Terror at the Opera: Dario Argento

By 1987, Dario Argento had already established his reputation as one of the best directors of Italian giallo, or gruesome horror films.  He had a way of elevating the horror slasher into fine art, as evidenced by The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and the magnificent Suspiria.  His films were technicolor nightmares where murder victims were canvases for elaborate and horrifying acts of violence.  In Terror at the Opera, Argento reminds the world of his technical and visceral mastery over the horror film.  The film follows a young opera singer named Betty who is thrust into the limelight after the star of her show was hit by a car.  However, her debut is TOO good, as it gains the attention of a maniac killer.  Like a murderous Phantom of the Opera, he kills members of the production.  However, in the film's most gruesome twist, he frequently does so after tying Betty up and placing razors under her eyelids, forcing her to keep them open and watch his terrible work.  The film is technically stunning with some of the most inventive and imaginative camerawork this side of a Sam Raimi film.  The only problem is that the killer, when revealed, doesn't really mention his motivation.  If he did, it was drowned out by screaming and/or the soundtrack.  Also, the ending seems like it was transplanted from an entirely different film, killing the atmosphere that Argento worked so hard to create.  Still, Terror at the Opera is one of Argento's finest works and essential viewing for gore-hungry horror-hounds.

8/10