Phantom of Death

Phantom of Death
(Aka: Off Balance]
Original Title: Un delitto poco comune
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Italy, 1988
Thriller/Horror/Giallo, 90min
Distributed by Shameless Screen Entertainment


Story:
Concert Pianist Robert Dominici is a praised musician who’s performances are aired on national television. During one of these televised concerts a scientist is murdered in a beastly manner, and the police are left clueless. Inspector Datti, is put on the case and when Dominici’s girlfriend also is murdered he starts putting together a possible solution that doesn’t make sense, but is plausible. Dominici starts dating his old girlfriend and fashion coordinator Hélène Martell, and pretty soon she turn out to be pregnant with his child, but Robert isn’t as happy as he should be, instead he’s quite the opposite. When Inspector Datti starts figuring out the enigmatic mystery put before him, he’s forced to put logic aside when the suspected killer either is several people or one man aging rapidly…




Me:
I really can’t find much good to say about this movie at all. Perhaps it would be that great Argento-esque second killing in the train station with the great big shattering windows and the always fantastic Edwige Fenech, but not even Edwige feels at place in this terrible piece from Ruggero Deodato. Not to mention Michael York in what might be the worst case of miss-casting ever. Michael York just ruins this film for me completely. He’s so not into his character and he acts like a lump of coal. Which is a shame; because I’m sure that this could have been a great movie if the heart had been in place instead of a lump of coal that generates no empathy or interest at all. Even good old Donald Pleasance is more or less just parodying the “inspector” role that he perfected in so many earlier movies that it’s annoying. The story of a serial killer having a lethal disease which makes him grow older at rapid speed is a great, the few effects by Cataldo Galliano (Sergio Martino’s Island of the Fishmen, and Mannaja, Dario Argento’s Four Flies On Grey Velvet) that are in the movie are very effective and are very appropriate of the late eighties special effects, exaggerated and overdone, but gory as hell and fit the movie like a charm and the aging process of York’s character is really well done, but still his acting ruins everything.

Story wise it’s a very interesting and unique attempt at bringing something new to the genre, as York goes insane parallel with his progeria that is turning him into an old man, and when he learns that Fenech is pregnant with his child he goes after her to inhibit his bad genes from to infect their unborn child, hence prohibiting the child to grow into a “monster child” like the one he has previously seen at an orphanage. It’s a decent plot and really is the strong point of the film, but like I said, York just ruins it completely with his shitty acting. But I suppose that’s what you get when you use the wrong person to play the lead part in your movie. Anyhow, the story brings something new to it and it’s a nice twist to it as you are lead on by the opening montage which crosscuts between York playing the piano, and a doctor being murdered, and it couldn’t possibly be nice Michael York who was the killer, as he was playing the piano live on TV at the time, we saw that didn’t we…?


Pino Donnagio’s score works all right, perhaps not his best work and all that classical piano tinkering just adds to the annoyance, as York’s character is so maddening, but the score gets the job done. Considering that the storywriters/scriptwriters Gianfranco Clerici and Vincenzo Mannino have titles like Fulci’s New York Ripper and Don’t Torture a Duckling, Deodato’s House on the Edge of the Park and Cannibal Holocaust, not to mention Enzo Castellari’s The Last Shark, Umberto Lenzi’s fantastic poliziotteschi Violent Naples and Duccio Tessari’s The Bloodstained Butterfly on their writing credits, it’s painfully obvious that Deodato not only miscast, and failed his directorial duties on this one, but also shot it ten years to late. With the right cast, the right score and made at the right time it would for sure have been a classic, and not a dud once again proving that the giallo as a genre wouldn’t make it into the nineties.

Unfortunately this was also the last collaboration between Deodato and editor Daniele Alabiso, who used to bring a much more violent and aggressive tone to the movies he edited for Deodato during the 70's and 80's. Again the movies unfortunately became more about spectacle than the impact full narratives and jazzy swagger of those gone before them.

Keep a look for the bloke who get’s on the moped just before the train station. Don’t blink because if you do you’ll miss Deodato’s cameo, possibly the only part of the movie he really focused on in this terrible piece of Italian Genre Cinema. Great eighties special effects, some brief nudity and the always wonderful Edwige Fenech, but that’s about it.

Image:
16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:
2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo.

Extras:
Trailers for: The Killer Nun, The Black Cat, New York Ripper, Torso, Manhattan Baby, and Baba Yaga - The Devil Witch coming from Shameless Screen Entertainment

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
Original Title; Strano vizio della Signora Wardh, lo
Directed by; Sergio Martino, Italy /Spain, 1971
Giallo / Thriller, 98min
Distribution by NoShame Films

Story;
Unfortunate Mrs Julie Wardh [Edwige Fenech] is cast into a frenzy of mixed emotions as her marriage to her stockbroker husband bounces onto the rocks. She seeks comfort with her new lover George Corro [George Hilton], who protects her from her sadistic ex-lover Jean [Ivan Rassimov]. But at the same time there's a murderer out on a violent killing spree hacking women to death. Could it be one of the many men in Mrs Wardh's life?

Me;
I have to admit it that there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Italian Giallo. Nothing is as fun as these amazing arty thrillers with their jazzy soundtracks, hot seventies chicks, suave dudes, really bad bad guys, and over the top violence. Sergio Martino's Mrs Wardh is very true to the formula. Fenech is great as the confused Julie who can't keep her eyes and hands off her new boyfriend George. Rassimov suits the part of her sadistic ex Jean like a glove, and her surreal dreams of their violent relationship are great. The classic gloved stalking killer theme works well, and as usual Martino bring his tricks to the table. There is even a scene where the killing is seen reflected in the killer's glasses. Just like the Giallo genre usually is, there's plenty of weird plot twists and red herrings pointing the viewer in the wrong direction about who the killer is, and there are a few killings that don't really make sense as it's people outside of the main cast, that we've never seen before who get it. But that's the Giallo genre for you. Wonderfully wacky, violent and jazzy. I wouldn't suggest this one for a starter movie if you've never seen a Giallo before, but if you like the genre, or just dig Italian seventies flicks, then this should keep you happy for 98minutes. See how many of the plot twists that you can keep up with, and if you see the ending coming then you are ready to move up to the more obscure Gialli's.

Image:
Digitally remastered and restored from the original negative, NoShame have nothing to be ashamed about with this release. Presented in its original anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio it looks great and even though the night scenes are a bit on the dark side, Mrs. Wardh has never looked better.

Audio:
One of the great treats of the NoShame DVD’s are the audio options, you can either watch the movie with the traditional dodgy dubbing or flick over to the Italian soundtrack and put on the English subtitles. It's all in Dolby Digital, and both soundtracks are in Mono, and I prefer that, I don't want these movies with remastered fake 5.1 surround sound. These movies are best watched late at night with my late grandfathers old seventies headphones on my head, and then I don't need surround sound.

Extras:
Hopefully it's going to stay a standard that NoShame include their own produced mini-documentaries about each title, because they sure make great viewing and are full to the brim of geeky information that we like to know about when it comes to these classic gems. Here the title is Dark Fears Behind the Door and features director Sergio Martino, producer Luciano Martino, scriptwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, and stars Edwige Fenech & George Hilton all remembering The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. Viewing several of the titles in No Shame’s catalogue, I constantly get the urge to start with the documentaries just to be able to nod and laugh at the anecdotes, but luckily it's DVD, so there's no rewind time, just a few flicks on the remote and rewatch the movie. Also included are a booklet with short biographies and career highlights, the original Italian trailer and a gallery with posters and stills.

Once again a superb DVD from NoShame and it's a pleasure to revisit Mrs. Wardh when it looks and sounds this good.