MJB784 I was disappointed. It wasn't that scary or smart. Most of the victims had no personality and there's no explanation for the killer escaping the mental hospital and doing this. It had some cool camera techniques. The killer didn't look dead in the final frames. His eyes and mouth moved slightly.

hwg1957-102-265704 It may be an orthodox slasher film by a first time director and influenced obviously by Dario Argento but it is a gripping film from beginning to end. A psychopathic killer escapes a mental hospital and ends up in a theatre where a dance troupe are rehearsing their upcoming production. What follows is a heady brew of suspense and gore. It is very well shot and the music, which mainly is the strange music used in the production, adds immeasurably to the atmosphere. The killer wears a creepy owl mask and doesn't utter a word which makes him even more disturbing. It is a simple story but there are some tense scenes and the late scene with the finding of the key is immaculately staged, mixing terror with visual beauty to great effectiveness.It's difficult to assess the acting in a dubbed version but the cast were scared and hysterical and brave in the right proportion. Michele Soavi directs with an assured hand and Renato Tafuri provides splendid cinematography. One used to have great affection for owls but after watching this film I've begun to have doubts....

xposipx A troupe of struggling stage actors is rehearsing for a small-town production of a play. Everything seems to be as it should until one of the cast members turns up dead. In a panic, the others try to get out, only to find they are now locked in the theater with the owl- masked killer.The gore starts off dry for the first hour or so, but gets extremely brutal as the movie goes on. Axe through a mouth, 2 stabbings, drilled stomach, body ripped in half, chainsaw hacking x2, beheading, gun shot. At first it seems like it won't deliver any gore, but makes up for it easily in the last half hour.Barbara Cupisti played the lead Alicia pretty perfectly. She didn't really speak much but the way she acted was perfect for this type of slasher. David Brandon played the jerk director pretty flawlessly as well. The acting overall was superb, but a few bad lines here and there hurt a couple of scenes.I wish Soavi would have gone all out with the direction. Every time Soavi tried to get artsy and creative the scenes were absolutely amazing. He was an understudy of Argento and it shows throughout the film. The shots were extremely creative, and they used lots of out of focus and moving shots. The atmosphere was the main attraction for me...it was great. The score was somewhat distracting when it was really upbeat, but most of the time it was extremely effective in setting up the mood. Final Thoughts: The feel and atmosphere was really genuine and pulls the viewer into the film right away. Although it starts off pretty slow and dry, Soavi kicks it up a notch and it's action packed towards the second half. I'm not a big fan of the giallo genre, but this re-affirmed that I need to check more out before I pass judgment.

Dagon Not to be confused with Alfred Hitchcock's 1950 crime drama (entitled Stage Fright), StageFright: Aquarius is a product made possible by Italian director Michele Soavi. The name may sound unfamiliar to the majority of you; he worked as a director and producer on 1994's Cemetery Man and served as an actor for films such as in Paura nella città dei morti viventi (Gates of Hell from 1980) and Lo squartatore di New York (The New York Ripper from 1982) – both of which were directed by the master of horror Lucio Fulci. Soavi also had the privilege of working with Dario Argento; in 1982 he served as an assistant director in the infamous giallo Tenebre. Three years later he would appear not only as an actor but also a Second Unit Director once more in Phenomena and Dèmoni. StageFright: Aquarius is the result of a man who has worked closely with the forerunners of Italian horror.The story opens with a dramatic theatre scene that's cut short by the play's director, Brandon. After he thoroughly berates the production's leading lady, Alicia, she secretly leaves the building to have a doctor treat her sprained ankle. Alicia, paired with her with fellow theatre companion Betty, have no choice but to seek help from the local mental hospital in order to receive treatment. There, they happen-across a dark room that houses a mentally disturbed patient. They learn of the man's back-story; Irving Wallace, an ex-actor turned criminally insane.After their return to the theatre, Brandon notices that Alicia was absent and promptly fires her. Her dismissal results in a grisly discovery in the parking lot – Betty, who was just moments behind her before entering the building, is now dead. The death requires the involvement of the police and two men are stationed outside of the theatre. At the request of the production's director, the key to the facility is hidden and everyone is forced to rehearse new material – unfortunately the key holder is butchered and the thespians inside are trapped and forced to deal with a maniac on the prowl.The sets and imagery portrayed in StageFright: Aquarius are slightly reminiscent to the final portion of 1983's Curtains. The dark, quiet- as-a-church theatre provides an eerie setting that does an excellent job of elevating the mood. Some of the more successful Slasher films have focused on this aspect. Slasher films have the on-going issue of predictability, and while that's part of the charm and silliness, emphasizing the film's surroundings is crucial in setting it apart from the rest of the pack. The premise, and more importantly the outcome, may play out too clichéd to help capture the fancy of casual fans. Regardless of Michele Soavi's close ties with Italian horror, one shouldn't expect any sleaziness or exploitative themes expressed within. This serves as a surprise to me since Joe D'Amato (director of Anthropophagus and Ross sangue) was the producer of StageFright: Aquarius. Thankfully the apple falls far, far away from the tree on this one. For those of you who haven't pieced this part of the puzzle together, I haven't made it a secret that I highly disapprove of D'Amato's work and think his films are garbage. When I noticed that he was attributed to this film, it filled me with extreme worry. StageFright: Aquarius may fall under the "Category B" Slasher formula: group of individuals are terrorized by an unknown/anonymous killer, one person is left intact, and a quirky ending leaves you raising your eyebrow. The characters, rather than team-up and face the lone-psycho, run away in fear and frantically pound on the tightly shut doors of the complex. When they do finally render the decision to fight back, they do so foolishly. This small detail has plagued the genre since its transference to film; a character's lack of intelligence has to exist in order to stretch out a film's run-time. Perhaps this is why the horror genre remains a target in the eyes of a critic – nuances are common in other genres of film but viewers become especially fed-up and insulted by a character's cowardice and stupidity when avoiding danger. StageFright adheres to this common problem and rather than steer clear of it, embraces it fully. Soavi has stated that the ending of the film was a homage to the typical Slasher finale. In my opinion, his endeavor as a whole is a tribute – because of this, I cannot find it within myself to express a harsh opinion on his efforts.In closing, StageFright is a comprehensive piece that won't go above and beyond your expectations. It's better than most low-budget Slashers but when you look at the competition, it doesn't say much. The acting and soundtrack especially are above average. The gore-factor is well executed too, and for 1987, quite plausible. If you're able to handle a theme that plays out rather commonly, it's worth a look. While I would mark this one as mediocre, upon further consideration, I wouldn't mind adding this one to my collection. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but it does have an air of panache that's difficult to ignore.