UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

morrison-dylan-fan After deciding that I would soon watch Ruggero Deodato's 1976 Italian Crime epic Live Like a Cop,Die Like a Man for the first time soon,I started checking for Horror flicks to view in the run-up to Halloween. Looking at the films from DVD company Shameless I had left to view,I spotted a Giallo by Deodato,which led to me playing the music of the Phantom.The plot: Whilst one of the most successful classical composers around, Robert Dominici has to keep secret from his fans,co-workers and girlfriend Helene Martell that he has an illness which makes him rapidly age. On the same day his doctor says they have given up finding a cure,Dominici is told by Martell that she is pregnant. Horrified about there being no cure,and fearing that his child will have the same illness as him,Dominici begins writing a murderous composition.View on the film:For what was then the second film they had put out,Shameless give the title a passable transfer,with the soundtrack being clear,but the picture having a noticeable amount of grain. Largely staying away from the genre until the third,and final wave of Giallo (with this,the Slasher hybrid Body Count,and the classy Gialli The Washing Machine) director Ruggero Deodato (with family member Giovanna designing the costumes) and cinematographer Giorgio Di Battista slant the Giallo to the Erotic Thriller side,with blue low-lighting covering Dominci's face,and slick camera moves gliding on his high- life. Backed by a smooth synch score from Pino Donaggio and surprisingly good practical effects, Deodato makes the murder set-pieces short and sharp,with the stylised splashing of Gialli red heightening the madness of Dominci.Revealing the killer to be Dominci early on,the screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici/Vincenzo Mannino & Gigliola Battaglini focuses on the rapidly ageing romance between Dominci and Martell in rather mature characterisation, which whilst giving the movie a dramatic weight,does drain any feeling of urgency from the murder case being solved. Whilst Deodato says she was only included because the producer wanted her, Edwige Fenech (whose voice for the first time is not dubbed) gives an alluring performance as Martell,who is pulled by Fenech to her wits end at the change of her lover,and Michael York gives Dominci a strong dose of gravitas,in the writing of his final composition.

Red-Barracuda This horror/giallo was directed by Ruggero Deodato, who was more famous for extremely controversial films such as the very unpleasant The House on the Edge of the Park. With The Phantom of Death he reigned in his excesses and produced a far more restrained affair. Its story does have an original angle. A famous pianist discovers he has a rare disease which ages him extremely rapidly. This sets off a homicidal impulse in him and he thereafter goes about murdering women. He becomes hard for the police to track down seeing as the evidence suggests a much older man is responsible for the killings.The cast in this one is very good on paper. Michael York is the pianist, giallo legend Edwige Fenech is his wife and Donald Pleasance is the cop pursuing the killer. York and Fenech put in a bit of effort with their characters but Pleasance seems to be going through the motions a bit. The lethargy is reflected in the film overall as it is a little dull for the most part and generally lacks suspense. There is a series of murders to enliven things a little but even they don't make too much of an impact. It's a shame in some respects that it is such a pedestrian effort because the central concept is at least an attempt at something a bit different. It's definitely a watchable enough film, however, just a little disappointing considering the potential.

HumanoidOfFlesh "Phantom of Death" is one of the lesser known Ruggero Deodato's horror/giallo entries.Michael York plays a famous pianist Robert Dominici.He has a rare disease that contributes to turning him into psychopathic killer.Donald Pleasence plays the cop who tries to track him down.The film itself is rather dull,but it offers some really bloody murder scenes.I liked especially the scene where the woman is stabbed repeatedly until she smashes through a window.The acting is okay,but there is not enough suspense for my liking.Check it out,if you are a fan of Italian horror.6 out of 10.

callanvass mediocre slasher is very bloody but poorly made and wastes genre favorite Donald Pleasence badly this is poorly written and kind of dull too while it has it's effective moments this is just one sluggish and mediocre time that is not worth seeing oh and Michael York gives a somewhat decent performance *1/2 out of 5