Murder Obsession (2012)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Murder Obsession is the final film from Italian horror director Riccardo Freda, the man responsible for films such as the crazy The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire. Like that one, this is a giallo too, although it's one of the sub-grouping that combines supernatural goings on into the mix. I haven't seen too many of Freda's films but this is my favourite so far. The mystery is diverting enough, while there are some pretty impressive moments of the bizarre, such as the weird, surreal dream sequence where a girl finds herself in a world of madness and black magic with a few nasty surprises. It's quite gory too, although some of the effects are a little ropey.While this is clearly not in the upper bracket of Italian horror, it's a pretty decent feature from the second division. The atmosphere is quite effective and the music is of that early 80's synth type you will have heard in countless American slashers. I guess this is a movie that was trying to pass itself off as an American product, it feels a lot more Americanised than most in the giallo genre. The cast are definitely of the Euro variety though. Anita Strindberg (The Case of the Scorpion's Tail) plays the mother, even though she must be only five years older than the actor playing her son at most. Laura Gemser, star of many Eurotrash flicks such as Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, also appears as an actress friend of the protagonist.If you like American slashers and Italian giallo strangeness then this film certainly combines these two ingredients.

For fans of Italian Horror, the name Riccardi Freda holds meaning. Not only did he mentor the late, great Mario Bava, but he also did some fine work within the genre of the fantastic. Horror films like "Tragic Ceremony" (which starred Camille Keaton), "The Ghost" (which starred Barbara Steele) and "Lust for a Vampire" (which was completed by Bava) are films that tend to get name checked when it comes to important titles in genre (well, the last two at least, though "Ceremony" itself is a fine film.) Not name checked often, but still entertaining is his last movie, 1981's "Murder Obsession." Michael Stanford (Stefano Patrizi) is having some problems. He recently almost killed an actress (Laura Gemser), and returning with his girlfriend Deborah (Silvia Dionisio) to visit his mother (Anita Strindberg) only brings back horrible memories about the death of his father. When more company follows, the guests start to have strange dreams involving things like very large spiders and occult rituals. Oh, and there's a black gloved killer on the loose."Murder Obsession" is an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink style movie. Throwing in all kinds of sub-genres (Giallo, Gothic, Supernatural) and clichés (fog drenched landscapes, eroticism, black gloved killers) into a story that ultimately doesn't make much sense, and has a few flaws to boot (the cheap looking gore kinda sticks out.) That out of the way, this is also pretty fun for the most part. Even before the killing starts to take place, Freda throws in all kinds of demented images (Debbie being felt up by a clearly fake large spider) and offbeat plot twists and turns to make sure you never lose your interest. This is a movie that, even if you don't like it, you'll never find yourself bored by the events taking place.Plus, the things that do work really stick out. Even is the effects aren't always up to muster, the kills are bloody enough to make you take notice. The score by Franco Mannino is mostly effective, with its blend of classical flourishes and electronic effects perfectly complimenting the events at hand. I even really liked the plot twist at the end, as it actually makes sense considering the events that have taken place, and the strange relationship Michael has with his mother (even though you know who the killer is before the film is halfway over.) Will "Murder Obsession" be considered a classic in the genre of Italian Horror? Probably not. Those who have a thing for out of the ordinary fare should definitely get a kick out of this movie. It might not be Freda's best movie, but it's a hell of a way to go out.

I have to say, I'm not a big fan of Riccardo Freda. His films are often sub-standard and after finding out that a lot of his earlier work was actually completed by the hugely talented Mario Bava, my respect for him went down further. However, it turns out that he did make a few decent films himself - one of which is the Klaus Kinski starring Giallo 'Double Face', and another example is this film which, while a long way from being brilliant, is a very good mix of Gothic horror, insanity and Giallo themes. The plot of Murder Obsession centres on actor Michael Stanford. Michael almost strangles his co-star Beryl during the shooting of a film and, worried that he may be coming to the end of his tether, he decides to take a break at his family home out in the country. He gets to the house with Beryl and meets his mother, and later his film friends turn up also. Naturally, there's foul play afoot as Beryl is almost drowned in the bath and this leads to Michael admitting to his friends that as a kid, he killed his own father...The plot of this film for most of the running time is pretty standard stuff, though it's not boring and Freda peppers the film with a bunch of gory murders, which is nice. Freda doesn't tend to hold back with the gore, although the deaths in his films often aren't all that believable; and unfortunately, that is the case here too. The film benefits from two of the hottest ladies in exploitation cinema, Anita Strindberg (in her last film) and Laura Gemser (who makes a rare Giallo appearance). Its great seeing them both in this film, but unfortunately neither one is given all that much to do; and that's a shame. The atmosphere is rather good and the old house around which most of the plot takes place makes for a foreboding location. The film doesn't get really interesting until the last fifteen minutes, and while the attempt to explain the plot does get a little silly and over the top; you've got to expect things like that from this sort of film; and at the end of the day, it's what makes Giallo so much fun so it isn't a problem. I won't say this is a classic of the genre; but it's a decent entry and I recommend it.

Michael, a successful actor with a secret in his past, returns to his family estate after a long absence.He arrives with his girlfriend in tow and he greeted by his mother who seems a bit too attentive to her son and distancing to the girlfriend. It isn't long before some more friends arrive for both business and pleasure. However ghosts of the past are reawakened and it isn't long before strange things begin happening and people begin dying.This is Italian horror at its most silly. The film starts off interesting enough with Michael going home to a house full of eerie people and occurrences. There is a nice tension to the proceedings, however things begin to sputter a bit when the girlfriend has one of the funniest "scary" dreams ever put on film after 1965. It comes complete with fake spider web and rubber spider and is impossible to take seriously. From there things begin to move unevenly as bodies begin to pile up and the number of suspects begin to diminish. The film completely falls apart as it tries to explain and re-explain whats really going on and who these people are. Its a mess and I found myself giggling through the final 20 minutes or so.I was disappointed. The early scenes created a nice tension that was lost when things started to become silly and illogical (I know one should not always look for reason and logic in Italian horror). It gets points for keeping me watching to the end, but that was because I kept hoping it would shift gears into reverse and go back to being the decent little thriller at the start.4 out of 10. Disappointing thriller is probably worth watching if you stumble across it late at night and find there is nothing better on. Those who like Italian horror and giallo films can probably add a couple of points.