On Blu Ray and DVD from Mon 19 June 2017

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage can be seen as a landmark in Italian Giallo Horror as it is the debut feature film of legendary director Dario Argento. The movie is an adaptation of the Fredric Brown novel The Screaming Mimi and is heavily influenced by the psychological thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock.

The story follows American writer Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante) who lives in Rome with his girlfriend Julia (Suzy Kendall). The couple are about to head back to America, but Sam is forced to remain after witnessing an attempted murder in an art gallery. The writer finds himself helping Inspector Morosini (Enrico Maria Salerno) capture a serial killer and a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. This game takes Sam on a tremulous journey through Rome, where both he and Julia find themselves targets of the killer. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage features many of the tropes of a classic thriller: a psychotic killer dressed in black leather, an inquisitive and naïve protagonist, a hard boiled detective and a helpless female victim. However, a twist at the end throws several of these tropes on their head and presents a shocking conclusion to what could have been a substandard horror movie.

The score from Ennio Morricone along with Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography definitely add to the storytelling. At times the music enhances the psychology and helps build the tension and the colours on screen are rich and exuberant. These colours give The Bird with the Crystal Plumage a distinctive feel, as if the events depicted are happening in their own dream world, where a stalking menace may strike and destroy Sam’s happy existence.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was the first part in Argento’s Animal Trilogy (followed by The Cat O’Nine Tails and Four Flies on Grey Velvet). From viewing the movie it can be seen as laying down the foundation of his career and his later movies. It is definitely a must watch for Argento fanatics, but it may feel a bit of an endurance test for casual horror fans. When the final twist occurs it offers a surprising ending, but the lead up to this is not always a pleasurable experience, due to clichéd storytelling and typical characters.