The Bloodstained Shadow

When Professor Stefano returns to his childhood home and tranquil village, he was hoping for a gentle holiday. Now instead his brother, the local priest is being terrorised by horrible notes, people are being murdered and the weather is abnormal as well. There is little he can do but set about solving the mystery of the murders. Along for the ride however is a local woman who has fallen for his charms and might well be next on the list.

Murder, mystery and small isolated towns are staples of many giallo classics. They literally at this point became the most often used and often abused form of setting. This film is no exception but it plays on the place and space of the genre and its many duplicated versions. What it seems happened at this point in the genres history was almost a reinterpretation of the classic and familiar. An isolated village that has creaky buildings was expected but these buildings are living with people inside, not haunted with stories only. Then we have narrow alleyways set often as claustrophobic and menacing but here become stalking places with no way of controlling prey and as such lose there power. Even the staple few odd characters are all played with an air of humanity and pathos. Rare that you are meant to feel for a person who might be so horrid as to say, set a person on fire. This is intentional and also quite refreshing, as the director seemed to be obsessed with Hitchcock and also reimagining his style of space and people.I noted also that the director and set team have nodded to many a giallo past inm set decoration and design. From lavish rooms filled to the brim with items to yards with fountains, they are all designed to express life and seem to all have a magnetic feel to them. You are drawn to explore with the eye and the mind. Which helps repeat viewings and repeat exploration.

In the end however the film falls, as so many of its genre do in two places. The pacing and the final third. Pacing is very stop/ start and seems to have been due more to the fear of an edit is certain scenes than due to actual bad scripting. This is a cast off from the time and the type of film production. You would have had to cover say 2 hours slots and so had to extend where and when needed. The final third is unbalanced with the fake and then reveal almost jarring with such obviousness as to be annoying. Overall however a worthy watch for film and genre fans.Also anyone who likes a good murder mystery with a little blood and grim findings to spend the night with....


BLU RAY

Trailers
Italian opening
Italian audio