Aquarius – Theater des Todes (1987)

Aquarius – Theater des Todes: Directed by Michele Soavi. With David Brandon, Barbara Cupisti, Domenico Fiore, Robert Gligorov. A group of stage actors lock themselves in the theater for a rehearsal of their upcoming musical production, unaware that an escaped psychopath has sneaked into the theater with them.

“DELIRIAu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e(USA/UK: StageFright: Aquarius) u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAspect ratio: 1.85:1u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSound format: Dolby Stereou003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA group of actors become trapped in a theatre with a rampaging maniac who has just escaped from the nearby psychiatric clinic…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDELIRIA not only marked the directorial debut of Euro-cult favorite Michele Soavi (billed here as u0026#39;Michaelu0026#39; Soavi), it also marked a reunion of several prominent figures from the heyday of Italian exploitation. Produced by renowned sleaze merchant Joe Du0026#39;Amato (Aristide Massaccesi – u0026quot;Buio Omegau0026quot;, u0026quot;Emanuelle in Americau0026quot;) and written by splatter stalwart George Eastman (Luigi Montefiore – RABID DOGS, ABSURD), and co-starring John Morghen (Giovanni Lombardo Radice – CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD), this deceptively modest shocker attempts to subvert many of the clichés associated with u0026#39;traditionalu0026#39; slasher movies, and does it with style and grace. Viewers weaned on a diet of bland Hollywood u0026#39;horrorsu0026#39; may not succumb immediately to the filmu0026#39;s wayward plot developments (including the central device of an off-off-Broadway stage musical which celebrates the very same serial killer who winds up massacring most of the cast!), but once the basic premise has been established, the narrative assumes a near-demonic life of its own.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBeginning with a frankly horrific sequence in which the masked killer is mistaken for an actor during rehearsals and encouraged to u0026#39;killu0026#39; a female co-star (only to commit the bloody deed for real!), Soaviu0026#39;s direction is razor-sharp and visually appealing. The murders are outlandish and gruesome, though also tragic in places (watch out for a shower sequence which operates both as a suspense set-piece and as a vivid demonstration of human cruelty), and Eastmanu0026#39;s clever screenplay strips the characters down to their emotional core, revealing a gamut of fears and prejudices which leave many of them vulnerable to the killeru0026#39;s predations. The climactic sequence – in which a frightened young actress must retrieve an all-important key from its hiding place within inches of the killeru0026#39;s feet – is ghastly, beautiful and terrifying, all at the same time. Outside of these major set-pieces, Soaviu0026#39;s relative inexperience is betrayed by a couple of ragged camera movements and some odd editing choices, while the performances are compromised by flat post-sync dubbing. But overall, the movie is a triumph, one which plays Soaviu0026#39;s mentor Dario Argento at his own game and succeeds beyond all expectations.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e(English version)”