trauma

1993 Directed by Dario Argento

Horror Marathon Day 29 Film 44

A girl has troubled visions after her clairvoyant mother is decapitated along with her father. A killer is on the loose! A newspaperman meets up with her and helps her uncover the mystery. Dario Argento plays a lot with the camera views in his one- focusing a lot on the unseen killer's decapitation device- a mechanical garrote wire. Earlier in the film we see a miniature guillotine set like the French Revolution but it's not really followed up. The killer only killing with water present or the occult aspects don’t all add up either. The gruesomeness of the murders and seeing a decapitated Brad Dourif was a pleasant surprise though. The mystery plot is a bit silly- along with a side character of a boy that sneaks around the killer’s house. Great for some great gore effects from Tom Savini.

Presentation notes: The Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray makes the film look stunning- it made me think of the lack of good cinematography in a lot of the straight to streaming films I’ve seen recently. The extras with Tom Savini are fun too- a interview for the VS release talking about the various decapitated heads he made for the film.