Movie Melting Pot…’Profondo rosso (‘Deep Red’)’ (Italy, 1975)

Early in his career, horror director Dario Argento became the man who perfected the giallo. Mario Bava is known as the father of the genre, but Argento’s films like ‘The Cat o’Nine Tails’, ‘Four Flies on Grey Velvet’, and ‘The Bird with the Crystal Plumage’ (these three making up the unofficial trilogy known as the “animal trilogy†) put his voice at the forefront of the giallos.

Just for a quick history lesson, for those who do not know about the giallos, they were a series of thrillers made in Italy throughout the ’70s that paved the way for the modern slasher film. The word “giallo† means yellow in Italian and the genre was named for the yellow-covered murder mystery novels that inspired the films. Giallos are murder mystery films that are generally known for their extreme violence, nudity, and a faceless killer who wears black gloves. In fact, the general equation to making a giallo is the three Bs: blood, boobs, and black gloves.

Getting back to the film at hand, Argento took some time away from the genre in the early to mid-’70s. After making two Italian TV dramas and a comedy, he returned to the genre with the 1975 film, ‘Profondo rosso’. The film is known as ‘Deep Red’ in the states, and general consensus states that this is the best giallo ever made. Some even claim that it is Argento’s best film, and the film has garnered a massive cult following in recent years.

The film follows an English jazz pianist (David Hemmings) living in Rome. Late one night while walking home, the pianist witnesses the brutal killing of a psychic medium (Macha Meril) in her apartment window. The pianist runs up to aid in a rescue, but he is too late. However, after the event and upon recollection, he begins to feel he saw the killer’s face somewhere in the apartment.

With the aid of a reporter (Daria Nicolodi, whom Argento would later marry) and the medium’s associate (Glauco Mauri), the pianist sets out to remember what he saw and pinpoint who the killer is. Shortly after, people around him begin dying vicious deaths.

‘Deep Red’ is the absolute best of the giallos. It is a thrilling masterpiece by one of the three unofficial Godfathers of Italian horror (Bava and Lucio Fulci are the other two). The film tells a very intricately crafted story, unlike Argento’s supernatural films like ‘Suspiria’ and ‘Inferno’. It is also a great introduction to giallos for anyone who has yet to check them out but find the genre interesting.

The film also marked the start of Argento’s long-going collaboration with the band Goblin and, in particular, Claudio Simonetti. Simonetti and Goblin would go one to score ‘Suspiria’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead’ for George Romero.

Between the subject matter, the set pieces, and Argento’s incredible camera work, ‘Deep Red’ is a film that has inspired and influenced countless filmmakers since. Particularly horror filmmakers have drawn inspiration from ‘Deep Red’. Among the most evident is a death scene the film shares with ‘Halloween II’ involving scalding water and a woman’s unfortunate face. ‘Deep Red’ was also referenced in films like ‘Terror Firmer’, ‘Cigarette Burns’, and ‘Kill Bill: Volume 1’. Fans with a quick eye will also catch a brief reference in the trailer for ‘Don’t’ that Edgar Wright directed for ‘Grindhouse’. However, the most obvious source for inspiration comes from a small scene involving a character being terrorized by a mechanical doll. The doll, creepy as hell, would later inspire the doll from the ‘Saw’ franchise.

‘Deep Red’ had two DVD releases through Starz/Anchor Bay. One was the Dario Argento Collection 3 that included ‘Deep Red’ and ‘Tenebrae’, another one of Argento’s above average giallos. The other disc only contained ‘Deep Red’, but both of those have been discontinued. In 2007, Blue Underground put the director’s cut of ‘Deep Red’ out on DVD. The DVD has not been discontinued, but it is unavailable at the moment. The film can also be found on 2005’s Chilling Classics box set that includes 50 films in total.

However you find it, you should definitely make an effort to watch this film. ‘Deep Red’ is a film that fans of the genre should make every effort at checking out. In fact, it is a staple when it comes to Italian horror and the giallos. It was Argento’s maturation when it came to filmmaking and it is still considered by many to be his best work. Even the director himself claims that ‘Deep Red’ is his favorite of his films.