PROFONDO ROSSO aka Deep Red

(Dario Argento, 1975)



I cannot stress enough the importance of this film within the realm of gialli, Italian horror, and horror films in general. It was huge in Italy upon its release, and an astounding worldwide success for Dario Argento. Some (myself included) believe this to be his most accomplished film technically and artistically.



The story follows Marcus Daly (David Hemmings, of "Blow Up" fame), a jazz pianist who has the misfortune of witnessing the brutal bludgeoning death of renowned psychic Helga Ullman, who had at an earlier conference picked up "twisted" thoughts from an unseen murderer in the audience. Marcus later believes that something in the apartment might have been moved or is slightly different, a clue that may lead to the killer's identity. Thus he begins his own investigation with reporter Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi), a firm supporter of womens' lib. The list of suspects is long, and the clues in between cryptic and stretched to the point of incredulity.One would, however, be hard-pressed to correctly identify the killer before the end of the film.



The story is one of Argento's best-written, and the characters among his most quirky and memorable. Care was taken to develop them, which is a a rare occurrence in the bulk of his work. This does add quite a bit to the running time, but the scenes between Marcus and Gianna are never boring and add dimension. Marcus' friend Carlo is also well-rounded, and even after the revelation that he is a closeted homosexual who is seeing a transvestite he is never portrayed as mincing and effeminate (as they so often are in other Italian films from around the same time).



Okay, enough about the story! The real star of the show is Dario's INSANE compositions, lighting, and camerawork. He uses dark, muted color schemes and stark, atmospheric lighting throughout. His camera glides over the sets, lingering on knives, dolls, and closeups of red-rimmed eyes. A hundred screenshots from this film could be printed off and framed as art. Indeed, the whole affair DOES feel like a murder mystery by way of art house flick, with a few healthy doses of all-out horror. The murders, though spaced out, are extremely violent (especially considering when this came out) and well-filmed. Finally, there's the music to mention. It's by Goblin. Need I say more? One of their absolute best soundtracks, too. I give Deep Red 10 out of 10, and recommend it as one of The Top 3 Italian horror films to check out. Like now.



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WITCHERY aka La Casa 4

(Fabrizio Laurenti, 1988)



This is another of those movies that should NOT work on any level, and yet it rarely fails to delight! It stars David Hasselhoff (!) and Linda Blair (!!), and was produced by Joe D'Amato.



Simple story: Jane (Blair) has been having nightmares about a woman being chased until she jumps out a window. Her parents are looking to buy new property and invite her and her little brother to come see a potential location ...drumroll... it's the same house Jane's seen in her dreams. There they meet interloping photographer Gary (Hasselhoff) and his girlfriend. At the house, Jane's little brother runs into the same creepy European lady in black that saved her earlier in the film (I think she's a witch! Don't YOU?) Said creepy lady then begins working her witchery over the ensemble, first sending them to Hell for torture, then offing them in various grisly manners.



Like I said, this movie should NOT work, but it does. The cast keep things lively, though I can't say I really took The Hoff seriously in his role. Linda Blair actually acts in this, and isn't half bad. The story is almost intriguing, the synth score by Carlo Maria Cordio is appropriately creepy, and the camerawork is better than would be expected.



There are some pretty nifty gore effects, my favorite being when the bitchy mother in law gets her mouth sewn shut before being hung up in the fireplace to be roasted! Oh yeah, and there's fried baby-eating in this, so be warned! There's also some horrendously bad optical effects, my favorite being what I call the "Rainbow Flash" that occurs just before Witchery's about to brew! Good for a laugh, and holds up well to repeat viewings...if only for the sight of Hoff getting blood sprayed all over his face!



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ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK

(Sergio Martino, 1972)



A must-see for all giallo fans, ATCOTD has almost all the genre staples: Edwidge Fenech in the nude, double-crosses, red-herrings, psychedelic sequences, Satanism/ cult activity, and a sitar-laden soundtrack by Bruno Nicolai.



The film opens with a rather grotesque dream sequence in which Jane (Fenech) "relives" the trauma of the car accident that killed her unborn child. In her dream, Ivan Rassimov (wearing the brightest blue contact lenses imaginable) stabs her repeatedly until she wakes up. Her husband Richard (George Hilton)insists she stop seeing her psychotherapist in favor of taking a bunch of sedatives. Her friend Mary (Marina Malfatti) suggests that the only way to free Jane of her self-imposed guilt is to invite her to one of the black masses she frequently attends with a bunch of decadent weirdos.



Jane is accepted into the coven, but only on the grounds that she replace Mary (literally- she has to kill Mary!) The rest of the film is spent following Jane's breakdown as she runs from the coven, Mr Rassimov, and the unknown enemy who has orchestrated all of this. The cult imagery was obviously inspired by Rosemary's Baby, though that's as far as the similarities go. The cult here is not so concerned with keeping Jane alive for the purpose of bearing the Antichrist as they are with obtaining her possessions and killing her.



The story moves quickly, and in all directions. I know a basic giallo plot will ramble quite a bit, but the story here is ALL over the place! In this instance it works by adding confusion and uncertainty. The acting is superb, what with the casting of regulars Fenech, Hilton, Rassimov, Malfati, and Susan Scott. The only part that really let me down was the supernatural bit at the end, which seemed tacked-on. Very much recommended.



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