Spasmo
Alternative Titles: Efialtis; Ond död; Mistérios De Um Jovem Rico
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Year: 1975
Starring: Robert Hoffman, Suzy Kendall, Ivan Rassimov, Adolfo Lastretti
Context:
Rather bizarrely American director George A. Romero (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, DAY OF THE DEAD) worked on the US release version of SPASMO adding in around ten minutes of footage showing some of the actual killers violence which was missing from the original Italian version. However, how true this is remains a matter of debate as Lenzi has said that he knows nothing about it and there is a lack of actual evidence proving the initial claims.
Synopsis:
Christian (Hoffman) and his girlfriend discover what appears to be a dead girl on the beach, on closer inspection she, Barbara (Kendall) is very much alive but soon disappears. Meanwhile female mannequins are found 'murdered' across the countryside. Christian soon meets Barbara again at a boat party and they go back to a hotel room. However before much can happen a man attacks Christian who kills him in self defence. Unsure what is happening the couple flee the scene but trouble seems to follow them.
Review:
Umberto Lenzi's penultimate giallo SPASMO has been referred to by some as an anti-giallo and it is easy to see why. Eschewing many conventions or tropes that one would immediately relate to the genre it is more in the vein of a psychological thriller than a violent psycho-sexual one.
Kendall (THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, TORSO) plays her role as the mysterious Barbara fantastically well. She exudes mystery as well as sex appeal and benefits from strong chemistry (not to mention some enjoyable dialogue) with lead Robert Hoffman (A BLACK VEIL FOR LISA). Hoffman himself meanwhile portrays the emotionally fragile but inquisitive Christian with aplomb capturing the tone of the multi-dimensional character in a manner perfectly suited to the psychological thriller that this essentially is, giving a convincing performance but never letting the viewer get too close to figure out what is going on inside his head. And thanks to the convoluted but strong script we as the viewer are never quite sure if anyone is what they seem and this element of doubt enhances the experience of this giallo as red herrings are offered up frequently and we start to interrogate actions and share in Christians paranoia.
The remainder of the cast put in a good performance in particular Adolfo Lastretti as Tatum (NAPOLI SPARA!) and the always enjoyable Ivan Rassimov (ROMA A MANO ARMATA, YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY, ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK, THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS.WARDH) even if it did take a while for his presence to occur.
As with many gialli, for some the score can make or break a film and Ennio Morricone (THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION, ALMOST HUMAN and many many more) does not disappoint with one of my favourite scores of the entire genre with a main theme that is sombre yet redemptive as well as being emotional, especially when taken in context with the films themes.
There are some tremendous shots utilised in this film which showcase a real use of colour, framing and focus with a particular favourite of mine being the very simple focus of some wild flowers.
SPASMO is a well paced film that delivers but not necessarily in the way that a giallo usually does. The employment of light, relationship humour perfectly breaks up the tone while the focus the psychological alongside the mystery as opposed to a need to solve and stop a series of brutal crimes adds some longevity to the story helping to raise SPASMO above many of its peers while a strong final third wraps the mystery together providing a worthwhile payoff for the viewer.
Despite being relatively bloodless the story of greed and love is intriguing and although certain plot devices borrow somewhat liberally from Argento's FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET, it is unique in its own right as it treads a path that is more in line with the Lenzi's past and the majority of the early gialli (late sixties) than the post-Argento world that it was actually released in.
Version Reviewed:
We watched the 2015 88 Films blu-ray release of the film. Presented in 1080 widescreen the images look clear and clean marking a noticeable upgrade from the Shriek Show and DFW releases. However, as to be expected sometimes, there were a couple of noticeable points where the shots darkened and these stood out but thankfully do not detract. The audio is presented in an uncompressed LPCM soundtrack with the option of both English and Italian with newly created English subtitles.
Meanwhile the extras include the flimsy, paper 'Artcard' which by now could be dropped without any effect on the value proposition of the product as well as a trailer, and the now customary Italian opening and closing titles which are included simply because they were available and for completions sake.
The actual meat of the extras belongs to the Q&A with Umberto Lenzi which was recorded at the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films, and in which Umberto is as charming and informative as ever despite the obvious language barrier. Lasting around 24 minutes this is a decent addition as Lenzi discusses how he got started, his influences and cinematic preferences as well as some altercations that happened with and between actors. A fine watch with touches of humour and points of interest that is well worth a watch and as mentioned Lenzi is on fine form. Just don't mention Giovanni Lombardo Radice!