Safe Return Doubtful

Italy 1975

This is perhaps the most famous of cult Director, Dario Argento’s Giallo films.

Giallo means yellow and derives from pulp Italian fiction of the 1920s of which the covers were regularly on yellow backgrounds.

The Giallo films had their heyday in the 1970s and were crime themed, with elements of horror, often of the slasher variety.

Deep Red is typical, as a gruesome murder-mystery with elements of suspense, scenes of shocking horror, lurid colours, garish lighting, excessive bloodletting, stylish avant-garde camerawork and a jarring musical arrangement.

It differs from the majority though, and therefore stands out, because it has an intriguing premise, a plot that gets going well after a steady start, and an exciting finale; subtle clues, nicely hidden, and a murderer who turns out as a surprise.

It may be a Giallo film, but it’s a standard above the rest of them.

Interestingly, David Hemmings has the lead role. Though he may be better known for Blow Up, I’d suggest this is his career defining performance, as with the majority of the rest of the cast.

Argento’s films attract quite a bit of criticism, amidst the praise, for weak dialogue and characterisation, but not here. There are several scenes that will imprint themselves into the memory, as classic horror does, as with the bathroom scenes from Psycho and The Shining, but more subtly done.

IMDb score 7.5 / 10 – My score 9 / 10