The Bloodstained Shadow
Alternative Titles: Solamente Nero
Director: Antonio Bido
Year: 1978
Starring: Lino Capolicchio, Stefania Casini, Craig Hill, Massimo Serato
Context:
Bido entered the giallo scene a few years after the golden period with his directorial debut WATCH ME WHEN I KILL (1977), also known as 'The Cats Victims' and 'Il gatto dagli occhi di giada', with the Italian title betraying the Argento influence both artistically and commercially.
By this point in the genre cycle Argento had already moved on to dealing with the supernatural, first by testing the water in DEEP RED (1975) and more then explicitly in SUSPIRIA (1977), although in the wider market this was supplemented by the audiences developing their appetite for more satanic fare with films such as THE EXORCIST (1973) helping to lead the way and continuing in 1976 when THE OMEN when was released. Although, it is worth noting that this was not a new fad as ROSEMARY'S BABY showed that there was a commerical market for this back in and the giallo had been flirting with it soon after, of particular note is Martino's ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK (1972) which took on a sinister cult narrative.
One could argue that it was this combination of Argento (an uncredited Goblin to perform the score and the use of a painting to solve a mystery), and the sudden appetite for more religious or supernatural horror that helped form this movie but Bido would tell a different story stating that his key influences would come more from Hitchcock and how he had experienced Catholicism previously but I would argue that Fulci's DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING (1972) and Avati's THE HOUSE WITH THE LAUGHING WINDOWS (1976) must have had more than a fleeting influence when constructing this film due to the many similarities in tone, outline and scenes.
Interesting to note that Bido actually pops up himself in this film playing the surveyor who builds cemetery plots in a rather valueless scene. Additionally the director is himself from the Veneto region.
You will also note many people refer to the score as being by Goblin, while Cipriani gets the credit. Due to a contractual issue, Goblin were unable to perform on the soundtrack however Bido got around this by having Cipriani compose the score and a "new" band of Goblin members arrange and record it, albeit uncredited.
Synopsis:
The body of a schoolgirl is found in a meadow but the murderer is never caught, and years later; a young man named Stefano returns to the island and is reunited with his brother, the local priest.
However, Stefano's return coincides with a spate of killings across the town and his own brothers life is threatened.
Review:
The Bloodstained Shadow mixes Catholicism, paedophilia and backstreet abortions with a hint of the occult all within the confines of a small Venetian island (Murano), although Bido would state on 'Solamente Bido' (an extra on the Blue Underground DVD release) that he never sets his films in a precise city but rather an atmosphere it is hard to imagine how this works in an area so recognisable and when he later goes on to state that Murano was used to give the illusion of Venice, with a few on-location shots, one has to wonder if he is not slightly contradicting himself as even in the film the characters travel to and from the Islands, but what of the film itself?
It begins with the strangulation of a schoolgirl (with the 88 Films blu ray offering a slightly extending alternative opening title) before a powerful almost rock track kicks in and we are transported to what is modern day where we meet Stefano (Lino Capolicchio - THE HOUSE WITH THE LAUGHING WINDOWS, where he also played an art loving character named Stefano) who is on his way to visit his brother while on sabbatical. Travelling to Venice by train he meets Sandra (Stefania Casini - SUSPIRIA), who as luck would have it is also going the same way and provides a welcome distraction for Stefano.
After arriving in the island town we are treated to some background information on the towns key inhabitants, a paedophilic count, a disreputable doctor and a psychic medium - all of which counter the moralistic constitution of Stefano's brother, the local priest Don Paolo.
Even if we discount the first murder in the opening sequence, Bido does not make us wait long for a murder as Don Paulo (played by a fantastic Craig Hill) is awoken during a thunderstorm and looking out of his bedroom window sees a woman being strangled to death in the street by a cloaked killer dressed in leather. Don Paolo seeks help from Stefano, who is not in his room and neither is the servant, both of which appear soon after, windswept and soaked. The trio then go to find the body only to realise that it has vanished leaving us with two suspects and no corpse.
This however is no phantom murder, as Don Paolo begins to receive threatening letters warning him what would happen if he were to say what he saw. Worried, he turns to Stefano who when he is not courting Sandra, attempts to solve the mystery and save his brother.
From the very start Bido is crafting a tale of suspense and mystery as no one seems innocent and we know that there is something bubbling away under the surface. It is this element of his filmmaking that really highlights the unfair comparisons Bido gets for being Argento-lite (although that maybe more true for his debut effort) as he takes things at a slightly slower and less violent pace, a couple of the murders are however notably brutal, and we can really see the Hitchcock influence begin to take shape through a fantastic plot arc and almost claustrophobic atmosphere.
Although not derivative we must accept that this film is also not wholly original and that keen giallo fans may guess the purpose of many characters while several plot devices may be familiar such as repressed trauma and the use of a painting to help solve a mystery, a hidden son and many more similarities to Avati's HOUSE WITH THE LAUGHING WINDOWS and Fulci's DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING but even with all this there is still plenty to recommend in this tense and often gripping film.
Thanks to an almost oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere (juxtaposed with some beautiful scenery) and a fantastic convoluted plot, providing twists and turns right up until the end 'THE BLOODSTAINED SHADOW' is one of the stand out films of the late 70s period and what it lacks in originality it more than makes up for in entertainment. Hitting almost all the tropes of the genre, fans will be pleased with what Bido serves up and what giallo isn't complete without a stairway chase?
Version Reviewed:
We watched the 2015 88 Films release, which although short on extras does contain a fantastic collectors booklet featuring a Q&A with Antonio Bido and the 'Giallo Fever' article written by Calum Waddell as originally printed in SFX magazine's 2012 horror special and is well worth a read in a release that every giallo fan should get.