A young man (Christopher Rydell) finds an bulimic girl (Asia Argento) who has escaped her parents. When returned to them, a killer with a unique mechanical decapitation device strikes. Soon, the two must find out who the killer is, and what they want.
Released in 1993, "Trauma" has received some flak from Dario Argento fans, who consider it one of his weaker efforts. In a way, I can agree-the movie has several plot holes, the acting is largely hit and miss (Asia is pretty inexperienced here), and it's not as gory and stylish as his other films.
Yet, there's still plenty to recommend in this movie. The movie is Argento's more character and plot oriented films, and it's surprisingly easy to follow. There's also still plenty of Argento's wonderful stylish touches, and while not as gory as his previous movies, there's still some great kills (including a great bit involving an elevator). The score by Pino Donnaggio, while not as good as Argento's past musicians, is still up to task. Finally, the presence of several acting vets (including James Russo, Brad Dourif, Frederic Forrest, and an excellent Piper Laurie) don't hurt at all.
"Trauma" is not Argento's best movie, and certainly pales in comparison to movies like "Deep Red", "Suspiria", and "Inferno." As it stands though, it's an underrated movie, and worth a look, especially if you are an Argento fan.
