Review of Delirium

Delirium (1987)
"It's your turn to die."
9 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
~Spoiler~

Delirium: Photo of Gioia is a giallo from the late 80's directed by Italian horror veteran Lamberto Bava. Let me just say that I started off with the best giallo-Tenebre. It was the first one I ever saw. I haven't found one yet that has surpassed it and it's the standard by which I judge all other giallo. So, having said that, Delirium is not the best of its kind, but it's certainly not the worst. George Eastman said in an interview, for the DVD release no less, that it was a waste of time. Daria Nicolodi also pretty much disowns it. Granted Eastman, Nicolodi, and David Brandon aren't given much to do, but it's really not that bad. Bava himself even doesn't seem that proud of it. It's sad really. I thought if they had fixed a few problems this could have been a classic. It needed a few more kills and a little more action. Delirium is basically a starring vehicle for the beautiful Serena Grandi (who gives the film much of its ample amount of nudity). It's about a madman killing models and terrorizing the owner of a Playboy type magazine, Gioia (or Gloria in the US version). But it's also deeper than that. If you check out this DVD do yourself a favor and read the brilliant Scooter McCrae essay included as a special feature. The most creative aspect of this film is the killer's perspective. Whenever he's about to kill someone, we get to see what's inside his head. The victim's are seen as monsters to the killer. It's a really original concept and they should have exploited that more. One of the things I really didn't like was score. It was done by Simon Boswell and he basically re-used the score he did for Demons 2. Also, the film drags at points which is why I think it could have used a few more kills. But it's not as bad as its makers would have you believe. You should either be proud of the things you create, or you shouldn't create them at all.
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