Spoiler-Free Synopsis
A pianist witnesses a psychic’s murder and now must find the murderer before the murderer kills him.
Spoiler-free Review
Despite some very questionable plotting in places, Deep Red is a very enjoyable Italian Horror flick. It’s most likely one of director Dario Argento‘s best films, if not one of the best in its particular subgenre.
I can’t force myself to give it a perfect score, but believe me, it’s damn good (1.5 points). I loved it when I first saw it on a poor copy, and now that I’ve seen it in pristine condition I love it even more (2 points).
I RECOMMEND it to Italian Horror movie fans. Others might not agree with such high praise, but should check it out. Gory but good.
Overall Score: 3.5 (+) total point out of a possible 4
Opening Thoughts
When I speak of Dario Argento I speak from a great well of ignorance. Not as great as, say Lucio Fulci, who I’ve only seen one film, but it’s fairly good sized.
So when I tell you that I think Deep Red is his best film, you should know that it’s a praise on the shakiest of legs.
However, of the films of his I’ve seen (which include the glorious messes such as Suspira (1977) and Inferno (1980)), this is my favorite. Not that I’ve watched it a lot in my life; this marks my second viewing. The first happened to be, as I recall it, on a pan-and-scan copy. And a horrible print at that.
Anyways, let us proceed. As (almost) always, the next section was written as I watched, with thoughts along the way. There has been some condensing (most of the murders are touched on but not described), so you might not get the feeling that this is a gory, gruesome movie. Let me assure you, it is. A trifle fake looking in places, but gory nonetheless.
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