A nice attempt at recapturing the magic of classic giallo films that falls a little short
Released by: Troma Entertainment
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Production Year: 2010
Region Code: ALL
Running Time: 1:18:38
Audio: Italian Dolby Digital 2.0
Video: NTSC Anamorphic Widescreen
Subtitles: English
THE FILM - [ 2.5 / 5 ]:
During a session, a psychologist unleashes her mysterious patient’s latent madness… Now he’s carrying on the therapy by himself! “Symphony in Blood Red” is a new twist on the ‘giallo’ formula in the tradition of Argento’s “Tenebre”.
The film is somewhat hard to describe partially due to in my opinion, that the story was not very riveting. "Symphony in Blood Red" is somewhat of a revenge film yet our killer does not exactly only seek revenge on those that wronged him. He seemingly kills at random if he thinks the unfortunately person deserves it. Sometimes the audience feels compassion for and may be inclined to cheer on the aggressor. This is not one of those times. Director Luigi Pastore made a good attempt with his film but for me it just seemed to be missing something. The revenge factor reminds me a little of Ms. 45 where the lead in that film also kills those that did not wrong her which made it difficult for me to feel sorry for her. By the end of the film I was not rooting for her at all actually which was kind of sad since I initially wanted to see her triumph but then she crossed that line and herself became a villain, much like our killer in "Symphony in Blood Red."
Gore hounds should be somewhat pleased with some of the death scenes that appear in the film. Make-up and special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti does a great job and it is a shame some scenes were not a little brighter so we could have seen more of his bloody handiwork.
AUDIO - [ 3 / 5 ]:
"Symphony in Blood Red" comes with an Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. The dialogue sounded fairly clear but since I do not speak Italian, I cannot totally vouch for that. A big minus for the audio quality was that often the volume level of the sound effects or music was substantially louder than the dialogue level. Thankfully for most that will not be a factor since the music doesn't exactly overlap the dialogue. The music in the film does sound fantastic though. Can you really ever go wrong with Claudio Simonetti?
VIDEO - [ 2 / 5 ]:
"Symphony in Blood Red" arrives on DVD via Troma Entertainment. The film is presented in NTSC anamorphic widescreen. The video quality is average with this release. There are periods of pixelation and jittering. Overall though the colors look good and the make-up effects look great. There are moments where we are treated to some detailed images. While the quality is a bit lacking, it certainly should not be enough to deter someone from still enjoying the film.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 3 / 5 ]:
Intro (4:12) - When the DVD is first inserted, Lloyd Kaufman appears as Dario Argento impersonator and speaks about the film. In typical comedic Lloyd fashion he also introduces, according to Lloyd, famed conductor Diedre Jacobson, who comes out fully nude.
Symphony in Blood Red: A Look At Italian Giallo (Includes a word from Dario Argento) (47:59) - Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi each speak briefly about the film as well as give it praise. Next up, director Luigi Pastore talks about having the desire to shoot his first film for a long time. He also mentions his intention to not reveal the killers face because he liked the idea of evil without a face. Director of "Il Bosco Fuori," Gabriele Albanesi gives his thoughts on the films killer, mood of misery and originality. A number of others also speak about their role in the films production or just about the film itself including make-up and special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, legendary music composer Claudio Simonetti (who also appears in the film) and actress Michela Foresta. (in Italian with English subtitles)
The Backstage (6:20) - A series of behind the scenes shots from the film including a few nice shots of the make-up effects.
The Sound Recording (:58) - A very brief look at some actors recording lines for the film.
Official Trailer (3:18)
A Minute With Dario Argento: A Make Your Own Damn Movie! Lesson (2:54)
Tromadance 2015 Highlights (5:20) - Includes brief clips of interviews with attendees and film makers.
Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner: Trailer of Troma's Latest Web Series! (1:56)
Faggot: A Music Video Directed by Lloyd Kaufman (3:14)
IN CONCLUSION:
While the film may not wow anyone, it was a nice attempt at capturing the essence of giallo films. The DVD has fair audio and video quality with a nice amount of special features including an interesting documentary with a number of interviews.
OVERALL RATING - [ 2.5 / 5 ]