Jane (Edwige Fenech) is plagued by nightmares. I mean, lose one unborn baby in a horrific car crash and lose your shit why dontcha? Anyway, Jane’s boy toy Richard (George Hilton) is sympathetic, but always away on business so he’s as useless as an asshole with tastebuds, as is her psychiatrist, so she does hwat any sane, rational person would do…she joins a black magic cult at the behest of her new gal pal Mary (Marina Malfatti). Surprisingly group sex and blood consumption lead to a rather shitty path for our heroine, and soon she is at the mercy of the wackiest weirdo in that creepy cult ((Ivan Rassimov); he of the trenchcoat and icy blue eyes…and predilection for murder!
Directed by Sergio Martino (The Suspicious Death of a Minor, Screamers, Slave of the Cannibal God…and roughly 4,000 more), All the Colors of the Dark is absolutely packed with suspense and a sense of unease. The viewer is never sure if Jane, portrayed with skill by the legendary Fenech, is batshit insane, or if there really is an evil cult comprised of everyone she knows (shades of Rosemary’s Baby for sure), and the dread grows exponentially as the flick runs it’s course. There’s also some fine usage of the red sauce, but it’s kept mostly as exclamation points throughout as this is more of a mind fuck style picture.
Along with the top-shelf feature, Severin have included some real gems in he bonus material department on this Blu-ray release. First up we get a commentary by Kat Ellinger (author of All the Colors of Sergio Martino) who positively schools our asses on the production of the film and it’s place in both the giallo genre and Martino’s oeuvre. Next comes interviews with Martino, Hilton, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, and horror aficionado Antonio Tentori. Rounding out the disc are trailers, and an alternate U.S. cut of the film! Also included on a seperate CD is the film’s score by Bruno Nicolai.
Loaded with tension, ’70’s occultism, and a great performance from Edwige Fenech; this one is not to be missed by giallo fanatics and those lookin’ for a solid fright flick experience!
