Deep Red is one of Dario Argento's first movies where you see his genuine style that sill brings freshness to the genre. Italian horror has earned my respect, but Argento is a whole lot of a different story.
Marcus is a devoted musician, looking for a better future when he witnesses the murder of a young woman. With the help of a cheesy reporter, Marcus enters the mystery, looking for clues with the feeling of knowing the killer's personality. The murderer obviously knows that and starts going after Marcus with the purpose of eliminating him from his path of rage and madness.
Profondo Rosso is a movie like no other. I've seen enough Argento movies to judge for his style, but this is something that really formed my general impression about his point of view concerning the so called "beautiful" horror movies where even the death of a character you like, becomes an extraordinary experience, you enjoy. Profondo Rosso includes characters dealing with something very evil and even though they are on the right track, Marcus and Gianna are too naive for their own enthusiasm. Following this logic, Deep Red is more of a character-killer movie than a killer-character. Since I mentioned Profondo Rosso is a bit different than most Argento movie, I would like to expand my views. The way the story is brought to life resembles a classic mystery where everything is too complex and unpredictable even for idealistic characters. I expected high amount of gore. Instead, I received a romantic addition to a story full of darkness. Yes, the connection between Marcus and Gianna grows up as they find more and more difficulties, some of which put their life at risk. Something, I've never discovered in an Argento film. Usually, he creates relationships as something that is out of absolutely no importance. Deep Red emphasizes on the character's ability to love and be optimistic even though they are closed in a no exit room. I can't say I disliked it, but still, I prefer decapitations.
Argento's early attempts to change the horror are mostly connect with developing a simple "who is the killer" kind of mystery. You know, there are suspects, but you are on the edge until the very end no matter what you say about the clichés. There is a motive, mostly following an event in the past where one of the positive character has accidentally hurt the killer's feeling. I am not afraid to admit I love this kind of movies. Too bad, Profondo Rosso fails in explaining its intentions in the slasher sub-genre of mystery and love where you could hardly compare the plot to movies depending on high body count. Maybe, it's my expectations that destroyed the magic of mixing a couple of my favorite genres. I thought gore will control the movie's major point. In fact, I thought gore is the movie's major point. Opera is probably the best example. It's full of gruesome deaths and stupid characters. It has nothing to do with Deep Red. Unfortunetely, the only thing in common is the way, a death scene is directed. Something I hate about Argento movies. The death scene itself is very cool and creative, but some kind of a "casino" music appears and the particular scene becomes a parody of itself, completely erasing its seriousness with the viewer losing interest. There is a scene in Deep Red where a mechanic doll appears out of nowhere, completely shocking both victim and viewer. The scene could have been classic if it wasn't for the stupid theme I told you about.
Deep Red is one of the most bizarre mysteries you have seen and definitely memorable in terms of creating a mix between horror and suspense. But it's not a masterpiece, nor Argento's best movie. Missing, small details for pretentious fans like me, stop the movie from being what I thought it would be.
Marcus is a devoted musician, looking for a better future when he witnesses the murder of a young woman. With the help of a cheesy reporter, Marcus enters the mystery, looking for clues with the feeling of knowing the killer's personality. The murderer obviously knows that and starts going after Marcus with the purpose of eliminating him from his path of rage and madness.
Profondo Rosso is a movie like no other. I've seen enough Argento movies to judge for his style, but this is something that really formed my general impression about his point of view concerning the so called "beautiful" horror movies where even the death of a character you like, becomes an extraordinary experience, you enjoy. Profondo Rosso includes characters dealing with something very evil and even though they are on the right track, Marcus and Gianna are too naive for their own enthusiasm. Following this logic, Deep Red is more of a character-killer movie than a killer-character. Since I mentioned Profondo Rosso is a bit different than most Argento movie, I would like to expand my views. The way the story is brought to life resembles a classic mystery where everything is too complex and unpredictable even for idealistic characters. I expected high amount of gore. Instead, I received a romantic addition to a story full of darkness. Yes, the connection between Marcus and Gianna grows up as they find more and more difficulties, some of which put their life at risk. Something, I've never discovered in an Argento film. Usually, he creates relationships as something that is out of absolutely no importance. Deep Red emphasizes on the character's ability to love and be optimistic even though they are closed in a no exit room. I can't say I disliked it, but still, I prefer decapitations.
Argento's early attempts to change the horror are mostly connect with developing a simple "who is the killer" kind of mystery. You know, there are suspects, but you are on the edge until the very end no matter what you say about the clichés. There is a motive, mostly following an event in the past where one of the positive character has accidentally hurt the killer's feeling. I am not afraid to admit I love this kind of movies. Too bad, Profondo Rosso fails in explaining its intentions in the slasher sub-genre of mystery and love where you could hardly compare the plot to movies depending on high body count. Maybe, it's my expectations that destroyed the magic of mixing a couple of my favorite genres. I thought gore will control the movie's major point. In fact, I thought gore is the movie's major point. Opera is probably the best example. It's full of gruesome deaths and stupid characters. It has nothing to do with Deep Red. Unfortunetely, the only thing in common is the way, a death scene is directed. Something I hate about Argento movies. The death scene itself is very cool and creative, but some kind of a "casino" music appears and the particular scene becomes a parody of itself, completely erasing its seriousness with the viewer losing interest. There is a scene in Deep Red where a mechanic doll appears out of nowhere, completely shocking both victim and viewer. The scene could have been classic if it wasn't for the stupid theme I told you about.
Deep Red is one of the most bizarre mysteries you have seen and definitely memorable in terms of creating a mix between horror and suspense. But it's not a masterpiece, nor Argento's best movie. Missing, small details for pretentious fans like me, stop the movie from being what I thought it would be.