Rating: 
Summary: BRILLIANT!!
Review: A textbook example of the giallo, Lamberto Bava's A Blade in the Dark is an obvious homage to Dario Agento, the Italian director who (along with Bava's father Mario) served as his filmmaking mentor. Bava worked as assistant director on Argento's Tenebre, shot the year before; that film's influence is readily apparent. A major plot element is lifted from Argento's Deep Red (1975) as well - Blade's story also revolves around a composer who finds himself embroiled in a bizarre series of homicides. But Argento was working with much bigger budgets, longer production schedules, and better stories. Unfortunately, A Blade in the Dark can't begin to compare to its inspirational sources.
Originally envisioned as a limited, episodic series for Italian TV, it was shot with a European theatrical release also in mind. The spare scenario (penned by prolific exploitation scribe Dardano Sarchetti) establishes only the most bare-boned of plots. Bruno (Andrea Occhipinti), a young composer, rents a large, rambling villa in which to work on his latest project, the score for a horror film being directed by his friend Sandra (Anny Papa). To the detriment of Bruno's solitude the house comes complete with a suspicious-acting caretaker (are there any other types in Italian horror?) and some unexpected visitors - Katia (Valeria Cavalli) and Angela (Fabiola Toledo), two attractive women, acquaintances of the former tenant, who live nearby. When the women mysteriously disappear shortly after he meets them, Bruno begins to suspect they've been murdered on the premises... He can't find any bodies, but clues abound. (Knife-holes and bloodstains would certainly qualify in that regard!) Someone definitely entered the villa uninvited and destroyed his latest demo tape, that much is sure. Stupidly, Bruno never once picks up the phone to dial the police.
If our dimwitted hero did the smart thing, however, there'd be no movie. More people die horrible deaths. Meanwhile Bruno wanders about the house and its grounds, poking around and peering into the dark. There are a lot of such scenes in the flick, which will severely test the patience of even the most avid giallo fan. (Rapido, Lamberto!) Obviously this was done to pad out the running time; too many of these sequences are obvious red herrings, devoid of any suspense, or just plain pointless.
Bava does pile on the shocks, though, in the film's two main murder sequences. The stalking/slaying of Katia owes a lot to Tenebre in look and style (particularly the murder of the hotelier's daughter in that film), but Bava ends
the set-piece with an original motif - the victim is trapped behind a sheet of chickenwire through which the killer slowly slashes her to death with a box-cutter - that's guaranteed to get your flesh crawling. The death of Angela, when she's attacked in the villa's bathroom, is a real doozy: a brutal, nihilistic bit of filmmaking that some could easily interpret as an exercise in misogynistic sadism. (Here Bava does for hair-washing in the sink what Hitchcock's Psycho did to taking a shower...) But amidst the unrepentant brutality Bava injects an occasional touch of sardonic humor, most notably when Sandra the horror director is strangled with a spool of her own film - murdered with her own movie.
Aside from the visceral thrills and chills generated by these murder scenes the film is pretty much a misfire. The characters are all uninvolving ciphers. It's not much of a mystery, either; most of the red herrings offered up by the plot are plainly obvious for what they are. As mentioned, an inordinate amount of time is spent following Bruno as he wanders about the villa, checking this room and that - scenes devoid of dialog but accompanied by repetitious theme music that quickly becomes annoying. In one way the dearth of dialog is a good thing... The English dubbing job is poor, featuring ludicrous translations ("You're a female!";"I am not a female child!" etc.) that might be funny in a Godzilla movie, but not one about a sadistic serial killer. At times it seems evident that the translators weren't even looking at a copy of the script - how else can one explain the scene in which Bruno chides Katia over her fear of a spider, telling her with a straight face that the bug isn't even a spider, but a cockroach... at the very moment we're shown a close-up shot of (yep) a SPIDER. Huh???
A Blade in the Dark has fans, no doubt appreciative of its effective, wince-inducing set-pieces. We love gialli, too - just not this one. We'd much rather watch Bava's supernatural splatterfest Demons (1985) for the umpteenth time than sit through this one again.
"Just a case of being a bit overwrought."
Sandra sums up the movie
Anchor Bay does a fine job with A Blade in the Dark considering it's a fairly obscure title here in America. The transfer is letterboxed and anamorphically enhanced for 16x9 TVs; as the film was originally shot in 16mm the picture is understandably on the grainy side. The Dolby mono audio track is serviceably clear. In addition to the theatrical trailer, a short (10 min.), interesting video interview with director Bava and screenwriter Sarchetti is included. (This is in Italian, with easily readable English subtitles. Do not watch this before viewing the film itself. It's chock full of spoilers, including the murderer's identity.)
Rating:
Summary: You Are A Female! You Are A Female!
Review: Lamberto Bava's A BLADE IN THE DARK from 1983 is one of the greatest giallos of all time regardless of the dubbing, which is rather incongruous and weird at times. This movie is a combination of the great Dario Argento's DEEP RED (my favorite giallo) and TENEBRE (Awesome ending!), where a composer is drawn into a bizarre murder mystery involving the former tenant of the villa that he's rented to compose a horror movie score. This movie had me on the edge of my seat whenever the killer was on the loose; the box cutter clicking made my skin crawl and the bathroom scene made me cringe with fear! The scene where the director of the horror movie in question gets strangled by the film of her own final reel, the one she doesn't anyone to see, left an impression on me; this was perfectly ironic and kind of humorous when you consider that the director is killed by her own movie! I also like the humorous tone of this movie (I actually read the booklet that came with the DVD, which is how I learned about the sense of humor); this must be a precursor to SCREAM in that respect.
Lamberto Bava learned a lot from his father Mario and Argento, with whom he worked with on INFERNO and TENEBRE, which is why this film is so good. I loved the music score in this one as well and I still have it stuck in my head as I write this review! In my opinion, although I knew about this movie since I read about it on Terrortrap.com (which summarized the entire film), the way the killer is revealed made me scream just like the ending in TENEBRE did! A must for giallo buffs and horror movie fans alike!
Rating: 
Summary: God Has Punished Me, Yet Again...
Review: Do not watch this DVD. It is soo scary and gave me nightnares. It would be real good to watch for Halloween in a dark room with your friends, if you have any after showing them this movie. It's too scary and good people are in it that act real good and scary. I ate popcorn while I watched and now I do that every night, pop popcorn and watch this movie in the dark, by myself, because all my friends are too scared to watch it over and over again, but not me. I like being scared. Especially around Halloween time and I also like owning two copies of this movie on DVD because I know I will wear the copy that I keep watching, because it's soo scary, out. So don't buy this DVD, because my copies might wear out and I'll need to buy another one and there's no telling when a scary movie like this will be real hard to find. Buy 'The Tigger Movie' because I own two copies of that one too and it's not soo scary but it's a good movie and I think that you will like it. But if you want to watch my copy of this DVD, I think that would be fine as long as you close your eyes with me during the scary parts, which come at different times of the movie. If you do find a used copy of this movie then buy it because I don't buy used copies and that would be fine. If there's anything that you want to know about this movie just ask because I know everything about it and all of the scary parts. I don't even know who could write such a scary movie, they must be real nice and smart, but scary too. Thank you for reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Humour of the Dreadful Slasher
Review: A film in which the hero can't tell the difference between a spider and a cockroach and has to repeatedly rub blood between his fingers to recognise what it is! Lamberto Bava's A Blade in the Dark (how much more evocative is the original Italian title The House of the Dark Stairway) is by turns a gripping, ludicrous and very (unintentionally) funny Giallo. There is a certain Argentoish panache to the direction, with some effective set pieces here and there and the murders are in the suitably grotesque Giallo mould.
What detracts from any effectiveness is the dubbing which seems to have been translated literally word by word, which makes the character's seem incredibly dumb except for the odd word like "perspicacious" cropping up in common speech! It's always hard to tell with dubbing if there isn't some style to the original dialogue which has been lost in translation. However the plot is just plain daft, the identity of the killer a complete give-away (if you haven't guessed who it is, and even have an inkling of why, in the first half hour you must be asleep) and the pathology of the killer is explained in a scant and ridiculous way.
That's not to say you cannot recoup some pleasures from the film, it starts well with a misleading, double bluff pre-credit sequence (which I won't give away), there is a nice play with digetic and non-digetic music, and the first 45 mins (despite the awful, rotten, dubbing) is actually quite intriguing. [Not the best' for the horror/Giallo crowd, an entertaining couple of hours, but mainly it just makes you appreciate Argento (even his lesser films).
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but at the same time not great!
Review: This was one of the first few Italian giallo films I decided to take a risk with. Incredibly bored I was becoming with the repetitive cliched [style] from the big budget mainstream Hollywood school. This seemed more of a blessing to start exploring ignored works from european filmmakers. A Blade in the Dark for me was more of a fluke as I'd never watched anything from Italy's finest. This really helped mark my entry towards many films I would begin to collect of Dario Argento. A Blade in the Dark for me was more of an Argento homage considering the strong relationship Lamberto Bava shares with his friend/mentor. Once more many of the scenes from this film bare similarities towards other classics such as Argento's Tenebre and Hithcock's Psycho. The other interesting aspect about this film was how it was made for little or no money at all since it centers within one location. What also makes this uneasy to view is the fact that the film gets a little sloppy in places with the anticipation of wanting to what happens next becoming slower and slower. And the plus side of the audio dubbing being a real annoyance since it's becoming more outdated and many arguing about the film remaining in it's native language (i.e. Italian). Though the film has it's average moments of suspense and thrills it does slow sown to the point where you being to wonder "what is reall going on?" I watched the film with alot of enthusiam in mind but couldn't help feel slightly disappointed at times. Nevertheless, it still deserves the average watchable treatment. You have to bare one thing in mind that despite the fact it was low buget it was shot on 16mm so the transfer isn't exactly 100% as there are a few noticable evidences of specks and grain, but what do you expect from a film frm 1983? If you're a film fan like myself I'd say it's reasonable buy, but oherwise rent beforehand. Lamberto's Demons is real treat since it was given a bigger and better budget since Argento collaborated as well. Consider A Blade in the Dark an initial starter.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: It's great that all these Eurohorror obscurities are now readily available. Why Bava would revert from making giallos is puzzling after this...masterpiece? In the beginning we see three young boys, two taunting the other saying he's a female. Now we go the present where a pianist has taken residence in a house inhabited formerly by a "Linda." Brutal murders happen in this house, and it is investigated. The ending reminds me of Psycho. Beautifully choreographed murders. I was sure I figured out who the killer was until the final moments when the red herring was finally ruled out. This has an intriguing storyline also. I would highly recommend this for horror buffs, and also fans of Argento, Fulci, Mario Bava and Lamberto Bava. Lamberto Bava is an underrated director, though the proof comes in this brilliant film that is because his films are of varying quality. I want to seek out more of Lamberto, then eventually Mario. Long live horror!
Rating:
Summary: Sacchetti did it!
Review: The most interesting aspect of the film is the bizarre screenplay by Dardano Sacchetti, the prolific writer who worked with Bava Jr. on several pictures, notably DEMONS and DEMONS2, and also created the main stories for a number of Lucio Fulci's successful films, including THE BEYOND (1981), CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980) and ZOMBIE (1979). The screenplay is excellent (that is, if you like extremely twisted and creepy story lines with haunting if unnatural dialogue). Lamberto Bava's direction is quite good: the Gothic Southern atmosphere is played to the hilt. Acting is off-the-wall. Photography is also very good. Lots of interior shots. effective lighting. Good art direction. A MUST for any fan of the Italian "Horror" genre.
Rating: 
Summary: There Have Been Worse . . .
Review: This is a good movie to own-on VHS. I would not waste the money for a DVD version of this, because it just isn't good enough to where I would see it over again soon like, say, Tenebre or Cat O' Nine Tails. Also, there aren't enough extras on the DVD to tempt me to purchase it. That said, the movie still has redeeming qualities. For Giallos this one plays by the rules: the obvious culprits are sure-fired red herrings; the somewhat obvious/maybe whodunnits are also ruled out; finally, the most absurd, absolutely unbelievable scenerario is the veritable smoking gun (case and point: Tenebre) For me, the most fascinating element of the film was the violence against women. It almost seemed as though the death of the groundskeeper was an afterthought on director Bava's part when you consider the sophisticated choreography of the four women's deaths in the course of the film. These deaths are the truly great moments of the film. I can't say that it is the most suspenseful. Maybe this is because I've seen so many other Giallos from Argento, Fulci, and the other Bava and I just sorth of know what will come. Also, most of the scenes in the film take place under full light-either daylight or lamplight. There isn't that much darkness in the film. I guess the only darkness is the identity of the killer and that person's motivations.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best.
Review: This is one of Bava's best films as far as I'm concerned. The fact it takes place in the large villa is sweet because the villa is like a giant high-end maze. I saw this film when I was young and I am so glad it recieved the dvd treatment. This movie should be viewed in a full on whooknay, late at night with tight friends who share the same fondness for quality horror. Italy's finest!
Rating:
Summary: Very strong giallo
Review: Five Stars for Bava, who - before sliding into the nirvana of Demons and the abyss of Italian TV Giallos - directed this crisp, vicious, claustrophobic thriller. It looks and feels like a Dario Argento Movie, but actually has a better script. The perfect double bill for Tenebre. Buy it at all costs. The DVD transfer itself is excellent. The important light and sound recordings clearer than on every other available dvd (there's a german one out there).
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