jadavix
"A Blade In the Dark" is a stupid, boring movie about a guy scoring a horror film in a villa where women drop in to be murdered. He also has a pervert of a handyman who hangs around spying on the women and providing an obvious red herring.There's very little nudity and no sex. Only one of the women takes her top off briefly.The "suspenseful" bits are handled moronically. A lady dives into a swimming pool and the music suddenly turns spooky. Is there something inherently scary about swimming in a swimming pool? No? Then why the music? As soon as she gets out, the music stops. What's the deal? If what's on screen hasn't given us any reason to be scared, scary music just seems bizarre and out of place.The murder weapon used for the first killing is also ridiculous. It's a Stanley knife with a plastic base. It looks like something you would find on a particularly OCD-having salaryman's desk: you know, the guy in the office who has all his pencils engraved with his name and won't let you borrow anything. It's not anywhere near dangerous enough to kill someone who could put up the least resistance.Later, a the handyman gets repeatedly bashed with his own spanner (ho ho) and all that comes from it is a bit of fake blood. So why doesn't he resist? He just stands there and let's his noggin get flogged.Anyway, there's no mystery in this movie. The killer turns out to be someone we haven't met and know nothing about. There are some scenes later on that could have been scary but happen far too late, and after far too many stupid scenes, to be as effective as they could have been in a better movie.Bava Jr. was apparently no better a filmmaker than Bava Sr., but at least he isn't ridiculously overrated.
Scott LeBrun
Lamberto Bavas' amusing Giallo "A Blade in the Dark" is more straightforward than most; it's reasonably stylish yet never goes for the truly bizarre or nonsensical. The director, working from a screenplay by husband and wife writers Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti, does a respectable job of balancing traditional suspense with some in your face gory mayhem. (It's highly recommended that one see this in uncut form.)Andrea Occhipinti plays Bruno, a film composer who isolates himself in a beautiful villa to work on his score for a horror film directed by his friend Sandra (Anny Papa). Soon, however, sexy lady neighbours meet gruesome demises as a creepy killer is haunting the premises. Bruno becomes obsessed with the circumstances and takes it upon himself to solve this mystery.Even if one is able to figure everything out early on, the film is still solidly entertaining. It benefits from Bavas' use of the locations and his flair for the macabre. The murderer switches back and forth between an exacto knife and a kitchen knife, and shows no mercy. One particular murder sequence takes place in a bathroom and is very sadistic. There's some undeniable silliness - for one thing, a pesky invertebrate is referred to as a cockroach when we can clearly see it's a spider. Some viewers may take issue with the performances by the actors doing the dubbing, but others may find them entertaining.The acting is basically decent. Handsome Occhipinti is ably supported by luscious ladies Papa, Fabiola Toledo as Angela, Valeria Cavalli as Katia, and Lara Lamberti as Julia. Assistant director Michele Soavi also has the key supporting role of Tony. Fans of Lucio Fulcis' "The House by the Cemetery" will note the presence of Giovanni Frezza, a.k.a. the infamous "Bob", in the film within the film.Ultimately fairly twisted, "A Blade in the Dark" is a nicely shot, sometimes spooky film with a music score (by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis) that is sometimes repetitive but still effective. It goes on for about 109 minutes, so it does sort of drag at times, but overall it should be acceptable viewing for fans of this genre.Eight out of 10.
chrichtonsworld
This movie has almost everything a giallo should contain. Sexy women,a brutal killer and gore. An observant and experienced viewer may be able to predict the identity of the killer early on but there are more than enough red herrings to make you doubt your self. There are lot of scenes in which cheesy clichés could have ruined the experience. Somehow the director manages to overturn these clichés into real tense scenes. And for once the main character is not a complete moron. This guy is real charismatic in the movie and his seriousness about all of the events make the movie even work better. Of course this movie has it's share of flaws where plot and logic collide. Especially in the rushed ending. But it didn't bother me in the slightest. Effective giallo!
The_Void
Lamberto Bava may not have the awesome movie making talents of his father Mario, but all the same; he has directed a number of good genre flicks, and for my money; this Giallo is the best of them. The film takes obvious influence from Dario Argento's phenomenal eighties Giallo 'Tenebre' (which Lamberto Bava had a hand in), as well as a certain other influential classic film that I can't name for fear of spoilers. The film was clearly made on a low budget as the cinematography looks cheap and most of the film takes place around just one location - but Lamberto doesn't let this hinder him, and that's a big credit to him as a director. The plot focuses on Bruno, a composer who goes to a secluded villa to work on a score for a horror movie. It's not long before he meets some women that used to know the person who was there before him, and it's not long after that the women begin to disappear! Naturally, Bruno decides to investigate the disappearances, and it's not long before he realises that they have something to do with the movie he's working on...Compared to other Lamberto Bava films, and other Giallo's, the body count here is rather low. However, every murder in the film is memorable, and that is largely thanks to the fact that they're all so brutal! The bathroom murder is somewhat notorious in its own right, and the film also features a couple of brutal knife slayings and someone being repeatedly bashed on the head with a spanner! The cast is made up of lesser known performers, though they all do their jobs well. Andrea Occhipinti is interesting enough in the lead role, and he is supported by a host of beautiful women, which is nice. The film also features a role for Michele Soavi; whom cult fans will recognise as another Argento-trained director. The central setting is well used and Bava manages to spring a foreboding atmosphere from the house and its grounds. The film also features a creepy sequence that involves some kids and a tennis ball that is liable to stick in the memory long after it's over. The conclusion is an obvious rip off of another film and it's just a bit silly too; but all the same, A Blade in the Dark is a fun little Giallo and I certainly recommend it.
AD
