seven notes in black

1977 Directed by Lucio Fulci

Horror Marathon Day 16 Film 23

A clairvoyant experiences her mother's death as a child through psychic visions- as an adult she goes to renovate a house owned by her husband. Strange visions occur as she drives to the house- especially one of a skeleton in a wall. She chips away at one of the walls in the house and finds it there- leading to her investigating who killed her.

Fulci directs this as an ethereal dream- floating with soft lighting and a dazed lullaby that repeats itself throughout (Tarantino would use this same music in Kill Bill Vol 1). This weird darkness and soft style really makes the mood of the film like a daydream- slowing the pacing of the film. The psychic murder mystery unfolds only upon recognizing who the killer in the last moments. It's a wonderful moment of dread for the finale like the work of Poe. I just wish it had some other great moments as the intro death scene is really grating but leaves the rest of the movie without real scares.