Description: Dario Argento's Masterpiece - In It's Full-Length Director's Cut!
An English jazz pianist living in Rome witnesses the brutal hatchet murder of a renowned psychic and is quickly drawn into the savage crime. With the help of a tenacious female reporter, the pair track a twisted trail of deranged clues and relentless violence towards a shocking climax that has ripped screams from the throats of audiences for more than 30 years!
DEEP RED stars David Hemmings (BLOW-UP) and Daria Nicolodi (PHENOMENA, TENEBRE), and is widely considered by both fans and critics alike to be Dario Argento's true masterpiece. Now, with the cooperation of the maestro himself, this classic shocker is presented in its full-length Director's Cut - remixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital, uncut and uncensored for the first time ever!
Amazon.com: Considered by many to be Dario Argento's first masterpiece, Deep Red recalls his first hit, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. British star David Hemmings (Blow-Up) plays an American jazz pianist who witnesses a brutal, bloody murder from afar and turns detective to find the killer. Kooky Italian journalist Daria Nicolodi (Argento's wife and cowriter on Suspiria) joins him as comic relief and tepid romantic interest, but the real costar is Argento's high style: gliding camera, razor-sharp editing, and gorgeous but gruesome set pieces. The story is convoluted, to say the least--plotting was never Argento's strong suit and the unnecessary exposition often drags the film down--but his vivid, horrific imagery is perfect for a thriller driven by haunting memories. Deep Red was originally released in the U.S. in a severely cut version retitled The Hatchet Murders (odd since the killer uses a butcher's knife). Producer Bill Lustig has restored the film to its original two-hour-plus running time, though some scenes exist only with Italian-language soundtracks (which are subtitled). It's a bit jarring at first (it makes for an unintended joke when a man suddenly checks his hearing aid after a language switch), but it's the only way to see Argento's original cut. There's also a brief 25th anniversary documentary with Argento and cowriter Bernardino Zapponi, and the DVD offers a choice of English and Italian language versions. --Sean Axmaker
NOT WHAT I EXPECTED FOR A MOVIE IN THAT TIME NOT KNOCKING THIS MOVIE BUT, THE KILLINGS TO ME LOOKED SO FAKE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A PRETTY GOOD MOVIE IF IT WASN'T SO LONG DRAWN OUT AND THERE WERE MORE MURDERS THAT LOOKED REAL. THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS FILM. I LOVE DARIO ARGENTINO'S FILMS BUT THIS ONE, TO ME NEEDED SOME MORE SPECIAL EFFECTS WORKS. MAYBE I GOT A HOLD OF THE WRONG COPY OR SOMETHING BUT, IT'S MY OPINION. I'LL LET YOU BE THE JUDGE WHEN YOU SEE IT! IM A BIG HORROR BUFF. I SEEN MOVIES FROM THE 70'S AND SOME WERE REALLY GRUESOME AND REALISTIC. NOT THIS ONE. BUT IT'S ENTERTAINING. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO'S DOING THE KILLING. DIDN'T TAKE ME LONG TO FIGURE THAT OUT EITHER. BUT I LIKE IT.
2.5 stars out of 4 The Bottom Line:
A ho-hum horror film from Italian horror "master" Dario Argento, Deep Red is too long and not interesting enough to merit the 120 minutes you'd have to put aside to watch it; why not watch Blow Up instead of Argento's strange homage to it?
Deep into yourself... What a great movie!! Impeccable!! Thanks Dario and Thanks to the Goblins...Love the soundtrack. A must see....LA LA LA LA LALALA LALALALA....LA LA LA LA LA LA LALA LALALALAAAAA..... ENJOY IT!!
What Horror Films Should Be "Deep Red," if nothing else, serves a reminder that horror films were once considered art and were made by people who actually knew what they were doing. The film is directed by Dario Argento, a celebrated director of Italian horror films. I'm no aficionado on Argento and this film serves as my introduction to his material. What we have here is not only a horror film that will inspire lovers of that genre, but a horror film that can be appreciated by those who enjoys the art of movies as well. Argento knows how to direct and he has a distinct visual flourish that makes this film the sort of pseudo-horror equivalent to the film "2001: A Space Odyssey," certainly in the sense that it's style influenced many later horror films in the way "2001" did with science-fiction. Released in 1975, this film has been largely influential with both its style and technique; and many shots in the film seem like mirror images of later films in the genre.
Before the opening credits finish rolling, there is a brilliant shot of two shadows appearing to be in a violent scuffle before a bloody knife falls to the floor. This scene sets up the visual tone of the rest of the film and instantly grabs your attention.
The film's plot is relatively familiar, with a protagonist that does everything the police should be doing and does it better than if the police were doing it. The protagonist of this story is Marc Daly, an English jazz pianist living in Italy. One night, from the street below, he witnesses the murder of his neighbor Helga Ulman, a clairvoyant. Due to a mysterious painting he know he saw in the woman's apartment that disappears moments later, Marc is drawn to investigate the murder with the help of persistent reporter Gianna (Daria Nicolodi, who plays the role in a way so that we're never really sure about her). Of course, along the way, Marc risks his life tracking the killer while more bodies pile up. You've all seen a horror film.
The film's script (by Argento and Bernardo Zapponi) in the hands of a lesser director could've been a tedious bore. This script in the hands of most horror-film directors would've been a tedious bore. Argento is smarter than that though. He knows that it's atmosphere and suspense that make a great horror film, not just gratuitous violence and nudity. "Deep red" has plenty of violence, blood, and gore...But it also has style.
One of the most brilliant examples of great horror filmmaking is a scene in which a woman is drowned in a bathtub filled with boiling hot water. This scene is horrifying despite little gore and blood. Argento relies on editing, music, and cinematography to build suspense that leads to a horrifying payoff.
The musical score of the film, composed by Giorgio Gaslini and the band Goblin, is unusual for the genre but fits the material perfectly and punctuates every scene with the exact tone needed. Although, parts of the score are reminiscent of the original "Halloween" film (released three years later).
Creative editing techniques and wonderful cinematography are also what contribute to this film's greatness. Much like Nicolas Roeg's "Don't Look Now," it's a horror-film that has many of the ingredients of most panned horror films but is photographed and edited by people who know what they're doing...And visually, "Deep Red" is fascinating and quite possibly the high point of this film. It's cinematography that is so memorable and so noticeably good that people who don't know anything about cinematography will say "this film has great cinematography." The key ingredient that the average horror film of today is missing is talented filmmakers which Argento, cinematographer Luigi Kuveiller, and editor Franco Fraticelli are. The juxtaposition of the inspired directing, memorable cinematography, creative editing, and unique musical score all contribute to the film's greatest appeal. Unlike many films of this genre that age overnight (remember this year's remake of "Friday the 13th" that dropped from #1 at the Box office to not even in the top ten two weeks later), these things give "Deep Red" a timeless quality.
If more horror films were made this way, horror could actually gain some respectability...Unfortunately in the thirty-four years since this film was released, this genre has turned into an outlet for untalented filmmakers to produce their unoriginal, predictable drivel.
Now for the ending...The ending of this film is neither predictable nor entirely surprising. It works however, because it's these last five minutes of "Deep Red" where Argento concludes his film with a summary of why it's so great...The juxtaposition of an inventive death, terrific photography, and the recurring children's song theme that makes an ending that could've been nothing special wonderful.
Grade: A
The king of Giallo and his finest hour. I've been a fan of Horror movies for pretty much my entire life. I can remember staying up late nights with my Brother and our friends when I was younger, watching Horror VHS after Horror VHS. We would watch all types of Horror movies indiscriminately because it didn't matter to us. We weren't "Horror Snobs" like most of these fans turn out to be, we just love Horror because we're true fans. The real fans. Back in the day we could jump from one movie like KILLER CLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, all the way to the other end of the spectrum and end the night with THE EXORCIST. It didn't matter to us, we just wanted the Horror.
Now that I look back on all the Horror movies I've seen through the years, I would have to admit that the Italian "Giallo" ones were the most memorable. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of CHILD'S PLAY and FRIDAY THE 13TH but those movies don't "go for the jugular" if you catch my drift. Those type of Horror movies have their place too, it's just that directors like Dario Argento go about it in a different way. A more visceral and vicious kind of way. Where the sense of dread is the central focus rather than mindless gore (although Argento does load his movies with the red stuff), big hair, 80's Heavy Metal sound track and a wise cracking serial killer. No offense to the Lord and savior, Freddy Krueger. I do worship thee. Giallo just does it differently.
DEEP RED is no exception either. This is the fifth movie directed by the amazing Dario Argento and thankfully, not his last. At least for now anyways. After watching most of Argento's body of work, I would like to think that I have a pretty good grasp on what he's trying to convey (artistically) to the wide world of Horror. Argento tends to use a lot of bright colors, interesting camera angles and always a brooding sound track. The band GOBLINS usually supply's the the creepy score to boot.
The actual movie DEEP RED is essentially a Horror / Mystery film. It has elements of Slasher mixed with Giallo Horror. Basically it's about this Jazz musician who witnesses a horrible murder one night while him and his friend are walking home from the local Pub. From the city streets below, the main character (played by the enjoyable David Hemmings) see's a young woman being killed in hear apartment window. It's a terribly brutal scene, ending with her bloody face being smashed through the glass window. The rest of the movie plays out like the typical "who done it", with Argento's visual flair to liven up an otherwise basic murder mystery. Also, a bit of humor is added in for good measure. It never ruins the movie (like some Horror comedies turn out to be), not once. All of this makes for an enjoyable little Horror film. A Horror film that I happen to think is Dario Argento's best effort.
When all is said and done, what you've got here is a classic Horror movie. One that is popular with the true Horror fans, yet it's some what unknown to the rest of our movie watching community. DEEP RED is the perfect scary movie for a rainy night, Halloween party or any other get together for that matter. It's the kind of movie that will please almost any type of Horror movie fan. You'd be hard pressed to find someone that dislikes this movie. It's just too enjoyable. A perfect addition to anyone's Horror collection.
I say, Gore Hounds, check it out! Horror fans in general, check it out! Fans of good cinema, check it out! If you're new to the world of Argento, this is as good of place as any to start. It's an enjoyable, well crafted, Horror film that doesn't disappoint. Truly a classic by any standards.
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