Not every giallo can be as excellent as some of the ones done by Dario Argento, Mario Bava, and Lucio Fulci. This film is below the level of the works of these three master film makers, but is still an interesting movie on a couple of notes. First, the style of the film is very good and the murder scenes are done with plenty of suspense. The musical score by Goblin ranks with their soundtracts for Profondo Rosso/Deep Red(1975), Suspiria(1977), and Tenebre(1982) among their best work. Solamente Nero/Bloodstained Shadow(1978) tends to lag off in some parts, but overall is good due to the surprise ending. The main influences of the movie is The Bird with the Crystal Plumage(painting), Deep Red(memory), with shades of Don't Torture a Duckling(murderer). The whole notion of memory and the past seems to recall the plot structure of Profondo Rosso(1975). Many plot elements from this movie(espcially the discovery of a second murderer) not only foreshadows but paves the way for Dario Argento's masterpiece Tenebre(1982).
Review of The Bloodstained Shadow
