10/27: Deep Red

10/27

It's been a hot minute since I've watched a movie from the master of giallo, Dario Argento, and, by a hot minute, I mean like 8 years. Argento has always been a mixed bag for me as he creates visually and sonically stunning films that tend to be short on plot or depth otherwise (I feel like I'm saying that a lot this year). Argento plays with neon colors and beautiful shots while blaring scores by Goblin at an earsplitting volume. It's cool, it looks good, but that's pretty much what's going for it: they're stylish slashers, and that's it. I dug Opera when I saw it in a college film class, Suspiria was visually stunning, and Inferno showed where Argento's formula starts to break.

Enter Deep Red, this year's entry in the Argento giallo game. I've often seen Deep Red cited as Argento's best film, and honestly... I struggle, when looking at movie like Opera, to see why. I didn't hate Deep Red by any means, but this just feels like pure style and not much else (i.e. Argento syndrome). Which, don't get me wrong, is cool for its own merits, but the rest is just a disjointed story where the surprises feel forced and anticlimactic. I guess this movie should also be judged based on its merits as a film made in 1975 and thus has the limitations of the period, and it's definitely worth mentioning the formative nature Deep Red surely had on the genre. The POV of the killer, the ultrazoom shots, the pretty brutal and awesome kills, and yet another killer score by Goblin are all great, but beyond the style it's just another slasher. Maybe I'm slightly biased as someone who isn't the biggest slasher fan in general, but still... 

7/10