Shameless Self Expression

A British pianist in Rome (David Hemmings) witnesses the murder of a psychic. He and a journalist (Daria Nicolodi) try to solve the crime whilst more murders occur.   Popular 1975 giallo from director Dario Argento ( “Suspiria” , “Inferno” , “Opera” ) and his co-writer Bernardino Zapponi ( “Roma” , “Fellini Satyricon” , “Casanova” ) failed to grab my interest, I’m afraid. 40 minutes in and barely a damn thing had happened, and the plot is fairly routine for a giallo. In fact, it feels more like a mystery-drama than a giallo movie for the most part. The performances are good (Daria Nicolodi steals it and has good chemistry with David Hemmings), there are some fantastic sounds and images, I just didn’t care all that much. There’s a masterful scene involving an author where it's truly suspenseful and genuinely terrifying. And damn nasty, too. Why couldn’t the majority of the film be like that? The infamous doll/puppet scene (clearly a favourite of the makers of “Saw” ) while brief...

Mephistophelean carnival barker Dr. Diablo (Burgess Meredith) offers glimpses of the future to several customers. The film follows each of these horrific future scenarios. Enoch: Greedy Michael Bryant withholds uncle Maurice Denham’s medicine to coerce him into coughing up his fortune, and watches him die instead. Afterwards a talking cat (!) promises to tell him where the money is…so long as he continues to kill for him. Terror Over Hollywood: An aspiring Hollywood star (Beverly Adams) discovers the unsettling secret to the longevity of Hollywood’s elite. Mr. Steinway: Journalist Barbara Ewing goes to interview introverted pianist John Standing and they soon form a bond. Unfortunately, Standing’s piano takes this new entanglement very poorly. Yes, a piano. The Man Who Collected Poe: A devoted Edgar Allen Poe collector (Jack Palance) goes to extreme lengths to get his hands on a piece owned by a rival collector (Peter Cushing).   Solid anthology from Amicus studios, this 1967...