Psychic Killer (1975)

A former mental patient uses astral projection to destroy the people he believes have wronged him.

Director:

Ray Danton (as Raymond Danton)

Writers:

Greydon Clark, Mikel Angel

Stars:

Paul Burke, Jim Hutton, Julie Adams

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Burke	...	Police Lt. Jeff Morgan
Jim Hutton	...	Arnold James Masters
Julie Adams	...	Dr. Laura Scott
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Dr. Gubner
Neville Brand	...	Lemonowski
Aldo Ray	...	Lt. Dave Anderson
Whit Bissell	...	Dr. Paul Taylor
Rod Cameron	...	Dr. Commanger
Della Reese	...	Mrs. Gibson
Mary Charlotte Wilcox	...	Nurse Burnson (as Mary Wilcox)
Judith Brown	...	Anne Turner
Joseph Della Sorte	...	Harvey B. Sanders
Greydon Clark	...	Police Sgt. Marv Sowash
Harry Holcombe	...	Judge
Robin Raymond	...	Jury Foreman (as Robyn Raymond)

Storyline

Mental patient Arnold Masters, hospitalized for a murder he didn't commit, learns astral projection--the art of leaving one's physical body and transporting the soul someplace else--from a fellow inmate. Upon his release, Arnold uses his new powers to bump off the people he holds responsible for his arrest, his mother's death while he was imprisoned and the price of meat! Lt. Morgan and Lt. Anderson are the cops on his trail, while his caring shrink, Dr. Scott, tries to prevent any more deaths.

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Plot Keywords:

manhunt | murder | astral projection | evil man | psychic | 

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Taglines:

His psychic force commits sensual, shocking acts!

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Genres:

Thriller | Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Kirlian Effect

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lexington Productions, Mars Productions Corporation, Syn-Frank Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Greydon Clark originally wanted to direct this film, but he was overruled by investors who wanted Ray Danton to direct this movie instead.

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Goofs

Lieut. Morgan (Paul Burke) reports that the coroner describes the scalding victim as having "first degree burns". First degree burns are the least serious (but most painful) type of burn, and the coroner would know this.

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Alternate Versions

Although the cinema version was uncut the 1992 UK video was pre-cut by 9 secs before submission to remove scenes of bloodstained breasts during the shower murder. The 2000 Vipco release was the complete version.

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Connections

Referenced in Rewind This! (2013)

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Soundtracks

You Perfect Stranger
Music by Mike Corda

User Reviews

Entertaining Film, Not Very Well Crafted

"Psychic Killer" is a strange story about... guess what? A psychic killer! A killer who wants revenge and is able to get it from a rather considerable distance. Beyond that, there really isn't much to know about the plot.

The film comes from director Ray Danton, who is/was largely a TV director. This is rather evident in the style of the film, which seems like it could have been made for television or at least used similar equipment. There's a different feel from television to cinema, and this just didn't feel like a silver screen production. Not that this makes it a bad film, necessarily.

What does make it a bad film is pretty much everything else. We early on get a body falling off a building that is about as fake as can be. And this wasn't a comedy. Other deaths are equally cheesy, with maybe one that was at least a bit worthy of respect -- though not praise.

There was also bad music which doesn't match the scenery. I'm not sure if the music would have matched much of anything, but it certainly didn't go with what we saw. That Internet Movie Database users have given this film a 2.7 out of 10 is no surprise once you've seen it. I have to give the movie more credit than that, but not much.

One interesting thing about this film is discussion of Kirlian photography. In the 1970s (when this film was made) there was some serious discussion about the Kirlian photography and its connection to the paranormal. Dr. Thelma Moss of UCLA led the parapsychology laboratory and much of her time was devoted to efforts to avoid factors proposed by skeptical peer-review in order to confirm some connection. How successful she was is unclear, though I doubt she had much luck.

The film is hyped up on the back of the box comparing the killer (Arnold) to other notorious movie killers. But don't be fooled. Even if Arnold came first (and, being from 1975, that's a valid point) he didn't really leave a lasting mark then and he won't leave one now in the film's DVD release. Horror fans may find this a good film to pass the time with, but unless you're drinking or have a high tolerance for bad movies, this one isn't anything special.