Trauma

Well, Argento fans have been waiting for quite some time for this one to appear on DVD and it's the folk at Tartan that got there in the end. Often misguidedly loathed by the hard core of Argento's fan base 'Trauma' is in fact on revisiting a pretty good stylish thriller.

As the film opens we get our first taste of the movies killer, this time round rather than the traditional black gloved slasher maniac we get a more specialised maniac that enjoys beheading his victims using a hand held wire cutting contraption (well full marks for trying something different anyway!) So it's off with her head with our first casualty then we cut to a teenage Asia Argento in her first lead role for her father as a 'twee' anorexic Aura Petrescu whose trying to take her own life. Before she gets a chance to take a jump off a bridge TV news graphic designer David Parson steps in to save the day and entranced by the young Hungarian (?!) he gets swept into her nightmare scenario - one that soon sees not only the murder of her own parents by the killer but many other folk in their vicinity. Who is the mysterious killer and will our hapless heroes solve the mystery before their own time is up?

Well, first off I have to say I really can't see the problem that some Argento fans have with this movie as it really is quite an enjoyable giallo romp. Of course it's not without its faults but then what Argento movie does not fall foul of irking nuances? From the opening scenes and throughout it's pure vintage Argento stylee with some lovely drifting crane shots, tasty set pieces and all the hallmarks that you would expect from an Argento movie. The core plot is also pure vintage Argento - the murders, the mystery and importantly the twist in the tale that albeit reminiscent of the undeniably superior Profondo Rosso is still sterling stuff.

What does possibly detract for some fans though is firstly the fact that the film is shot in the US - fed on a diet of Euro scenarios from the great man perhaps the US setting was too much too soon for some die hard followers. Admittedly for myself, the only thing that put me off the movie was the ill advised use of Pino Donagio to score the music, which sounds jarringly out of place throughout and distracts from Argento's fine camerawork.

On board for this production is US splatter guru Tom Savini who is sadly under-utilised with only sparse gore effects used during the death scenes - some of which are actually silhouetted rather than onscreen showing some restraint from the director. This factor also makes you wonder exactly what was the problem with the British film censors who had previously demanded cuts to the old video release as this new uncut version has the gore restored, which although very nice is not brutal or worrying overdone in any way!?

But all said and done the main thing is that watching this vastly underrated movie again here on DVD I have rediscovered what is in fact a fine solid enthralling thriller - and one that is definitely worth revisiting not only by fans of Argento's work but newcomers to the movie who like myself I'm sure will appreciate it for what it's worth and wonder why the obsessive fans made such a grumbling fuss!?

The DVD from Tartan is a welcome solid package that has been well put together. The film is presented in a 2.35:1 letterbox ratio, the print is welcomingly clean and strong but perfectionists will no doubt note some moments the image looks softer and the image at times looks just a touch overmatted. For me though, there's no problem and the bulk of you will think so too. The only thing I would have wished for with this would have been an anarmorphic enhancement (like the dual release of 'Phantom'), but we can't have everything I suppose. The film looks and sounds great - I'm happy!

Now how about the extras? Well, outside of the welcome but expected trailer selection (here it's the film itself, Phantom of the Opera and the now standard Tartan Terror Trailer Reel) it's the usual mixed bag of Tartan text based pages - there is though some fleetingly enjoyable reading in there with a new interview with the lovely Asia, some candid reminiscing from 'Hardware' director Richard Stanley on his love for Argento, a page explaining the old cuts by the BBFC and the usual filmography pages. Oh and there's a stills gallery, though only having six pages it'll leave you wanting for more.

But it's the movie we're here for (I'd hope!) and although this release is not the special edition that Argento's fans would have hoped for it's still a fine presentation of a vastly underrated shocker. Seemingly it's been released at a budget price too so there should be no complaints - Argento fans, get those wallets out now!

Review by Alan Simpson