“Psychos can’t kill what they can’t find.”
Sydney-Scream 3
There’s something fun about horror films that are meta. Horror is one of the only genres that allow creators to tackle this kind of theme without it seeming like a wink at the audience. Stage Fright isn’t the first or last film to do this, but I found it to be one of the most interesting.
A group of struggling stage actors is rehearsing for a small-town production of a play. After a cast member dies, the power-hungry director and a creepy businessman funding the play lock the rest of the cast inside the rehearsal building. They quickly realize they are locked in with the killer.
Director Michele Soavi mixes arthouse with horror exceptionally well. There are some excellent long takes, and he has a unique way of framing shots. He utilizes the score from the movie as well as the music of the production brilliantly. The music in this film feels like it’s on character, and the overall sound design is well done. The biggest weakness of the film is how the horror moments are shot. With only two exceptions, most of the kills are choppy.
The cast is really good as well. Barbara Cupisti, as the lead, is excellent. She is a persistent final girl. Giovanni Lombardo Radice, as the flamboyant Brett, almost steals the movie. I know the plot calls for his character to be sidelined, but I would have loved to have seen his character interjecting some humor throughout. David Brandon, who plays the director Peter, is fine but is also a tad over of the type.
The killer is well-conceived, and the owl mask is a nice touch. Soavi uses the imagery of the feather-headed psychopath very effectively. The killer is Irving Wallace, a former actor who was driven insane. The way that Soavi mirrors the stage play and the murders on screen is truly inventive.
Stage Fright is filled with critiques on show business. The overbearing director. The sleazy producer. The poor, overworked actors and the forgotten people work hard behind the scenes to make the machine work. Watching the giant owl’s head work his way through the crew is both tense and entertaining. The climax has a shot that will forever be burned into my head like a bullet.
Rating: 8/10
