Opera (1987)

After being almost driven to sleep by The Nun, I decided to move onto something that I was sure to perk up my mood, Horror Maestro Dario Argento’s Opera.

Plot / A young opera singer gets her big chance when the previous star of a production of Verdi's Macbeth is run over by a car. Convinced the opera is bad luck she accepts, and becomes the target of a psychopath - a man she has been dreaming of since childhood.

True to Argento’s work this is again one of the one of the most stylish Horror movies of the genre. While the film comes together as an incoherent combination of slasher and giallo, much of the plot is rather simple (layered but simple) featuring his inventive and often gruesome death scenes. The acting is sound, the visual effects definitely become creepy and the cinematography is tremendous (pins on the eyes and raven’s, who could ask for more?). It appeared that everything was there to make this a truly great movie. However, the strange additions of heavy metal to the soundtrack and the almost pointless ending (which almost seems like a forced appendage) really take something away from the overall appearance of the film. In the end, this remains an underrated effort by Argento, yes, it is not his best work, but it is an entertaining foray into the depths of horror and one that should be seen if you have the chance.