5 Dead on the Crimson Canvas

This movie is one id never heard of but after reading the good reviews and seeing the film for myself I am pleasantly surprised. If you like offbeat low budget films you will appreciate this one. Joe Zaso is great as is the rest of the cast. Worth having for the film buff for sure. Not to be missed so check it out. Surprising gore and murder scenes. Film students and films buffs will love it. Proves you don't have to have a big budget for a quality film. This shows you how you can make a film and be proud of it. Great effects and music. Joe Zaso is great in this one for sure he has done some amazing work so look for anything with him in it.

I saw the movie some years ago on video, and I just came across it's listing on IMDB. It has that dark, "film noir" edge that comes across VERY well on the small screen. It also helps knowing the star, Joe Zaso. I've known him for some years, and have always enjoyed his performances.

I was completed enthralled by this film. The plot is thick and yet not difficult to follow. The characters are unique, slightly twisted (some more so) and yet believable. It is more creepy and mental in it's horror, but some scenes are nightmare worthy. I don't generally judge a movie on specific artistic merit - but rather I judge it on it's effectiveness in achieving an artistic vision overall - and it's entertainment factor. This movie is certainly for those that like a little visceral with their mental - the gore is squirm-worthy and the violence is filmed with intense staging. I would recommend this film for fans of Psycho, Phantasm, and Suspiria.

5 DEAD ON THE CRIMSON CANVAS is a pitiful tribute to the 'giallo' genre made on a shoestring budget in America - truly an 'indie' if ever I've seen one. While I do love the giallo film in general, this is totally unlike anything that springs to mind; all it has are murders committed by a black-clad killer and plenty of attempted style. The latter fails throughout, the lowest-common-denominator approach is on boring nudity and bloodshed, and the decision to deliberately add bad dubbing (pre-empting all those fake 'grindhouse' movies that would be made a decade later) is a criminal one.

Okay this is actually really fun. It's extremely low budget with the drawbacks that come with that but I really enjoyed it. It looks to me like a film student's effort at creating a tribute to giallo films, and this is obviously someone who loves those films very much and has carefully crafted a piece in their honor. Actually good for a giallo made in the 90s, much better than a lot of the italian attempts at giallo around this time. This one gets the atmosphere right. however, If you've never seen giallo... certainly don't start with this.