Deep Red

Trying to explain an Argento film, is like waiting for your better half when she's trying on clothes, without sighing loudly. Not easily done...

Argento's work is often both disturbing and beautiful at the same time. Deep Red is a perfect example of this. The very intricate use of camera movement, zoom, and framing. The use of mirrors and lighting. The often insane music choices. Everything has a distinct purpose, and I love it!!!

Deep Red should be on everyone's watchlist. Especially the original Italian cut. More story, more Argento goodness.

Of strong note: when seeking this one out, make sure you're getting the director's cut (126 minutes). THAT is the movie everyone's raving about. Twenty-odd years ago, I had a chance to see the original American theatrical release, which clocks in at 89 minutes.

Take a look at those two numbers and do the math, and then marvel at whatever studio exec thought that was a good idea. Avoid that 89-minute cut like the plague. It's a great example of the living definition of "incoherent".

A true masterwork for Argento. The colors, the cinematography, the music all work on perfect harmony. With some of of the more realistic and human characters I've seen painted in horror. This is one of my favorites of his.

A fantastic entry to the giallo genre. From the music to shot composition, to the use of dark space had me thoroughly enjoying the entire film. Not often does something happen in a movie that receives an audible noise from me, but by god did this have a few!

The music, atmospheres, pacing, long and close shots... it all adds to a perfect slow mystery horror. A good Argento movie. The exellent imaginative directing and very direct editing add to the impact. I think the characters and plot were OK. It wasn't very complex, but they were mystified enough to not be boring and do the job.

Argento's signature is very evident, many elements are similar to the later Suspiria (or even to Psycho). Suspiria works well because it is based on a very simple plot idea, this is a very engaging thriller, but not smooth in some passages which seem to suffer the sign of time. For instance, the musics are excellent, especially the main theme, but they seem sometimes misused. Or the plot where sometimes the character behave in illogical ways (especially the element that brings the killer identity comes almost from nowhere), and do not act always at their best.

As one of the modern masters of horror, Dario Argento's career is one of enormous value for horror fans, and among his many works, "Profondo Rosso" is an essential one.

This kinda does that Tarantino thing of elevating trashy schlock with arthouse sensibilities. It's pulpy and silly, the performances are exaggerated and big, yet there's genuine sophistication to be found in its writing and directing. I had a hard time grasping its tone, mostly because the palette is so broad that it doesn't always feel like you're watching the same movie. Some scenes are really good at building tension through the excellent camerawork and editing, but then it'll throw in a groovy funk song that feels completely out of place. If its intent is to strike a similar tone to the stuck in the middle with you scene from _Reservoir Dogs_, I don't think it's nearly as well executed here. I understand that you want to have a different musical touch in your unconventional horror film, but here it feels uneven and confusing. I think horror and light comedy can go hand in hand (_Shaun of the Dead, Evil Dead 2, Get out_), however with this movie it feels like the emotion gets undercut. It probably would've worked better for me if it leaned more into the absurd from beginning to end. Still, the whodunit element and character development are pretty well done, with the writing being intelligent enough that it's hard to predict where the film will go next. The kills are also creative and interesting. The acting, while not particularly nuanced, fits with Argento's vision. In the end, it's one of those movies that just screams 'cult classic' because of the wild choices it's constantly making. I think a lot of those movies are overvalued, however with this I'm seeing genuine talent and effort behind the camera, so it deserves a light recommendation.

5.5/10

Less visual than Suspiria, but more coherent what counts (removing the thing from the doors of the house), until they tell you who the murderer is and it is impossible that it is [spoiler]Are you telling me that an old lady entered the hall through the roof? Only 4 knew that he was going to the writer's house and the old lady was not one of them, so she could not know [/spoiler]

"Profondo Rosso" (Deep Red) is the film that closes Dario Argento's "thriller" phase before ultimately shifting to horror two years later. It's a Hitchcockian murder mystery with only glimpses of horror, usually occurring when someone is getting killed.

I am aware that this film wrote the history of horror and still has a huge cult following, but aside from the unique atmosphere of Argento's cinematography (the vibrant colors of the photography, the elegant and sumptuous set design, the stress on small items and details, the suspenseful editing), there is not so much to enjoy.

Like most of Argento's films, little effort has been put into the screenplay. The plot is out of focus, with people making the worsts mistakes, the investigation taking weird twists, and the two protagonists losing themselves in tons of bland dialogue. You might say that plot is not so relevant in this kind of film, but I would like to remind you that it eats up a considerable portion of the running time here. The dialogues also suffer from the terrible dub of its original version (the film was apparently shot in mixed languages and then dubbed in Italian by different actors).

It's not a dreadful film, but it felt like I could have just watched the cult scenes on YouTube and save myself the hustle. It was cool how they could perfectly hide such an important detail at the beginning of the film and even give you a big hint without anyone noticing ("You know, sometimes what you actually see and what you imagine get mixed up in your memory like a cocktail, from which you can no longer distinguish one flavor from another.").

Extra credit also goes to progressive rock band Goblin for having composed and performed the iconic main theme (the other tracks are a bit too funky and felt kind of out of place for my taste).

Useless trivia: the Japanese title of this movie is "Suspiria Part 2". It seems that "Suspiria" became popular in Japan at some point, and someone had the brilliant idea to grab easy cash by selling "Deep Red" as its sequel. I guess they didn't expect the internet to be invented and reveal that "Suspiria" actually came two years later.