psychic at work


Great shot