Murderock - Uccide a passo di danza

I thought Dancing death was an exquisite masterpiece that should go down in the books as the most tangy piece of movie ever.

Lucio Fulci's Murder Rock is often lambasted by both Fulci and Giallo fans; and although I can certainly see why, I've got to say that this film satisfied me personally and I won't hesitate to label it a successful attempt at blending the tacky eighties styling's of dance phenomenon's the likes of 'Flashdance' with the familiar styling's of the popular Italian Giallo. I'm sure Fulci thought he was on to a definite winner back in 1984 with all these popular elements in one film; and even though I'm not sure how they would have been received at the time, nowadays it stands up as an amusing slice of kitsch nostalgia. I think the director cared more about making a quick buck on this film than providing the mass with a piece of art, and this shines through in the convoluted, but not well put together plot line. As you might expect, the film centres on a dance academy. After one of the girls is found dead, the cops place everyone at the academy under suspicion and when the murders continue; the police are given more leads to eventually track down the perpetrator.

The main reason why this film isn't liked by many of my fellow Fulci fanatics is due to the fact that it's relatively bloodless in comparison to his other works. The likes of The New York Ripper and The Beyond show the director at his gritty, blood-dripping best...whereas the kill scenes in this movie hardly feature any of the red stuff. That being said, they are still rather sadistic, as the killer knocks his victim out with chloroform before puncturing their heart with, of all things, a hat pin. Still, it has nothing on the eyeball violence of Zombie Flesh-Eaters. The musical numbers are atrocious in true eighties pop style, while the dance scenes are rather boring and not what I tuned in for. Fulci does find time to implement some gorgeous visuals, and the blue tint that accompanies most scenes gives the film a certain sense of art. Even though many of the film's elements are not brilliant, I still rate this film as an overall success as it's entertaining and fun to watch, and even though there are too many filler scenes; the plot plays out nicely. It's not a major highlight either for the genre or for the director, but Murder Rock is still worth seeing.

Nothing very special about this giallo. A bunch of dancers are trying out for parts, and some get murdered by a hatpin stuck into their left breast (where it looks like it would actually pierce a lung and not the heart as intended). Some of the dancing scenes are pretty sexual.

The studio where they do their dancing has a rather odd system at the end of the day whereby a voice comes over an intercom, and the lights flash on and off repeatedly. I guess this is to make for more suspense or to make the killing scenes more exciting? It's more on the annoying side.

One of the women has a dream in which she is pursued by a killer with a pin (it changes sizes throughout the dream, sometimes appearing giant). She later sees the man from her dream on a billboard. She tracks him down, finding him to be a bit of a washed up, alcoholic actor, and starts a relationship with him.

Much more than that I don't remember.

A violent shocker with high level on vivid imagery and pure cinematic style in which a nasty murderer executing grisly killings by means of a hypodermic needle-wielding psycho-killer . It starts with a series of murders rock a dance academy in New York . As the mysterous and owner directress , Candice (Olga Karlatos) of a prestigious New York ballet school teams up with a suspicious male model (Ray Lovelock) to solve a series of weird murders of a few of the dancers . Along the way , a tough Police Inspector Lt. Borges (Cosimo Cinieri) investigates the bizarre murders . Save the last dance . . . For hell! .Depraved - Demonic - Diabolical - And Beyond! .New York's best dancers are dying for a part in the next Broadway hit.

Eerie and creepy thriller with full of killings , sexual violence , red herrings , grisly murders by means of a razor blade executed by a psychopath on the loose , loathsome and lots of blood and gore . A mysoginist whodunit with plenty of nudism , explicit scenes of violence and Giallo style , no for squeamish . Concerning the classic giallo plot in which a series killer with a hidden agenda carrying out a criminal spree . It has flamboyant imagery , graphic gore and moody atmospherics , while mixing disco music from Keith Emerson and dancing images in Flashdance style along with Gialli characteristics. Starring the beautiful Greek actress Olga Karlatos giving a fine and attractive acting . Karlatos surrounded and well supported by an Italian cast of usual Italian B actors , such as : Ray Lovelock , Cosimo Cinieri , Geretta Geretta , Christian Borromeo and Claudio Cassinelli who passed away a bit later on , whilst filming Sergio Martino's 'Fists of Steel' .

The motion picture was middlingly directed by Lucio Fulci , and being entertaining enough. And financed in tight budget by Augusto Caminito , Fulci's regular producer and occassionally director . Fulci was one of the most controversial filmmakers in terror genre , though frequently derided as sheer sensationalism and commerciality. Here Lucio Fulci directs in his usual style filled with flaws , failures and gaps , but professionally made because being a nice artisan . Critics are divided over both the moral and talents of Fulci (1927-1996), who sometimes directed under the alias Louis Fuller. For some reviewers many of his flicks are extremely cruel and savage , yet their gory surface often concealing social, religious , or provoking commentaries or other thoughful , intelligent issues . Nevertheless , most of them considering his works have undeniably provided a considerable influence on the terror genre , creating decent efforts on low budget flicks . Standing out his ¨Don't Torture a Duckling¨ deemed to be one of his best pictures . And in the adventure genre with two financially successful Jack London 'White Fang' adventure movies in 1973 and 1974 which were ¨Zanna Bianca¨, and ¨Il ritorno di Zanna Bianca¨. Also during the mid and late 1970s, Fulci directed two 'Spaghetti Westerns' : ¨Four of Apocalypse¨ (1975) and ¨Sella d'argento¨ or ¨Silver Saddle¨(1978), and another 'giallo' ; ¨The Psychic¨ (1977), as well as a few sex-comedies which include the political spoof : ¨The Eroticist¨(1972) , and the vampire comedy ¨Young Dracula¨ (1975) , and the violent Mafia crime-drama ¨Luca the smuggler¨ (1979) . In 1979, Fulci's film making career successfully another high point with him, breaking into the international market with ¨Zombi 2¨ (1979), an in-name-only sequel to George A. Romero's Zombi: Night of the Lving Dead (1978), which had been released in Italy as 'Zombi'. And hiis big hit ¨New York Ripper¨ , at the time rated as a video nasty , due to it and why the excessive extra violence was heavily cut or prohibited in a large number of countries . With this film established Fulci as a gore director par excellence . Over the next three years, Fulci plied his trade with finesse and flair-play , rivaling even the popularity of his "opponent" the great Dario Argento, with such sanguine classics as ¨City of the Living Dead¨ (1980) and ¨Beyond¨ (1981). These films, as well as the reviled "New York Ripper" (1982) are actually intelligently crafted, with sound commentaries on everything from American life to religion. And he went on his fall with lousy movies, but eventually Fulci at least found work in television . Rating : 5/10 . Average , only for Lucio Fulci completists .

Murder Rock is one of Lucio Fulci's lesser known films. It was released in the wake of a series of exceptionally violent movies directed by the great man. This one is considerably tamer and not one of his better received critically. It may very well be because it's less intense that it isn't amongst his most popular, I think it's only fair to say that is part of the reason. It's possibly the most blatant attempt by Fulci at making a mainstream movie. He decided to combine the popular horror sub-genre of the time – the slasher – with the 80's fad for fitness. This was the era of Flashdance and Fame, and lycra clad people seemed to be everywhere. I guess it was only a matter of time before a slasher variant on this theme emerged. In keeping with trying to appeal to a wider demographic this one is a relatively bloodless affair as well. It's possible that by trying to appeal to too many people, Murder Rock ended up pleasing fewer.

The story is about a series of murders committed around a dance school in New York. It's one of many early 80's efforts that Fulci set in America. In keeping with its Italian giallo roots though, there is a strong emphasis on the whodunit aspect. This ensures that the story retains a bit of interest and the audience is engaged throughout. There are some moments of giallo weirdness too which always helps such as the recurring dream that the female protagonist has about a sinister stranger trying to kill her. While Keith Emerson is on hand too with an appropriately cheesy soundtrack. It isn't exactly of the standard of the score he did for Dario Argento's Inferno but it does the job. Overall, this is an entertaining movie. A little light-weight perhaps but fun all the same.