Shudder Saturday: Opera (1987)

It's been a while since I've seen Opera. It's been a while since I have watched, or rewatched (more often than not), ANY Dario Argento movie. I was moved to revisit this particular feature after mentioning it to someone who was just starting to explore Argento's filmography. I have always had a soft spot for it, although I was initially confused when I once thought I was revisiting it before pressing play on Dario Argento's The Phantom Of The Opera (a film made a decade later, and one that isn't half as good as this).

This IS a riff on the classic Gaston Leroux tale, considering it's all about a mysterious figure who takes an unhealthy interest in a stage starlet (Betty, played by Cristina Marsillach). Not content with watching her from the wings though, this "phantom" likes to catch Betty, use some needles and tape to ensure she cannot close her eyes, and make her watch as he kills various people in front of her. You get deadly set-pieces, a killer who stays hidden for most of the runtime, and an absolute overdose of style. Peak Argento giallo, in other words.

As well as directing, Argento is also credited here for co-writing the screenplay with Franco Ferrini. It may not be the best screenplay, but it's also far from the worst, especially in comparison to other giallo and slasher films of this era. It's just a shame that Argento tries to give characters emotionally-loaded dialogue to match his swooping and gliding camerawork when the ideal approach would be a near-silent tale told through the gorgeous visuals.

Marsillach is fine in the role of Betty, and this is a cast that also has room for Daria Nicolodi (a friend named Mira), Coralina Cataldi Tassoni (a costumier named Giulia), Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini, and Antonella Vitale, all potential victims or a potential killer, as well as a fun cameo from Michele Soavi (uncredited), but the real pleasure comes from Argento setting up one audacious sequence after another in a way that blends the traditional with the modern more effectively than some of his other work.

Even compared to other Argento delights, and I'm sure some will argue with me on this point, Opera feels dizzying and dazzling in a way that underlines his mastery of fluid camera movement, inventive and gory deaths, and the seriously macabre juxtaposed alongside entertaining absurdity. While not his very best film, I would nominate Opera as his best technical work. And I know it has some stiff competition.

If you haven't seen this one by now then do make it a priority. Okay, start elsewhere if you're completely new to Argento (Deep Red is always a winner, even if it's arguably the high point of his career), but you don't need to be an expert in his filmography to recognise his tricks and flourishes packed into every main scene here. 

9/10

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Shudder Saturday: Dario Argento: Panico (2023)

Although I like to watch them, I am never eager to review documentaries. It's rare to have much to say about them, especially when they often use very similar ways to convey information to viewers. Summarising a documentary is often just summarising the subject itself, but sometimes that subject is worth making others aware of. I'm not sure that can be said of Dario Argento.

Don't get me wrong. Argento remains a big name in the horror genre, a man responsible for some past glories that stand up as outright classics, but even some of his more generous fans would have to admit that it's been at least two decades since he showed anything like the kind of directorial talent and flair that made his reputation. Some argue that Dark Glasses showed some promise, a minor return to form, but I strongly disagree.

That's what puzzles me about this documentary. Who will get the most out of it, and why now? Argento isn't on some major upswing, which takes the documentary itself to an inevitably downbeat and depressing final act, and the fact that he keeps trying (the tenacity is admirable, to be fair) means that there's no definitive end point that can be used to bookend his film career. He may yet make another movie, or he may not, but nothing is known at this time, which gives the documentary a hugely anti-climactic feeling.

Director Simone Scafidi obviously thinks that this story is worth telling, and there's plenty of time dedicated to the complex relationship that Argento has with women (both offscreen and on), including some of the frank and raw speech you would expect from his daughter, Asia, but it doesn't get close enough to the bottom of a very murky pool. And then, after touching on topics that you know are interesting enough to require some more exploration, Scafidi and co. pull back, returning to the relative safety of Gaspar Noé, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Guillermo del Toro offering up their praise to someone they revere.

Although it may not seem like it from my words here, I am a huge fan of Argento, up to a certain point. He deserves a LOT of love and respect for the contributions he has made to giallo, and to the horror genre overall. At least two of his films are gold-plated classics. Which is why I was all the more frustrated by this documentary. I don't think it worked as intended, with the unimaginative construction and soundbites coalescing into something that rarely reminds you of the greatness of Argento's talent. You could make one feature alone by simply juxtaposing moments from Suspiria with many films and scenes it has influenced, but even that atmospheric classic feels as if it is given relatively short shrift here.

There is potential for a great documentary to be made about the life and works of Argento. This doesn't come close. Those present keep serving as a reminder of the many people not included, the film clips are assembled with very little thought or care (in my eyes anyway), and the end result is a huge wasted opportunity.

3/10

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Shudder Saturday: Dark Glasses (2022)

Ilenia Pastorelli stars as Diana, an Italian escort who ends up losing her sight when she is attacked by a serial killer. She then meets Rita (Asia Argento), someone aiming to help her adjust to her life without sight, and enlists the help of a small child, Chin (Andrea Zhang), to be her eyes for her. The killer wants to finish what they started though, and it seems inevitable that Diana will lose more than her sight.

When this movie was first announced, horror fans were excited. Dario Argento, a once-great master of cinema, was seemingly returning to the giallo style of movie that had so often given us his best work. Hopes were high that this could banish the memory of the last film he directed a decade ago, the abysmal Dracula 3D. I even started to hear positive reviews from people who saw this at festival screenings. 

Those people lied!

Okay, admittedly, some will just like this more than others, and it is much better than his Dracula movie. But that is like saying cholera is better than the plague. The world would be better off without either. And maybe it is time for Argento to hang up his hat. We all have to accept that he’s probably not going to deliver another classic that would make a perfect end to his directorial career (although his involvement in the powerful and heart-breaking Vortex show that he could maybe collaborate with others in a way that would be beneficial to everyone).

Dark Glasses feels like on of those scripts you sometimes see created by AI. Everything is present and correct, in terms of the tropes that Argento has worked with throughout his career, but nothing feels quite right. Events unfold, but don’t always feel naturally connected to one another. There are occasional bursts of violence, but they feel unimpressive and lacking in any energy. It is, overall, impossible to care about anything, or anyone, in the film.

Pastorelli and Zhang have some good moments together, Asia Argento gives a performance that actually works well (a pleasant surprise), and there is supporting work from Andrea Gherpelli and Mario Pirrello, as well as one or two others, that adds to the potential for a lot of fun. Sadly, that potential is never realised.

It all boils down to the fact that Argento seems to have lost his way, forgotten how he made moments of cinema that were so impactful, that made such an indelible impression on so many viewers. There is no point in criticising the script, co-written by Argento and Franco Ferrini, because these movies aren’t usually focused on the writing. The technical side of things (including the score by Arnaud Rebotini) is all competent. But competent is not what you expect, or want, from Dario Argento. 

I didn’t expect this to be on the same level as his best work, that would be a tall order indeed, but I was hoping to see one or two scenes that contained flashes of brilliance, breadcrumbs rewarding those who keep hoping that an immense talent hasn’t entirely disappeared. There was nothing here. You could even say that something so lacklustre MIGHT make you admire the craziness of his Dracula movie a bit more. I won’t ever say that, but you could.

3/10

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Mubi Monday: The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970)

The directorial debut of Dario Argento, and the first of what would become his “animal trilogy”, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage is a visually-pleasing and entertaining murder mystery. It is a giallo that both shows the intended path of a film career that would keep Argento on a high for the next decade or two and yet also tries harder to keep things logical and tidy (unlike a number of the more barmy examples of this sub-genre that aim for style and memorable deaths over any kind of plausibility).

Tony Musante plays Sam, an American living in Rome with his girlfriend, Julia (Suzy Kendall). Walking home one night, Sam witnesses the attempted murder of Monica Ranieri (Eva Renzi). He is unable to properly see the attacker, or even help, as he is trapped in an area between two glass doors. Once Monica is safe, with police and medical personnel on the scene, Sam tries to untangle exactly what he just witnessed. Immediately coming under suspicion from Inspector Morisini (Enrico Maria Salerno), Sam decides that he has to provide his innocence AND find the killer. Yes, it is time for him to turn amateur detective.

A lot of people love this film, and the subsequent films that came along soon after it, but I never have. It’s important, establishing some of the main elements that Argento would go on to polish and perfect by the time he delivered Deep Red, but it lacks the savagery and memorable madness that feels soaked into so much of Argento’s filmography. There’s one highlight, the main sequence in which our hero is trapped while watching the attempted murder take place, and the ending returns to that idea, but it’s not quite enough to make this a classic. It is good, but you can find a hundred other examples of this kind of film that are good.

Argento keeps his script pretty low-key and grounded, and also keeps it fairly close to a Fredric Brown novel titled “The Screaming Mimi” (apparently, I am not familiar with that material so cannot say just HOW close this is), which gives him more time to make viewers cringe with dialogue that weaves between the laughably bad to the horribly outdated. He already shows a good eye for set-piece moments though, but just cannot throw in enough of them while taking more care than usual to deliver a standard narrative.

It's tough to judge the acting on display, especially when heightened melodrama is the tone of most scenes, but I guess you could say that everyone feels right for the time and the place. Musante is a decent lead, helped by the fact that his “relationship” with the killer feeds into his need to get the case solved ASAP, and Salerno is good as the typically displeased cop who is very reluctant to let our hero get too far away from him. Kendall and Renzi are fine, the latter having a bit more fun once the immediate threat of murder is gone, and Umberto Raho, Pino Patti, Giuseppe Castellano, and Mario Adorf all help, populating the screen with memorable characters/suspects.

A score by Ennio Morricone also proves to be a bonus, although it is far from his best work, and there’s a fascination in seeing Argento begin his directorial career with something so intriguingly full of indicators of what he would circle around, again and again, throughout his career. I may not love it, but I certainly admire it.

6/10

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Shudder Saturday: The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971)

This might be a very early feature from Dario Argento (the second film he helmed, and also the second of his animal-themed trilogy), but this rather sedate giallo certainly has a lot of elements in place that the director would become known for throughout the next couple of decades.

The basic plot concerns a number of killings that seem to be connected to a scientific laboratory. As the mystery deepens, it becomes something more and more interesting to a journalist (Carlo Giordani, played by James Franciscus) and a blind puzzle enthusiast (Franco Arnò, played by Karl Malden). But as they get closer to the truth, they also get themselves targeted by the killer.

Although a bit bloodless compared to what Argento would deliver within the next few years, The Cat O'Nine Tails is a fun murder mystery that is punctuated by death scenes often enough to help the pacing of the film. For fans of this kind of thing, you get everything you could expect from an early 1970s Italian thriller. A handsome lead. Someone with a disability that doesn't stop them from being quite brilliant, yet critically holds them back from solving the mystery any time before the grand finale (of course). Some wonderfully cheesy dialogue, especially in a scene showing the sexual chemistry about to shatter the beaker when James Franciscus is being as forward as he can be with Catherine Spaak. A bit of gratuitous nudity. A ridiculous explanation for the killings, with some enjoyably silly science backing it up. And, of course, the usual equivalence of any deviance from the entrenched hetero-normative standards with the potential to be a dangerous psychopath.

Franciscus is good in his role, all noble intent and twinkly eyes, and Malden does very well as the blind man who ends up becoming an invaluable assistant as the investigation gathers momentum. Spaak is made to start off icy and full of attitude, before thawing out in the company of the lead hunk, and she does fine in her role. Small turns from Aldo Reggiani, Horst Frank, and Carlo Alighiero help to remind you of the many red herrings to be considered as the killer, up until the reveal that we get in the final sequence. And it's also worth mentioning that Cinzia De Carolis is a lot less irritating than she could have been in the role of Lori, the niece of Malden's character, and someone who provides him with one or two essential observations.

Argento is already showing his eye for interesting shot choices (especially extreme close-ups that show an unflinching eye looking at victims), but there's still some way to go before he would have the style and flair that would make his more celebrated outings stand out from the crowd. The best thing here is seeing him hold back, setting up some nice moments of tension with simpler shot choices and camera movement, in line with a plot that is slightly less convoluted than many of his other works.

It may be more for completists than anyone seeking out the cream of the crop, when it comes to either gialli or Argento films, but it's still more worthwhile than many others you could choose, including some from the latter part of Dario's filmography.

6/10

There's a lovely disc available here.

Mubi Monday: Suspiria (1977)

It may seem paradoxical to say so but I've always thought that perfect films don't have to BE perfect. They just have to work perfectly for you. If you want to recommend Kangaroo Jack as your favourite film, and you genuinely see it as a perfect film for you, then it's a perfect film, despite the imperfections. I know that Jaws isn't a perfect movie (although, come on, it's nowhere near as imperfect as a Kangaroo Jack) but it is to me. It's my favourite film of all time, no matter how many scenes show how fake the big shark can look, or how the underwater footage rarely matches the supposed size of the "real" creature. It just doesn't matter. I am drawn into that film from the opening moments and I am absolutely wrapped up in the entire experience until the very end of the end credits.

That opening paragraph is a long-winded way to avoid upsetting people when I start saying that a lot of individual elements of Suspiria are far from perfect. The acting isn't great, even from the beloved leading lady (Jessica Harper), the script is a load of codswallop at times, and there's very little logic to be had for those who need such things. Not that any of that matters. Suspiria still manages to be a perfect film because it's a phenomenal marriage of sound and vision that contains at least two of the best set-pieces in the genre (one being the very opening sequence).

Here's the plot, for the little it matters. Harper plays Suzy Bannion, an American woman who turns up to attend a prestigious dance academy in Germany. She soon starts to realise that the place is a bit odd, and other girls start to disappear (due to them being killed by mysterious, unseen, forces).

Written by director Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi, the script may not be all that memorable when it comes to the dialogue but it works well when hinting at the Three Sisters mythos that Argento would also use for some other movies. And the words come second to the visuals, which are no less than stunning.

Eye-searing reds complement deep blacks, whether it's the decor or the bright blood spilling out of victims. You get other colours too, but it's the reds that imprint themselves on the mind most vividly. This is such a gorgeous movie that, yes, almost every frame could be removed and hung up as a painting. It's one of the most beautiful movies you will ever see and easily remains the most gorgeous horror movie ever painted on film.

Then you have the audio work, layering on the atmosphere and chills. That classic score by Goblin is every bit as good as you've heard it is and the sound design throughout is flawless (not counting the dubbed dialogue), from footsteps being listened to by lead characters to breathing emanating from invisible observers, making it seem like the building itself is the main presence, and the moments that feature shattering glass and pierced flesh.

If you have still not seen this then change that as soon as possible. If you recently saw the remake and thought it better than this then I encourage a revisit. You may still prefer the new take on the material but it's worth reminding yourself of just how absolutely gorgeous and chilling the original is.

10/10

You may want to shop around, but here is one disc version of the film.
Americans can pick up this edition.

The Church (1989)

Directed by Michele Soavi, The Church is, allegedly, an official sequel to the Demons movies. I'm not sure who decided that, considering that it bears very little resemblance to those other films, beyond the superficial similarities (e.g. some people in a building, and some demons causing problems).

The plot is much more reminiscent of Prince Of Darkness, dealing with a group of people in a church who are unfortunate enough to witness something truly evil arising. Perhaps. There's a priest (Hugh Quarshie) who might be able to help good triumph over any demonic attack, a couple of scholarly, but not old and dull, folks (Tomas Arana and Barbara Cupisti) who might also be able to help, if they're not too busy making eyes at one another and putting themselves in potential danger, and there's a young girl (Asia Argento) who knows a secret way in and out of the church that might just prove useful at some point.

The strangest thing about The Church is that it feels so dull, despite the fact that so much wonderful imagery is thrown around in the second half of the movie. There's a decent amount of gore, some real nastiness, and an air of sleaziness that fans of Italian horror should enjoy. This is the sort of movie in which you can feel the clammy presence oozing from every dark crevice of the featured building while also feeling the hot, uncomfortable looks that certain characters give to others as they come under the influence of evil.

Quarshie is pretty solid in his role, while Arana and Cupisti both make for decent potential leads until they're somewhat sidelined in the third act. Argento doesn't have to stretch herself, and is just fine, while genre fave Giovanni Lombardo Radice also joins in with the fun, accompanied by Feodor Chaliapin Jr, Antonella Vitale and Robert Caruso, among others.

Soavi's direction is as fluid and stylish as usual, and the screenplay (by Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini, and Soavi, as well as a few other helpers) tries to set everything up seriously, but makes the whole thing just that little bit absurd. The opening sequence alone feels like an outtake from Monty Python And The Holy Grail, and that's before you get to the scenes that show people talking about the history of the church and what discoveries might be made there AKA the laughably clumsy exposition moments.

But there's gore, death, lust, a score that uses Goblin, Philip Glass, Keith Emerson and Fabio Pignatelli, and some memorable imagery. Which is often all you need from these movies.

6/10

http://www.amazon.com/Church-Hugh-Quarshie/dp/B000TZJCMS/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1411850939&sr=1-1&keywords=the+church

Dario Argento's Dracula AKA Dracula 3D (2012)

It's almost becoming too easy nowadays to criticise the recent movies directed by Dario Argento, but when the man who was such a master of his craft starts to churn out rubbish as bad as this . . . . . . . . well, I think all of that criticism is well and truly justified.

Because, make no mistake about it, Dario Argento's Dracula (AKA Dracula 3D) is a terrible movie in almost every department. It's so inept at times that you start to wonder whether or not Mr. Argento is having a laugh at our expense.

Everyone knows the story by now, and if you don't then it's up to you to quickly get up to speed, so I won't include too many details here. There are differences, such as the film taking place almost exclusively in Transylvania, but the main characters remain the same. Thomas Kretschmann plays the big man, Rutger Hauer comes along as Van Helsing just in time for the finale, Marta Gastini is a pleasant enough Mina Harker, Asia Argento is Lucy, and Maria Cristina Heller is a sexy vamp for most of the runtime. Let's not mention Unax Ugalde as Jonathan Harker because, well, it's just too painful for me to remember his performance.

The script, written by four people including Argento himself, is a muddled mess, with the recognisable central story strand, and one or two famous moments, surrounded by scenes that range from the ridiculous to the gratuitous, with the latter at least providing SOME entertainment value.

The direction makes it seem as if Argento considered not having his name in the credits at one point. There are a few nice flourishes here and there, admittedly, but from the opening sequence - in which the camera flies through a poorly rendered CGI village - to the anticlimactic finale, this is clumsy stuff, not helped in the slightest by some of the shoddiest editing I've seen in a long, long time.

I've already mentioned some of the performances, but let me just say that Hauer is great and Kretschmann looks like he could have done better with the role if it had been better written and placed in a competent movie. Asia Argento is, as usual, godawful, Gastini is okay, and Heller shows that she's very proud of her breasts. And good for her. And did I mention that I don't want to mention Unax Ugalde as Jonathan Harker?

If you want to be cruel to yourself then watch this immediately. The special effects alone will have you reaching for the nearest spoon with which to scoop out your eyeballs. A few moments featuring different insects made me think, once more, that this whole thing might just be Argento playing a joke on us. Viewed in the right frame of mind, some people may find this funnier than Dracula: Dead And Loving It.

It's not as if the source material doesn't provide some great stuff to develop, for goodness sake. In fact, the strength of that source material is the reason that the film isn't quite a COMPLETE disaster. One or two moments still manage to remain effective, despite the best efforts of Argento and co. to totally screw up everything.

3/10

http://www.amazon.com/Argentos-Dracula-Blu-ray-Hutger-Hauer/dp/B00FUABHVQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391035115&sr=8-1&keywords=dario+argento%27s+dracula

See what I endure? Which is why I also pimp out my book, because every copy of my book sold gets a few pounds in my pocket, and gets you a good read (if I say so myself).

The UK version can be bought here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945647&sr=1-3&keywords=movie+guide

And American folks can buy it here - http://www.amazon.com/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395945752&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=TJs+ramshackle+mov

As much as I love the rest of the world, I can't keep up with all of the different links in different territories, but trust me when I say that it should be there on your local Amazon.

Demons 2 (1986)

For anyone who'd like to read my review of Demons first . . . . . . . . here it is. Demons 2 is a lot of fun. It's not as much fun as Demons, and it's not an accomplished movie in many ways, but fans of the first film will have a lot of fun here.

The plot, what little there is of it, sees a bunch of people in an apartment block scared to death when the place is infested by demons. It really puts a dampener on the birthday party being thrown for Sally (Coralina Cataldi Tassoni) and provides an unexpected extra workout for the folk who are in the gymnasium based on a lower ground floor (motivated by the great Bobby Rhodes).

With plenty of extra, vulnerable people to watch out for in this instalment - a pregnant woman, a child - it's clear that this movie wants to up the nastiness of the first movie. But it simply can't. The first movie was such a great premise, and had such a great selection of characters, that this sequel fights a losing battle every time it tries to provide something that's "the same, but different."

Director Lamberto Bava (who wrote the script with the same collaborators who helped him write the first movie - Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini and Dardano Sacchetti) does great with his mix of style and sleaze. The movie may seem a bit slow to start, but the first time a demon enters the apartment building via a TV screen is a highlight of the movie, and a moment I remember from seeing the trailer years ago. A trailer that made this movie a must-see. From then on, things step up a gear. Blood is spilt, mutations occur and there's an absolutely bonkers scene that tries hard to wring tension out of a woman fighting a slimy demon muppet creature. It's a shame that we spend more time outwith the main building for no discernible reason, but I'm sure they were just trying to break up the main set-pieces and stretch out the budget. Perhaps.

The acting isn't great, but everyone involved is happy enough to get caught up in the demon infestation so that's really all that counts. Tassoni is particularly poor in her early scenes, I'm afraid, but David Knight and Nancy Brilli are better, with the latter playing the pregnant woman who is one of the most vulnerable during the demonic invasion. I already mentioned the great Bobby Rhodes being great, and there's also a very young Asia Argento acting scared as chaos and death surround her.

With a number of cast members returning from the first movie, another great '80s soundtrack and impressive gore effects during the scenes in which people transform into demons, this is an easy film for fans of the first movie to enjoy. It's definitely a return trip to a well that didn't hold much water in the first place.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Demons-Steelbook-Limited-Edition-Blu-ray/dp/B007H9OORW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1380801480&sr=8-4&keywords=demons+2

Phenomena (1985)

When I first saw Phenomena many years ago I didn't realise that I was watching my first Dario Argento movie. I didn't even realise that it was called Phenomena. You see, when I was about 16-17 years old, Phenomena was available here in the UK in an edited form entitled Creepers. When I picked up the videotape for £3 and took it home to give it a watch all I knew was that a) it had the lovely Jennifer Connelly in it, b) the soundtrack was a mental mix of random metal from someone I didn't know - Goblin - and bits of Iron Maiden and c) it was quite ridiculous but entertaining.

The years have passed and I am older, though not always wiser, and can view the film in a different way now. First of all, I can't really admire Jennifer Connelly as I used to because she's about 14 or 15 in this movie and I'm now far too old for her (though in real life I'll always have a tiny little dream that won't die about me being in with a chance to woo her if only she'd coincidentally bump into me here in Edinburgh). Second, the soundtrack is still a mental mix but I am now very familiar with the great work of Goblin. Third, the film is still ridiculous but just as entertaining in a slightly different way from when I first saw it.

The plot sees Jennifer Connelly as young Jennifer, starting her time in a remote school for girls. There have been a number of murders in the area so Jennifer may want to try and curb her pesky sleepwalking habit. The other girls in the school aren't very nice to her at all but Jennifer soon befriends an entomologist, Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasence), who lives nearby and when the professor notices that Jennifer seems to have a way of somehow communicating with insects he starts to think that she could be the one to find out who is behind the murders.

Phenomena, like many of the later films from Argento, is not a wholly satisfying movie but it has moments of style and nastiness to make it well worth a viewing for horror fans. It also has a moment in which Jennifer Connelly calms down a bee and a moment in which she follows an insect to try and track down a killer.

The acting is a real mix. Connelly is quite good in her role, Pleasence is the best of the lot and Daria Nicolodi gets to act a bit over the top, as does Dalila Di Lazzaro. Patrick Bauchau is quite good and there's a smart chimpanzee (though not that smart as, apparently, it took a dislike to the lovely Miss Connelly and, apparently, tried to bite her finger off).

There are also, as you would expect, one or two excellent set-pieces to enjoy as the mystery killer goes about their business. A climax that is as sanity-shattering as it is truly horrific ensures that things at least end on a high note.

I'll always have a soft spot for this movie and it has its fans but it's not a film that I would unwaveringly recommend to any and every horror fan. If you ever have the time and opportunity then do give it a one-time watch and see what you think of it. Just don't blame me if you absolutely hate it.

6/10

Phenomena is available in this excellent Bluray which, be warned, changes to Italian audio every now and again to make use of the most complete print - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phenomena-Blu-ray-Region-Jennifer-Connelly/dp/B003OCFJ7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349463645&sr=8-1

Deep Red AKA Profondo Rosso (1975)

Dario Argento is, quite rightly, regarded as a master of horror and has given fans a lot to enjoy over the years. Deep Red may be almost 40 years old by now but it holds up as one of his best films. A sleek and stylish giallo movie with a number of brutal death scenes and nice bit of investigation leading our hero (played by David Hemmings) towards a revelatory finale, this remains a film that you can bring forth as evidence of a master craftsman when arguing against any naysayers.

Of course, there will always be those who tell you that Argento does nothing more than ride on the coat tails of the great Mario Bava but this isn't true. There is SOME truth to it (the visual style and the setting of many scenes are reminiscent of Bava's work) but Argento is, in my view, the man who really helped to show just how involved the camera could be with all of the action. Bava had the style and some nice camera moves but Argento allows the camera to become a free spirit, floating hither and thither in a way that added a layer of balletic choreography to almost every scene.

Sadly, the scripts never tend to come up to the same level of quality as the visuals but Deep Red is one of the better attempts to marry proper movie dialogues to the bloody set-pieces. Sometimes it almost works (the conversations that Hemmings has with Macha Meril, who plays Helga Ulmann, for example) and sometimes it doesn't (pretty much any conversation that involves the character played by Daria Nicolodi).

Never mind though. A picture paints a 1000 words, as the saying goes, and there has never been more apt defence for the works of the great directors who know exactly where they want the camera to be while not always concerning themselves with the actors. Argento certainly fills each scene with enough mood and substance to make up for the weak script.

Deep Red remains an essential giallo for fans of the subgenre and is just as good an entry for newcomers as any other film that I can think of. If you haven't seen it yet then do so ASAP.

9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Red-Blu-ray-Region-Free/dp/B003NEQ72U

Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971)

Fans of Steve Martin, Woody Allen and Dario Argento all have one thing in common. They seem to spend a lot of their time wondering just when their favourites will return to the top form of their earlier efforts. Steve Martin has occasionally almost made audiences forget about the awful Bringing Down The House (okay, okay, I quite enjoyed that one, so sue me), Woody Allen has received apparently well-deserved praise for Midnight In Paris (which I have queued up and ready to watch at some point in the next few weeks) and Dario Argento has . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . well, let's be honest now, he's not really offered his loyal fans anything promising for quite some time. Or am I forgetting something major? If you could enjoy The Card Player, but not love it, then you're on a par with myself. I think his last excellent movie, from the few recent efforts I have seen, was Sleepless but even that one didn't please all of his fans. Not by a long shot.

Despite what some will tell you, not every earlier Argento movie was/is a bona fide classic. He certainly did his best work before the change of the century but giallo fans who have more than a passing knowledge of the subgenre will be able to provide you with a list of names of directors they feel have created a body of work superior to the Argento selection. That's not to take anything away from the man, it's just that perspective is needed when viewing and reviewing his work. I still love many of his movies and I still feel that his better films - Deep Red, Suspiria, Tenebrae, Opera etc - rank up there with the best that the genre has to offer. But that still doesn't mean that there aren't people who can do better.

Four Flies On Grey Velvet is a perfect example of the best of Argento mixed in with a few negatives.

The story, with a screenplay by Argento based on the story that he wrote with Luigi Cozzi and Mario Foglietti,  is twisted and interesting enough - a young man (Roberto, played by Michael Brandon) confronts someone that he believes has been stalking him for a few days, a scuffle ensues and then the "stalker" is accidentally killed. This whole incident has been photographed and the photographer now blackmails Roberto and becomes more and more menacing, also causing some more deaths. Things build to a tense and revelatory finale.

The direction showcases fluid and stylish camerawork that would become, arguably, Argento's main trademark throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s with some amusing camera shots from such strange positions as the inside of a guitar, etc. There are also some enjoyable set-pieces, though nothing really on a par with his best work (with the exception of the very last moments of the film).

The acting is okay. Brandon does what is required, as do the likes of Mimsy Farmer, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Bud Spencer and the other cast members. But okay isn't good enough when the movie is full of too many moments that highlight the weaknesses in between the strengths. The script isn't all that great and a bit of editing could have really helped this whole film become a much more enjoyable, more streamlined thriller/horror. Just when you think things are getting better something comes along to undermine the tension, be it poor character choices or just banal dialogue exchanges.

I recommend this movie, especially to fans of Argento (of course), but it's not the best example of a movie of this type. It's not even in the top 5 Argento movies of this type, in my opinion. Nonetheless, this is a good film with an abundance of style and ingenuity. And some musical input from Ennio Morricone.

7/10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Flies-Velvet-Uncut-remastered/dp/B005PM6M50/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1332972873&sr=1-2