Wonderful character development!

One of the best films i have seen

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I have to say, I'm not a big fan of Riccardo Freda. His films are often sub-standard and after finding out that a lot of his earlier work was actually completed by the hugely talented Mario Bava, my respect for him went down further. However, it turns out that he did make a few decent films himself - one of which is the Klaus Kinski starring Giallo 'Double Face', and another example is this film which, while a long way from being brilliant, is a very good mix of Gothic horror, insanity and Giallo themes. The plot of Murder Obsession centres on actor Michael Stanford. Michael almost strangles his co-star Beryl during the shooting of a film and, worried that he may be coming to the end of his tether, he decides to take a break at his family home out in the country. He gets to the house with Beryl and meets his mother, and later his film friends turn up also. Naturally, there's foul play afoot as Beryl is almost drowned in the bath and this leads to Michael admitting to his friends that as a kid, he killed his own father...The plot of this film for most of the running time is pretty standard stuff, though it's not boring and Freda peppers the film with a bunch of gory murders, which is nice. Freda doesn't tend to hold back with the gore, although the deaths in his films often aren't all that believable; and unfortunately, that is the case here too. The film benefits from two of the hottest ladies in exploitation cinema, Anita Strindberg (in her last film) and Laura Gemser (who makes a rare Giallo appearance). Its great seeing them both in this film, but unfortunately neither one is given all that much to do; and that's a shame. The atmosphere is rather good and the old house around which most of the plot takes place makes for a foreboding location. The film doesn't get really interesting until the last fifteen minutes, and while the attempt to explain the plot does get a little silly and over the top; you've got to expect things like that from this sort of film; and at the end of the day, it's what makes Giallo so much fun so it isn't a problem. I won't say this is a classic of the genre; but it's a decent entry and I recommend it.

Michael, a successful actor with a secret in his past, returns to his family estate after a long absence.He arrives with his girlfriend in tow and he greeted by his mother who seems a bit too attentive to her son and distancing to the girlfriend. It isn't long before some more friends arrive for both business and pleasure. However ghosts of the past are reawakened and it isn't long before strange things begin happening and people begin dying.This is Italian horror at its most silly. The film starts off interesting enough with Michael going home to a house full of eerie people and occurrences. There is a nice tension to the proceedings, however things begin to sputter a bit when the girlfriend has one of the funniest "scary" dreams ever put on film after 1965. It comes complete with fake spider web and rubber spider and is impossible to take seriously. From there things begin to move unevenly as bodies begin to pile up and the number of suspects begin to diminish. The film completely falls apart as it tries to explain and re-explain whats really going on and who these people are. Its a mess and I found myself giggling through the final 20 minutes or so.I was disappointed. The early scenes created a nice tension that was lost when things started to become silly and illogical (I know one should not always look for reason and logic in Italian horror). It gets points for keeping me watching to the end, but that was because I kept hoping it would shift gears into reverse and go back to being the decent little thriller at the start.4 out of 10. Disappointing thriller is probably worth watching if you stumble across it late at night and find there is nothing better on. Those who like Italian horror and giallo films can probably add a couple of points.

This is a must-see! It is absolutely great! The story deals with a troubled actor named Michael traveling with his girlfriend Deborah, a director named Hans, and two actresses named Shirley and Beryl to his mother Glenda's eerie villa in the isolated countryside. Once there, disturbing things begin to happen. A black-gloved killer begins prowling around the house, trying to drown Beryl in the bathtub. Also, Deborah dreams she is the victim of a Black Mass (an eerie sequence). The next day, gory murders occur, including: a hunting knife slitting open a belly, an axe hacking out a guy's brains, and a chainsaw decapitation. Then, there's a huge thunderstorm as Deborah is stalked by the killer. This is a truly frightening movie. The direction is creative, and it is very atmospheric and moody. The musical score is creepy! The plot is also excellent! There are many great twists near the end of the film, which keep you on the edge of your seat! I won't give them away, they are too good! Just watch this movie, especially if you like Italian horror films! It is a mixture of an Italian giallo and an American slasher film, with a few supernatural elements thrown in. This movie rocks! Oh, and the actress who plays Deborah is very, very hot! Oh, and so is Laura Gemser! There is a lot of nudity, sex, gore, and violence in this movie, but it is very atmospheric and interesting. A classic piece of Italian horror cinema, which deserves a video re-release, uncut, and in letterbox format! See this one!!!

A group of filmmakers travel to the family home of the lead actor to scout locations. They are greeted by his disturbed mother and her sinister servant.Maestro Freda's last feature is a baroque masterwork which indeed forms a kind of review of the entire Italian horror tradition from BLACK SUNDAY on. BLACK SUNDAY lead actor John Richardson appears as the servant in a possible nod to former Freda collaborator Mario Bava.The story contains many elements from other horror films: PSYCHO, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, DEEP RED, but Freda tells the tale in an ornate style referencing classical art and music in his imagery and on the soundtrack. The acting is mediocre, but the carefully composed imagery makes up for it. Such hallucinatory visions as a clutch of bleeding skulls, a giant spider and black mass which resembles both a Dali painting and a Michaelangelo sculpture are indelible. Highly recommended for Italian horror and Freda fans. A very underrated film which shows the director still at the apex of his creative powers.