Bloodtype Online

    The star of an opera is injured when a car hits her, forcing her understudy Betty to take over the role.  She is able to handle the role brilliantly and is an immediate star, but her night is shattered when she is forced to witness the brutal murder of her lover by an obsessed fan.  That murder is followed by others as the obsessed fan begins killing off anyone who gets too close to her, as she watches.  Not only that but the killings resemble a dream that Betty has been having since her childhood.  With the help of the director of the opera Betty is able to orchestrate the unveiling of the killer while during a performance of the show.  Once exposed the killer has nothing to lose and grabs Betty for a final showdown.  Who lives and who dies?  Argento keeps you guessing until the end.   

    Warning Spoilers coming.  This is a very enjoyable movie.  The story is clearly inspired by the classic Phantom of the Opera, but is told with a flair that is typical of an Argento movie.  There are times where the plot feels forced and doesn’t make sense.  For example I never really understood how the killer related to the character of Betty and what sort of connection that he had to her mother.  Also in spite of the one line setting up the whole ravens never forget, I’m not sure what beef they really had with him.  Still this has to be one of the coolest plot devices I’ve ever seen used to reveal a killer.  I did like the red herring that we are given with the mysterious figure in the vent system of the apartment building, but felt that the whole apartment chase scene was forced.  I didn’t feel any apprehension or tension, which sort of made that whole scene pointless to me.  Still as far as Argento movies go this one makes enough sense that it is easy to follow.   

    The cast of this movie is adequate, but for the most part unspectacular.  The one performance that did stand out is that of Cristina Marsillach as Betty.  She has a screen presence that is able to carry the movie, which of course as the lead she is asked to do.  Her character goes thru some pretty horrible things in this movie and you can see the terror in her eyes as she is forced to watch.   

    The movie looks amazing.  Argento keeps the camera moving and frames certain scenes at slightly odd angles to unsettle the audience.  Not only that but there are some wonderful sets that are at times light to show vibrant colors and then light in a manner to create shadows and a sense of menace.  You can say what you want about the narratives in his movies, but when it comes to visuals Argento is a master.  I also loved how the music, much of it opera, is used.  All this and a couple of cool kill scenes with great gore.  How can you go wrong? 

    I’ll admit to being an Argento fan boy.  Hell there are a lot of us out here.  But I don’t think that I’m being biased here when I say that this is a great movie that should be checked out, and is highly recommended. 

Rating - ***1/2

-John "El Juan" Shatzer