Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Murder Obsession. Before we get into it, here are my ratings:
Story - 1.25 Direction - 0.75 Pace - 1.25 Acting - 1.00 Enjoyment - 1.00
TOTAL - 5.25
I have recently become an ardent admirer of Giallo films, so when I saw Murder Obsession, I thought, what a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I'll say this, it got my little grey cells working overtime towards the climax. And for once, that wasn't a good thing.
The writers start well and progress quite familiarly. You know that there will be twists along the way because that is what Giallo is all about. Nothing is as it appears. However, it's these twists that surprisingly spoil the story. It would have improved the ending if they had provided clues along the way. I liked the way they included two opposing conclusions. Sadly, they come so close together that they feel rushed and bolted on. It wouldn't have been so irksome if the writers had left a gap between them, so our protagonist has time to consider the first confession and take action.
It would appear the director suffered from a lack of budget. He is fine when it comes to the things he can control manually, such as light and shadow, building atmospheres, and controlling the tempo of the storytelling. However, when we get to the special effects, the film starts s to degrade. The awful S-FX is the director's way of spoiling the movie. There is an entire ten-minute dream sequence that dives head-first into ludicrousness. It comes complete with two oversized rubber spiders: One that is unmoveable though the heroine runs into the nasty fake web screaming her head off: And another that is unceremoniously hauled across the floor; instead of being terrifying, it's plain ridiculous - and not in a funny B-movie way. And don't get me started on the hatchet in the head segment. Even though it's only onscreen for a second or so, it's enough time to see it's not a head. I hung my head and shook it sadly.
The acting is hit and miss. Some cast members are in top form, while others appear in a trance. Unfortunately, the lead, Stefano Patrizi as Michael, is the worst, closely followed by John Richardson as Oliver. The best of the bunch is undoubtedly Anita Strindberg as Michael's mother, Glenda. She adds an air of cool classiness to her character until she has to let the crazy out, and this she does wonderfully also.
Murder Obsession starts well but ends like a car crash...atrociously, and with casualties and a lot of damage. I would only recommend this picture to die-hard Giallo fans, and only then if there's nothing else to watch. It's a shame as the concept of the story should have made a brilliantly twisted and imaginative film.
Feel free to check my Absolute Horror and Killer Thriller Chillers lists to see where Murder Obsession ranks in my charts - or you could find a better film to watch.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story - 1.25 Direction - 0.75 Pace - 1.25 Acting - 1.00 Enjoyment - 1.00
TOTAL - 5.25
I have recently become an ardent admirer of Giallo films, so when I saw Murder Obsession, I thought, what a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I'll say this, it got my little grey cells working overtime towards the climax. And for once, that wasn't a good thing.
The writers start well and progress quite familiarly. You know that there will be twists along the way because that is what Giallo is all about. Nothing is as it appears. However, it's these twists that surprisingly spoil the story. It would have improved the ending if they had provided clues along the way. I liked the way they included two opposing conclusions. Sadly, they come so close together that they feel rushed and bolted on. It wouldn't have been so irksome if the writers had left a gap between them, so our protagonist has time to consider the first confession and take action.
It would appear the director suffered from a lack of budget. He is fine when it comes to the things he can control manually, such as light and shadow, building atmospheres, and controlling the tempo of the storytelling. However, when we get to the special effects, the film starts s to degrade. The awful S-FX is the director's way of spoiling the movie. There is an entire ten-minute dream sequence that dives head-first into ludicrousness. It comes complete with two oversized rubber spiders: One that is unmoveable though the heroine runs into the nasty fake web screaming her head off: And another that is unceremoniously hauled across the floor; instead of being terrifying, it's plain ridiculous - and not in a funny B-movie way. And don't get me started on the hatchet in the head segment. Even though it's only onscreen for a second or so, it's enough time to see it's not a head. I hung my head and shook it sadly.
The acting is hit and miss. Some cast members are in top form, while others appear in a trance. Unfortunately, the lead, Stefano Patrizi as Michael, is the worst, closely followed by John Richardson as Oliver. The best of the bunch is undoubtedly Anita Strindberg as Michael's mother, Glenda. She adds an air of cool classiness to her character until she has to let the crazy out, and this she does wonderfully also.
Murder Obsession starts well but ends like a car crash...atrociously, and with casualties and a lot of damage. I would only recommend this picture to die-hard Giallo fans, and only then if there's nothing else to watch. It's a shame as the concept of the story should have made a brilliantly twisted and imaginative film.
Feel free to check my Absolute Horror and Killer Thriller Chillers lists to see where Murder Obsession ranks in my charts - or you could find a better film to watch.
Take Care & Stay Well.