This supernatural thriller deals with John Morlar (Richard Burton) , while he's watching a British television broadcast an anchorman explains that American astronauts are trapped in orbit around the moon. Suddenly someone in Morlar's room picks up a figurine and strikes him on the head repeatedly. His blood splatters the television screen. French Detective-Inspector Brunel (Lino Ventura) along with his helper (Michael Byrne) arrive at Morlar's flat to start the criminal investigation. At first he thinks Morlar is dead, but soon he hears him breathe. As the man was struck over the head and being admitted to a hospital . Meantime, weird disasters befall the surrounding city . At the hospital, Morlar is hooked up to life support systems, one machine in particular monitors the activity of his battered brain . It seems that despite his unconscious state, the man is using his telekinetic powers to will things to happen. As Morlar states : ¨I am the man with the power to create catastrophe¨, as he has the power to move objects , to cause the death of anyone who stands in his way . Richard Burton is the man with the medusa touch ... he has the power to create catastrophe! . As he possesses a powerful gift , Telekinesis : A mental force that enables this man to move objects and control events. Science cannot explain the awesome power of the mind. And nothing can control it ! .

This horror-style story contains intriguing events, thriller , chiller , suspense , tension and disaster images . Main and support cast are pretty good , as Richard Burton playing the telekinetic novelist who causes disasters simply by thinking about them , he's top-notch , especially when scathingly giving a vitriolic disection of his faithless wife , but the real starring is the French Lino Ventura who is terrific as the stubborn police inspector . Support cast is magnificent with plenty of notorious British secondaries , such as : Michael Hordern , Alan Badel , Gordon Jackson , Michael Byrne , Derek Jacobi , Robert Lang , Robert Flemyng, Philip Stone , Malcolm Tierney , Jeremy Brett and Harry Andrews .

It displays a thrilling and exciting musical score by Michael J. Lewis . As well as colorful and appropriate cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson . The motion picture was professionally directed by Jack Gold. Jack was born in London and being a prestigious director and producer , known for Bofors guns (1968) , The Reckoning (1970) , Man Friday (1975) , Aces high (1976) , The Medusa touch (1978), The Chain (1984) , Escape from Sobibor (1987), and Goodnight, Mister Tom (1998). ¨The Medusa Touch (1978) is a rehash of the catastrophe genre along with supernatural powers clichés in which the splendid casting stands out . Rating : 6.5/10, nice and entertaining . It's a fairly watchable and breathtaking film and it results to be a good treatment of telekinesis theme along with disaster movies. Enthusiasts of horrific hokum will enjoy themselves ehile cynics chuckle . Essential and indispensable watching for Lino Ventura, Lee Remick and Richard Burton fans.

And he isn't kidding! An unusually rigid, dark and hazy telekinetic crossed disaster driven supernatural-thriller, predictably told and methodically directed, but the spectacle starts out like a cerebral murder-mystery before the bleak, schlocky mayhem bursts from the seams. Once a weary-eyed Richard Burton starts staring into your soul... only means upcoming doom is near. About an hour away... give or take.

The story follows a French detective Brunel (Lino Ventura who's great here) on temporary assignment for Scotland yard, as he investigates the attempted murder of a writer, John Morlar, who now lays comatose in a hospital bed. However there's something strange about this case, and this man. He learns from Morlar's psychiatrist Dr Zonfeld (a really cold Lee Remick), and Morlar's journals, he believed he could predict the future, and eventually cause disasters, or even death.

This leads to a lot of red herrings, where motivations are unravelled through Brunel's consistent digging of the facts, although it's not hard to figure who was the attempted murderer. So when that's finally revealed, everything suddenly changes and the story comes into its own feeling like there's a lot more at stake. The script through flashbacks, interestingly gives an insight into Morlar's decaying mindset, as his psychic ability grows and bitter distain for life (especially for the establishment) festers. Therefore the morbid nature of its bubbling intentions builds and shocks begin to multiply, which always seem to end in tragedy, and once its starts... there's no going back. It's going to end, like it began... Morlar will see to that with an excellent, fitting ending.

It is one of the movies you remember for years. I saw it when I was..... anyway it was some 30 or 35 years ago.... At that time I enjoyed the plot and general idea of power of human brain.

Today I also notice other levels - performances, actors, editing.

Richard Burton is a classic. Always great.

Lino Ventura perfect.

Very good performance of Lee Ventura assistant. This guy played that nasty Nazi officer in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. I love noticing such details. It somehow shows the career paths.

The plot is simple - man is presumed killed to death yet he somehow regains life and his brain is working. And he affect the world. The policeman slowly runs his investigation until he understands the reality.

One of the most horrific scenes is when Burton tells his doctor about the things he can do he steps out to the balcony, looks and the airplane and makes it crash........ just to prove....

Movie focuses on plot and character play. It was 1978 so do not expect CGI yet this movie proves good story does not need too many effects...