I've not been too impressed with the Giallo subgenre thus far, mainly because I have been watching mostly Lucio Fulci, who I consider a very, very poor filmmaker. I had set my expectations low for this movie, expecting a simple slasher set in a spooky castle. It delivered on this promise, and a lot more too.
Rival sisters Kitty and Evelyn (blonde and brunette) are cursed to hate each other as the 100-year cycle of the Red Queen legend is about to come around. For centuries, their ancestral castle home has seen one sister possessed by the spirit of the Red Queen who will murder six arbitrary victims before killing her own sibling. Believing the curse to be nonsense, the girls go their separate ways until Kitty is brought back to the castle after their sudden death of her grandfather. Rumor has it that the Red Queen is responsible.
And so plays out an interesting and clever whodunnit with atmospheric photography, nice locations and sets, a decent score (certainly by today's standards) and some brutal 1970s fashions. The deaths are sudden and shocking without being exploitative, and the visual of the Red Queen herself is both mysterious and intriguing - a horror villain that has gone unappreciated. I'm surprised that no sequels or remakes were ever made. I freakin' LOVE that title too. I would purchase the rights to this movie just to re-use the title, never mind remake it.
Is it just me or is Barbara Bouchet and EXACT double of Laura Linney at the same age?
A good Giallo flick and one of my favorites so far.
Rival sisters Kitty and Evelyn (blonde and brunette) are cursed to hate each other as the 100-year cycle of the Red Queen legend is about to come around. For centuries, their ancestral castle home has seen one sister possessed by the spirit of the Red Queen who will murder six arbitrary victims before killing her own sibling. Believing the curse to be nonsense, the girls go their separate ways until Kitty is brought back to the castle after their sudden death of her grandfather. Rumor has it that the Red Queen is responsible.
And so plays out an interesting and clever whodunnit with atmospheric photography, nice locations and sets, a decent score (certainly by today's standards) and some brutal 1970s fashions. The deaths are sudden and shocking without being exploitative, and the visual of the Red Queen herself is both mysterious and intriguing - a horror villain that has gone unappreciated. I'm surprised that no sequels or remakes were ever made. I freakin' LOVE that title too. I would purchase the rights to this movie just to re-use the title, never mind remake it.
Is it just me or is Barbara Bouchet and EXACT double of Laura Linney at the same age?
A good Giallo flick and one of my favorites so far.