Subversive frames: Vermeer and Lucio Fulci's 'Sette note in nero'

This article investigates the utility of Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer's painting The Love Letter (1669-70) in cult Italian director Lucio Fulci's giallo Sette note in nero (The Psychic, 1977), uncovering a complex relationship that is pivotal to the film thematically and stylistically. While at first glance these two texts may seem random (even anachronistic), Sette note in nero suggests that the use of painting in the horror film potentially offers rich insight into a field that, for orthodox film studies at least, has traditionally been considered incapable of such sophistication. As this analysis will argue, the inclusion of recognisable paintings within a horror film such as this encourages a deeper comprehension that reflect the genre's unique ability to address the mechanics of representation.