An Italian Giallo picture from acclaimed director Sergio Martino. Starring George Hilton, Edwige Fenech, Ivan Rassimov, Julian Ugarte, George Rigaud, Susan Scott, and Marina Malfatti. The film was released on February 28h, 1972 by Interfilm in Italy. It was released in the United States in 1976 under the title There Coming to Get You!
Synopsis Jane lives in London with her boyfriend, Richard. She is haunted by visions from her past. Visions of her mother being murdered when she was five. The baby she had recently lost in a car crash. And also, a knife-wielding man with icy blue eyes. Her boyfriend has her on vitamins to help curb the hallucinations. But it might be exacerbating things. Jane's sister recommends psychiatric care, but Richard won't hear it. A strange neighbor suggests a satanic ritual performed at a black mass. Jane goes through with it. However, now the visions are seeming all too real. Now the nightmares are coming to life.
Analysis Jane is being held back by the drugs Richard has her on, and the effects stemming from the Black Mass she attended. All of the characters that are poised to "help" Jane end up making her problems worse. The movie does a good job of keeping things fairly ambiguous by leaving it up to the imagination whether or not these people are conspiring against her.
However, the entire thing is a metaphor for this depressed and bored housewife to be free and be on her own. Void of these hang-ups that haunt her. A disinterested lover, an overbearing sister, and a clueless therapist. Ultimately she gets this wish granted, albeit gruesomely.
The pacing and style of the film help keep the viewers disoriented. It feels very dreamlike, leaving us wondering what's real and what's fiction. We watch in agony as Jane tries to unravel the mystery of the stab-happy killer, but it's torturous to watch her try and progress. You fear for Jane seeing what's happening to this poor woman.
The music by Bruno Nicolai is good but strangely placed in weird scenes. The Black Mass is one good example of this. It's a horrific scene with a dog being killed and drained of its blood followed by a kissing orgy. However, it's presented with this spaghetti western type score. It's very bizarre and a bit off-putting. But I think the filmmaker missed his mark with this scene.
The cinematography by Giancarlo Ferrando and Miguel Fernández Mila is great too. I love the lighting throughout the picture. It's done well and it works with the vibrant colors in each scene.
Overall All the Colors of the Dark is very reminiscent of Roman Polanski's 1968 classic, Rosemary's Baby. The satanic imagery and torture of a poor, mentally frail, young woman are in line with the style of that picture. It's not presented as well. But this film hits most of the same beats. I found myself really getting into it. Very impressed with the filmmaking, but generally intrigued by the story. It's a good Giallo picture. I can safely recommend this to cinephiles, but I don't think you would fall into it unless you had an interest in these weird little Italian flicks.
Synopsis Jane lives in London with her boyfriend, Richard. She is haunted by visions from her past. Visions of her mother being murdered when she was five. The baby she had recently lost in a car crash. And also, a knife-wielding man with icy blue eyes. Her boyfriend has her on vitamins to help curb the hallucinations. But it might be exacerbating things. Jane's sister recommends psychiatric care, but Richard won't hear it. A strange neighbor suggests a satanic ritual performed at a black mass. Jane goes through with it. However, now the visions are seeming all too real. Now the nightmares are coming to life.
Analysis Jane is being held back by the drugs Richard has her on, and the effects stemming from the Black Mass she attended. All of the characters that are poised to "help" Jane end up making her problems worse. The movie does a good job of keeping things fairly ambiguous by leaving it up to the imagination whether or not these people are conspiring against her.
However, the entire thing is a metaphor for this depressed and bored housewife to be free and be on her own. Void of these hang-ups that haunt her. A disinterested lover, an overbearing sister, and a clueless therapist. Ultimately she gets this wish granted, albeit gruesomely.
The pacing and style of the film help keep the viewers disoriented. It feels very dreamlike, leaving us wondering what's real and what's fiction. We watch in agony as Jane tries to unravel the mystery of the stab-happy killer, but it's torturous to watch her try and progress. You fear for Jane seeing what's happening to this poor woman.
The music by Bruno Nicolai is good but strangely placed in weird scenes. The Black Mass is one good example of this. It's a horrific scene with a dog being killed and drained of its blood followed by a kissing orgy. However, it's presented with this spaghetti western type score. It's very bizarre and a bit off-putting. But I think the filmmaker missed his mark with this scene.
The cinematography by Giancarlo Ferrando and Miguel Fernández Mila is great too. I love the lighting throughout the picture. It's done well and it works with the vibrant colors in each scene.
Overall All the Colors of the Dark is very reminiscent of Roman Polanski's 1968 classic, Rosemary's Baby. The satanic imagery and torture of a poor, mentally frail, young woman are in line with the style of that picture. It's not presented as well. But this film hits most of the same beats. I found myself really getting into it. Very impressed with the filmmaking, but generally intrigued by the story. It's a good Giallo picture. I can safely recommend this to cinephiles, but I don't think you would fall into it unless you had an interest in these weird little Italian flicks.