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.

"Profondo Rosso" (Deep Red) is the film that closes Dario Argento's "thriller" phase before ultimately shifting to horror two years later. It's a Hitchcockian murder mystery with only glimpses of horror, usually occurring when someone is getting killed.

I am aware that this film wrote the history of horror and still has a huge cult following, but aside from the unique atmosphere of Argento's cinematography (the vibrant colors of the photography, the elegant and sumptuous set design, the stress on small items and details, the suspenseful editing), there is not so much to enjoy.

Like most of Argento's films, little effort has been put into the screenplay. The plot is out of focus, with people making the worsts mistakes, the investigation taking weird twists, and the two protagonists losing themselves in tons of bland dialogue. You might say that plot is not so relevant in this kind of film, but I would like to remind you that it eats up a considerable portion of the running time here. The dialogues also suffer from the terrible dub of its original version (the film was apparently shot in mixed languages and then dubbed in Italian by different actors).

It's not a dreadful film, but it felt like I could have just watched the cult scenes on YouTube and save myself the hustle. It was cool how they could perfectly hide such an important detail at the beginning of the film and even give you a big hint without anyone noticing ("You know, sometimes what you actually see and what you imagine get mixed up in your memory like a cocktail, from which you can no longer distinguish one flavor from another.").

Extra credit also goes to progressive rock band Goblin for having composed and performed the iconic main theme (the other tracks are a bit too funky and felt kind of out of place for my taste).

Useless trivia: the Japanese title of this movie is "Suspiria Part 2". It seems that "Suspiria" became popular in Japan at some point, and someone had the brilliant idea to grab easy cash by selling "Deep Red" as its sequel. I guess they didn't expect the internet to be invented and reveal that "Suspiria" actually came two years later.