Horror Flicks: Opera (1987)

By Jason Haskins

Opera centers on an opera house where a young singer is being stalked by a crazed fan who wants nothing more than to see her horrified. He kills people close to her and forces her to watch with needles taped to her eyelids so that if she closes her eyes she'll get an eyeful of pain.


The plot is pretty awesome and these scenarios are terrifying as you watch the young lady squirm as she witnesses the violence. What sucks is that all of the characters are bland and the overall story is nothing too amazing. The only thing I remembered about this movie was the torture scenes and the ending as opposed to everything else.

That's a good and a bad thing. I've long said that what makes Argento's movies so cool is that you can turn the sound all the way down and watch it with your friends or on your own and still know what the hell was going and be pleased with everything. Opera is the same way. For what it lacks in the story department, it makes up for in the stylistic department. Cinematographer Ronnie Taylor worked with Argento to open up the shots and create these majestic surroundings that witness such horrible acts. Visually speaking this is one of my favorite Argento films.

A lot of people don't like the soundtrack that switches between classical music to eighties butt-rock during the violent parts, but I really dug it. The cheesy rock music makes the movie even more enjoyable as it breaks the tension of the horror and makes you laugh out loud. This is central to my enjoyment because you're watching horror, but having a really good time with it. Maybe it's because I was with my friend, but this latest viewing was my best experience with Opera yet. As to be expected, though, the dubbing is quite horrendous and took me a little out of the movie because of how corny it made everything.

Argento is hit and miss. Most of his movies follow the same patterns and I have to say I've found a majority of his work very overrated. This is one of my favorites of his because it clashes classic attitudes of cinema and horror with new age ideals. It's super fun and loose and looks cinematically flawless. It may not be to everyone's liking, but that's the point. Best watched with buddies and beer.

© Jason Haskins, 2011

4 out of 5 stars