Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

In the 1970's, a whole series of movies came out that probably did inestimable damage to Venice's tourism industry. Most of the movies were gruesome Italian thrillers called "giallos", but even British director Nicholas Roeg depicted the "city of canals" as a fine place to get slaughtered in "Don't Look Now".

Venice is a perfect city in which to set a slasher movie. The abundance of water, old bridges, and labyrinthine streets give the place an otherworldly and slightly sinister feel. Of course, it's also known for gondolas, culture, and romance, but any sensible horror movie director would be smart to downplay those elements in favor of the mystery and decrepitude one can find in the city's nooks and crannies.

"The Bloodstained Shadow" (aka "Solamente Nero") is a late-period giallo from 1978 that spends much of its time in those darker corners and alleyways. Directed by Antonio Bido (whose only other claim to fame was a previous giallo called "Watch Me When I Kill"), it has been panned by many for being a clone of other earlier and more popular giallos. I won't deny that Bido mined heavily from Argento, Aldo Lado, and especially Fulci's "Don't Torture A Duckling", but I will contend that it is a decent genre offering that comes together more sensibly than some of the other more popular films.

The film is supposedly set on an island near Venice, where a priest name Paolo (played by Craig Hill) lives. When his brother Stefano (Lino Capolicchio, who starred in my favorite giallo, "The House With Laughing Windows") shows up for a visit, things take a turn for the murderous. At the heart of it all is the strangulation of a young girl that took place many years before, and it quickly becomes Stefano's mission to piece it all together.

Of course, in addition to his brother, Stefano is assisted by some interior decorator babe he met on the train (Stefania Cassini of "Suspiria" fame). The suspects include an abortionist, a sinister doctor who Paolo accuses of atheism, and a possibly pedophiliac nobleman. These nice yokels are all part of a social scene that centers around the local medium; however, once the main suspects start to die, the plot becomes more complicated.

Like all good giallos, this one has plenty of bizarre twists, turns, and plot devices. There's a missing painting that may provide a clue to the killer's identity. Threatening letters come pouring in, and Stefano deduces that they were all printed on the same typewriter. There are rainy nights, inept police, demented characters who play with dolls, and people with troubled pasts. Red herrings, secrets, creative murders- what else is there in Gialloland? Oh yeah, there's a sex scene as well.

The ending is not entirely satisfactory, but giallos rarely conclude in a way that is logical or heart-warming. The acting isn't too bad, but again, the genre comes with its closet of flaws; you either accept them or turn to something more intellectual and well-executed, like "Napoleon Dynamite". Me, I love all the inconsistencies. Giallos were really meant to be visually-stimulating triumphs of atmosphere instead of Oscar contenders, and this one works well enough in that regard. Not perfect, but purdy dang good for 1978, when the giallo was essentially wheezing in its grave for everybody except Argento.

There have been rumors for years that the soundtrack was created by Goblin, the houseband of the giallo genre. The credits list Stelvio Cipriani as the composer, but Goblin actually performed it. There are, I believe, a whole five hundred copies of the CD in existence, so nothing short of a pact with Satan will land it in your collection. Sigh.

So yeah, grab this one for a solidly entertaining journey into a Venice that's even more unruly than downtown Dallas on Saturday night. It's part of a giallo box set with three other great films, so hurry on over to Amazon.com and unload that seventy dollars on nothing more than pyfr's recommendation. And steer clear of touchy-feely Italian counts who offer free piano lessons.


Other European cinematic celebrations of the homicide process:

Deep Red http://www.epinions.com/content_235946086020

Suspiria http://www.epinions.com/content_182147059332

The House With Laughing Windows http://www.epinions.com/content_182927789700

Who Saw Her Die? http://www.epinions.com/content_235251601028

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD