REVIEW: Riccardo Freda’s ‘Murder Obsession’ arrives on DVD

If you’re a fan of giallo films, Murder Obsession (Follia Omicida) will probably provide an immeasurable amount of delight. All of the Italian horror conventions are present: bloody kills, attractive women in various states of undress, a convoluted plot, horrible dubbing and overbearing music.

For most other audience members, Riccardo Freda’s 1981 film is better left untouched. Beyond the cheap thrills, there’s not much here to enjoy. The acting is shoddy, and the story is woefully manufactured. The only redeeming quality is Cristiano Pogany’s cinematography of an old country estate that looks like a perfect setting for a vampire movie.

Michael Stanford (Stefano Patrizi) is an actor with a dark past. He has memories of stabbing his father to death as a child, and he fears that his psychosis could spring up at any moment. It’s probably not a good idea that his main acting gig is as a fake murderer in horror films.

Michael and his girlfriend (Silvia Dionisio) decide to enjoy a weekend at the old Stanford house in the woods. It’s a dark and foreboding place that comes readymade with a creepy butler (John Richardson) and Michael’s odd mother (Anita Strindberg). The party really gets going when the film crew from Michael’s latest film stops by to spend a few nights. Why they show up is never fully explained, but this is a horror film, so a murderer needs his or her victims.

As the guests make their pleasantries and dinner is prepared, the killing begins. One by one the characters are picked off with escalating levels of bloody rampage. Whether it’s drowning, stabbing or chainsawing, the Stanford residence is not a home away from home.

Amid the mayhem, many fingers point at Michael and his tortured past. He’s the only person in the room who has admitted to killing a man, so maybe it’s his psychosis surfacing its ugly head. Or maybe it’s that cheesy 1980s mustache that makes him so damn scary.

When the plot winds to its almost laughable ending, the “a-ha” moments come non-stop. There are double and triple crosses. Characters you thought were good are bad, and vice versa. Everyone’s heads are spinning from so much exposition that it’s a wonder why no one just gives up and leaves the country house. Antonio Cesare Corti’s script is a quilt patched together with scenes of violence and nudity, and that’s about it.

And on that nudity: The women in Murder Obsesssion have almost no characterization. They all appear naked, including Mother Stewart, and there’s more sex in the movie than most R-rated films in 2012. Freda and company don’t seem to care too much about subtlety or spinning a good yarn. They are following the horror textbook with very few diversions. Blood, check. Breasts, check. Haunted house, check. Something diabolical in the basement, check.

Raro Video, which presents Murder Obsession for the first time on DVD for American audiences, has done an admirable job at restoring the 30-year-old film. The company has even added in some original scenes from the Italian version (using subtitles, because no dubbing was available). Their efforts are commendable, but it’s hard to dress up this clunker.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Murder Obsession (Follia Omicida)

• 1981

• Directed by Riccardo Freda

• Written by Antonio Cesare Corti

• Starring Stefano Patrizi, Martine Brochard and Henri Garcin

• Running time: 95 minutes

• Rating: