Trauma (1993)

A young man tries to help a teenage European girl who 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.

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Franco Ferrini (story), Gianni Romoli (story) (as Giovanni Romoli)

Stars:

Christopher Rydell, Asia Argento, Piper Laurie

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

An anorexic young woman escapes from a psychiatric clinic and meets a young man who wants to help. She is caught and returned to her parents, who are soon beheaded by a garrotting stranger making the rounds about town, apparently striking only when it rains. The orphaned young woman and her new lover launch their own investigation and are endangered when a link is discovered with the victims and a particular operation performed years before.

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Plot Keywords:

murderess | psychotronic film | slasher killer | slasher flick | slasher | 

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Taglines:

A new dimension of fear

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dario Argento's usual collaborating rock band Goblin were originally suggested to write and perform the music score for the film, but were declined by the American producers who wanted something more friendly to the American audience, therefore Pino Donaggio's orchestral score was used.

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Goofs

Severed heads cannot talk. One needs lungs in order to talk.

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Alternate Versions

The UK video release has been cut by 7 seconds by the BBFC. There are 2 cuts, both to shots of wire cutting into the necks of Hope Alexander-Willis and Piper Laurie. It should also be added that the UK video release is the shorter version, missing around 8 minutes of narrative. The 2002 Tartan DVD restored all previous BBFC cuts.

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Connections

Featured in Dario Argento's Monkey Business: The Making of Phenomena (2011)

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Soundtracks

The Loss
Music by Andrea Bandel and Pino Donaggio
Arranged by Andrea Bandel
Score Conducted by Gianfranco Plenizio
Arranged and Orchestrated by Pino Donaggio and Natale Massara
Keyboards Programming and Performance by Paolo Steffan
All music published by Bixio C.E.M.S.A.

User Reviews

considering Argento's recent output, this isn't bad...

Dario Argento makes a clunky transition to film-making in the United States with "Trauma," but still succeeds in creating an atmosphere of suspense and menace. The cast, while well-chosen, is prone to overacting (with Piper Laurie and Frederic Forrest being the key offenders), and the plot revolves heavily around coincidence. Despite this, Argento's skillful POV shots (the hospital sequence is especially impressive) imbue the film with an efficient mood of dread, and the story, once fully revealed, makes a bit more sense than the director's earlier, more artistic efforts. Tom Savini's makeup effects are well-done, but underutilized (even in the uncut version).

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 1993 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Aura's Enigma

Filming Locations:

Hopkins, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ADC Films, Overseas FilmGroup

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1