Dario Argento's INFERNO (1980) Poster Art

 

Wild, Wild Podcast - PHENOMENA (1985)

An ill wind is blowing in the Swiss Alps, and it's going to take the combined might of a psychic teenager, a Scotsman in a wheelchair and a chimpanzee called Inga to do something about it - if they can hear themselves think over Iron Maiden being played at full blast!

Rod and Adrian are tackling the maestro Dario Argento for the first time, but thankfully it's one of his more restrained efforts to make it easier. Donald Pleasence naturally gets plenty of air time, but also discussed is the continued ineptitude of the Italian/Swiss police, what to do with several million unwanted flies and why you would try to escape in a boat when there's a perfectly good road right there to run down.

It's a new season, dedicated to that great quiet man of British cinema, Donald Pleasence, who spent a great deal of time in the 1980s in Italy.

We would love to hear from you about your favorite Donald Pleasence films from this period, or if you have ever been attacked by a chimp - visible or otherwise.

You can get in touch with us, follow us on social media, buy our merch, and all that stuff, through our LINKTREE.

PHENOMENA (1985) Poster Art

Dream logic and razor-wielding chimps!

 

Trailers From Hell - DEEP RED (1975)

Here is director Guillermo Del Toro explaining his love for my favorite Dario Argento film! If you've never seen it I suggest seeking out the 126 minute cut instead of the various shorter versions. 

The Bloody Pit #151 - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1998)

During a recent rewatch of Dario Argento’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1998) I typed out my real time reactions to the film on FaceBook. Several friends played along, seeming to share my dislike of the film and enjoying my detailing of the bits that struck me as nonsensical or bizarre. But one person stood up for this strange version of the Gaston Leroux tale and now he and I discuss our disparate takes on this odd effort.

Troy Howarth returns to the show to defend the film that was many people’s breaking point with Argento. We forgo an in-depth synopsis and simply dive straight into picking apart the various points of disagreement about the film’s quality. Strangely enough, we find several details and scenes that we both admire but mostly our discussion involves me bringing up the elements I dislike and Troy providing a defense. I’m impressed with his resistance to my repeated appeals to sanity and logic but since neither of those things usually factor into an Argento film, he has cinema history on his side. Luckily, I think our conversation is pretty lively and might even make fans that hate this odd film give it a second look.

 

If you want to put in your two cents about this film or any other that we’ve covered on the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send messages. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon!  

Episode LINK

Argento's THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (1996)

THE STENDHAL SYNDROME was Dario Argento’s final great film. Not that I knew it the first time I watched it. That first time through I enjoyed it but was disappointed in the rather downbeat and slightly unsatisfying ending. But I liked it enough to watch it again and on that second viewing it opened up like a flower stretching toward the sun. My god! What a beautiful but deadly thing. Much like a gorgeous plant far too poisonous to touch THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is easy to admire but nasty in its effects. Bleak to the point of teeth gritting nausea it boasts a rape and murder scene that is rough even for a horror movie veteran. And the thing the killer does with a razor blade still makes me flinch just to think of the specifics. But alongside these terrible things are some beautiful moments of cinematic excellence. This was the last time I felt that Argento really had a handle on what makes a thriller work. Not that he hasn’t made some interesting stuff since then but THE STENDHAL SYNDROME was the last time I felt he made an entire film that stood up and rewarded repeated viewings. It also has one of the most surrealistic scenes I have ever witnessed in a horror film involving Asia Argento kissing a fish. This has to be seen to be believed, if not understood.

Of course, the film has its share of problems- all Argento movies do. There is some dodgy CGI that doesn’t quite work, some of the dubbing is bad and at least one character is too poorly defined for the ending to be completely effective. But still…..this is a good movie. It’s got a great twist, some amazing set pieces, a truly scary villain and what is probably Argento’s last great use of color. Not to mention the sense of dread and horror that breaks at the half way point only to slowly build again in the last half. There are few things scarier than the fear that you are going mad and this film gets that across almost without you noticing.

Dario Argento's THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (1996)

I think THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (1996) was Dario Argento’s final great film. Not that I knew it the first time I watched it. That first time through I enjoyed it but was disappointed in the rather downbeat and slightly unsatisfying ending. But I did like it enough to watch it again and on that second viewing it opened up like a flower stretching toward the sun. My god! What a beautiful but deadly thing. Much like a gorgeous plant far too poisonous to touch, THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is easy to admire but nasty in its effects. Bleak to the point of teeth gritting nausea it boasts a rape and murder scene that is rough even for a horror movie veteran to take. And the thing the killer does with a razor blade still makes me flinch just to think of it. But alongside these terrible things are some wonderful moments of cinematic beauty.

This was the last time I could feel that Argento really had a handle on what made a thriller work. Not that he hasn’t made some interesting stuff since then but THE STENDHAL SYNDROME was the last time I felt he made an entire film that stood up and rewarded repeated viewings. It also has one of the most surrealistic scenes I have ever witnessed in a horror film involving Asia Argento kissing a fish. This has to be seen to be believed if not understood.

Of course, the film has its share of problems, as all Argento movies do. There is some dodgy CGI that doesn’t quite work, some of the dubbing is bad and at least one character is too poorly defined for the ending to really be effective. But still…..this is a good movie. It’s got a great twist, some amazing set pieces, a truly scary villain and probably Argento’s last great use of color. Not to mention the sense of dread and horror that breaks at the half way point only to slowly build again in the last half. There are few things scarier than the fear that you are going mad and this film gets that across almost without you noticing.

The Bloody Pit #86 - OPERA (1987)

We've wanted to discuss the films of Dario Argento for a long time but have been stumped about the correct starting point. In a career spanning more than fifty years and over twenty films where do we jump in? Luckily, our occasional podcast guest Jason Spear helped us cut through the noise to focus on the director's amazing OPERA (1987). This was prompted by the recent Scorpion release of the film in an incredible three disc Blu-Ray set that provides probably the best way to see the movie since it's theatrical run. Packed with extras that allow fans to deep dive into details of the production it serves to fuel our rather rambling look at this stunning thriller.

To dig into what we love about this movie we do away with the idea of a linear discussion of the plot and just hop around talking about random scenes and sequences. We assume that the podcast audience is familiar with the film and plunge forward pulling apart our favorite elements and puzzling over the odd things that make this giallo such a strange and wonderful experience. That means there are certainly spoilers, so be aware! We discuss the madness induced by repressed sexual desires as well as the perceived age problem between the killer and the focus of his obsession. We spend a good deal of time on the fascinating possibility that Argento rotates his narrative inside the head of his main character much sooner than usually imagined. We debate the sanity of the central figure of the film for probably too long and then devolve into relating our individual favorite three Argento efforts. As you can tell, we swing all over the place in this one!

If you have any comments or just want to give us your own list of favorite Argento movies the show's email address is thebloodypit@gmail.com where we will be glad to hear what you have to say. I cap the episode with an old Hoodoo Guru's song but stick around afterwards for some bonus complaining from me about Argento's Dracula film. Ugh! And, as always, thank you for listening to the show.

Apple Podcast LINK

MP3 Download LINK

SUSPIRIA (1977) Poster Art

Can't imagine why this film is currently on my mind! 

SUSPIRIA (2018) Trailer

I still can't understand why a filmmaker would set themselves up for the beating they will inevitable take for remaking a beloved classic of the genre. BUT - this trailer looks interesting, fresh and as if the creators have found a way to build something new on old bones. I am now curious to see this as soon as possible. 

Dario Argento's DRACULA (2012)

Thanks to NetFlix streaming I caught Dario Argento's DRACULA the other night and tales of its badness turn out to be accurate. Ugh! It's not the worst of Argento's output of the last 20 years but it's better elements are overshadowed by its sharp detriments. Not even the gently hammy performance by Rutger Hauer as Van Helsing can perk it up very much. When he enters the film an hour and twelve minutes have crawled by and most of them brought mediocrity. I had been considering buying the film now that its been made available on Blu-Ray but I have to be glad streaming saved my dollars. 

There are some good actors in the film. I like the director's daughter Asia very much and she is pretty good here in the Lucy role. She isn't given much to do (except get nude) until she is turned, but her end comes too quickly to be more than a swift thrill. German actor Thomas Kretschman is the Count and he really is trying to bring some energy to things. Unfortunately he is too often undercut by Dario as he stages most scenes in a flat, uninteresting manner. I kept wanting to have some close ups of Dracula as he interacted with the other characters. I wanted to get a look at his eyes so that we might see the evil lurking beneath the surface and feel some menace. And as a fan of the current America TV series DRACULA I was very curious to see Kretschman as the title character here because he plays Van Helsing in the small screen incarnation. Playing opposing roles in the same story this quickly might be some kind of record!

The bottom line is that, in my opinion, Argento has fumbled again. Its not a complete failure as the movie does have a few moments that work, but as a horror fan I've seen most of this before, done better. The script is nothing more than a combination of parts of the Universal (direct dialog quotes), Hammer (Harker's job for Drac as a librarian) and Dan Curtis/Richard Matheson (lost love reborn) versions with a sprinkling of extra nudity for spice. It looks good but is dully directed and its pacing lurches from fast to slow in a way that feels as if the editing was done by someone just trying to get the thing finished.

And did I mention the Giant Praying Mantis? I have no explanation for this and neither do the makers of this film. This is the highlight of the film's terrible CGI effects work although the poorly rendered fake passenger train people disembark from twice is a close second in awful visual effects. 

It's odd- I have enjoyed a few of his movies of the last 20 years- STENDHAL, SLEEPLESS, DO YOU LIKE HITCHCOCK, THE THIRD MOTHER (I may stand alone on this one) but GIALLO, THE CARD PLAYER, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA have just been terrible. I can't dismiss him but the percentage of joy is low. I know I'll always be excited to see his next film on the off chance I'll come away impressed again but this time- color me embarrassed.

        

Goblin in Atlanta!

I and a few friends ventured down to Atlanta, GA last night to take in a show by the amazing Italian rock band Goblin and it was a magnificent concert! All the famous tunes you would expect to hear were presented and even a few surprises from early albums were in there as well. The experience of seeing this iconic music performed live was mind altering. There were stretches of time that seemed to be a dream I was simply floating through and then something would brush against me and I'd realize where I was. Wonderful!

The band played for a little over an hour and forty-five minutes with the encore being my favorite of their works for the films of Dario Argento- Profondo Russo! If you have never heard this amazing piece of music check it out below.



I hope my pre-show calls to "Bring out the ancient Italians! I demand progressive rock!" were not deemed too boorish!

Goblin tours the United States!

That is correct! For the first time in their history Italian rock band Goblin will be touring North America this Fall. And I have my ticket to the Atlanta show already! Woo hoo!! That is technically the very first American show they will play so I will be there for a truly historic musical event.

For those unaware of the reason for this excitement, Goblin is the band responsible for the scores for the Dario Argento films, DEEP RED, SUSPIRIA and SLEEPLESS as well as for several other fine horror films. They even contributed to Romero's patchwork score for DAWN OF THE DEAD. I am thrilled to be able to see these guys play live- an event I never thought I would live to witness. 

Here are the tour dates for the US and Canada- 

10/01 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft *
10/03 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel *
10/04 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *
10/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts *
10/06 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg *
10/09 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair *
10/10 – Montreal, QC @ Le National *
10/11 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House *
10/12 – Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom *
10/13 – Chicago, IL @ Metro  *
10/15 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre *
10/18 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
10/19 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater *
10/20 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom *
10/22 – Hollywood, CA @ Egyptian Theater

THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (1996)

THE STENDHAL SYNDROME was Dario Argento’s final great film. Not that I knew it the first time I watched it. That first time through I enjoyed it but was disappointed in the rather downbeat and slightly unsatisfying ending. But I liked it enough to watch it again and on that viewing it opened up like a flower stretching toward the sun. My god! What a beautiful but deadly thing. Much like a gorgeous plant far too poisonous to touch THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is easy to admire but nasty in its effects. Bleak to the point of teeth gritting nausea it boasts a rape and murder scene that is rough even for a horror movie veteran like me. And the thing the killer does with a razor blade still makes me flinch just to think of it. But alongside these terrible things are some wonderful moments of cinematic excellence. This was the last time I could feel that Argento really had a handle on what made a thriller work. Not that he hasn’t made some interesting stuff since then but THE STENDHAL SYNDROME was the last time I felt he made an entire film that stood up and rewarded repeated viewings. It also has one of the most surrealistic scenes I have ever witnessed in a horror film involving Asia Argento kissing a fish. This has to be seen to be believed if not understood.

Of course, the film has its share of problems- all Argento movies do. There is some dodgy CGI that doesn’t quite work, some of the dubbing is bad and at least one character is too poorly defined for the ending to really be effective. But still…..this is a good movie. It’s got a great twist, some amazing set pieces, a truly scary villain and Argento’s last great use of color. Not to mention the sense of dread and horror that breaks at the half way point only to slowly build again in the last half. There are few things scarier than the fear that you are going mad and this film gets that across almost without you noticing.

Dario Argento's JENIFER

I’ve been an aficionado of horror films for about 25 years so while I’m not a jaded viewer by any means I have seen quite a bit of cinema that pushes the outer boundaries. These days it’s a rare thing for a film to cause me to squirm so much that I find I must look away. The Dario Argento directed Master’s of Horror episode JENIFER managed to make me hit the stop button and take a break before finishing. Strangely it was not a horrific image of violence or a bloody act that made me so uncomfortable. It was that bugaboo of our Puritan background- sex. Or more accurately- my view of sex and relationships between men and women.

The story centers on a plain-clothes police detective named Frank Spivey (Steven Weber). He sees a homeless man about to kill a young woman with a meat clever and is forced to kill him to save the victim. This girl, called Jenifer because of a note found on the dead man, turns out to be a mystery. She has an incredibly beautiful body but a hideously malformed face with large black eyes. No background information about her is ever divulged so she remains a blank slate. She cannot speak, able only to communicate with whines or moans seeming like an animal that has been mistreated and therefore shrinks from contact. The cop is haunted by the girl and when his estranged wife tries to sexually comfort him that night his mind goes to his initial view of Jenifer bent over a metal drum about to be killed. Becoming aroused, he shifts his wife into a similar position and enters her roughly from behind, hurting her and ending the sex. The next day when he discovers Jenifer has no one to claim her he takes her out of the court mandated asylum hoping to find her a home. The first night Frank makes her a bed on his living room couch but when his wife insists she must go he can find no place that will house her. Throughout all this the only sounds that Jenifer makes are those small whimpers and moans that put me in mind of a frightened puppy. She cowers against her protector and appears to only barely understand her plight. She twice holds the cop’s hand up to her face and licks it in a disturbingly animal like gesture.
By this time Frank has submitted to Jenifer’s physical attraction and obvious desire for his touch having intense sex with her. Unable to push the girl away he ends up a tragic, broken man. As the story progresses we see Frank lose his family, job and self-respect all because of his obsessive lust for this strange girl-creature.

I won’t ruin the film by going further into detail but the element of this tale that got to me in a in a very uncomfortable fashion was the very clear misogynistic undercurrent of the story. As the story moves forward I began to see a very nasty commentary on sexual attraction and relationships all centered on a negative view of women. A very negative view! The film seems to me to be a malicious version of the male view of the predatory and co-dependant aspects of the female temperament. This is a very adolescent view of the female and the film is careful to push this aspect through some subtle and not so subtle moments. There is an effort to give Frank and Jenifer’s relationship the structure of a teenage tryst with the wife standing in as the disapproving parent, their first sex act in a parked car, the us against the world mindset adopted by Frank and the third act running away from adult responsibility that causes the inevitable turn from love to hatred. The not so subtle ones are vicious starting with the fact that we learn of Jenifer’s terrible nutritional needs it’s only females that suffer under her teeth. Only after jealously rears its head does her violence touch a male and then only to hurt another woman. Truly, this is a metaphor that carries much weight in the human psyche and my creeping realization of what I was seeing stunned me.

The misogynistic view here is very unpleasant and is easily the movie’s most unsettling element. The viewpoint presented is so cruel, such a product of inexperience and tunnel vision that it should be laughable when recognized. But that's not the reaction I had. I felt a sense of identification with the idea of a woman as an ambition sucking succubus, draining life from everything she touches. I saw clearly the vestiges of my own past feelings of this type and was deeply ashamed of them and myself. Because I realized that in a dark corner of my heart I still hold this supremely hateful and damning opinion of a certain type of woman. I’ve been in relationships that seem to bring only pain, cutting you off from the things you love about life until you doubt the need to go on. It’s these memories that JENIFER touched in me that made me cringe away from the screen. Not the gore, or the make up effects or even the sight of the creature’s malformed face. Just the recognition of a universal , ugly male prejudice about sex & women that we’d all be better off without. I thought I’d suppressed this nasty side of my feelings about the fairer sex but obviously I have more growing up to do. I just hope I’m capable of it as now I reach middle age. The ladies in my life deserve something more from me than the childish view on display in this disturbing ‘Masters of Horror’ episode.