During a seance, a medium feels the presence of a murderer in the room. A young pianist present accidentally contributes to a murder. It is not long before the medium is killed too.In this successful giallo, Argento quotes from Hitchcock’s Psycho and rediscovers an actress, Clara Calamai, who was famous in Italian cinema in the thirties. As well as Psycho, there are also echoes of the work of Fritz Lang, but Argento fashions everything in a very original way. Most of the horrors in this film originate in the plot, but it is the nightmare quality of the mood that dominates. Argento’s Turin becomes a metaphysical place, where evil is always just around the corner. The visual shock effects are introduced and supported by the electronic rock of the band Goblin, that has acquired cult status for this horror soundtrack. (SdC)
