fedor8 When I think of Italian horror films, I think of messy and flawed scripts, semi-amateurish acting, an above-average visual style, dubbed actors (whether in Italian or English, they always dub it in the studio, or at least used to), and last but not least, typical Italian horror-movie music.ATCOTD has that typical Italian "la la la la" soundtrack. (Not all of it, obviously.) Literally - I mean a person actually singing "la la la la" on and on. You can't mistake an Italian horror film for any other country's movie; bad or good, Italian horror flicks are usually uniquely Italian. Sometimes goofy, sometimes effective (sometimes both), this la-la-la-la kind of music is usually catchy, making it difficult to forget that soon. The best example is Argento's "Deep Red" la-la-la-laing. I still have that melody in my head, in spite of having seen the film at least a decade ago.Considering how amazingly idiotic Italian horror/thriller films can be, especially those made by a certain overrated "master" Dario Argento that I just mentioned, ATCOTD has a fairly thought-out script, without any excessive plot holes or glaring logic issues. Everything falls into place in the end, although it isn't 100% clear whether the horroric goings-on were supernatural or not. I'd have to assume they were, because otherwise many things would be too far-fetched.A silly plot-device that was used over and over was Bella constantly being left alone, in spite of having hallucinations, nightmares, and generally getting depression or running into trouble whenever left alone. You'd think that at some point her boyfriend would have realized he should never leave her alone. Half the movie is various characters promising to her that they'll "be there straight away" to help her.The visual look of ATCOTD gets top marks, especially during the scenes in the various parks, which is when the movie looks excellent. Filmed in London, but decidedly un-London-like in the mood it creates. The movie creates a strange kind of London atmosphere; I couldn't get away from the strange feeling that everything was going on in Continental Europe. They could have aimed the camera squarely at Big Ben and held it there for five minutes, but still it would not have seemed like London.

Oslo Jargo (Bartok Kinski) Having expected at least a decent horror film, I knew at the opening credits that the film itself would be way below average, probably somewhere near the throw away horror bin at a soft porn shop or near the incinerator units in hell, as from watching 4 minutes of nausea inducing, amateurish opening dream sequences complete with atrocious over acting, a nude pregnant woman rubbing chicken feces on her belly, overuse of zooming, and a woman vomiting fake blood, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the time I was pouring down the sink. After about 45 minutes of pure filler, including boring dialogue found in most homes or grocery stores, a long, dull chase sequence commences. The whole film is a sluggish chase sequence between some 70's skinny weirdo wearing fake blue contacts and the screaming neurotic bimbo played by the cardboard actress Edwige Fenech, who is nude half the time, and even that becomes tedious. She also screams about 68% of the time (use MUTE) in the film instead of picking up a gun or doing anything remotely intelligent such as tossing a hand grenade in the Satanist house. Also found are a psycho babbling old geezer whose recitation of Dr Freud is incompetent and shallow, at least he winds up dead later.No script, no luminosity, and certainly no aptitude are ever found in this film, and it even has George Hilton, who stared in other rotten horror films, who plays another wooden idiot, all his films seem like they are all the same, cheap and particularly dull. The Satanists finally enter, in a stupid orgy scene which has them dancing around the nude Edwige Fenech to some boring 70's music while showing their ugly teeth and robes (filmed in England). They are puffed out with white make up and they get too many "zoom ins" that look amateurish, the whole effect is about as scary as having your car washed or being beaten on the head with French bread. This is a very lethargic, cheaply made, badly acted film that is not even a Giallo type and it goes nowhere since frame one. The only people who should bother with it or those in comas in hospital beds, or those who have lost their TV remotes.The extras on the DVD are even worse, they have the egomaniacal self-indulgent, Director Sergio Martino single handily taking credit for 'dream type of films' and elevating his other bad films, which were also rip-offs of superb films. Also to note are the idiotic radio ads used for blind people.

Coventry There's isn't any black-gloved killer butchering one fashion model after the other with an exceptional weapon here, yet that certainly doesn't make "All the Colors of the Dark" any less of a genuine Italian giallo! This solid thriller, directed by the almighty Sergio Martino ("Torso", "Blade of the Ripper") , benefits most from its extremely stylish cinematography and, of course, the mesmerizing looks of lead actress and reigning giallo-queen Edwige Fenech. With this natural beauty running around hysterically all the time – often scarcely dressed – you almost feel forced to forgive the story for being overly confusing and the violence for being too tame. Jane is a young woman, still recovering from a traumatizing accident in which she lost her unborn child, and suffers from re-occurring nightmares as well as hallucinations of being stalked by a blue-eyed creep. With her lover Richard out of town a lot, others try to help Jane with her mental problems. Her sister recommends seeing a psychiatrist and a befriended girl in the apartment even advises her to join a satanic cult. This last initiative obviously isn't a very good idea, as lovely Jane becomes involved in an occult mess of rape & murder, starring all the people of her unexplained hallucinations. Sergio Martino creates and sustains a powerful atmosphere of paranoia and morbidity, yet it's truly regretful that there isn't any more gore on display. Jane's nightmares are remotely bloody, but true fans of Italian horror cinema require a bit more sadism. There are several suspenseful scenes to make up for this, notably the one where Fenech awakes in a countryside cottage and painfully realizes she STILL isn't safe. The screenplay makes several intriguing twists & turns near the end, just in time to make it a great giallo after all. I have to admit that the first hour of "All the Colors of the Dark" nearly wasn't as compelling and involving as other contemporary gialli. The music is great as usual and, apart from Edwige, this movie also contains great performances by George Hilton, Ivan Rassimov and Nieves Navarro.

HumanoidOfFlesh Jane(Edwige Fenech)has recurring nightmares of her mother's murder years before.She also seems to be followed by a knife-wielding,blue-eyed man of her nightmares.A neighbor talks her into going to a Devil worshipping cult where she is seduced,tattooed,and drinks the blood of a dog.She soon discovers that there is something more diabolical going on than she could have ever imagined."All the Colors of the Dark" by Sergio Martino is a visually stunning film.The score by Bruno Nicolai is superb as it provides plenty of eerie atmosphere.Both the disturbing dream sequence and the orgiastic Black Mass are well done although a little heavy handed with their symbolism.The cast is great with giallo regulars George Hilton, Edwige Fenech,Ivan Rassimov and Marina Malfatti to boost.There is very little gore,but plenty of gratuitous nudity.So if you are a fan of Sergio Martino's gialli give this gem a look.9 out of 10.