IMDb plot summary: A jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.
Directed by Dario Argento. Starring David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, and Macha Méril.
I've only seen one other Argento film, Suspiria, but the hallmarks of his filmmaking are distinctive enough that they're easily recognizable here -- bold colors, over-the-top violence and gore, a dramatic score. There's a fascinating musical choice made every time we see another murder happen, where it flips from an ominous score to a much higher energy, much more exciting one. That scoring decision along with the fact that we see the murders committed from the killer's point of view, thus obscuring their identity, puts us unsettlingly in this unknown murderer's shoes and sets up these dramatically violent moments as a sort of adrenaline rush. Giallo is a horror subgenre I don't instantly connect with, but by the end of this one I'd mostly come around on it -- it helped that the story was concrete enough that the stylistic choices felt like an enhancement rather than a distraction. I don't know that I'll revisit this one any time soon, but I'm glad I got to see it.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Deep Red < Downfall
Deep Red > The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
Deep Red > Wild
Deep Red < Runaway Bride
Deep Red > Choke
Deep Red > In & Out
Deep Red > First Blood
Deep Red < Interstate 60
Deep Red < Frosty the Snowman
Deep Red < King Kong (2005)
Deep Red > The Love Witch
Deep Red > Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Final spot: #1842 out of 3235, or 43%.
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