In the last decade and a half, or so, many aspiring and nostalgic-minded directors attempted to revive the glorious Italian Giallo genre from the 70s and early 80s. Even though several of them are admirable efforts ("The Editor", "Francesca", "Abracadabra", ...) none of them truly captured the true spirit of old-fashioned Gialli. Heck, even the master himself - Dario Argento - didn't succeed anymore with his two final attempts "Giallo" and "Dark Glasses". For quite a long while into "Masks", however, I had high hopes that it would become a terrific and genuine throwback. Writer/director Andreas Marschall eventually does lose his grip on the plot and stylish trademarks, unfortunately, but the film remains worth discovering.
"Masks" definitely ticks a few mandatory and quintessential boxes. The plot is delightfully twisted and complex (and clearly inspired by "Suspiria"), the setting is theatrical, the atmosphere is effectively unsettling, there's (gratuitous) nudity, and the murder sequences are sadist and very gore. The first thing to catch anyone's attention is the authentically nightmarish DVD start-menu, what with its grisly images of a human eye nervously moving around behind a stoic and spooky mask.
The story takes place in a dubious acting academy near Berlin, where after numerous unsuccessful and downright embarrassing auditions, the aspiring twenty-something actress Stella is happy to finally get accepted somewhere. The institute has a very questionable reputation and history, though. The founder Mattheusz Gdula invented a groundbreaking new acting method during the 70s, but many of the contemporary students also died under mysterious circumstances. The acting method is still being practiced, although in the forbidden parts of the school building and for a small selection of students, and there's a vicious killer roaming around to make sure the Gdula legacy remains a well-kept secret.
Andreas Marschall, who also made the more than competent "Tears of Kali", clearly did his homework and studied all the elite trademarks of the finest 70s Gialli. "Masks" is full of nail-bitingly tense moments during which our heroine wanders around dark and ominous corridors while she's being watched, the use of spooky scenery (notably the titular masks) is excellent, and the violent kills are well-spread. The film is at least 20 minutes too long, though, and the third act feels dragging and tedious. There also isn't much mystery regarding the identity of the killer, in my opinion, and the climax should have been a bit more spectacular.
