Trauma

Another "Trauma"? If I put aside a dollar for (horror) movie I watched with as title - or as a.k.a. Title - "Trauma", I could at least treat myself to a lunch at McDonalds or something. It's incredibly how many movies have this title!

Anyway, this puppy is included in the fancy Blu-Ray DVD collection "Forgotten Gialli" (*), and boy does it ever belong there! It's obscure and unknown, but undeservedly so, because it features all the juicy and delicious trademarks we worship so dearly. Beautiful women, gratuitous nudity, and blood-soaked murders committed by an unseen assailant wearing black gloves and using a razorblade. The plot is thin and borrows heavily from Hitchcock's landmark "Psycho", but true Giallo-fanatics see right through that. "Trauma" is actually a Spanish Giallo, not an Italian one. Writer/director Léon Klimovsky frequently collaborated with horror icon Paul Naschy, and previously made other giallo, with "A Dragonfly for Each Corpse".

Daniel, a struggling writer with personal problems, arrives in a very remote and isolated Spanish guest house owned by the beautiful Veronica. She's often distracted by her disabled husband in the attic, but Daniel loves the place and the female owner, so he books for several nights extra. Other clients check in as well, but their stay is brutally interrupted by a vicious killer with a razor. The plot is basic and very simple to figure out, but there's enough weirdness to keep you fascinated. Although not a very handsome man, the women throw themselves at Daniel, but he seems more interested in a 14-year-old local boy. The sequence where he dries off the boy after a swim felt quite uncomfortable. All women in "Trauma" (Agatha Lys, Irene Foster, Isabel Pisano, and Sandra Alberti) are exquisite and unpretentiously show off their bodily assets.

(*) I'm probably not supposed to make publicity around here, but the "Forgotten Gialli" collection is a fantastic series! Most people know the classic gialli by acclaimed directors like Dario Argento, Mario Bava, or Sergio Martino, but this series highlights many unknown titles from equally unknown directors. "Trauma" was the only one I hadn't seen yet, but the (thus far) five volumes contain some dazzling titles, like "The Killer is one of Thirteen", "The Police Are Blundering in the Dark", "My Dear Killer", "Nine Guests for a Crime", and others.

This Spanish thriller from 1977 tells the story of a writer, who takes some days off to write his new novel. He's coming to a guesthouse at a lake in the midst of Spain's countryside. The owner of the guesthouse is an attractive woman with a problem: her sick husband that nobody is allowed to see except for her. Truth is that the husband doesn't exist (anymore), but she's schizophrenic. And while the author is spared, other guests fall victim to a gloved killer with a razor. Is it the schizophrenic owner or someone else?

Director Leon Klimovsky is best known for his low-budgeted straight horror films, so this solid thriller is quite an unusual work in his oeuvre, and also one of his less known efforts. Even though it's not very original and borrows heavily from films like Hitchcock's "Psycho" or even the cool Spanish horror thriller "Una Vela Para el Diablo" (1973), it's still quite thrilling and boosts some scary moments. The murder scenes are done in Italian Giallo-style and, even though simply done, quite gory. The unknown cast is not first rate, but also give solid performances. The end of the film is a bit irritating and a lowdown in a way. All in all, "Violación Fatal" is an interesting little thriller for aficionados of European horror and thriller films. Rating: 6 out of 10.

TRAUMA is a late entry in the career of Spanish horror director Leon Klimovsky. Like A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE and BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL, it's a Spanish-themed giallo, although the actual inspiration is much more obvious: like SISTERS before it, this is a film which owes its existence to Hitchcock's PSYCHO.

The setting is rural Spain and a slightly run-down boarding house occupied by the usual oddballs including a writer and a couple of sexed-up couples (well, it was the 1970s). Before long a series of brutal razor slayings are taking place, and the viewer is left wondering who's responsible. Well, not really; the identity of the killer is blindingly obvious from the outset, but this doesn't detract from the film's entertainment value. Brutal murders, violent flashbacks, and a sedate pace follow.

The huge bonus here is Klimovsky's exemplary direction; this is a guy who could take a low budget and always make his film look fantastic. A succession of effective establishing shots and an emphatic, low key score combine to give the whole film a sinister atmosphere. The photography is good enough to keep things interesting despite the slow pace and lack of action. The gore is a bit shoddy, but the film feels very brutal nonetheless, and the climax is worth waiting for.

There are some interesting ideas here. It's a whodunit with some Norman Bates moments and an ending that is open to interpretation which I thought was unique for this type of movie.

The lead actress, Ágata Lys, was great! The rest of the cast ranged from forgettable to bad.

I found the directing to be quite bad. It had a made for TV feel to it.

There's quite a bit of sleaze and nudity here. With the exception of the final murder, the violence and special effects were laughably bad. I thought the execution of the last girl's death was a cut above the rest.

The score was better than average.

I enjoyed the ambiguous ending.

A writer stops off at a secluded bed and breakfast run by the battered wife of a mysterious man who spends all his time upstairs in his room. That is except when he's killing off the lodgers downstairs.

If you've seen more than 3 horror movies in your lifetime, the big twists in Trauma won't come as any big surprise, but it's not the worst film of its type and it keeps things entertaining. It features a lot more sexuality than expected with just about everyone in the film getting naked and having sex at some point. The gore effects are of the cheap variety with some razor slashes that don't completely convince.