Having covered all American films up to this point, I thought it was time to take a detour and feature an Italian import. The giallo genre is quite possibly the crown jewel when it comes to Italian horror cinema and those films stylistic similarities to the slasher should not be understated. Being a huge fan of giallo master Dario Argento in high school, I tried to pick up anything and everything bearing the Director’s touch. When I saw that one of his protégés, Michelle Soavi, had tried his hand at a slasher genre film, I knew I had to check it out. This is what led me to the semi classic Italian slasher Stagefright.
Day 5: Spaghetti Slasher….Stagefright
First I must mention that Stagefright was released in 1987, rather than 1989 as I had mentioned in my previous post.
The film follows a troupe of down on their luck actors and director, merely days away from the premiere of a new play they are working on. They are working around the clock at their rehearsal space on a play featuring a killer with a distinctive owl mask. Everyone is clearly high strung and it doesn’t help that Alicia, the head actress is having trouble with her ankle pain. Alicia and Betty(wardrobe) decide to leave the rehearsal space and seek medical attention from a local mental institution(?), which also happens to house a notorious actor named Irving Wallace, who killed a bunch of people. After killing an orderly, Wallace manages to hitch a ride with the gals in their trunk and soon gives Becky the ole pick axe to the head. The director takes advantage of the publicity from the death and decides to open the show sooner and change the owl mask killer’s name to, you guessed it, Irving Wallace. To get ready for the premiere he locks everyone in the studio but soon they realize that the killer is loose in the building and picking the cast off one by one.
What more can you say about this film other than that it is truly a fantastic piece of slasher cinema. It has all the trademarks of a classic by having a memorable masked killer, fantastic gore, and a high body count. However, all that aside, the Italian touch of the film is what truly makes Stagefright stand out amongst it’s peers.
The giallo influence of this film would lead someone to believe that they were watching a top rate Lamberto Bava or Argento film. The soundtrack is an eerie 80’s synth pop score that gives the film a dreamlike quality. Also, the set of the film, the makeup, and the wardrobe make for a color scheme that screams of top Euro cinema.
For fans of giallos, slashers, or just good euro horror in general, I can’t recommend this movie enough. Since it was released by Anchor Bay a few years ago, it is highly accessible and fairly easy to pick up. Since tomorrow will be day 6 of my all you can eat buffet of slashers, I thought it fitting to feature the 6th entry in a popular slasher franchise so get out your Illinois map as we head for Haddonfield with Halloween 6: Curse of Michael Myers.
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