All The Colors Of The Dark (Martino, 1972)

"They exist. They bear the mark of the devil inside them. They may be your neighbors. They may be your wife, husband, sweetheart. They may even be your children. Their time has come."

Sergio Martino's dizzyingly stylistic film - deeply influenced by Rosemary's Baby - with its mounting, omnipresent paranoia and its evil cult, belongs near the top of the giallo heap. Gialli have always been about style and aesthetics first and foremost, and not only does All the Colors of the Dark have ample amounts of both - including one of the most stunningly audacious opening scenes I have ever seen - it also fares admirably in a department which is usually lacking in this sub-genre (acting), with Edwige Fenech giving a committed performance as the film's troubled protagonist.

Film Rating: B+/A-
Scare Factor: C

View Date: 10/31
Shocktober Horrorfest View Date: #31

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (Argento, 1970)

"If you think you are being followed home from this movie, keep telling yourself that it's all in your mind."

What surprises most about Dario Argento's first film, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, is the sheer control Argento displays over the medium. In his first directorial outing, his visual style already seems mature and fully formed. The film is flush with beautiful compositions and stylish, inventive camera movement, and if it sometimes falls prey to meandering exposition and the occasional clumsy scene, it is still never less than enthralling. And Ennio Morricone's jazz inflected score is wonderful, the perfect aural compliment to the film's stylized aesthetic.

Film Rating: A-/B+
Scare Factor: C-

View Date: 10/17
Shocktober Horror Film Count: #11