Dario Argento, Italian-horror king, directed this over the top and gleefully sadistic version of the classic phantom of the opera story, with Cristina Marsillach (reportedly the most difficult actress Argento had ever worked with) taking on the role of a hapless soprano at the center of a string of murders. Opera is set in the Regio Theatre, following a production of Verdi’s Macbeth. When the lead is injured, her understudy, mousy Betty (Marsillach), takes the role but finds herself bringing nothing but death to the production as a stalker picks off the rest of the cast and crew.
The film’s most famous moments come as Betty is forced to watch the murders after the killer has taped pins under her eyes– a sly joke in and of itself, as Argento reportedly became irritated when audiences would look away from the gore in his films. While the mystery of who the killer is isn’t all that interesting, the process of the elaborate, borderline ridiculous murders, one after another, keeps the suspense constantly ratcheted to a 10.
Dario Argento's Opera (1987)
