Directed by: Riccardo Freda
Written by: Antonio Cesare Corti, Riccardo Freda, Simon Mizrahi, Fabio Piccioni
Cast: Stefano Patrizi, Martine Brochard, Henri Garcin, Laura Gemser, Anita Strindberg, John Richardson, Silvia Dionisio
While shooting a violent murder scene on a horror movie set, actor Michael (Stefano Patrizi) nearly chokes his co-star Beryl (Black Emanuelle Laura Gemser) to death in an uncontrollable rage.
Fortunately for Michael, it's his last scene before taking a break to visit his estranged mother, Glenda (genre vet Anita Strindberg), for a long weekend. The troubled thespian brings along his girlfriend, Deborah (Silvia Dionisio), to the old family mansion, a place he hasn't seen in years. They are greeted by creepy butler Oliver (John Richardson), who divulges to Michael that his mother is very ill but doesn't want him to know.
Once the pair have been shown to their separate rooms, Michael is reunited with sickly Glenda, who seems a little too excited about the return of her son. Glenda, however, is not as happy to see Deborah, whom Michael tellingly introduces as his assistant. The next day, they are joined at the mansion by Michael's horror film director Hans (Henri Garcin) and the director's female assistant. Then, inexplicably, Michael is accosted co-star Beryl.
It is eventually revealed that Michael murdered his father as a child and spent time in an asylum (before becoming a popular actor). This bit of news and the near drowning of Beryl in a bathtub by an unseen figure do little to dissuade the group from continuing their weekend retreat.
Soon, the foreboding mansion makes good on its promise of creaky horror tropes as guests begin to experience long, arduous dream sequences from Hammer devil movies and, of course, are systematically attacked and/or killed by a black-gloved killer. Could all this have something to do with Michael's troubled past? To quote The Smiths, "Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before."
This creaky Italian horror hybrid has had several alternate titles, including Murder Syndrome and The Wailing, but this Raro Video release carries the equally generic moniker Murder Obsession. Directed and co-written by Riccardo Freda (who was also responsible for The Horrible Dr. Hichcock), this by-the-numbers exercise in Euro-suspense has elements of several genres, including giallo, slasher and Old Dark House potboilers.
There is also a curious half-baked supernatural angle to the plot that adds nothing to the proceedings. A few violent sequences featuring dodgy gore effects by an uncredited Sergio Stivaletti remind the viewer that the film was shot in the early '80s. But other than the odd chainsaw murder or axe attack, Murder Obsession is interchangeable with any number of "guests gather at spooky mansion" movies Freda shot in the '60s. A long and laughable dream sequence that includes satanic ritual shenanigans and a giant rubber spider would have fit in perfectly with Freda's The Ghost from 1963.
The dubbed print presented here is evidently a longer cut than previous releases and includes a few restored scenes with subtitles. These scenes come off far better than the dubbed material and actually add a few key plot points that are integral to the slight, yet convoluted storyline. It's too bad an entire subtitled version couldn't have been located.
The voice talent used for the American release sound like the same five people responsible for voicing all of Lucio Fulci's early '80s work. The dubbing is distracting and greatly compromises an already uneven production. Performances in a dubbed feature are always difficult to assess, though a scene with Strindberg and Garcin featuring the Italian soundtrack with subtitles proved one of the more compelling.
Actresses Gemser (who must have demanded a nudity clause in every film contract) and Dionisio are very photogenic and look great in various stages of undress. The rest of the cast comes off as slightly wooden, but performances in these Euro-programmers are almost always inconsequential.
What does work here is the moody cinematography by Cristiano Pogany, who also brought a sharp eye to the otherwise turgid Last House on the Left rip-off Last House on the Beach. His lighting and composition are highlights of this digitally restored print. The final scene, which features some haunting religious iconography, is truly memorable. There is also a suspenseful score provided by versatile Italian composer Franco Mannino, best known for his work on the John Huston drama Beat the Devil.
This Raro Video release is far classier than the title deserves. The digital restoration offers a sharp and near-pristine transfer. The extras feature an interview with Stivaletti and a booklet with some interesting notes on the director and the film.
Rating: (3.5 out of 5):
