The kinetic camerawork and brutal over-the-top gore that made Dario Argento famous is on full display, but the addition of a compelling, complex story makes Deep Red a masterpiece.
The film that has become the master work in Italian horror maestro Dario Argento's canon, Deep Red holds up brilliantly despite the plethora of copycat slasher films it inspired in the years to follow. The film opens with a flashback murder shown from the perspective of a child while an eerie nursery rhyme plays. Cut to the present, pianist Marc Daly (David Hemmings) witnesses the murder of a psychic while chatting with his drunken pal, Carlo (Gabriele Lavia). While the police investigate, Marc
joins forces with attractive reporter Gianna (Daria Nicolodi). Once Marc realizes that he is a target for the killer, he seeks help from Giordani (Glauco Mauri), a professor of the paranormal, who soon becomes one of the killer's victims. Marc's research leads him to an abandoned house where he discovers a secret room that hides a corpse. Before he can call the cops, he is knocked out and awakens to find the place in flames while Gianna holds him. Racing to the neighbors to call for help, Marc discovers an important clue that leads him to a nearby school where he finally finds the killer's identity. The madman attacks him, but the police arrive to save Marc. Though the case appears to be solved, Marc comes to the disturbing realization that one piece of the puzzle remains. ~ Patrick Legare, Rovi
Operating under the principle that a moving camera is always better than a static one, and not above throwing in a terrifying evil doll, Deep Red showcases the technical bravado and loopy shock tactics that made Argento famous.
The inimitable David Hemmings steals much of the show, but it's Argento's trademark candy-red blood, appearing here in copious volumes, which really turns the stomach.
Practically pitch-perfect in execution, Deep Red engrosses us in a suspenseful mystery where, as in classic thrillers, the camera lingers on a clue that the main character is oblivious to. In this case, it's a paint chip that unpeels to reveal another malevolent figure in a children's drawing. Hemmings is thankfully
not a brutish gumshoe, he is a non-virile pianist who cannot win an arm-wrestling contest with a willowy woman. The imaginatively sickening death scenes drip with the licorice-red karyo syrup of Gothic giallos. A teeth-bludgeoning scene is unsettling to watch and while the final kill might seem schematic and contrived, its payoff is grotesquely jaw-dropping and doesn't reek of being overly composed. A true Italian horror masterpiece with nightmarish images in spades.
A pianist witnesses the murder of a psychic and becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the killer. Ultra-stylish romp with a cool jazz-rock score from Goblin, featuring some of the Dario Argento's tensest kill scenes.
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