Filmed by Trimark Pictures Prods. Exec producer, William Webb; co-exec producers, Franco Batista, Deborah Thomas; producer, Tom Berry; co-producers, Stefan Wodoslawsky, John Rainey; director, George Mihalka; writers, Miguel Tejada-Flores, Paul Koval; original story, Mark McQuade Crawford, William Crawford.
Cast: Zach Galligan, Catherine Mary Stewart, Michael Nouri, Albert Schultz, Ken James, Clark Johnson, Andrea Roth, Susan Horton, Lisa Lacroix, Geza Kovacs, Catherine Disher, Don Ritchie, Myra Fried, Khan Agha Soroor, Sandi Stahlbrand, Bob Zidel, Michael Ricupero, Bill Tarling.
Hokey story, about a man whose psychic powers warn him of dangers in the big town, attempts to put some oomph into the goings-on by making his girl the about-to-be target of a repetitive killer, but the acquired feature fizzles. Aside from a happily refreshing perf by Zach Galligan as the see-through hero, "Psychic" could give ESP an even more disreputable name.
University student Patrick Costello (Galligan), suffering from recurring visions of women being strangled by a man with wavy hair and spectacles (and who resembles Michael Nouri), falls for his teacher Laurel Young (Catherine Mary Stewart), who's blase about her sex partners.
She's seeing psychology professor Ted Steering (Nouri), of all people.
Already involved with the cops over his visions of women whose bodies they find, Patrick makes several foolish moves, including breaking into Steering's weird digs. He gets caught.
Reaching more for effect than story content, the TV movie counts on suspension of credibility, but it doesn't work.
Clumsily cut film leads characters into phoning numbers they don't know, a quick jump from Laurel sniffing roses at her front door to bed antics, and other awkward passages.
Director George Mihalka falls back on well-worn ground for not-so-scary moments. Nouri looks solemn, Stewart looks fresh. Albert Schultz plays Patrick's roommate, Clark Johnson commands attention as a detective.
Tech credits are OK, but Milan Kymlicka's score is indifferent.
Camera, Ludek Bogner; editor, Paul Ziller; art director, Jasna Stefanovic; sound, Ad Loo; music, Milan Kymlicka; production designer, Perri Gorrara.
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Date in print: Wed., May. 20, 1992