The success of Dario Argento's 'The Bird with the Crystal Plumage' ushered in a host of imitators, seeking to capitalise on this new, modern take on the giallo thriller. Many were highly derivative, but a number nonetheless rose above the crowd thanks to skilful execution and a willingness to experiment stylistically. Once such example is 'The Fifth Cord' - which, in the hands of director Luigi Bazzoni ('The Possessed', 'Footprints on the Moon'), turns a conventional premise into a visually stunning exploration of alienation and isolation. When a man barely survives a brutal assault en route home from a New Year's party, washed-up, whisky-swilling journalist Andrea Bild ('Franco Nero', 'Django') is assigned to report on the case. Before long, the maniac strikes again, this time with fatal results. As the body count rises, Andrea falls under suspicion himself, making it even more imperative that he crack the case. His only clue lies in a series of black gloves found at the location of every attack, each with a finger cut off... Adapted from a novel by David McDonald Devine, 'The Fifth Cord' boasts a complex, Agatha Christie-esque plot, outstanding cinematography courtesy of future Oscar-winner Vittorio Storaro ('Apocalypse Now') and supporting appearances by a raft of genre stalwarts, including Silvia Monti ('A Lizard in a Woman's Skin'), Edmund Purdom ('Nightmare City') and Rossella Falk ('Sleepless'). Debuting here in high definition, arguably the most visually stunning giallo ever made now shines like never before.
In the post-war years, the proliferation of transnational European co-productions gave rise to a cross-pollination of genres, with the same films sold in different markets as belonging to different movements. Among these, Riccardo Freda's ('I vampiri', 'The Horrible Dr. Hichock') 'Double Face' wa...
From Dario Argento, maestro of the macabre and the man behind some the greatest excursions in Italian horror (Suspiria, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), comes Deep Red - arguably the ultimate giallo movie. One night, musician Marcus Daly (David Hemmings, Blow Up), looking up from the street be...
An age-old family curse hits sisters Kitty and Franziska following the death of their grandfather Tobias. Every hundred years, so the legend goes, the bloodthirsty Red Queen returns and claims seven fresh victims. Was Tobias just the first... and are Kitty and Franziska next?