What a pleasant surprise. This early giallo entry was Aldo Lado's first directorial feature and he put a lot of effort into it. What might disappoint slightly is that you don't see a lot in the way of good deaths. Most are done off-screen, which makes this a marginal giallo, at best. However, don't be put off by the "lack of hack." This movie has got the goods and delivers them.
An American journalist, Gregory Moore played by Jean Sorel(who reminds me of Franco Nero a bit), is found at the beginning of the film lying in the grass and being menaced by a hungry crow. Gregory is believed to be dead and so is transported to the hospital. However, while there, the audience is privy to his inner dialogue which seems to prove he is very much alive. The examining doctors are befuddled by his lack of rigidity and other normal signs of recent death. Then we begin to move through flashbacks as Gregory tries to piece together how he got to the hospital and what occurred over the last few days. During the hospital sequence, there are some delicious moments of uncertainty where you wonder whether a possibly still-living Gregory will fall under the scalpel for an autopsy or will he wake up with is innards exposed? I especially liked the part where he was slipped into the cooler until the doctors decided what to do with him and then another body is placed on the rack above him. Super creepy.
The flashback sequences are masterfully spun. Gregory searches desperately for his girlfriend, the pretty-from-the-right-angle Barbara Bach, who's gone missing. He and his journalist friends butt heads with the local police in Prague as they chase shadows in empty plazas and zig-zagging alleys. After putting a few pieces of the puzzle together, Gregory finds a club for lovers of classical music and believes Barbara and other women have met their fate at the hands of the occupants. What follows is a rather strange orgy of black mass rites and political potency. The ending is shocking. The hospital aspect of the plot is very similar to a Twilight Zone episode and also to a Stephen King short story(I doubt King saw this film, but he did say the TZ episode inspired him-which is admirable since it's practically identical---ah, the ability to be published for such nonsense, but I digress).
Ennio Morricone provides the score. While Morricone is always good, the second film by Aldo Lado has a much better score written by Ennio.
There is almost no bloodshed in this film and what you do see is mainly off-camera deaths. This is unusual for 70's horror/thrillers and it's a rare treat to just sit back and take in Lado's meticulous direction.
An American journalist, Gregory Moore played by Jean Sorel(who reminds me of Franco Nero a bit), is found at the beginning of the film lying in the grass and being menaced by a hungry crow. Gregory is believed to be dead and so is transported to the hospital. However, while there, the audience is privy to his inner dialogue which seems to prove he is very much alive. The examining doctors are befuddled by his lack of rigidity and other normal signs of recent death. Then we begin to move through flashbacks as Gregory tries to piece together how he got to the hospital and what occurred over the last few days. During the hospital sequence, there are some delicious moments of uncertainty where you wonder whether a possibly still-living Gregory will fall under the scalpel for an autopsy or will he wake up with is innards exposed? I especially liked the part where he was slipped into the cooler until the doctors decided what to do with him and then another body is placed on the rack above him. Super creepy.
The flashback sequences are masterfully spun. Gregory searches desperately for his girlfriend, the pretty-from-the-right-angle Barbara Bach, who's gone missing. He and his journalist friends butt heads with the local police in Prague as they chase shadows in empty plazas and zig-zagging alleys. After putting a few pieces of the puzzle together, Gregory finds a club for lovers of classical music and believes Barbara and other women have met their fate at the hands of the occupants. What follows is a rather strange orgy of black mass rites and political potency. The ending is shocking. The hospital aspect of the plot is very similar to a Twilight Zone episode and also to a Stephen King short story(I doubt King saw this film, but he did say the TZ episode inspired him-which is admirable since it's practically identical---ah, the ability to be published for such nonsense, but I digress).
Ennio Morricone provides the score. While Morricone is always good, the second film by Aldo Lado has a much better score written by Ennio.
There is almost no bloodshed in this film and what you do see is mainly off-camera deaths. This is unusual for 70's horror/thrillers and it's a rare treat to just sit back and take in Lado's meticulous direction.