IMDb RATING
5.5/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
In Italy, a pianist suffering from the Progeria genetic disease becomes distraught and goes on a mad killing spree prompting a police inspector to investigate.In Italy, a pianist suffering from the Progeria genetic disease becomes distraught and goes on a mad killing spree prompting a police inspector to investigate.In Italy, a pianist suffering from the Progeria genetic disease becomes distraught and goes on a mad killing spree prompting a police inspector to investigate.
Lewis E. Ciannelli
- Chief Physician
- (as Lewis Eduardo Ciannelli)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRuggero Deodato: Man at train station who hops on moped.
- Quotes
Robert Dominici: Death is God's cruelest joke, but not for me.
[dies]
- Alternate versionsThe 1989 UK video version (released as "Off Balance") was cut by 18 secs by the BBFC to edit gore from the train station murder and the stabbing of a woman with a table lamp. The 2007 Shameless DVD is uncut.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Deodato Holocaust (2019)
Featured review
unusual idea (rapidly aging killer), but executed in a fairly boring manner
A female doctor is murdered by a sword. The film makes some pretense of mystery about the identity of the killer, but it doesn't really do a very good job (and the video box gives it away completely). The killer has a rare disease that causes him to rapidly age and also causes the deterioration of his mind. Thus, one murder is thought to have been done by someone of about thirty years of age, and the next by a fifty-year-old.
The murder scenes aren't bad, but the rest of the movie does drag. The killer talks a lot, and what he says isn't of much interest. He also likes to call the police inspector played by Donald Pleasance. The police are all very bad at their jobs, fatally screwing up sting operations, letting suspects go before putting them in a lineup, and so on. Overall the movie is perhaps more of a drama musing about aging and death than it is a horror movie.
Like Psycho IV two years later, this film also has a mentally ill character concerned about passing on his genes. In Psycho IV, that made sense, since Norman had more or less become "normal" through treatment. Here, it's a little more surprising that the man whose mind is supposed to be quite deteriorated is worried about it.
I saw the uncut version of this on video. Can't say it's worth looking for - hold out for a widescreen DVD, and then it might be slightly more worthwhile.
The murder scenes aren't bad, but the rest of the movie does drag. The killer talks a lot, and what he says isn't of much interest. He also likes to call the police inspector played by Donald Pleasance. The police are all very bad at their jobs, fatally screwing up sting operations, letting suspects go before putting them in a lineup, and so on. Overall the movie is perhaps more of a drama musing about aging and death than it is a horror movie.
Like Psycho IV two years later, this film also has a mentally ill character concerned about passing on his genes. In Psycho IV, that made sense, since Norman had more or less become "normal" through treatment. Here, it's a little more surprising that the man whose mind is supposed to be quite deteriorated is worried about it.
I saw the uncut version of this on video. Can't say it's worth looking for - hold out for a widescreen DVD, and then it might be slightly more worthwhile.
helpful•53
- FieCrier
- Jun 6, 2005
- How long is Phantom of Death?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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