Score: 7/10
In one of Italian horror master Dario Argento's earliest films, a jazz pianist and a zealous reporter team up to investigate the brutal murder of a psychic woman. I can't help but snicker as I type that, but it isn't as silly as it sounds.
I could pretty much save an exact template for reviewing all of Argento's films. They are amazing to look at, terrible to hear, overacted, and horribly paced. This film is no exception. The camerawork and angles are masterful, creative, and atmospheric - wonderful for building tension and suspense. The elaborate and overtly gory death scenes are always different and fun. There was a particular death scene that chilled me to the core and gave me goosebumps.
Unfortunately, the terrible, terrible sound in his movies distract from the great visuals. For one, the sound mixing is extremely poor with fluctuating volume levels. The dubbing is never done well (even when the using the same language in post-production), and the screeching music is always hard on the ears. In this film, the two main characters inexplicably and non-contextually switch back and forth between English and Italian mid-scenes.
Lastly, somebody needs to give the man an editor. Sweeping landscape and exterior shots in every scene, added at least 10 minutes to the 2 hour run time. Basic standard trimming of shots could have cut another 10 making a perfect 1:40 run time (for which I would have scored the film higher).
Despite these negatives, this is a very good film. You either are an Argento fan, or you aren't. In the case of this film, the positives outweigh the negatives.
Starring: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, and Gabriele Lavia
Directed by: Dario Argento
Budget/Gross: N/A
IMDB Score: 7.6/10
Tomatometer: 100% critics and 84% audiences liked it
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