1975, dir. Dario Argento
with David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, and Gabriele Lavia.
126 min, 35mm
Hailed as a masterpiece of the Giallo genre, “Profondo Rosso” mixes elegant visual tableaus, visual trickery, and the tale of a hatchet killer into a lush whodunit. After the American pianist Marcus Daly (Hemmings) witnesses the terrible murder of a psychic in a Roman piazza, he becomes haunted with the notion there is a single clue he is missing that would reveal the madmen’s true identity. With a haunting score by Goblin, a meticulous buildup of suspense, and relatable modes of murder, “Profondo Rosso” inspired future generations of filmmakers, including John Carpenter, who cites the film as a major influence on his own classic horror movie “Halloween.”
