Thursday, December 5, 2024

LET’S GET PHYSICAL: DEEP RED (1976) ***

FORMAT:  4K UHD (REWATCH)

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

(As posted on August 17th, 2007)

In this entertaining giallo from the master of Italian horror, Dario Argento, David (Blow Up) Hemmings witnesses a murder and becomes the black gloved killer’s next target. It may drag in spots, but the signature Argento touches (great cinematography, gory set pieces, frantic camerawork and music) keep things interesting. The death by drowning in a tub of scalding water is the highlight (and was later stolen in Halloween 2), but the gruesome fate of the killer is also pretty great too. Argento did his masterpiece, Suspiria next.

QUICK THOUGHTS:

This may not be my favorite Argento movie as it runs on a bit too long, but when it cooks it burns down the house.  The suspense scenes are choreographed beautifully, and Argento almost manages to out-Hitchcock Hitchcock in some sequences.  Hemmings, who no doubt was cast because this role is similar in many ways to the character he played in Blow Up, makes for an ideal lead and Daria Nicolodi is a lot of fun as the spunky journalist. 

4K UHD NOTES:

Arrow’s 4K transfer is terrific.  The scene where the camera swoops and snakes around the killer’s personal effects looks positively hypnotic in 4K as does the extreme close-ups of whirring tape recorders and spinning turntables.  The sound is incredible too and the Goblin score absolutely slaps.  Like Creepers/Phenomena, I only had this in my collection as part of a Mill Creek 50 pack of horror movies, so this is a stellar upgrade in every way. 

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