glenmatisse

An American ballet student gets roped into a mystery involving a brutal murder at her German dance academy which might be run by a coven of witches. Jessica Harper is a great audience stand in who seems as perplexed by what's happening on screen as we are. There's not a lot of traditional plot to get involved in, but the beautiful visuals, scary Goblin score, and gory death scenes will keep most people entertained.

There's not much of a story to be told with The New York Ripper. The murder mystery investigation, as is the case with many of these movies, isn't the most compelling and there aren't any characters to attach yourself to. Most characters are introduced and, 2 minutes later, are brutally murdered, so it's hard to feel much but disgust for most of the movie which is not much more than a collection of stylish, gory murders. Maybe that's enough for gore fans. There's one moment with a razor blade and an eyeball that'll really upset the easily squeamish.

The story of Deep Red involving a British musician who witnesses the murder of a psychic in Italy can stray from its path a few times, but when it hits a home run, it really delivers with the eerie visuals, engaging characters, compelling mystery, and creepy music score. The relationship between the lead character, Marc, and a driven journalist, Gianna, is sweet and gives the film a lot of warmth and humanity.