A Smear to his name
This time the verdict should be unanimous: Dario Argento has definitely lost it. Yes, that certain touch that made him stand apart among his contemporaries and even earned him comparisons with A.Hitchcock, is nowhere present and it makes you wonder even if it really existed at all. If I haven't read his name at the credits, I would have thought that is a third rate made-for-home-video production that teeters on the end of absurdity before actually falling. From the very start, one has to bear the terrible cgi effects, the indifference of the actors ("I know this movie is crap, but hey, I could use the dough"), the lack of rhythm and the lethargic direction, if there is one. Let alone the fact, that we're still have to bear another unsuccessful acting venture of his daughter and an awful dubbing. Why on earth should Argento retell the Dracula story in a very limited budget (as it shows), while he could use the money into an entirely original idea? The answer is anyone's guess, I can only say from my part, that maybe he wanted to surprise us with the use of a praying mantis, probably a leftover from a 1950s sci-fi movie, which, as you can expect, made every spectator burst into uncontrollable laughter. I know that all you Argento's followers will see this one, despite all the condemning reviews, just don't pay any money and of course be prepared for a total waste of your time. As for Dario, he should really consider putting an end to his directorial career, because "movies"like this dismal failure only further damage the reputation of a director that has "Profondo Rosso"and "Suspiria" in his back catalogue. He really hit the bottom of the barrel this time...score 2/10
georgeuriah 24 March 2013
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2771596/36032
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