Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Since I'm an Argento review virgin reviewing Argento (at the coercion of some fellow Amazon denizens) during our annual Horrorween month celebration, I'll start from the beginning. I happened across Suspiria one night on cable. "Love at first sight" is the only pertinent phrase to describe the feeling. That is how I discovered Italy's macabre national treasure, Dario Argento. Since then we've crossed paths often, be it his collaborations with personal hero George Romero, the B-movies he's produced like Demons, or the occasional giallo -a genre he owns like no other, but is hot and cold for me- but I've never been able to recapture that "this is the greatest thing ever" feeling I got from "Suspiria". The closest were his entries into Showtime's outstanding Masters of Horror series, Jenifer and Pelts. And now here we are, with the first feature-length Argento-directed film since that fateful night that I have enjoyed front to back.

"Opera" is the story of a singer, Betty, who is forced to stand in for the injured star of a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, a play that has long been believed to be cursed. She owns the role and becomes an overnight sensation. Then the killing starts. A masked assailant begins a horrific ritual of tying up our protagonist and taping a row of needles under her top eyelids so that she is unable to even blink without drawing blood. He then lies in wait and proceeds to brutally kill whatever friend or lover attempts to come to Betty's rescue before cutting her free and going on his merry way. Why? Well that's complicated; best to let you figure that one for yourself. You've got your brutal Argento-rific deaths, your pack of birds not to be f#@ked with (quoth the raven, "mmmmm, eyeballs yummy!"), some really cool opera scenes, your creepy little girl spying on people in her apartment building through an air-conditioning shaft, and yes, your utterly inappropriate blasts of 80's heavy metal music. I haven't decided if it's obnoxiousness is charming or annoying, but I'm glad Argento represents.

Cristina Marsillach is beautiful. The girl is as captivating as they come whether she's in full-on opera garb belting it out, conversing with her co-workers, enjoying the beauty of nature maybe a little too much, or running braless down the street from her mysterious stalker. She is just a joy to watch in this film. The opera itself is very cool too. Argento added another layer of cred by making the director of the production a horror filmmaker crossing over into theater. The giant skulls and live croaking ravens on the stage set look absolutely killer and the costumes are pretty sweet as well. The tension in the film is well-played and the release is always a blast. Argento's trademark technicolor lighting gets a little bit of a workout in a scene or two. I don't know why it is so creepy and cool when it should just be a distraction, but I love the visuals that are created by this out-of-order color scheme that Argento likes to play with at times. Often imitated, never duplicated. Thought I was going to talk about horrible deaths first didn't ya? I'm not that shallow. Or am I just saving it for later to make you think I'm not?

Wait's over. "Opera" features some amazing deaths. Gotta love the ol' knife through the lower jaw and into the mouth gag. Get's 'em every time! Then you've got your close-ups of knife entering flesh which never stops being unnerving, and of course the fight with a clothes iron over a little gold trinket. Seriously. But the show stopper here is a work of true and utter genius. It's a death that has inspired countless others in it's artfulness, inventiveness, and (almost) unexpectedness, and is even more impressive when you consider that modern filmmakers need a million dollars worth of CG to attain anything close to the same effect today. Italian horror filmmakers really are a breed apart. That scene will likely put me off of peepholes for some time.

I wish "Opera" was perfect, but it just isn't so. First off, giallos (and slashers in general) aren't really my thing, though I do appreciate them. On the other hand, I must say that I also loved What Have You Done to Solange? so perhaps the genre is growing on me. There are a few parts in "Opera" where the scenes played out in such a fashion that I was literally annoyed by what I was watching. The battle for the trinket is one such scene. I don't demand realism, but don't be stupid either. No one is fighting a masked assailant over a crummy bracelet knowing that people have been murdered while their friend is mysteriously tied up in front of them. And nobody is going down for the count because a clothes iron hits them in the back either. Awful sequence. It also kind of robs the killing scenes of their emotional impact when we are hearing cheesy metal the whole time and we're supposed to be feeling for poor Betty being forced to watch. The needles under the eyelids didn't actually look very convincing, the ending was kind of odd, and I guessed who the killer was the first scene he was in. I can't even point to a specific reason why, I guess I just knew by some ingrained understanding of film conventions. Maybe Queen B's horrible sixth spoiler sense has rubbed off on me somehow. Dread the thought.

This is my second favorite Argento film that I've seen so far but there are, of course, more to see. This is an entertaining film of any genre and fans of Argento, murder, mystery, and murder-mysteries need to give this a shot. It stops short of being a masterpiece, but it's not that far off, either. Woopak (he's got you all in check!), and Mackshere: this one's for you guys.

THE NEEDLE EYELID SCENE =======>

Arguably the most unfathomable tragedy that could be inflicted upon a person would be the heinous murder of a loved one, right before your eyes. Imagine being forced to watch this, totally helpless, as your companion suffers an agonizing death. Completely traumatizing.
Argento feeds on this fear with precise tension and oppresive cruelty. A homicidal maniac ties up the main character and tapes packets of needles underneath her eyelids. A simple blink becomes excruciatingly painful. This detained woman is forced to gaze at the vicious murder. And the way this killing is fashioned is just bloody brutal. You will be left in a horrified stupor. Argento orchestrates this fatal crime with a penetrating audacity.


BULLET THROUGH THE PEEPHOLE =======>

Keep in mind that this film was made over two decades ago. The aesthetic maneuvering of this moment has been rehashed countless times in Hollywood. It is nothing short of brilliant.
Two women are trapped in an apartment. The killer is just outside the door, claiming to be a policeman. We are only given glimpses of the intruder as she looks through the peephole. This forces us to connect with the desperation and uncertainty that the woman feels. Of course we sense the danger, but have a shred of comfort since the perpetrator is outside the locked door.
And then, it happens...right before our eyes.
We see an extreme closeup of the bullet. Our vision is concentrated on it as it slides through the chamber of the peephole. Entering and exiting through the woman's head. Just a quick, instant death, and we're left dazed. And with a stroke of horrible luck, the phone is taken out simultaneously with this single shot. Black comic genius, I love it!

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You would be hard pressed to find two better scenes in any horror movie. Heck, any movie period. Superb filmmaking.
Opera might get some criticism due to the acting, voice dubbing, or elaborate plot details that might be hard to follow. But I feel sorry for those who can't feel the impact of this magnificent horror film. I implore you to give it another try.

Death by Dario is heavenly