In this special edition KBZ article, we’re going to review and list The Best Films About ESP and Clairvoyance. ESP (Extrasensory perception) is also known as a ‘sixth sense’ and is a psychic ability that senses and receives information via the mind. And clairvoyance is a form of ESP where the clairvoyant can use their ESP ability to obtain information about an object, person or location and see things and events happening far away. Though clairvoyant visions and premonitions are often used interchangeably in film, premonitions (and precognition) are more focused on the ability to see or predict the future. Clairvoyant visions are typically set in the past, present or near future and often involve the clairvoyant ‘seeing’ a murder taking place or seeing through the eyes of a killer.
Films About Psychics also often use a psychic as a general term whether referring to ESP, clairvoyance or a medium. We have separated out (to the best of our ability) the films in this article specifically focused on ESP and Clairvoyance. These films often cover hypnosis, fortune tellers, cartomancy and ‘readings’ through tarot cards. Examples of popular ESP and Clairvoyance films include The Fury (1978), The Clairvoyant (1982), Stir of Echoes (1999), The Gift (2000) and Red Lights (2012).
Though this article will only cover films showing the ESP and Clairvoyance psychic abilities, you can check out our other lists of films by psychic ability below (including our entire list of every film listed by psychic ability):
- The Complete List of Films by Psychic Power Ability
- Best Films About Telekinesis
- Best Films About Telepathy
- Best Films About Pyrokinesis
- Best Films About ESP & Clairvoyance
- Best Films About Mediums
- Best Films About Premonitions & Precognition
- Best Psychic Powers Comedies
- The 30 Best Films Featuring Psychic Abilities
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must show some form of ESP power. Examples of ESP can include sensing events from far away or obtaining information using only the mind. Though ESP can often be confused with Telepathy, telepaths often read, connect and control someone using their mind so Films About Telepathy will not be included here.
Second, though there is crossover between Mediums and Clairvoyants, we’re going to specifically exclude films that deal with séances and a medium’s ability to communicate with spirits. These films will be covered in a future article covering the Best Films About Mediums.
Third, quite a few films also refer to a psychic without specifying the psychic’s ability. We had to make some judgement calls here and isolated the films where the films are specifically about a psychic using ESP, fortune telling or a form of clairvoyant ability. Two examples here would be The Gift (2000) and The Sixth Sense (1999). In The Gift, Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) is a fortune teller and it’s mentioned in the film she is also a clairvoyant. Whereas in The Sixth Sense, the title of the film implies an ESP-like ability, but Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) can see and communicate with the dead which would fall under the description and abilities of a Medium.
Fourth, while ‘The Force’ includes a combination of telekinetic, telepathic and clairvoyant abilities, we’re only going to reference the first film on our list below. We want this list to be focused on ESP & Clairvoyance films you might not have seen yet, and you can always view our collection of All Star Wars Films if you want to see varying levels of The Force on display in the Star Wars universe.
And fifth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating. We’re also only considering films released after 1970 unless they’re considered one of a few classic subgenre films made prior to that date.
Our complete list of Films About Psychic Powers features over 257+ films from 1960 – 2023 and though we don’t yet break down films by their psychic ability in our collection, you can refer to our Complete List of Films by Psychic Power Ability if you have a favorite psychic ability and the films they’re used in. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future articles on each psychic ability and add the latest and greatest subgenre films to our collection.
We have embedded a compilation video of the Best Films About ESP & Clairvoyance and more details on these films can be found in the list below. Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Best Films About ESP & Clairvoyance
Honorable Mentions: The Exorcist (1973), Dark August (1976), The Last Wave (1977), Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Ruby (1977), The Manitou (1978), The Dark (1979), Dreamscape (1984), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Second Sight (1989), All for the Winner (1990), Second Sight (1994), Isola: Multiple Personality Girl (2000), 5ive Girls (2006), The World of Silence (2006), Book of Blood (2009), Pet Peeve (2013) and Code 8 (2019).
Rank 20-1:
#20 The Survivor (1981) Where to Stream / Buy: YouTube
#19 The Butcher’s Wife (1991) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#18 Man on a Swing (1974) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#17 Vibes (1988) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#16 The 4th Man (1983) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#15 The Boneyard (1991) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#14 Constantine (2005) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#13 Logan (2017) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#12 Odd Thomas (2013) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#11 From Beyond the Grave (1974) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#10
Hanussen
Plot: Austrian soldier Klaus Schneider (Klaus Maria Brandauer) is shot in the head during combat in World War I. As he recovers under the watch of Dr. Bettleheim (Erland Josephson), Schneider discovers he has the ability to read minds and see the future. Renaming himself Erik Jan Hanussen, he uses his new abilities to make money in Germany as a mind reader. Soon, Hanussen predicts the rise of Hitler and World War II, which raises his profile while also endangering his life.
KBZ’s Take: This film is about the real-life Erik Jan Hanussen who was a popular mind reader and hypnotist in the 1930’s. Hanussen’s claim to fame was his reported meetings with Adolf Hitler and eventual prediction of the Reichstag fire by the Nazis.
Though there are disputes to his actual psychic powers and if he was just an effective con man, the film takes a measured approach outlining the major events of Hanussen’s life. We would only recommend the film for fans of this subgenre or completists of every film set during World War II.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: After being hypnotized by his sister-in-law, Tom Witzky begins seeing haunting visions of a girl’s ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around her.
KBZ’s Take: Stir of Echoes had the unfortunate release date of August 10, 1999 which was one month after the blockbuster film, The Sixth Sense (1999). Though both films have different plots, it was another film in the Films About The Paranormal, Ghosts and Hauntings subgenre with a theme of talking to the dead that audiences didn’t take to.
Based on a novel of the same by Richard Matheson, the film is a surprisingly good horror/thriller hybrid with elements of both clairvoyance and mediumship. It’s a lost film from the 1990’s that we highly recommend for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A fashion design student is mysteriously able to enter the 1960’s.
KBZ’s Take: This is a Time Travel Film, Slasher Film, Mystery Thriller and Musical all rolled into one. What Edgar Wright did for the Zombie subgenre with Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Action Chase subgenre with Baby Driver (2017), he has done again with this amazing film that breathes new life into the Time Travel Films subgenre.
As for psychic powers, Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) has a mysterious psychic ability which is a cross between clairvoyance and mediumship with time traveling ability. Whether or not the psychic ability is an actual mental illness is for you to decide once you watch this very underrated film.
Additional Lists: Top Time Travel Films You Haven’t Seen – 2017 – 2022 #2, Top Time Travel Films You Haven’t Seen #3
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#7
The Psychic
Plot: A woman with psychic powers has a vision of a murder that took place in a house owned by her husband.
KBZ’s Take: This is one of the lesser-known but best films about clairvoyance. Directed by acclaimed horror director Lucio Fulci, the film effectively blends disturbing clairvoyant visions with a Giallo-style murder mystery.
It’s a film that Quention Tarantino considered remaking at one point, and is a film of the subgenre and of clairvoyant abilities that no fan should miss.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#6
Red Lights
Plot: Two investigators of paranormal hoaxes, the veteran Dr. Margaret Matheson and her young assistant, Tom Buckley, study the most varied metaphysical phenomena with the aim of proving their fraudulent origins. Simon Silver, a legendary blind psychic, reappears after an enigmatic absence of 30 years to become the greatest international challenge to both orthodox science and professional skeptics. Tom starts to develop an intense obsession with Silver, whose magnetism becomes stronger with each new manifestation of inexplicable events. As Tom gets closer to Silver, tension mounts, and his worldview is threatened to its core.
KBZ’s Take: Red Lights is a film that was panned by critics and is very confusing on an initial watch. However, we have seen the film multiple times. After multiple viewings, the film makes much more sense and is one of the better films of the subgenre.
What the film does well on the surface is explore the dynamic between belief and skepticism in psychic abilities. But, layered deeper within the narrative, is a film about a person with psychic abilities (including clairvoyance and telekinesis), struggling to find their place in a ‘normal’ world.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A heavily sedated woman (Eva Allan) with ESP tries to escape from the secluded commune where she’s been held captive.
KBZ’s Take: Opinions are divided on this film as most people love it or hate it. If you’ve seen Mandy (2018) by Panos Cosmatos, then you’ll likely know what you’re getting in this film – atmosphere, psychedelia and disturbing scenes.
In our opinion, it’s a great film that you’ll want to rewatch to understand the depth of what’s going on with the Arboria Facility, how the Sentionauts function, what is hallucination vs. reality, etc. After you have watched the film, there’s some great discussions and theories about the film that you can check out here and here.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Psychic Powers You Haven’t Seen #1
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A famous fashion photographer develops a disturbing ability to see through the eyes of a killer.
KBZ’s Take: Eyes of Laura Mars has had an interesting journey over time. It was panned by critics upon its release, but a small box office hit in 1978. It was also a film written by famous horror director John Carpenter and directed by Irvin Kirshner (who would go on to direct arguably the best Star Wars film in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980). And, though it has been lost to time, has established a cult following over the years.
As for the film itself, it’s basically a Giallo film similar to The Psychic (1977) with more prominent elements of a Slasher Film. For fans of the subgenre, it’s another film that shouldn’t be missed and has some early career performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Brad Dourif.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Two uneasy friends, a police officer and a TV talk show host, each pursue the mysterious handcuff killer with the aid of an artist who sees – and draws – the killer’s crimes before they’re committed.
KBZ’s Take: Also known as The Killing Hour, this film plays more like a Giallo film with mystery and investigative elements featured more than slasher-type kills. However, it’s a surprisingly good mystery film as the clairvoyant artist is romantically pursued by two men (a cop and a talk show host) who could be the killer.
While it’s not a great film, it’s suspenseful enough to make it a recommended film of the subgenre and one of the better films exploring the abilities of a clairvoyant.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Psychic Powers You Haven’t Seen #10
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#2
The Gift
Plot: When a local woman disappears and the police can’t seem to find any leads, her father turns to a poor young woman with psychic powers. Slowly she starts having visions of the woman chained and in a pond. Her visions lead to the body and the arrest of an abusive husband, but did he really do it?
KBZ’s Take: The Gift could be arguably considered the best film about someone possessing clairvoyant abilities. It covers multiple aspects of clairvoyant visions from fortune telling to past and prophetic visions. It also has one of the best casts of the subgenre with Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear and Hilary Swank.
Though the film’s plot is somewhat predictable, Sam Raimi’s direction allows the cast to shine while focusing on some of the mundane real world challenges in the life of a clairvoyant.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#1
The Fury
Plot: A government agent is determined to come to his son’s rescue, when a sinister official kidnaps him to harness his extremely powerful psychic abilities.
KBZ’s Take: A popular film of the late 1970’s, The Fury has slowly faded into obscurity due to time. However, this is one of the best films of the psychic powers subgenre and features multiple psychic abilities in the film including ESP, telepathy and telekinesis.
The film also highlights these abilities in some thrilling sequences such as telekinesis at The Old Chicago amusement park and Gillian’s (Amy Irving) use of her clairvoyant powers. It’s one of Brian DePalma’s better films and should be sought out by younger fans of the Psychic Powers Films subgenre.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Psychic Powers You Haven’t Seen #4
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
