Amuck

New company 'Eurovista' dig deep once again to bring us another rarely seen 70's Euro shocker in the form of Silvio Amandio's 'Amuck!' And surely the more Euro shock titles out there can only be a good thing?

This atmospheric thriller follows a young blonde american (Greta) who takes up a new secretarial job working for wealthy (and decadent) author Richard Stuart (70's TV veteran Farley Granger) after her predecessor (and close friend Sally) goes missing mysteriously. She's anxious to try find out what has happened to her special friend and is convinced that her new employer knows more than he is telling. She quickly becomes uncomfortable of her surroundings when she encounters Stuart's sexually charged wife who shows an uneasy interest in her physically, a situation that quickly escalates when she strays into one of the Stuart's swinging parties and accidentally sees a home porn movie starring her missing friend Sally! Should she stay and try uncover the ever-growing mystery or flee before her life becomes in danger?

As far as Euro thrillers go 'Amuck!' is a very satisfying one that has the feel of one of those old Mario Bava dramas. Whilst not an out and out shocker, it has a high level of suspense that fans of this particular genre will find greatly satisfying. Amandio's direction does not though grab you in the way that the classic Euro shockers do but is well paced and competent enough to keep your interest. It is in fact the (at times) tense atmosphere brought to the screen by the small ensemble cast and taut plot that creates a nice claustrophobic feel. Also the sombre disregard of the Stuart's sexual liberation and decadent carefree nature adds to the tension balanced nicely off of Greta's fear. And thankfully it is indeed one of those movies that although you're sure you think you know who the killer (or killers) are whilst watching, you're never actually totally sure and are pleasantly gratified with the unravelled conclusion.

But whilst the film should be a welcome viewing experience to fans of this genre of movie perhaps they may be disappointed with the discs' print presentation. It is plainly obvious from the opening sequence that this has been mastered from a well watched VHS tape (an image cropped one at that), with early scenes showing some sign of age with even the odd tape flutter from a fold. But if you know this before you check it out (knowing what to expect) then you may have the patience to look behind this fault to check out a very satisfying vintage Euro thriller. Well until some else comes along and does a shiny remastering from an original print (and I don't see this on anyones schedule) this hit and miss release from Eurovista will do nicely. There's all the usual Eurovista extras on here also, with (as ever) a very nice still gallery, biographies and film notes (I do enjoy Eurovista's text stuff a lot, very informative they are!)

So perhaps not for the casual buyer but a pleasant enough stocking filler for the avid 70's Euro thriller film buff. Not the greatest of presentations but a solid slice of genre viewing.

Review by Alan Simpson

'Amuck' can be ordered direct from Luminous Film & Video Wurks by clicking here.