The Movies Of Dario Argento

It all started back in 1977 when Dario Argento delivered a haunting tale of witchcraft at a German ballet school. Three years later Argento continued the story taking it to New York where an apartment block was the home for similar witchery in the movie Inferno. But then there was a twenty seven year period in which this three part story rest without a conclusion, it seemed Argento was waiting for the right time to tell his final chapter The Mother Of Tears, but after a long wait the time has finally come; and the wait was worth it!

In a churchyard in Viterbo, Italy the discovery of a casket has put fear into the monsignor, in fear of what he has discovered he sends the casket to Rome to an old friend and historian Michael (played by Extras actor Adam James). Before the casket gets into the hands of Michael however, trainee historians Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento) and colleague Gisele open the casket to see its treasures. Three statues, a knife and an unusual tunic are all that sit inside, all featuring ancient writing. Upon opening the casket however Gisele accidentally cuts herself, and when she sends Sarah off to get a book to help decipher the inscriptions she is attacked by an army of deformed creatures and a rather petulant monkey. Having broken Gisele's jaw, they sever her stomach and strangle her with her own intestines, before preparing for an attack on Sarah.

While underground crazies' celebrate beneath Rome, on the surface the city falls into turmoil mothers kill babies, partners attack each other, while other just seemingly go out of their mind. The Third Mother has arrived...

La Terza Madre (Mother Of Tears) is an epic movie that brings together all the best characteristics of Italian movie director Dario Argento. It is a magnificent return to form for the director who has spent much of the last ten years playing with new technologies and looking at new forms of terror. In fact older Argento fans will be pleased to hear that with the exception of some new special effects and an incredibly clear print, there is no difference here between his work of 30 years ago.

The horror escalates, the darkness pervades, but all the time the beauty of the surrounding, a talent Argento is world recognised for remains a captivating feature. Argento has never made Rome look more beautiful, so much so the Italians could use his skills to promote the country.

The aspects of Argento's work are clear, and these are standard trademarks for the director. Obvious, but incredibly well hidden plot devices are shown from the offset, but these are things you simply don't see. Review the film again and they stand out, but on first glance they seem invisible.

Argento almost pays homage to himself in this movie giving nods to previous classics in his directory of movies: The killer monkey is a nod to Phenomena, the jaw breaking from The Church, repulsion to female sexuality is addressed in a similar manner that he showed in Tenebrae, the terrifying witchery of Suspiria, the bloodiness of Deep Red, and even a semi zombie action nodding to Dawn Of The Dead (and before someone tries to correct me, Argento was heavily involved in the original Dawn Of The Dead and has his own cut of the movie best associated with George Romero).

La Terza Madre must be Argento's biggest budget work to date; there is more atmosphere than ever before, the scenes are bigger and there is massive amounts of filming in Rome at the busiest of times, including a intense and lengthy scene through the sprawling railway network. It seems that if it's a location that might be difficult to shoot Argento drags his cast and crew to the location, it's by no means to the detriment of the movie however.

The witches depicted in this instalment are the most menacing yet, like new romantics with a blood thirsty twist. The witches all look like they are on their way to an 80's concert; but the look in their eyes is enough to give reason for concern.

Argento's special effects continue to be legendary here, the director as ever pushes the envelope that much further than any American or British director would, at that moment that camera's usually veer away from a victim Argento closes his cameras in showing you things that you might not want to see, even in your worst nightmares. With more than one baby murder, and a meal consisting of an incredibly sweet boys organs this movie touches on areas that even Argento usually leaves alone.

This is very much a family movie, but not in the way you might think Director Dario Argento works closely here with his Daughter Asia Argento in the role of Sarah Mandy; Asia is best known in the UK and US for her roles in B. Monkey, XXX, Last Days and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things which she also directed. Ex long term lover of Dario and mother of Asia Italian acting legend Daria Nicolodi stars as Sarah's mother. While behind the camera Dario is joined by his brother Claudio who had a hand in The Godfather and Love Story as well as Argento's movies since the mid 70's.

Asia delivers what I believe to be her best performance, but I guess this could also be down to the fact that La Terza Madre is delivered in its native Italian tongue with English subtitles, normally Asia finds herself a victim of either a dubbing department or of a broken English ring when she speaks in English both aspects (with exception of The Heart Is Deceitful..) tend to saddle the very capable actress as being a touch wooden. There most certainly is no wood here, and Asia is convincing and at times looking incredibly scared; though its widely reported that working with Argento can be quite an ordeal at times, and worse so when you are family.

The great Udo Keir also stars in the movie as a legendary exorcist. The other cast who all turn out great performances are all pretty much unknown outside of Italy.

There are few people that look back to American horror having allowed themselves to become submerged in Argento's brutally graphic and terrifying worlds and La Terza Madre is certainly no exception. While not quite as gore laden as some of Argento's earlier works the scenes that contain gore are pretty much unforgettable. This movie is bound to cause a few people a rocky journey, and for a few the chance to reinvestigate their last meal.

As with all Argento movies there is another component that makes the films so memorable and this movie is no exception. Claudio Simonetti formally with the Italian prog rock band Goblin (who provided most of Argento's musical scores) delivers a score that while less stated as the likes of Suspiria and Inferno, delivers a hint of the magic that the first chapters had. The score here is cutting like a knife, but more orchestral and choral than previous Simonetti works, and I guess this is a testament to the fact that La Terza Madre is being delivered to an entirely new generation than its two predecessors.

I had the good fortune to be invited to the premier of this movie, and can safely say that the audience was completely moved by it in a number of ways. In a mass screening of approximately 4000 viewers it is a most legendary thing to see on the big screen (screen viewing was good but lacked theimpact). But what this proves is that this little horror niche is not so small as others might expect.

Giulio has a nasty little habit, he like to watch! For as far back as he can remember he enjoyed watching people. There was no sexual motive behind his actions, he just liked to study human behaviour. As Do You Like Hitchcock? Begins we witness a young Giulio observing two woman in a woodland slaughterhouse killing a chicken. The two woman chase him in order to teach him a lesson, that lesson being "its rude to snoop".

As an adult, and a film student Giulio continues to watch, his latest interest; the woman who lived in the apartment opposite with her mother. The woman in question is called Sasha, and he soon becomes fixated with her, she leads a sultry life. But one day he catches her with an attractive blonde, the two seem to be making a deal. On the very evening Giulio is awakened by noises in the night; too tired to investigate he falls back to sleep. Later that night police cause him to be awake again, this time the pull is too strong and he rises from his bed to see the scene below: Police cars litter this Torino suburb, and to his realisation Sasha's mother has met with a very bloody end. Giulio feels he must investigate the murder using his knowledge of Alfred Hitchcock's movies to try and break the riddles. The question do you like Hitchcock? Has never had such menace.

The movie is the work of Dario Argento, and I suspect something that was on the cards for some considerable time. Since Argento's movie Bird With The Crystal Plumage back in 1968 Argento has been given the nickname "The Italian Hitchcock?" Indeed through his career Argento's movies have had a very Hitchcock-esque feel for them. Best known as a horror genius, Argento's movies Deep Red, Four Flies On Grey Velvet, Cat O'Nine Tails and Bird With The Crystal Plumage all have the feel of Hitchcock. For me Argento's movies far surpass Hitchcock's films. For Hitchcock his movies were a pure, clear, clean form of terrifying his audience.

With Argento however not only did he want to baffle his audience with a great riddle and the question "Who-dunnit?"; but he wanted to make his movies a work of art.

I have a suspicion that Do You Like Hitchcock? Is a turning point piece for Argento; the movie features a man who observes, Argento is obviously a man who observes and I cannot help but suspect that Argento has made elements of this movie Auto-biographical.

The other interesting reference is the name of his character Giulio, this is not an overly popular name in Italy; but similar to the term Giallo.

Giallo is a breed of movie or novel, we in the UK would refer to them as Who-dunnits. The term Giallo comes from a small yellow magazine of thrillers that used to be available on Italian newsstands in the 40's and 50's. As cinema turned a corner Giallo's went from page to screen and at the forefront of this was Argento with his movies. A Giallo movie must be a mystery, it must be artistically handled and must contain a certain level of gore. Argento's movies work in blocks, he will makes several Giallo movies, then flip back to horror; as future projects show, it appears Argento in making this movie was signing off this block of Giallo films, before moving back to horror.

Back onto the movie, Do You Like Hitchcock, certainly feels like a homecoming for Argento fans. This movie was made for television network Rai Uno; and despite the obvious limitations that working on television, this piece feels very much like Argento's much acclaimed movies of the 60's and 70's. The whole movie has an uneasy feel about it, you know something's going to happen, but you don't know what, how, when and why. From the opening scene of two women in the slaughterhouse you are put on the edge of your seat slightly. Then observing Giulio's voyeuristic talents and in particular Sasha's apartment makes you fully aware that rather like Hitchcock's Rear Window he is going to see something he probably should not. When the expected occurs, Giulio gets closer than the truth and in the most blatant form than you yourself would. He is very open in his "stalking" of the characters that he believes are guilty of this crime, and again this makes you uneasy and wanting to shout at him to hide, or be a bit less obvious.

The acting is poor to judge, I feel dubbing of foreign language is sacrilege, while its easier for those lazy souls around you to watch the movie, you get no real definition of the stars depth of field because they always end up sounding a bit wooden. A prime example in this movie is Giulio's mother, while her acting style seems ok the vocal performance leaves a lot to be desired, and the screaming is just plain fake. Giulio's girlfriend Arianna seems completely devoid of emotion due to this rather annoying addition, especially during heightened scenes when her character becomes frustrated by his obsession with Sasha and co. In the subject of Arianna I hope that her ad Giulio's relationship is not an indication of a traditional Italian or the race will surely become extinct.

Something easier to judge about the movie is Argento's art, no nothing to do with paintings on a wall; but pure celluloid art. Every scene is thought out with great method, each location so cleverly incorporated into Argento's plot. From unusual colours on the wall, to the positioning of light and the reflectivity of the sun; Argento uses everything in the most artistic manner you could imagine. No sooner has the movie moved on from the woodland slaughter house than you have Argento's art thrust upon you. Sasha's home is a flat in a typical Italian 17th century city house, big and majestic in its style. But in a blazing 21st century updating someone has placed a massive glass atrium up the side of this home making it look completely out of character with its surroundings.
The glass reflects causing prisms that glimmer in the corner of the screens. In Giulio's rather downmarket bog standard bedsit, you can see Sasha's home all the time. While Giulio's character acts, all the time your watching the background careful not to miss the slightest thing; as with all Argento films he gives something away in his plots, something that you just don't realise has any purpose until the very end.

The story is nothing to write home about in fairness; normally with a Giallo movie the plot is thinly knitted so you cannot identify the killer. Here the killer is revealed almost immediately, the only mystery here is how the whole thing was plotted out and how it all connects to the work of Alfred Hitchcock. What this movie does provide for me as a Italian horror/thriller movie fan is an ending that I cannot quite understand. I get the whole murder plot, how the crime was committed etc.etc. however the final scene which features a flashback just leaves me puzzled. I'm unsure whether its meant as a statement, a kind of flashback, or if I have indeed missed something far deeper. One thing is for certain, this movie will be in my thoughts for this very reason for some time.

Again echoing Rear Window, one last point of interest is that as the movie progresses, and Giulio's curiosity gets the better of him, he finds himself disabled. The prime factor to any good thriller in my mind means that one person is put in a defenceless situation, where either they or someone else is put in peril because of this. Do You Like Hitchcock? Gives the viewer a final edge of your seat ride off the back of this situation.

Special Features:

A behind the scenes section which lasts about 7 minutes gives away a terrible amount about the movie's making. And although being in Italian I could not understand a sausage its one of those things that need no explanation. For the first time ever you get to see Argento weave his craftwork, from a car accident on the streets of Torino, to a great blue screen climax. And the truth, ever wondered why some movies dubbed dialogue seems better than others? Here its illustrated by the fact that massive amounts of the cast are speaking in English instead of Italian, so at least some proportions seem realistic to the viewers. The other nice thing about this brief featurette is that you get to see the work of all the crew, from the people at the bottom of the ladder to those at the top.

There are 4 trailers on the DVD for other Argento masterpieces; Masters Of Horror, the excellent internet ambling murder movie The Card Player, one of Argento's land mark pictures Suspiria; and his American movie Trauma featuring a star studded cast including his own daughter Asia.

The biography is quite interesting, where as many are not I actually found I learned things through this addition to the DVD, that I did not know about previously.

As the internet rose in strength, probably beyond anyone's expectations, Dario Argento felt it a pertinent time to take his brand of horror to the new internet age. The Card Player is his answer, a sort of twisted and realistically graphic serial killer thriller the likes of which Argento had not covered before, seemingly taking a nod and a wink from British television thrillers Messiah and Prime Suspect, the latter taking one of the shows stars.

In Rome a unique brand of killer has shown his hand, a gambler in his heart the Card Player has set himself up an internet gambling website where only he can play, well with the addition of one other. Contacting the police with his horror poker site, the Card Player introduces to them a British tourist holidaying in Italy's capital. Here's the deal, the police must play the Card Player at poker, for each round they lose he will dismember his hostage slightly, if they fail to win three hands of the game then she will surely day. With the game starting immediately and a distinct lack of poker knowledge, the kidnap victim is brutally murdered on webcam for all to see. For police woman Anna (Stefania Rocca) it's a race against time knowing that the Card Player is scouring the streets looking for his next victim. Teaming up with Irish police officer John Brennan (Liam Cunningham), it's an unlikely match but as hours and days go by it's apparent that both have skeleton's in their closets and more in common with each other than they realise, let alone the killer.

Always ahead of the game Argento took advantage of the rising poker gaming interest online for the movie, in fact it is only four years on now in 2008 that Argento's prophecy has come true, with more and more interest in the game than ever before, new poker websites open each and every day as the worlds burgeoning poker playing population stagger to their computers in order to achieve the next big win. In an interesting twist of fate, after The Card Player was released in Italy their online poker playing population increased fourfold pretty much overnight, were they looking for their own piece of Argento horror?

For most of Argento's movies of the 90's he cast his daughter Asia in pivotal roles, however she is tragically missing here, her success in Vin Diesel movie XXX found her catapulted into a variety of big budget American movies all around the same time. Stephania Rocca is an unusually older looking signing for the leading lady here, and to be honest with you as a usually second fiddle actress I find her hard to accept here in the leading role, instead you have to focus on Liam Cunningham to lead the movie forward, because in fairness Rocca at that time did not have the range to pull off the role convincingly, this being said I guess the big thing with Argento movies is that due to dubbing of the dialogue most people encountering an Argento movie generally think the acting is of poor quality anyway, my advice to those people is to watch an Argento movie in its native tongue with subtitles that reflect your language, believe me you will see things far differently.

The Card Player is as I said earlier far more realistically grizzly, in previous Argento movies the gore is delivered with a certain amount of good but stodgy special effects, you see it it freaks you out but you know that it's not real. With this offering however things are far more graphic, and real; Argento I suspect spend considerable time looking at bodies of the dead and puts this into the movie, with the exception of the teeth (strangely movies seem incapable of getting teeth of the dead correct), the bodies in this movie are scarily realistic. While Argento steers clear of his usual decapitation hallmarks, his gross out factor takes place when the bodies hit the morgue, and its time for further examination.

The speed of the movie is pretty fast, movie seamlessly from a graphic scene to a bizarre one the next, he blends his humour more subtly than ever before. In one specific scene while going to examine the body of the first victim at the morgue, the attendant first dances for our crime investigators, before singing them out as they exit. In between his unusual performance, Cunningham's character probes at the dead body pulling assorted nastiness out of it.

I'm not as impressed with The Card Player as I was with his surrounding movies Sleepless (AKA Non Ho Sonno) and Do You Like Hitchcock? Because despite the great effort put into the movie Rocca does not have the convincing depth as a leading lady, I personally found her quite annoying and while I'm sure she could out act me, there is something that prevents you from gelling well with her. But in the overall scheme of things this is not a bad addition to Argento's movies, and if you happen to like the aforementioned Messiah series and Prime Suspect then you are sure to enjoy this.

As the movie begins we enter a scene where a couple are making love in the dark, as it transpires she is a prostitute and it's apparent that he wants something a little out of the ordinary. Having finished the ritual the male dismisses her with a rather unpleasant tone. Once she has collected her money she prepares for her departure, but in the dark falls over a storage stool. To her horror the stool contains a series of rather unpleasant knives and torture devices as well as some paperwork. She hastily grabs the paperwork and makes her escape.

Having boarded the train the prostitute calls her friend from her mobile phone; she tells her friend that she believes she has just had sex with the killer dwarf. The killer dwarf had been silent for sometime but during the 1970's murdered a horrific amount of people leaving Rome in silence and fear.
As she finishes her phone call she realises that she has company. The serial killer has followed her and wants his things back, for in this paperwork is a detailed report on all his victims.

With the knowledge that the Dwarf has struck again legendary Italian Police Inspector Moretti is forced to leave the peaceful retired life he enjoys, for he made a promise that he vows he will keep. He calls in Giacomo with whom he made the promise, for twenty years prior Giacomo witnessed his mother murdered with a clarinet by the dwarf. Back then Giacomo was only a child and the promise that Moretti had made has stayed with him.

As the bodies begin to pile up throughout Rome Giacomo and Moretti are hot on his trail, they are eager to know why he kills, where he went and why he has come back again.

Max Voy Sydow became a legend worldwide after his role in The Exorcist as Father Merrin. Then and only then did his fantastic acting career so far come to be common knowledge, many had seen and appreciated movies like the Seventh Seal but Sydow for most had been a nobody. Ever in the knowledge that his career was founded in horror, Sydow was keen to work with the greatest horror director on the planet; and maybe get back some of the notoriety he had earned nearly 30 years prior.

Stefano Dionisi is a well established Italian actor; he has worked consistently throughout Europe in movies since 1986. Best known for his role as the Pharaoh in Joseph he is never out of work.

Gabriele Lavia is an Argento regular with a less than regular lifestyle, it's rumoured that Lavi has not been sober since 1976. Best known as the suspected transsexual killer from Deep Red, Lavia continues to work when he can find someone committed enough to entertain his problems.

There is no doubt that Sleepless is not Argento's best work, but it's a really good contender for a top five of his best. From the moment the movie starts, you feel the tension. The feelings that you have about the plot from the start are usually a good indicator of how a Giallo film will end; not predictable, as the story unfolds the things that initially you thought are dismissed only to return later. All this aside you don't have a clue to the Dwarf's true identity, you could not possibly form a view until quite late on in the film.

The thing about Argento is that he provides menace to random things. A marble can be something sinister associated with the outcome, or at the least be a deadly weapon. To develop this style into the film further, Argento turns a nursery rhyme into a thing of great fear. With each murder a different part of the nursery rhyme is revealed. And this has great pertinence in respect of the murder of Giacomo's mother. The nursery rhyme used was actually written by Asia Argento who is now a key Hollywood player on both sides of the camera. In the early days Argento used strange camera shots to build suspense, and for sleepless he dragged these pioneering camera tricks back to the 21st century.

Being Italian, and dubbed into English it's of no surprise that the movie seems wooden and a bit lame, unfortunately there is no Italian soundtrack with this release. Argento's movies actually look far more professional to us uneducated Brits in Italian with English subtitles. It's sad that although the direction, location and acting are spot on it's ruined by the dubbing. That being said Sleepless is by far the best dubbed of any of Argento's works, and with a few exceptions the lip synching is spot on, what lets it down is the tone of the voices, its obvious that they are not on a set but in a sound booth.

The violence is certainly a few keys up from the Hollywood dross horror movies we are inundated with, a newcomer to the world of horror could easily be scared away by any of Argento's works, and possibly horror movies for life. In Italy there are no censorship issues in respect of gore and violence, and there are certainly no taboo issues in cinematography. This is bought home by each and every stab wound, and each totally random act of violence.

But the real key in the horror of this movie lies in its soundtrack. The band Goblin, who performs most soundtracks for Dario Argento came up with a unique device for the soundtrack. The created a score of 12 identical pieces of music created with very different instruments and variations of Tempo. The music, clearly the same every time you hear it varies from soft tones to thumping heavy metal style pieces reminiscent of Metallica's S & M album. And it's in this soundtrack that for me the movie stands out. I would easily say that 80% of the suspense is bought on through the soundtrack and in one particular scene you are left trying to figure out if the murder or the music that accompanied it was what kept you on the edge of your seat.

Having starred in dozens of movies previously Trauma was the first movie in which Asia Argento played a leading part. Here she plays a deeply disturbed young woman with bulimia called Aura.

Things from her childhood have bothered her all her life, but she is unable to put her finger on exactly what it is. When her parents decide to hold a séance in their home, things come to a head; quite literally. During the gathering the house is plunged into darkness and Aura sees her father running off into the night after an unknown figure.
As Aura becomes involved in the chase she wanders into a thicket only to see a dead body and a dark figure holding the heads of both her parents in its hands.

Another first for this movie was that for the first time director Dario Argento had been allowed to legally film in America; and amazingly enough an American movie producer part funded this venture. Where as previously Argento had used well known cast in his movies, normally he could only achieve one key performer, and they were usually someone down on their laurels.

Argento assembled a pretty good cast Piper Laurie (who most will remember as Carrie's mother in the movie Carrie, or the more refined will know here as Katherine Martell from Twin Peaks) stars Andriana Petrescu the mother of Aura. Falling Down, And Apocalypse Now star Frederic Forrest stars as Dr. Judd, Brad Dourif (chucky from the Childs Play movies) stars as a disreputable Doctor, soft porn actress Laura Johnson stars as Grace Harrington a vindictive news anchor, and at the time upcoming star James Russo (Once Upon A Time In America, Beverly Hills Cop) played Captain Travis. The secondary lead comes from little known actor Christopher Rydell and after seeing his performance here I'm not surprised he has remained little known.

The movie itself is a bit of a rollercoaster in respect of standards; despite the American look and feel there are some slips where the movie becomes profoundly Italian. At these points if the whole movie had been Italian it would not be noticed, but as the movie shifts in the case of Trauma it comes off looking a bit tacky. The worst example of this being a small boy chasing after a lizard, while it draws a bit of humour to the centre of the movie it seems very out of place, but in honesty for most of the movie any scene involving this boy seems out of place.

The film is all over the place, one minute you're on the edge of your seat, the next your worried about how much longer the movie is going to go on. If you split the movie into quarters, then at the end of each quarter (forgetting the final one of course) there is a clear and obvious lull. During those quarters though things move at an alarming pace, so much so that you find it at times difficult to keep up, looking away or a distraction during these times could be fatal in respect of following the storyline.

The deaths are great fun, and typically Italian; as the killer moves round with an electric cheese-wire style device used for decapitating its victims. One particular scene in which the killer produces a hammer and bashes a nurse on the head is hysterical. The special effects vary from being phenomenal, to just plain awful, especially during a decapitation scene, delivered by a lift of all things.

Like all Argento movies, if you are clever enough you realise that right from the very start the murderer is clearly identified. However you have to have to be quick sighted, and be thinking on a different mental plane than normal. I find this style of movie making amazing, the fact that you are told the killer at the start but don't actually take it in till the end. When you review the DVD it's clear, but because you're not expecting this sort of highly intelligent delivery it really throws you off.

The musical score is lovely, delivered by Pinno Donaggio. It ranges from beautiful themes, to savage lashes with guitar strings. The main theme that accompanies the movie known as Ruby Rain plays in a variety of forms, and is a really nice piece of music. However at the end you get a version of the track that features lyrics by a beautifully voiced performer, the lyrics though sounding lovely as a song; after listening to them a number of times you realise the song is about someone bleeding to death in the rain, calling out for help, but help never comes.

On the opening night of an Opera on Shakespeare's Macbeth, the Diva of the show in a temper accidentally throws herself under the wheels of a car. Now the understudy a girl called Betty is thrown into the limelight, after all the show must go on.
The opening night was a massive success with Betty hailed as Italy's newest hot star. After the show has finished as have all the celebrations Betty heads off to the home of the Stage Director for a night of passion; this however is soon interrupted because of her many hang ups about sex. The understanding young man sympathises with her and heads off to the kitchen to make her a mint tea. But while he is missing from the room Betty is attacked by an unseen assailant; he binds her to a pillar and then puts needles under her eyes. If she closes her eyes the needles will rip her eyes to shreds. When the young innocent returns to the room Betty is forced to watch the slow painful murder of her young lover.

But this is not an isolated incident, for each time Betty is alone with someone the maniac strikes again; who is the killer and what do they want?

At the time the film was made Cristina Marsillach had just finished working on a romantic war tale with Tom Hanks called Everytime We Say Goodbye. She was destined for bigger and better things as her portrayal in both movies received such acclaim; however she rejected Hollywood and stuck with smaller roles in Italian cinema.

Ian Charleson is probably best remembered for his role of Eric in Chariots of Fire and also stared in hits like Car Trouble with Julie Walters and Greystoke. Charleson was more of a stage presence and was told that his performance of Hamlet was the best that Sir Ian McKellen had ever seen. Charleson openly came out as being gay no sooner had Chariots of Fire hit the screen. When he accepted the Role in Terror at the Opera he was feeling quite ill and realised that something was seriously wrong. Charleson vowed to do something far removed from his previous work and was a big fan of Dario Argento so continued with the project. Shortly after filming he fell even more ill was diagnosed with Aids and died a slow and painful death at the hands of the disease in 1990. An award was named after him in 1991 and is awarded to the best classical stage performance each year.
Dario Nicolodi was a big Italian lead actress, in the late 1960's she met Dario Argento and the two fell in love. Although they never married they had a daughter Asia Argento who starred in XXX and Land Of The Dead. In the 80's the relationship with Dario was falling apart and to exact his anger upon her in each of his subsequent films he killed her in more and more imaginative and horrific ways.

The Director Dario Argento is best associated with the movies Suspiria, Deep Red and Tenebrae. Widely regarded as the best director working in Italy Dario works hard to this very day; his work began in writing and his first filmed work was Once Upon A Time in the West.

I love Dario Argento's films but during the late 80's and early 90's he seemed to lose the plot a bit. Terror at the Opera is a prime example of this; normally his films look a bit wooden because of the dubbing, this movie has wood written all over it. Even a talented actor in a lead role could not appear to be well guided.
Visually the movie is a treat; fantastic scenery and sets. Long drawn out imaginative killings involving household items, and a continued feel of menace for the films entire length. For most of the film you see things from the killer's eyes; this gives a nice feel of panic as he/she commits his atrocities. For me the most incredibly filmed scene features Nicolodi's character looking through a door spy hole to be greeted by a bullet. The shot is fantastic, the camera is slowed down to the extreme that you see the bullet pass from the gun into the metal tunnel of the spy hole, while moving forward you can see it continually turning and markings on the bullet itself are visible. Its not a special effects trick, it's a slow motion real time shot of a bullet being fired and looks fantastic.

The music is a creative mix by the band Goblin a kind of operatic piece mixed with a bit of Black Sabbath. The overall score simply entitled Opera, gives a sinister yet romantic feel to the movie.
Vanessa Redgrave played the role of the Diva who fell before the car at the beginning of the movie; but her role was snipped at the last minute in respect over a row with wages and the financial translation of Italian currency to British. As a result the Diva appears but is never shown, all the way through you are expecting to see a big star and theoretically you are.

A major part of the movie "The Macbeth Curse" literally existed on the set, Vanessa Redgrave dropped out the movie, Ian Charleson became very ill, Nicolodi and Argento split up and one of the original cast was killed on the first day of filming by a falling light. As homage to the lost actor in a rather morbid fashion Argento used a light drop in the film having been inspired by the on-set death.

Aiming at impressing an American Audience, Dario Argento's 1985 movie was aimed squarely at them. Having enchanted in both Labyrinth and Once Upon A time In America; Argento put Jennifer Connelly as his leading lady in movie Phenomena, rebranded Creepers because they thought it would make the movie more "Commercial" this certainly for a time was the most "Seen" of all of Argento's movies. Teaming Argento up with popular actor Donald Pleasance who at the time was best known for the Halloween movies, despite 40 odd years of my highbrow work; and really mixing it up soundtrack wise with a score that included Iron Maiden, Bill Wyman, and Black Sabbath tracks Argento was onto a winner before the movie was released.

Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly) is a troubled teen, her father is the world famous musician Paul Corvino, but Jennifer has become isolated from her father and more or less raised by assistants. After a series of incidents, and disturbing sleepwalking dalliances, Jennifer is sent away to Switzerland to study while her father continues his world tour. Everyone finds Jennifer odd from the offset, as she discovers that insects have a strange love for her. But Jennifer's weird problems are soon pushed to everyone's back thoughts, because since just prior to her arrival a killer has been on the loose, and the killings are getting worse.

While being traditionally Argento, Phenomena is by far one of Argento's most commercial works to that date. Gone are the gross out special effects best associated with the Italian director for the most part in favour of a more toned down vision that audiences could better relate to. In previous movies all action was carried out onscreen, with people's heads literally seen coming off in slow and often painful detail. Phenomena was far different however the first of the movies decapitations was carried out off screen and relatively quick at that. And the movie follows up to the final death a fairly similar pattern, although I must say that even the body count is substantially lower than the usual Argento fare.

The movie is made by two things, firstly the beautiful Swedish locations, a country that always fascinates me is made to look even more beautiful than you could possibly imagine. The second worthwhile addition is Donald Pleasance. I always say that the best performance or certainly the most endearing role I saw Pleasance play was of the forger in The Great Escape, her as Scot John McGregor a professor specialising in insects he comes a close second. Pleasance for the movie is disabled, and his only carer is Inga a chimpanzee. This great double act of the Chimpanzee and the aging professor really is the cement that holds the movie together, because in all fairness there is not so much to hold this movie together.

While being far from Argento's worst movie Phenomena feels like the longest and most drawn out, the lack of body count does not do anything to speed this up either, it's all dealt with more psychologically; and when Argento feels he might lose his audience he chucks in a death to balance things out. Those not familiar with the workings of this horror genius however are in for a rather nice surprise, something a little different from the usual American horror movies, but not quite as far out as a lot of other Argento movies before this time.

What is quite annoying about the movie is the bizarre narration that pops up every blue moon, in order to keep the viewer up to date with what's going on. I suspect this is a production decision by the movies producers who still found Argento's style a little too left field for their liking. But the narration does not provide the binding that the movie apparently needs, instead it alienates the viewer due to the short but sweet nature of the narration, for example "To continue her schooling Jennifer Corvino arrives in Frebourg" and another line of narration rattles on about maggots, it all seems desperately wrong and out of place.

Jennifer Connelly still a young teenager then performs well, and manages to take well to her increasingly foreign fellow cast. Performing for the most part next to Argento's then long time lover Daria Nicolodi who plays the freaky Frau Bruckner. Despite her decent performance for her age, it's hard to believe that this is the A-List Oscar winning actress that we see now days, and even more strange how for a 24 year old movie she still manages to look so young, it seems plastic surgery has been kind to Connelly.

When not dependant on the heavyweight rock gods to push the music through the movie which to be honest with you is often out of place, Argento used the Italian rock band Goblin to deliver his score, a mix of the classic and the contempory, in order to make Goblin's music more mainstream Argento also recruited Londoner Simon Boswell to take some of the weirdness out of the band's music.

I cannot finish this review without making a mention of the chimpanzee, there is a pretty sick moment involving the chimp (not self harming) and a cut throat razor, and despite the pretty gross out nature of this you really cannot help but laugh.

It's not the finest work of Argento, but if you're considering mixing up your horror styles a little and giving the American mainstream offerings the old heave ho, this is a pretty good place to start.

At first glance Tenebrae appeared to be no more than a violent thriller, in its native Italy it was a great success. In America where it was released under the name of Unsane it was a blockbuster smash; conventional, drive in, and Grindhouse cinema audiences loved it, for week after week it was the main attraction. In the UK however the movie came out in slippers, only a few cinemas got it, and shortly after it was released in a new revolutionary format known as Video. The movies rather unusual cover made the Video very popular, back then a woman laid semi naked with her throat slit was not the usual sort of thing seen at video libraries, the same video libraries that's shelves were littered with copies of An Officer & A Gentleman. Tenebrae's life was good for a while, before the fascist scum known as The Daily Mail moved in. One of their more prominent reporters happened to glance upon a copy of Tenebrae, and before you could blink their criticism and over exaggeration found the movie on the department of public prosecutions list, shortly after that Tenebrae disappeared, it had been banned. That was back in 1984, and it took until 1999 for the film to be re-released in another revolutionary format known as DVD. It was a further 3 years before UK audiences got to see the movie uncut for the first time.

I first came across Tenebrae in 1999 after a 4 year hunt for the movie, I was most surprised when it appeared legally on UK shores only 4 months after it was announced that the film would probably never be seen again. I'd been a fan of Dario Argento (the movies Director) since the 1980's and Tenebrae proved to be my second favourite of his films. The film had a combination of a highly ambitious story, vivid colours, and some visual styles that have never been repeated or even equalled.

Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) is a celebrated author, his books are highly celebrated around the world, one area of big success was in Italy, and the launch of his latest book Tenebre (the Italian spelling in case you think I've missed a letter out) means an extended stay in Rome. Before Peter has even left America, some strange incidents cast a giant shadow across his trip. His arrival in Italy sparks bigger issues though, for no sooner has Peter flown in than a young woman is found brutally murdered with pages of Peter's latest novel stuffed down her throat.

As Peter's visit continues it seems someone is quite inspired by his writings, as a variety of poor souls end up killed in the same manner Peter describes in his books. With the aid of two of his assistants Peter turns private eye in the hunt for the vicious killer, and when they discover who is behind the terrible crimes their victory is short lived as the killer is executed by a second killer before their very eyes, this second killer is far more blood thirsty and far more exact than the original, and with each killing it seems that Peter Neal is the ultimate target.

If you take into account its age (now 25 years old) Tenebrae stands head and shoulders above anything else of its time. But because it falls into a niche market it will never get its deserved appreciation, firstly its Italian, and secondly it's been forgotten so long that it will never develop the momentum and history it was deprived of during its UK ban. To me here is something so amazing that is gained in watching this movie, every aspect is well thought out and delivered, it's like a masterclass in the delivery of Suspense that not even Alfred Hitchcock could achieve.

Tenebrae looks at focus to the motives that draw someone to murder, in flashbacks the killer sees a time from their past when they were not interested enough to become involved in a strange worship of a woman, as each flashback occurs we get to see a bigger chunk of the story, and although you could understand the killers anger I think that for this event to have driven someone to kill is well over the top. This flashback sequence for which I speak is by far the most artistic imagery you'll see in the movie, its use of colour red and white against the colour of the sand and sea, creates an image that you'll find hard to forget well after the movie has ended, the music (that is reminiscent of nails down a blackboard) is equally unforgettable.

The brutality of the story is sometimes funny sometimes horrific, unfortunately the one failing of the movie is that the actors (and certainly the actors that die) are not particularly good. One woman who gets stabbed the expression on her face is just hysterical, the acting that accompanies this look just adds fuel to the fire. On the other side a potential death from being ripped apart by a dog does send a shiver down your spine, luckily the dog doesn't get her and she ends up getting chopped up with an axe instead.

Argento's almost on demand band Goblin add the music to the movie, and a highly memorable piece it is too. Electronica meets orchestral in a blood rushing crescendo that is every bit as horrific as what you will actually see on screen.

The thing that is most inspiring about the movie for a creative person is the magnificent one frame shot of a very 80's house. The camera moves up the side of a house, slips across its roof and continues to move in a circular motion around the house, all the time the story inside the house continues to be told as the camera moves passed the window, even up to a pretty horrific double murder. This shot required a special piece of cranework, which Argento designed from scratch; unfortunately he forgot to patent the crane and it was soon being used in Hollywood, luckily for Argento nobody could master the crane like he, and it was soon scrapped, meaning that Argento still holds the record for the longest most angled zoom shot in movie history.
Tenebrae like other Italian classics like Suspiria, Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) The Beyond, City Of The Living Dead and Cannibal Holocaust is truly horror. The movies America churns out with such ease come off looking like soap opera in comparison. If you have never had the good fortune to delve into the world of Italian horror then this is as good as any a place to start, while being pretty cut throat its probably one of the more tame big Italian horror tales, ideal for a willing entry level viewer. And if your put off watching foreign language movies you'll be pleased to hear you can watch this one dubbed into English (as you can with most Italian horror) alternately if you crave the legitimate Italian feel you can turn the soundtrack to Italian, and the subtitles to English, whatever floats your boat. However you watch Italian horror however you will almost always find someone dubbed, it was commonplace to employ bigger American stars as this movie did, and then use Italian stars in the supporting roles, as a result the actors all speak in whatever their native tongue is and are dubbed later.

The first Dario Argento movie to become a video nasty in the 1984 UK cleaning up of the movie industry is the 1980 movie Inferno. The second part of a trio of movies that began with Suspiria and ended with Mother Of Tears (AKA Il Terza Madre - The Third Mother) ; the story is also Argento's most disjointed, dull, and utterly beautiful movie of his career, all aspects meet like a terrible train crash, and despite the overall dullness you cannot help but keep watching.

On opposite sides of the world brother and sister Mark and Rose unearth a terrible secret based in a book called The Three Mothers, by coincidence they are both dangerously close to buildings that purport to be gateways to hell. While one will die, the other is left to pick up the pieces, solve a riddle and hopefully get away alive.

This Italian offering is like a who's who of Italian movie stars, led by a couple of little known American movie stars in the form of Leigh McCloskey who plays Mark Elliot and Irene Miracle as his sister Rose. While most of the Italian cast are a little slapdash in their appearances being chucked in here, there and everywhere but with little actual use to the story. Gabriele Lavio appears and is quickly despatched to the other side, while Daria Nicolodi pops in and out of the story as she sees fit.

I'd like to say my confusion over Inferno was down to my ill-understanding of the movie but this is not the case, and sadly one I see raised in a number of reviews online. Even though the story is a little disjointed in both its cast use but in its general storytelling, the movie remains incredibly popular with Argento fans because there really is something about it.

The late great Lucio Fulci believed that actors were a secondary issue when it came to film making, he claimed their ability to act was not a key factor providing the suspense was right, and to a certain degree he was right from 1978-1983 he made a short run of some of the most infamous horror movies of all time, I can't help that believe that when shooting began in 1980 Argento took part of this onboard, now I'm not saying that the actors in the movie are bad, simply that they are a secondary aspect in the movie, which is driven by incidents, lighting and special effects. When none of the previous aspects come raise their heads then Argento bangs in with a beautiful musical score. What is lacking in the movie is real depth, there are some great story ideas, like the book, and the two houses, both of which are surrounded by suspicious characters. But what fills in the gaps, what takes the movie forward? To be honest very little and it seems like Argento has become confused and caught on a split road between following Fulci and American director David Lynch.

There is another unusual factor about Inferno and that is in its music. Despite great collaborations with progressive rock band Goblin, and with the acclaimed composer Ennio Morricone Argento choose to go elsewhere for his music signing, heading instead this time to British rock band composer Keith Emerson of the band Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Emerson delivers a typically inspired piece of Argento music, jazzing up classical legends as well as injecting his own style to the movie. What is odd however is that of all the movies factors, the soundtrack is actually the biggest driving force.

Inferno was banned in the UK because of a scene in which a cat eats a mouse. Interestingly enough far gorier scenes were left in, including a scene in which a disable man drowns some cats, then having fallen over rats he is slowly devoured by them, calling for help a local roadside cafe owner comes running over, only to hack the disabled man's head off with a knife.

Argento's unique style is felt all over the movie, he choice of lighting, buildings and other structures make for a world you might never see in real life, it's very 1970's but also very good. Inferno rather like the previous chapter Suspria is like a moving work of art, the result being visually something that most popular directors aspire to.

Argento's creepy characters like a disabled professor and his wacky nurse make for great viewing, but as I touched upon earlier all these characters were badly used. What is nice is the addition of Fulvio Mingozzi who was in most of Argento's movies up until 1984's Phenomena; like Suspiria here he plays albeit briefly a taxi driver, who like in most Argento movies never says a word.

Unlike many other horror movies Dario Argento's 1977 movie Suspiria is menace filled from the offset. Goblin's musical score that accompanies the movies opening credits is enough to turn those weak in the genre of horror running for the nearest sofa to hide behind. Having escaped the credits viewers are then tormented by Argento's lurid colourings as the movies heroin Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) arrives by plane to a German airport.

Argento's use of red from the offset is a taste of the blood you are to endure as the movie proceeds. Suzy's taxi ride from the airport does not give a feeling of any nearby happiness either, the taxi driver is emotionless and unresponsive; from hear the most horrific musical score I have ever heard catapults you headlong into 100 minutes of pure terror.

The story follows an American's visit to Germany where she joins a fancy ballet school. No sooner has Suzy arrived however than she stumbles upon a terrible secret about this school of dance. It seems the gates of Hell have literally been ripped open, turning the school and its residents lives upside down, for some upside down would be a blessing as the only thing in store for them is death.

For a movie that is 30 years old stylistically speaking Suspiria looks like it was made yesterday. Argento uses his scenes like works of art, each image on screen is well thought out; and whether it be some sort of stunning set piece, or a beautiful use of colour each scene is 100% perfect. When the term art is referred to the movie world Suspiria must surely be a consideration. The school that Suzy attends is the most colourful set I have ever seen on screen, the walls of the communal areas adorned with a shimmering blue velvet; not just occasionally but metre after metre after metre of material is used covering the walls from floor to ceiling. While the study rooms are filled with vivid red paintwork, massive mirrors and some pine coloured wood panelling; a splash of black trim and red velvet curtains and finish the piece. The buildings design is very much similar of Miami's Art Deco appearance used to symbolise the separation between the 70's and the upcoming 80's where everything was predicted to become so modern and clean lined.

From the first 15 minutes you're presented with imagery that no other Director can bring you. The first despatch of the movie which follows a terrifying chase through woodland is possibly one of the most hauntingly disturbing and beautiful things you might ever see in the movie world. The attackers attempt on a single assault and murder leads to an accidental (or maybe not) additional death, this death occurs off-screen but is no less haunting. While the first victim is brutally attacked slowly by a knife, before removing her heart and launching her through a sheet of stained glass; the additional victim is impaled by the framework that held the stained glass, and just in case this were not enough one large sheet of glass straight through the centre of her head.

Suspiria is all about the atmosphere, Italian Prog Rock group Goblin are one very key factor that helps to build this atmosphere. Goblin mixes classical sounds with electronic before finally adding some shrieks and screams to give a final menace. At no point during Goblin's score are you given a time of peace, and certainly no chance of hope, it literally blasts you to the edge of your seat and beyond.

The second element of atmosphere is delivered by the brutal use of horror or if you prefer gore. Lets not beat around the bush; Argento wants you to vomit if he possibly can. He has a knack of turning everyday things into items of great menace and in the most brutal way. A kind and considerate and timid dog suddenly turns and rips a mans throat out and with great force. Then an incident with barbed wire quite literally shreds its victim to ribbons. And let us not forget a rather unpleasant infestation. All the time blood (or at least a red poster paint) stains the screen.

In respect of storyline this is a minor flaw of the movie, it's certainly not one of Argento's best although compared to 90% of the Hollywood horror trash that we are inundated with its a masterpiece. The story moves at a steady rhythm giving a nice mix of normal everyday events, and graphic gore.

Although originally made with a mono soundtrack the movies score has been digitally remastered with Dolby 5.1 surround sound. Sound is so terribly important to Suspiria which is benefited by the addition of cinema sound if you're fortunate enough to have it, items dropping to the floor or brash up front terror sound like they are literally with you the whole time your watching the movie; all the times the ghostly whispers dancing around you like something has literally left the screen in search of you.

Technically not lost as much as missing from action, Four Flies On Grey Velvet is the Dario Argento movie that remains suspiciously missing from the directors resume of movies available to purchase across the world. Made in 1971 the movie is sandwiched mid section between his classics Bird With The Crystal Plumage and Deep Red (Profondo Rosso).
Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) is a musician, who suddenly starts to notice that a man is following him. One night after a hectic session Roberto notices the shadowy figure watching him again, desperate to get to the bottom of his stalker incident Roberto pursues him to an old derelict theatre where in a strange turn of events a fight breaks out and Roberto accidentally kills his stalker. This alone might be a problem, but Roberto observes a strange plastic headed figure stood in one of the theatres boxes taking photographs of the incident.

Deciding not to go to the police as he does not feel he caused the man's death and certainly does not want to serve the guaranteed 15 year prison sentence, knowing he would not survive; Roberto opts to remain quiet about the murder with everyone except his wife Nina (Mimsy Farmer). Just as Roberto thinks that all is safe the plastic headed photographer begins calling Roberto, and sending him messages, with no financial goals in place Roberto cannot help but wonder what vile trap he has fallen into.
Four Flies On Grey Velvet is the most unusual of Dario Argento's offerings, and by most people's standards I appreciate this is a already a strange area to be in. Why I say its unusual is that Argento's other works have a certain feel about them, so much so that you can practically smell his hands on a movie. Four Flies does not look anything like an Argento movie, lacking the usual graphic focus, killer music score, and subtle almost Laurel & Hardy style humour. You could argue that Four Flies is in fact the product of any drug induced Italian, the movie has a certain hippie like free love feel, and a sense of humour that while strong is not typical Argento material.

The humour as a starting point is more "American" in its feel, but I guess a big factor in this is the fact that that Four Flies was the first of Argento's movies funded by a big organisation, in this case Universal Pictures. This could answer a lot of issues about the movie that feels an awful lot like the movie Easy Rider. The first sign of humour comes in the form of the big plastic head that the photographer wears "what's that all about?" I had to ask myself. Then in Roberto's visit to the river in search of God! God well actually Godfrey played by the legendary Bud Spencer, is an odd hobo type character living on the river with a hanger on of a friend called the Professor. As Brandon calls down to "God!" a chant of Halleluiah is heard to symbolise the importance.

Four Flies is not a horror, it falls into the category known as Giallo, a sort of who-dunnit style movie not dissimilar to anything Agatha Christie, but with a lot more of a savage edge. Where as with the likes of Agatha Christie movies, the person dies but you never see the murder; a Giallo usually contains the murder itself, though you don't get to see the perpetrator. While Four Flies is a very capable movie, it falls a little short in the guess who the killer stakes because as is the case with all these movies the killer is known to the audience, by the movies conclusion there were very few people that could actually be the killer.

The music to Four Flies lacks its usual Dario Argento pizzazz, but this falls down to the fact that the musical score is provided by Ennio Morricone, who despite being an excellent composer/writer I don't feel really got Dario Argento as rock band Goblin did. Several of Argento's earlier pictures had Morricone as the musical contributor, this occurred down to a relationship between Dario's father and the composer. While Morricone's score worked incredibly well for Bird With The Crystal Plumage, here its kind of lacklustre, a sort of hippie style track with lots of vocal screeching, making it sound very much like a bad 70's blacksploitation movie.

Despite the difference in usual Argento humour, Four Flies is actually one of Argento's most amusing works, with a savage beating of a postman you realise is a mistake as soon as Brandon picks up the lead pipe, where exactly do you get lead pipe from anyway? A "shocking" decapitation left me doubled up in hysterics, because I'm convinced that Argento meant this to look bad, it lacks the vigour of his earlier or later works.

While I was not as impressed with Four Flies On Grey Velvet as I am with a lot of other Argento movies, (Cat O'Nine Tails aside) it was great to see the movie, it's one of those things that very few people get to see, due to feuds between Argento and movie producers Universal, who felt they had been given a bad deal compared to the power of "Bird"; Four Flies is definitely not as impressive as the predecessor nor does it have the character of Deep Red. What it does deliver well though is the fact that in his early directorial years Argento was not afraid to experiment.

Bird With The Crystal Plumage was the movie that opened the worlds eyes and ears to the term Giallo. Legendary movie maker Mario Bava created a series of movies that were distinctly Giallo and made those in Italy unaware with the term very familiar. Giallo movies are basically the Italian version of what we would call a who-dunnit. With Mario Bava mastering this genre, newcomer Dario Argento a popular scriptwriter popped up with this blistering tale of terror. The combination of tense thriller and fantastic imagery made Bird With The Crystal Plummage the most successful Italian movie of that time.
An American working in Italy, Sam Dalmas is preparing to return to his native country. Deciding to take one last look around Rome at night. Unexpectedly he finds himself in front of an art gallery, where he notices a woman being attacked. Separated by a giant piece of soundproof glass, and battling to get some attention at the dead of night Sam manages to save the victim.

For Sam this is not the end of events but just the beginning, as he is forced to stay in Rome by the police, convinced he has seen more than he has. In staying Sam finds himself caught in a dangerous place as he turns private detective; but this has its downside as he finds himself number one on a serial killers hit list. As the bodies mount up Sam finds himself in search of answers in a sinister painting, and of course the bird with the crystal plumage.

This movie is one of the real classics of Italian cinema, the blend of psychological terror, humour and fantastic set pieces makes this a movie that's difficult to take your eyes off. From the now legendary opening scene of the attack, your very much aware this is not the normal type of serial killer thriller. The bright lights and white colours of the gallery bleed out into the darkness and its very difficult not to find real beauty during this terrible and terrifying moment. For this very reason its incredibly difficult to get to grips with the fact that this movie is nearly 40 years old. Everything about it stinks of 1985, but never 1970.

The plot of the movie offers you twist after twist after twist, each time you believe you have correctly identified the killer something comes up to stop you from suspecting them, usually death. The story is knitted at a pretty good pace, even when the story sidetracks into the personal lives of the characters you can see the story is eating away inside of them; much like this sort of issue would have in real life.

One of the most bizarre issues about the movie are the things that sit in your mind after the movie finishes; the artist that eats cats, the bizarre painting of a woman being attacked in the snow. And the scene from the gallery. A pimp who cant stop saying "so long". All of these issues become primary ones in not just mine but other people I know who have seen the movie; even despite the fact that some far more surprising imagery literally soaks out of the movie into your living room.

The performances are lock solid, which is somewhat of a rarity for an Italian movie from this time of cinema. Suzy Kendall a popular actress of the 60's and 70's was at the height of her sex siren status, her image on many a teenage boys walls proves she can really carry a movie even if its not made in her native tongue. More familiar with the Italian cinema was Tony Musante, a popular American actor who ended up doing a series of Italian and Spanish pictures around this period. Despite the laters performance, he nearly caused the movie not to be made altogether causing daily rows with Argento because he thought he new better than the newcomer director. The final actor worth a mention was German actress Eva Renzi who plays Monica the first person we see attacked as the movie begins. Eva provides the real sex appeal with her visually stunning model looks; Eva will always be remembered for this movie pulling herself along the floor covered in blood. Each scene she is in, her character fills showing a mixture of fear and tense aggression.

Time requirements cut my adding of movies to a minimum today, but coming soon:- Giallo, Profondo Rosso, Dawn Of The Dead and more... Check back soon!