Trauma (1993)

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Franco Ferrini (story) and
Gianni Romoli (story) ...

Release Date:

12 March 1993 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Some Nightmares Haunt You. Some... Can Kill You.

Plot:

A young man tries to help a teenage European girl whom escaped from a clinic hospital after witnessing the murder of her parents by a serial killer and they try to find the killer before the killer finds them.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Serial Killer | Stabbing | Murder Witness | One Word Title

Cast

Christopher Rydell	...	David Parsons
Asia Argento	...	Aura Petrescu
Piper Laurie	...	Adriana Petrescu
Frederic Forrest	...	Dr. Judd
Laura Johnson	...	Grace Harrington
Dominique Serrand	...	Stefan Petrescu
James Russo	...	Capt. Travis
Ira Belgrade	...	Arnie
Brad Dourif	...	Dr. Lloyd
Hope Alexander-Willis	...	Linda Quirk
Sharon Barr	...	Hilda Volkman
Isabell O'Connor	...	Georgia Jackson (as Isabell Monk)
Cory Garvin	...	Gabriel Pickering
Terry Perkins	...	Mrs. Pickering
Tony Saffold	...	Ben Aldrich

Also Known As:

Aura's Enigma (USA) (working title)
Dario Argento's Trauma (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and terror, and for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | Italy:VM14 | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-18

Filming Locations:

Hopkins, Minnesota, USA

Company:

ADC Films

Trivia:

This was Dario Argento's first American production.

Movie Connections:

References Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)

Soundtrack:

The Loss

Doesn't always "feels" like an Argento film, but it's certainly not bad!

Italian's top-class horror director Dario Argento obviously impressed some people with his previous films ('Opera' in particular) as he was offered the opportunity to film a fully American backed production. Trauma is a gruesome and sadistic thriller from the giallo-master, completely set in Minnesota and depending on a respectable US cast. There's a serial decapitator at large and the young, anorexic Aura (director's daughter Asia Argento) seemly is his/her main-target. The good-hearted journalist David (Christopher Rydell) takes the girl under his wings after the killer got both of her parents and, as their relationship becomes more intimate, the routine of sadistic killings slowly emerges. A bone-chilling mystery from the past slowly unravels and it involves multiple (ex-)doctors from a psychiatric clinic.

The plots in gialli rarely are credible so you can count on the fact that this 'Trauma' contains several far-fetched nonsense aspects as well. Especially the U-turn twist near the end is pretty hard to digest. My advise: don't pay too much attention to this and drown in Argento's brilliant as always camera movements and the stunning portrayal of the violence. Trauma may not be as bloody as 'Tenebrae' or the more recent 'Sleepless' but some of the butchering done here still is perfectly nauseating. What else do you expect with a killer whose modus operandi includes beheading people? Unfortunately, Argento still lacks the skills to direct his actors. You can't even blame the dubbing this time, but the performances are far below average. Asia Argento is forgiven, since it was her first leading role. But I expected a little better from routine B-stars like Frederic Forrest, Piper Laurie and James Russo. Brad Dourif is a joy to observe, but his appearance is far too brief to save the dull acting. To me, Trauma turned out to be a pleasant Sunday afternoon time-waster. Not nearly Argento's most memorable film (he hasn't made any memorable film in the 90's) but maybe the ideal film for inexperienced horror fans to get into contact with Argento's work. All the trademarks that made him legendary in the field are present, but none of them is properly elaborated like it should be.