Deep Red (1975)

Directed by Dario Argento. Starring David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Glauco Mauri, Gabriele Lavia, Clara Calamai, Macha Méril, Giuliana Calandra, Eros Pagni. [R]

Archetypal high-style, blood-soaked giallo exercise from director/co-writer Argento. Unknown black-gloved killer runs rampant through Turin; the first victim’s downstairs neighbor (Hemmings) and a reporter (Nicolodi) look to get to the bottom of it. After the sensational prologue, the movie settles into indistinct and sometimes bland plotting and plastic performances, but Argento’s salient visual flamboyance keeps things from ever getting too tedious. The creatively-choreographed murder and suspense scenes are doled out infrequently for the first hour-plus, but the pace picks up in the final act for a series of terrific shocks. Garish gore is indiscreet, but never labored at length. Horror highlights include the sudden appearance of a cackling doll and a necklace decapitation. First of several collaborations between Argento and local prog band Goblin, who provides the blaring rock score. Known as Profondo Rosso for its original Italian release, which is also over twenty minutes longer than the English-dubbed import.

73/100