Trauma

This is Dario Argento's first foray into American film, and for many longtime fans, his departure from the films that made him famous. Nevertheless, it is Argento, and has all the familiar aspects that fans expect. It has 17-year-old Asia Argento as an anorexic teen, who teams with Christopher Rydell to find the slasher who killed her parents. Lots of heads roll especially with the handy dandy head chopper the slasher has developed to make the job quick and easy. At least one of the heads manages to talk after being severed. Worth watching for the fans.

An anorexic teenager sees her parents murdered and thinks the killer could be coming after her next, so it's up to a struggling addict to keep her safe. Dario Argento's flair for over the top gory set pieces isn't as noticeable here and everything feels more calm and by the numbers, but every now and then, there's a shot or sequence that feels like old fashioned Argento and those moments are worth watching it for. It's also interesting to see a film of his that appears to use all live audio from the set and that takes place in America. It's jarring at first, but you get used to it.

TRAUMA is a middling and muddled effort from cult director Dario Argento, one of his more disappointing efforts that I've seen. There are flashes of the director's classic style and some nice flourishes that remind you of the greatness of the likes of DEEP RED et al, but for the most part this is strained and surprisingly cheesy. Perhaps it's a fish-out-of-water scenario, as this is Argento working in America and not really selling it to the viewer. Asia Argento, as the nominal female lead, seems to be subdued and struggling too, and only old pros like Frederic Forrest, Piper Laurie and Brad Dourif really seem to be making the effort. The film has lots of violence and bloodshed, as you'd expect, but also some very silly moments and FX shots that don't feel at home with the rest of the plot. A mixed bag, at best.

Dario Argento makes a clunky transition to film-making in the United States with "Trauma," but still succeeds in creating an atmosphere of suspense and menace. The cast, while well-chosen, is prone to overacting (with Piper Laurie and Frederic Forrest being the key offenders), and the plot revolves heavily around coincidence. Despite this, Argento's skillful POV shots (the hospital sequence is especially impressive) imbue the film with an efficient mood of dread, and the story, once fully revealed, makes a bit more sense than the director's earlier, more artistic efforts. Tom Savini's makeup effects are well-done, but underutilized (even in the uncut version).