Year: 1976
Runtime: 94 mins
Language: English
Director: Robert Allen Schnitzer
A chilling blend of terror and suspense follows a deranged woman and her carnival‑working boyfriend as they scheme to kidnap her biological daughter from the child's foster parents. Meanwhile, the foster mother is tormented by vivid premonitions and psychic visions that forewarn danger, heightening the film’s relentless tension.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of The Premonition (1976), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Andrea Fletcher Ellen Barber, a clinically insane former pianist, tracks down her biological daughter Janie Danielle Brisebois, who was raised by foster parents after Andrea’s inability to care for her. Andrea’s obsessive boyfriend, Jude Richard Lynch, a circus clown, aids in the search, and when he learns Janie is nearby, the pursuit becomes a tense, looming fixation. Janie, now five, is being raised by Sheri Bennett Sharon Farrell and her husband Miles, an astrophysics professor, and Sheri is immediately unsettled when she spots Andrea at the school.
One night, Andrea breaks into the Bennetts’ home, and Sheri discovers her cradling Janie in the bedroom, clad in a red dress. A brutal confrontation erupts, and Andrea flees, taking only Janie’s doll. Sheri frantically summons the police, left shaken by the harrowing intrusion. Andrea and Jude retreat to their apartment, where Andrea suffers a nervous breakdown, and the turbulent relationship ends with Jude stabbing her to death.
Sheri then experiences premonitions and psychic visions that blur the line between fear and warning. Miles seeks help from Dr. Jeena Kingsly Chitra Neogy, a parapsychology researcher with whom he is having an affair, while Det. Lt. Mark Denver Jeff Corey begins the investigation and visits Andrea’s father to gather clues about her whereabouts. At home, Sheri is haunted by a chilling vision of an eviscerated Andrea laughing in Janie’s bed and starts receiving taunting calls she attributes to Andrea, though she remains unaware that Andrea is dead and believes the calls to be witchcraft or curses.
During a rainstorm, Sheri leaves with Janie to meet Miles and Jeena at the university, but her car starts acting strangely and crashes. Sheri is hospitalized, and Janie is missing from the scene. Janie wanders toward the carnival where Jude works, and he hides her from the police. After Sheri is released, she is compelled toward a rural lake, where an abandoned farmhouse on the shore reveals Janie’s doll. Police drag the lake and recover Andrea’s body. At the carnival, Lenore Rosemary McNamara attempts to report that they have found Janie, but Jude murders her before she can.
Sheri grows convinced that Janie is running out of time. With Andrea’s death complicating the case, Jeena suggests that Sheri try to contact Andrea’s spirit. She orchestrates a town-square performance of one of Andrea’s pieces, hoping to reach the deceased musician through memory and music. Meanwhile, Jude makes a desperate bid to flee town, with Janie asleep in the back of his RV. He reaches a traffic jam near the square where Sheri is performing, recognizing the piece and fearing exposure. Miles notices a horse painting in the back of the truck, echoing a vision from Sheri’s mind. Miles breaks into the RV but cannot locate Janie. As Sheri’s performance builds to a final, wrenching crescendo, Janie appears from the crowd, walks toward her mother, and collapses from exhaustion, leaving the town to reckon with the fragile boundaries between love, obsession, and salvation.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:21
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where characters are haunted by psychic visions of impending danger.If you liked the psychic tension in The Premonition, you'll find similar stories here. These movies feature characters tormented by visions of future danger, creating a unique blend of supernatural thriller and psychological horror where the race is on to change a foreseen destiny.
Narratives in this thread typically follow a protagonist who experiences vivid, often disturbing premonitions of a future crime or disaster. The plot revolves around their desperate, and often isolating, attempt to interpret these visions and prevent the tragic outcome, facing skepticism and disbelief from those around them.
Movies are grouped here based on the core use of psychic foresight as the primary driver of suspense. They share a TENSE tone and HEAVY emotional weight, focusing on the psychological toll of knowing the future and the relentless anxiety of a ticking clock.
Desperate parents fighting to protect their children from a hidden evil.Fans of The Premonition's high-stakes story of a mother protecting her child will enjoy these movies. They feature ordinary families thrust into nightmares, dealing with kidnapping, obsession, and psychological torment, all driven by a steady, suspenseful pace.
These narratives often begin with an idyllic family life shattered by an external, obsessive threat. The plot follows the parents' descent into a world of paranoia and danger as they use every resource to safeguard their child, leading to a climactic confrontation that leaves lasting emotional scars.
These films are united by the core theme of familial protection under extreme duress. They share a HIGH intensity, a STEADY pacing that builds dread, and a HEAVY emotional weight stemming from the vulnerability of children and the extreme measures taken to save them.
Don't stop at just watching — explore The Premonition in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Premonition is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of The Premonition with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
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