98 mins |
Rated
R16 (Violence)
An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.
When Italian horror maestro Argento was dissatisfied with the orchestral score for his 1975 thriller Deep Red he called on the services of the young progressive rock band Goblin to give the film a more modern sound. For his next film, he reteamed with Goblin to create this now legendary soundtrack.
Goblin recorded their score prior to filming and Argento used the squalling intensity of their music on set to push his actors into the right state of mind, namely sheer terror. Jessica Harper, who was the principle victim of their torment, stars as an American ballet student who joins an insanely pretentious German dance academy and discovers she’s entered a coven of witches.
As the tagline from the original grindhouse release put it: ‘The only thing more terrifying than the last 12 minutes of this film are the first 92.’ Given that the film is only 98 minutes long, it’s already bending your mind.
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An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.
When Italian horror maestro Argento was dissatisfied with the orchestral score for his 1975 thriller Deep Red he called on the services of the young progressive rock band Goblin to give the film a more modern sound. For his next film, he reteamed with Goblin to create this now legendary soundtrack.
Goblin recorded their score prior to filming and Argento used the squalling intensity of their music on set to push his actors into the right state of mind, namely sheer terror. Jessica Harper, who was the principle victim of their torment, stars as an American ballet student who joins an insanely pretentious German dance academy and discovers she’s entered a coven of witches.
As the tagline from the original grindhouse release put it: ‘The only thing more terrifying than the last 12 minutes of this film are the first 92.’ Given that the film is only 98 minutes long, it’s already bending your mind.