Horrorfest 2010: Deep Red

Now THIS is greatness.

DEEP RED is another Italian flick, this time by Dario Argento. He's probably most famous for SUSPIRIA, which I saw a couple years ago. I liked SUSPIRIA but I don't remember loving it the way I love this one. Maybe my memory is fading, or maybe DEEP RED is just that amazing.

DEEP RED is the story of a musical teacher (David Hemmings) who begins a murder investigation when he witnesses the murder of his downstairs neighbor (Macha Meril). The early scenes of the film reveal the neighbor to be a psychic who can't see into the future but who can read minds. In a demonstration of her abilities during a lecture with her parapsychologist colleague (Glauco Mauri), the psychic senses a twisted murderer in the audience, and later vows to write down the details of her vision. Soon, she's found dead.

Hemmings' character is aided in his investigation by a goofy but cute reporter (Daria Nicolodi). He's tortured by the fact that he swears he saw some kind of clue in the apartment when he first responded to the crime, but he can't remember what it was. He seems to think it was a painting of some importance but is unable to put his finger on it. This obsession drives him into dangerous territory as he gets closer to uncovering the identity of the murderer and there are a few good red herrings along the way.

The first scare comes about halfway through the opening credits. Defying convention, the credits are interrupted to suddenly drop the viewer in the middle of the scene of a disturbing crime. Then, as if nothing happened, the credits start back up again. This is Argento telling us he means business, but that he's also messing with us.

Almost every shot in this movie crackles with energy. Argento didn't phone a single one in. Every sequence clips along at a brisk pace while also managing to be suspenseful. The whole thing is pushed along by a genius score by the prog rock band Goblin, probably most famous for their DAWN OF THE DEAD score, but outdoing themselves here as their driving beats are ironically matched to the most nail biting sequences. I want this soundtrack. It's like Procul Harum ditched their lead singer and hit fast forward.

You never get a good look at the killer until the end, but the killer has several calling cards that keep things creepy. First of all, the killer is obsessed with a childhood sing-along tune, so whenever you hear it, you know you're in danger. Secondly, the killer tends to hang baby dolls in effigy, or unleash disturbing wind up toys to taunt victims. One of the freakiest moments in the film involves the totally unexpected entrance of one of these calling cards -- at once surreal and startling.

Everything in this movie is crisp -- the visuals are painstakingly shot with a sharpness usually reserved for art films. The editing clips along ruthlessly playing the audience like Hemmings' character might play the piano. Even the soundtrack bursts forward, sounding fresh and energetic.

Argento does a great job of taking the mundane and making it frightening. We got a creepy junior high school, the most frightening scalding bath ever, a murder scene illustrating the dangers of sharp corners in ones' home, and a brilliant sequence in which wallpaper is scraped away to reveal ghastly clues of past depravity in an empty home.

Make no mistake: DEEP RED is the real thing.