This is so far my first of many giallo films that I intend to watch, and I must say, I very much wanted to love this movie. The cinematography and lighting were absolutely fantastic. However, the musical score was not it. There were 3 different songs that came back in various scenes, and all of them were great on their own, but none of them fit. One was this groovy funky bass line driven jam, another was some wild jazz tune, and then there was this absolutely bonkers prog-rock jam that made 0 sense. They seemed to eliminate the suspense for me.

The cut that I watched, and perhaps this is just how the movie is, but in the same exact scene the characters would be speaking English and then all of a sudden they’re dubbed in Italian and I’m now reading subtitles. This took me out of the movie so incredibly hard. For these two reasons, I’m not sure this movie was for me, but I really badly wanted to love it.

The story made some sense but I feel like this would be easy for any casual movie watcher to have a hard time staying locked into the movie. The visuals were beautiful though. Overall gorgeous movie lacking so heavily in the audio part that it makes it tough for me.

I give it probably a 5/10

This kinda does that Tarantino thing of elevating trashy schlock with arthouse sensibilities. It's pulpy and silly, the performances are exaggerated and big, yet there's genuine sophistication to be found in its writing and directing. I had a hard time grasping its tone, mostly because the palette is so broad that it doesn't always feel like you're watching the same movie. Some scenes are really good at building tension through the excellent camerawork and editing, but then it'll throw in a groovy funk song that feels completely out of place. If its intent is to strike a similar tone to the stuck in the middle with you scene from _Reservoir Dogs_, I don't think it's nearly as well executed here. I understand that you want to have a different musical touch in your unconventional horror film, but here it feels uneven and confusing. I think horror and light comedy can go hand in hand (_Shaun of the Dead, Evil Dead 2, Get out_), however with this movie it feels like the emotion gets undercut. It probably would've worked better for me if it leaned more into the absurd from beginning to end. Still, the whodunit element and character development are pretty well done, with the writing being intelligent enough that it's hard to predict where the film will go next. The kills are also creative and interesting. The acting, while not particularly nuanced, fits with Argento's vision. In the end, it's one of those movies that just screams 'cult classic' because of the wild choices it's constantly making. I think a lot of those movies are overvalued, however with this I'm seeing genuine talent and effort behind the camera, so it deserves a light recommendation.

5.5/10

Parts of this were pretty slow but the mystery elements were good and I liked the leads even though their romance was really forced and unnecessary (I know those scenes were removed in the Export Version, along with some of the gore). Dario Argento's visuals were on display once more with some great close-up shots and the gore effects were wonderfully gnarly. Not great but still found it entertaining. **3.75/5**

Ocular Bonanza.

When a psychic is murdered after picking up the thoughts of a psychotic killer, Marcus Day is the only witness to the crime and sets about trying to figure out who is responsible. But he then finds that the killer is shadowing him and targeting anyone who files in to help his investigation.

Dario Argento’s Deep Red (AKA: Profundo Rosso/The Hatchet Murders) is rightly regarded as one of the leading lights of Giallo. Argento pitches Marcus Day (David Hemmings working from a splinter of Blow Up) into a rousing and visceral world of murder and mystery – and takes the viewers along as well! It doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is, Argento always has a sinister edge pulsing through his movie. The mystery element is also strong, including for first time viewers a cheeky opportunity to solve it very early on.

Painting it all in vivid coloured strokes, Argento unleashes a myriad of stylish sequences, adding in children’s toys and mannequins to further up the creep factor. Musically not all of it works, but the running children’s thematic motif works strikingly well. Negatively the dubbing is often iffy at best and some of the now infamous murder sequences veer close to comedy because the director allows them to be protracted.

Uncompromising, thrilling and striking, some quibbles aside, Deep Red is a very positive experience. 7.5/10

A remarkable and breathtaking horror work, easily my favourite of a distinguished, exciting run Argento made at the peak of his career. Films like THIS provided stunning proof to people's assertion the world over that he was the Italian Hitchcock. The soundtrack by Goblin is to be treasured. For both horror and thriller aficionados, well worth getting in the very best edition possible, and well worth rewatching. A master craftsman at the pinnacle of his artistry.