''Parapsycho – Spectrum of Fear'' (German: ''Parapsycho - Spektrum der Angst'') is a 1975 Austrian

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by

Peter Patzak Peter Patzak (2 January 1945 – 11 March 2021) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 60 films from 1973 to 2021. His film ''Kassbach – Ein Porträt'' was entered into the 29th Berlin International Film Festival and his f ...

, starring

Marisa Mell Marisa Mell (born Marlies Theres Moitzi; 24 February 1939 – 16 May 1992) was an Austrian actress. Typecast as a femme fatale in European arthouse and genre films, she is best regarded for her performances as Eva Kant in Mario Bava's critically ...

Leon Askin Leon Askin (; born Leo Aschkenasy, 18 September 1907 – 3 June 2005) was an Austrian actor best known in North America for portraying the character General Burkhalter on the TV situation comedy ''Hogan's Heroes''. Life and career Askin was ...

and Debra Berger. Split into three episodes, it uses

extrasensory perception Extrasensory perception (ESP), also known as a sixth sense, or cryptaesthesia, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was ad ...

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

and

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

as its subject matter. Even in the school of

New German Cinema New German Cinema () is a period in Cinema of Germany, West German cinema which lasted from 1962 to 1982, in which a new generation of directors emerged who, working with low budgets, and influenced by the French New Wave and Italian Neorealism, ...

, the film was ground-breaking for using footage of a real

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

, beginning with the incision of the body from

sternum The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major bl ...

pubic bone In vertebrates, the pubis or pubic bone () forms the lower and anterior part of each side of the hip bone. The pubis is the most forward-facing (ventral and anterior) of the three bones that make up the hip bone. The left and right pubic bones ar ...

, rather than recreating the scene using

prosthetics In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...

special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the fictional events in a story or virtual world. ...

Cast

Reinkarnation: *

– Greta * Peter Neusser – Harry *

– The old man Metempsychose: * Mascha Gonska – Mascha, eine Medizinstudentin * William Berger – Pathologie-Professor, ihr Liebhaber * Signe Seidel – seine Frau * Debra Berger – Debbie, beider Tochter Telepathie: *

Mathieu Carrière Mathieu Carrière (; born 2 August 1950) is a German stage and screen actor with strong French connections. He has appeared in around 250 films worldwide and in 4000 hours of television. Carrière is also a director and a writer and is known as a ...

– Mario, Kunstmaler * Alexandra Drewes – Barbara, die junge Braut *

Helmut Förnbacher Helmut Förnbacher (born 26 January 1936) is a Swiss actor, film director and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 70 films and television shows since 1959. He starred in the 1976 film '' The Sudden Loneliness of Konrad Steiner'', which wa ...

– der junge Bräutigam * Heinz Marecek – Marios bester Freund *

Jane Tilden Jane Tilden, born as Marianne Wilhelmine Tuch, (1910–2002) was an Austrian actress who enjoyed a long career on stage and in films and television shows. She was born as Marianne Tuch in Aussig, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She was ...

– Marios Mutter

References

1975 films 1975 horror films Austrian horror films 1970s supernatural horror films Films directed by Peter Patzak Horror anthology films 1970s German-language films German-language horror films {{1970s-horror-film-stub