La casa con la scala nel buio

To begin with I was a real sap for liking all that commercial crap that the everyday world is being exposed to watching. That was until "A Blade In The Dark" caught my attention.

This was the first film that marked my entry towards Italian horror and what an entrance it was I might add.

The opening sequence is a real knockout not to mention dead scary (even the mere thought is enough to give me nightmares). The only con was the fact the acting was tad bit weak, but at the same time exceptional.

I won't spoil the ending though, but it could've been a slightly improved with a cat and mouse chase that concludes in a bit of a bloody showdown with hero and killer. The highlight in the film for me though was Lara Nazinsky, who plays Julia (the composer's girlfriend) what a firecracker she is.

Though not many would agree about this film being good, it was interesting to know that it was directed with little budget with many of the actors working for nothing and considering Lamberto Bava's credibility of being son of horror legend Mario Bava.

Worth a look.

I do like a good Giallo film and this is one of those.

The writers, Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti, do a great job of weaving the elements of this story into an interesting and eerie dark thriller. There are a couple of supernatural factors thrown in so it just makes it into the horror genre also.

Though it's Lamberto Bava's direction which steers it in the horror genre route the most. What Bava brings to the table is the atmosphere. He is adept at using everything to build an uneasiness for the viewers. Lighting effects, musical interludes, and camera angles. These are the main ingredients he adds. Shame some of today's directors can't cook up a film so good.

It also helps to have the opening sequence where you should recognise one of the kids in the daring trio. Giovanni Frezza who has appeared in nine films of the genre from 1980 to 85. But you should know him from Lucio Fulci's classic horror, The House By The Cemetery. Though it's a very minor part he still does a good job.

I find with the foreign dubbed films it's difficult to fairly rate the acting ability as you're not hearing their voices. You can only go on what you see and hear. Sight-wise the acting isn't superb but it is above average. Sound-wise the vocals could have been a little better. I do wish that the vocal talent scouts would match the voices and characters better. As always this is where it falls - but only a little. There are a couple of translation mishaps and the voice actors and actresses could have studied the script a bit more, to get the emotional elements correct.

Though, if you're a watcher of dubbed films then you'll take this with a pinch of salt - you'll be used to these little niggles. They don't detract from the enjoyment of the story and film.

The special effects are incredible. The bathroom sequence is horrific and I still cannot figure out how they managed to make it look so realistic. This is one of my favourite effects scenes. I hope other filmmakers take note. If you're doing gruesome effects then wetwork is the only way to go. And remember to keep the atmosphere going.

Not an exact tour-de-force but both the writers and director should be happy to have this one in their portfolio - I would be.

The only thing letting the film down is the ending. It's been done a lot. Even when this came out it had started to become old hat. Since then it's become a staple twist of the genre and greatly overused.

If you like gruesome eerie mysteries, then this film is for you. I would even recommend watching the film if you have a passing interest in the genre or want to try something new. Check out my thriller and horror lists, The Game Is Afoot and Absolute Horror, to see where this film sits in my rankings.

Inspired a little more by the American slashers coming out at the time, A Blade in the Dark is a solid and sometimes intense slash fest about a film composer trapped in an isolated estate where everyone around him is being murdered. The murders themselves are grisly, especially one involving a bathroom, a hand, some shampoo, and a knife. There are a few lags in the pacing here and there, but it all leads to a memorably bizarre finale that makes up for it.

"A Blade in the Dark" is a mediocre horror film.People comparing it to Argento's classics are completely missing the point.Obviously Lamberto Bava does not have the talent of his brilliant father Mario Bava-"A Blade in the Dark" is nothing in comparison to "Blood and Black Lace","A Bay of Blood" or "The Girl Who Knew Too Much".Still "A Blade in the Dark" is quite enjoyable,if you're a fan of Italian horror.Bruno,a music composer is offered a job by a female director to write the music for her newest horror film.He takes on the job and rents a small villa.As soon as he starts his work a series of brutal murders is set in motion.The film is not as scary as some people claim-in fact it's pretty dull.There are some vicious and really bloody murders,particularly the bathroom killing,but there is not enough gore for my liking.The script is sometimes too idiotic and the dubbing is horrible.So if you have enough time to waste give this one a look-just don't expect a masterpiece.

This film is why I worship and adore Italian Giallo films. For one, it has beautiful women in the cast. It is shot with a love for the film art, and is filled with evil and graphic violence that caused it to be censored in many countries. The violence is never ending, with fountains and fountains of the red stuff. The knife attacks are brutal, pull no punches-style of showing the knife entering the flesh. The shock ending will have your blood pumping and adrenaline going. Don't buy the over-hyped commercial garbage out there. Grab the UNCUT Anchor Bay DVD of this awesome display of Italian-made carnage. You will NOT be disappointed!

Rated: 9.5/10 because of the cool plot, the shock ending, and the bloody and graphic murder scenes.