Adrian:
The opening scene of the film, a vignette in which two silhouettes – killer and victim – are seen against the backdrop of a seemingly normal house decorated for yuletide, the latter of the two being stabbed to death, the murder weapon, a bloodstained butcher knife, falling to the floor at the feet of a third, unseen character, reveals more about the intentions of Deep Red and its architect, Dario Argento, than any analysis of plot, theme, or character arcs could: this is a film about itself.
The plot, a foreigner in Italy both hunting and being hunted by an elusive serial killer, is one that Argento lifted from his first film, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, and would continue to use for the majority of his career. Not that it matters anyway. Many Dario Argento films make little or no narrative sense whatsoever, and those that do use plot solely as a framework to move the film along from one set piece to the next. However, it should be said that Deep Red sports not only a coherent plot, but one that becomes increasingly (and surprisingly) elaborate and involving as the second half of the film unfolds, revealing what appeared a slow, laborious, seemingly pointless first half to actually contain key plot points. This increased attention to plot is simultaneously the film’s greatest strength and its greatest weakness.
The purpose of Argento’s films is to reflect his own personal tastes and stylistic flourishes. Without his unique sensibilities and his ability to use off kilter shot composition, shock editing, eerie set design, and strange (but effective) musical scores to create a truly oppressive atmosphere, his films, even ones with intricate stories like Deep Red, would easily fall into the category of generic exploitation slasher films, and therein lies the problem. By using most of the first half of the film to develop the plot, Argento neglects the chilling, atmospheric set pieces that define his films. Instead, viewers are treated to the development of characters that serve solely as devices of the plot, and though the cast performs competently (particularly David Hemmings, who proves to be a solid leading man), the lack of dramatic depth in the script, combined with Argento’s (characteristically) poor dialogue, renders these early scenes unable to hold the interest of viewers, much less carry the film.
Fortunately, they don’t have to. After dragging on for some forty-odd minutes, the film begins to build momentum with a bravura sequence in which the killer breaks into musician Marc Daly’s apartment in an attempt to halt his investigation into a series of murders by means of a meat cleaver. Relying on minute details in Hemmings’ performance, the shot composition of the scene, and in the soundtrack to build suspense, as opposed to his standard approach of combining heavy, palpable atmosphere with stylish shock tactics, Argento delivers not only Deep Red’s best scene, but one of the best set pieces of his career.
Following this scene, an ongoing series of brutal murders, detailed in an excellent fashion by Argento - clearly at the top of his game here - is intercut with main character Marc Daly’s efforts to uncover the identity of the murderer, through which he slowly uncovers each new layer of the mystery, revealing many seemingly pointless scenes throughout the film (especially concentrated in the first half) to have contained vital clues. As the film gathers energy, building towards a series of chilling, unpredictable, and increasingly gory climactic scenes, pausing only for brief (but hopelessly boring), character-oriented interludes, the film becomes truly arresting, each new scene drawing the viewer further into the bizarre, gothic reality created by Argento.
The set design of the film also deserves special mention. The film promises Deep Red, and the sets deliver, providing a rich color palette dominated by shades of red that darken as the film progresses. Working together with the various other technical elements of the film to create the truly malevolent atmosphere which encompasses the events that unfold onscreen, the sets of Deep Red embody what the film is really all about: exercises in flashy, energetic, self-aware, self-indulgent style. Dario Argento’s style.
7/10
Brian:
Giallo, the Italian word for yellow, has been used to refer to Italian pulp fiction since the 1930s, when the first pulps were printed on yellow paper. The term was later applied to B grade horror movies, with their rise in popularity and output. Deep Red is director Dario Argento’s fourth giallo, and the second one I have the pleasure of seeing.
In short, the story follows an English Pianist, Marcus Daly, who witnesses the murder of a psychic. The killer gets away, and Daly soon involves himself in discovering the identity of the hatchet wielding murderer. However, the further he gets into the investigation, the more the killer strikes, keeping Daly on his toes moving from one murder to the next.
The film oozes with a creepy, semi-surreal atmosphere. The age of the movie itself gives it a special tone. There is nothing quite like the sub-par quality of 1970s color, especially in horror films. It’s like in many other 70s and 80s horror movies, where the picture looks almost real, but is ever so slightly imperfect. The soundtrack, composed by “The Goblins” (who also did Suspiria, another Argento film), is equally surreal. Being a music lover and musician, I paid especially close attention to this aspect of the movie. From what I remember, the music consisted mainly of very 70s synth parts and some quirky guitar riffs. Yes, it’s kind of cheesy (especially out of context), but when the music and the movie are melded together, the result is oftentimes surreal, often creepy and yes, occasionally just cheesy.
The atmosphere is created by much more than just the movie’s age and music, however. The real beauty of the film is in the camera work and the interesting, stylish sets. From what I understand about Argento, he is not known for the quality of his dialogue, or the uniqueness of his stories. And Deep Red doesn’t break away from that. The dialogue is tolerable for the most part, but every now and then it gets downright painful. The plot is fairly standard for horror/mystery movies, although in my humble opinion there are some pretty interesting twists (especially near the “end”). Thankfully, Argento takes the subpar dialogue and clichéd story and turns it into a very enjoyable, oftentimes frightening film by utilizing unique camera angles, a semi-gothic, prog rock soundtrack and fitting, atmospheric sets.
7.5/10
