Rating: NR
Genre:
Thriller
Theatrical Release: 10/28/1982(Italy)
Release Date: 05/27/2008
Dubbed: Italian
Sound: DD5.1/DDS2.0/DD1
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Nudity, Not For Children, Gore
Distributor/Studio: Starz/Anchor Bay
Dario Argento leaves a distinct and bloody impression with this Italian
horror film that took the
slasher genre to graphic new limits at the time of its release. Novelist
Peter Neal (
Anthony Franciosa) jets into Rome to promote his new book. Simultaneously, a killer obsessed with
Neal begins a brutal series of murders that are followed by cryptic notes to the author.
Inspector Germani (
Giuliano Gemma) questions
Neal, who then begins his own investigation into the bizarre case with the help of his assistant,
Anne (
Daria Nicolodi), and local youth
Gianni (
Christian Borromeo).
Neal and
Gianni follow leads to the home of a TV talk-show host (
John Steiner), who is axed to death in front of
Gianni while
Neal is knocked unconscious. As they close in on the killer, flashbacks show the killer's murderous beginnings and an obsession with red shoes. Meanwhile,
Neal's publicist,
Bullmer (
John Saxon), is revealed to be having an affair with the author's ex-lover,
Jane (
Veronica Lario), making them both potential suspects.
Inspector Germani insists that
Neal leave town, but even when he does, the killer strikes again, knifing
Bullmer in broad daylight. At the same time,
Gianni returns to the home of the dead talk-show host and recalls an important detail about the murder. However, he is strangled before he can tell anyone. At her apartment,
Jane is brutally slain just as
Inspector Germani arrives to discover the murderer's identity, along with the shocking, twist-filled truth behind the entire case.
~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
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