Opera (1987)

Director: Dario Argento

Writers: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini

Composers: Brian Eno, Roger Eno, Steel Grave, Claudio Simonetti, Bill Wyman

Starring: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini, Daria Nicolodi, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Antonella Vitale, William McNamara, Barbara Cupisti, Antonino Luorio, Carola Stagnaro

More info: IMDb

Tagline: obsession. murder. madness.

Plot: A young opera star is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Probably.

Argento makes beautifully shot and composed films.  There's no arguing that.  And he also knows how to shoot and stage murders.  The best one in this picture is the shooting through the peephole...IN SLOW MOTION!!!

 

Even though the kills are great as are the mood and music score, it also suffers from something else Argento is known for and that's pacing.  There are some scenes that drag, but Goddamn is this a great looking picture.  I dug the ending which had a few surprises. The Anchor Bay DVD features a gorgeous widescreen print and a few extras with a 36 minute making of featurette called Conducting Dario Argento's Opera with an extensive interview with Argento, a 5 minute music video by Daemonia, and two trailers for the film.  It's a good flick though marred with a few slow spots.  Fans of horror or Argento will likely want this one in their collection.  If you can pick up this DVD on the cheap then it's a no-brainer.