Deep Red (1975), a Bloody Good Mystery

Here in Everything But Bone, we’re heading back to the horror subgenre giallo, or Italian horror-thriller-slashers. It’s been awhile, last time I wrote about one was Zombie 2 last summer. I believe a return is appropriate for this column.  There are no zombies or supernatural monsters in Dario Argento’s 1975 murder mystery Deep Red. I’m still relatively new to watching giallo films, but I greatly enjoyed this one. Deep Red has an engaging mystery, great visuals, and a sweet soundtrack by the band Goblin.

Before this analysis goes farther, I want to warn you. The story is actually pretty good. Like all the Everything But Bone articles, I’ll be spoiling the hell outta the film.  Go watch, then come back and read this. Deep Red is on Shudder, what are you waiting for?

Still reading? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Deep Red is about a stuffy English pianist named Marcus Daly (David Hemmings) who’s living in Rome, and witnesses the murder of his upstairs neighbor. Said neighbor, Helga Ullman (Macha Meril) was a psychic who could hear the thoughts of others. During a performance of her powers in a theatre with bright red curtains and seats, Helga feels the thoughts of a murderer in the audience. The murderer, wanting to protect themself, kills Helga. And in the grand giallo tradition of non-detectives solving mysteries, Marcus brings it upon himself to do so. Helping him is intrepid reporter Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi, who was Argento’s partner at the time).

The film is true to its name, and dark reds appear is various forms. Red does not always represent blood. The color is in clothing and backgrounds. And like Argento’s other productions, color is always saturated.  But color is only one of the ways the set influences the story.

What I found the most engaging about Deep Red is that the film shows you the answers before you realize what’s going on. Before you even get a concrete idea of who the murderer is, you see her (yes, her) reflection in a mirror. Marcus believes he saw a painting, one of many the apartment set has decorating the walls. Her appearance isn’t some blip or blurred for the audience. It’s intentional. You know she’s there, and don’t yet understand why. As Marcus’ friend Carlo (Gabriele Lavia) says, “maybe the painting represented something important.”

In one of the first scenes, the audience sees an extreme close up of the killer putting on her eye make-up. One might think she only wears it when committing murders. Nope, she’s got it on during her first non-murder appearance. Just look closely. I appreciated this detail during my rewatch.

While exploring a rotting abandoned mansion, Marcus finds a creepy child’s drawing under the plaster on a wall. The picture depicts an act of violence, and like the killer’s reflection, it explains the origin of her crimes and her motivation. The moment is a lead up to the film’s scariest moment. Marcus finds a hidden room and discovers something gruesome behind the false wall.

After a few convincing red herrings, the murderer is revealed to be the mother of Marcus’ friend Carlo, played with over the top glee by Clara Calamai. Boy does Martha kill with brutality, the POV cam is how many of the murders are presented. Special effects and make up sell the horrors. A woman dies by having her face shoved into boiling water and her burns are unsettlingly realistic. Certain mechanical effects were done by Carlo Rambaldi, who would go on to win Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects for Alien and E.T. Martha’s death is particularly twisted, much of the fuckedupness is left the audience’s imagination.

While not connected directly to visuals, Deep Red does have two queer characters who can be considered fair for their day, Carlo and his gender-nonconforming boyfriend, Ricci (I hesitate to give him/them specific labels, but the character was portrayed as male and played by an actress). In a genre that often uses sexuality for titillation or exploitation, it was surprising to see Carlo and Ricci treated with a level of respect. Ricci appears once, and is not played for laughs or shock. He is lovingly concerned about Carlo, and feels comfortable sharing his opinions with Marcus.

Yes, Carlo might die horribly (It’s a giallo after all) however, he doesn’t die because he’s gay. Carlo goes out trying to protect the real killer, his mother. Sigmund Freud would have something on point to say about Deep Red. It’s not great representation by modern standards, but far above average for the 70’s.

I haven’t seen the majority of Argento’s filmography, so I can’t compare Deep Red much to his other work. It would make a decent double feature with Suspiria, old villainesses losing their minds on those who wrong them.

If you’ve seen Deep Red before, perhaps it’s time to renew the acquaintance. If you ignored my spoiler warning and kept reading, I still hope you watch the film. Come for the gory deaths with all the Argento flair, stay for the mystery.