Phantom of Death [DVD]

Michael York and Donald Pleasance both give surprisingly restrained performances in this 1987 curio about a famous concert pianist diagnosed with a fatal aging illness who goes 'off balance' (the other title of this film) and starts killing people.

York's Robert is an interesting villain: a tragic 'Phantom of the Opera' type who is raging against those who will outlive him, God and his own sense of decency as he tries again and again to be caught by the police detective he taunts (Donald Pleasance). Why he doesn't just hand himself over to the police is anybody's guess, but there you go. However, it's this struggle in York's character that makes this film interesting. It's actually very well written, shot and produced considering it's an Italian pot boiler. Yes, it borders on the ludicrous (what Italian horror doesn't?), some of the dialogue is a little risible, the odd performance low rent and the scenes of slaughter of a grand guignol excess - blood doesn't spurt, it SPRAYS in unending floods! - but this was a definite cut above the usual dross.

Maybe 'Phantom of Death' is too introspective and angst ridden for gore hounds, but for those looking for a memorable villain who is both sympathetic and downright boo-hiss nasty, then this is a nice change of pace. I can't guarantee you'll look as favourably upon this film as I do, but I was rather pleased it defied my expectations.

Directed by Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust) this is probably the last half decent film he made before disappearing from view. Michael York is the pianist who grows mad after discovering he has a disease that makes him rapidly grow old. Donald Pleasence is the cop on his trail but at the same time being driven to the edge by the constant tauts of the killer.
It's quite a nicely directed film and is mostly entertaining, but it's no way as extreme or nasty as the Directors more infamous work. It does still contain a few bloody deaths so you have that to enjoy if nothing else, but it's not a bad film even without the gory moments. Pleasence's performance is highly amusing and his reaction to the death of one of his police colleagues is absolutely priceless. It all leads to a totally dramatic ending that you would only see in an Italian film. Sexy Edwinge Fenech (Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh) also appears as does Giovanni Lambardo Radice (Cannibal Ferox).

This film became an instant must see for me after reading the plot outline - how could I resist a film about a killer who was unlucky enough to catch a disease that makes him age rapidly? This film is quite heavily flawed, but it's safe to say that director Ruggero Deodato hasn't squandered it, as Phantom of Death is a very fun little thriller. One of the main weak points of this movie stems from the plotting. The screenplay is very disjointed, and the film doesn't always flow well. The plot focuses on a piano player who, after losing some of his hair, discovers to his horror that he's one of the few adult sufferers of a rare disease that speeds up the aging process. As you might expect, this has a profound effect on his mind as well as his body; and it ultimately leads him to murder...

The cast are all rather older than we are used to seeing them, but it suits the film well. Michael York is superb in the role and looks very good and convincing in the make-up - indeed if the film were made in America it would probably be hailed as one of his very best performances. Donald Pleasance makes for a perfect jaded and world-weary detective and gives an impressively strong performance - an interesting twist on his famous Dr. Loomis role. Forty year-old Edwige Fenech has lost none of her beauty, although she gets rather less screentime than the other leads, while fans of cult horror will recognise Giovanni Lombardo Radice in a brief role as a priest, and Deodato himself cameos as a passerby outside the station murder scene.

Probably best defined as a mature slasher film, raising some fascinating issues about death and aging, Phantom of Death is a very good film with a few gore scenes but not much. I would suggest that the typical video nasty audience might find this rather dull, with much more focus on plot than gore - it will certainly appeal however, to fans of the Giallo and Poliziesco films of the 1970s, and to them it comes recommended.