What a waste of my time!!!

The first must-see film of the year.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

About half way through Phantom of Death last night, I almost gave up and turned it off. Much of the first act seemed so schizophrenic to me. What I thought was going to be a straight forward giallo ended up being anything but. I'm glad I stuck around. It's not great, but Phantom of Death provides a rather unique twist on the giallo that fans ought to check out. Robert Dominici (Michael York) is a 35 year-old concert pianist with the world at his fingertips. However, he is stricken with a rare disease that makes him age at an alarmingly rapid pace. He goes through bouts of uncontrollable, murderous rage. His target (as with most all gialli) – beautiful young women. Inspector Datti (Donald Pleasence) is tasked with putting a stop to the killings. For the aging Dominici, it becomes a cat and mouse game as he taunts Datti at every opportunity. The rapidly aging plot device is used very effectively in Phantom of Death. The police aren't sure who they're after. Physical evidence suggests the killer might be in his 30s or in his 50s or even in his 70s. It's a nice twist. And York does a phenomenal job with the aging Dominici. His performance here is much better than I ever expected to find in a film like this. Even though he's a ruthless killer, York is actually able to make the audience feel sympathy for Dominici and his situation. This is especially true in the film's finale. It's really remarkable. The make-up here is also fantastic. With hair falling out, teeth rotting, and other age related transformations, York really appears much older than he is. Nice job.As is the usual case and as my rating indicates, there are some issues I had with Phantom of Death. I love Edwige Fenech, but she's horribly underutilized as Dominici's love interest. Her role is such that I'm in the fourth paragraph of this and I am just now mentioning her. I don't think Pleasance gives one of his better performances. He often looks tired and lost. He's not helped by a script that makes him and the rest of the police look incompetent. How they didn't catch Dominici earlier is a mystery that can only be answered by one of the film's writers. One of my biggest complaints is with the editing. There are several occasions where a scene will jarringly end and switch to something completely different. A monkey on speed could make smoother transitions. Finally, the pacing is off kilter at the start of the film. As I wrote previously, it felt schizophrenic.

This very "made for TV" movie drags at a snail's pace, and it really shouldn't at one hour and twenty-seven minutes. Anything of merit can actually be seen in the trailer which heavily uses the 'best', or at least most memorable scene in the film featuring an aged child on a swing. This scene, in the actual film itself, is no longer than the footage seen in the trailer - which, when I viewed it, certainly intrigued me. Don't be fooled.The acting is hammy, and even compared to something like 'House on the edge of the park' this is mediocre. The quality of image and sound (on the Shameless DVD release) leaves a lot to be desired - but judging from some of the night scenes the quality of film used in the first place was not the best. A cheap shoddy production all round it would seem.Donald Pleasance does nothing of merit, and York's over-acting grates from a very early stage. Tedious plot padding comes in the shape of pointless ventures to Venice - only to kill a prostitute and moan some more at a priest.The Italian horror genre can offer so much more than this, so unless you are an extreme completist, don't bother.

Unusual giallo, directed by one of Italy's finest horror filmmakers, and revolving on a truly ingenious and original topic, namely a murderer who commits his crimes because he can't accept the extremely rare disease that is destroying him physically and emotionally. Robert Dominici is a genius pianist, also practicing an eminent oriental fighting sport, suddenly stricken with a terrible illness that causes him to age rapidly. Leaving a trail of frustrated and extremely gore murders in the city, inspector Tati (Donald Pleasance pretending to be Italian, again!) has tremendous difficulties, as the forensic lab tests indicate a gradually older culprit each time. "Phantom of Death" is not Deodato's best film (that honor unquestionably goes to "Cannibal Holocaust") but it's a well-made and occasionally very tense thriller with good special effects and loads of streaming red liquid. It wouldn't be an Italian flick if the murders weren't extraordinary gross, right? We've got a couple of slit throats and one poor girl is violently thrown through a window. The acting performances are rather impressive, with Michael York being the personification of pure agony. Even more impressive are Edwige Fenech's looks! This giallo was made 18 years after her initial successes in the genre ("All the Colors of the Dark", "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh"), but she still looks exactly as gorgeous as she did back then. I guess she's definitely NOT suffering from the rapid-ageing virus...

"Phantom of Death" is one of the lesser known Ruggero Deodato's horror/giallo entries.Michael York plays a famous pianist Robert Dominici.He has a rare disease that contributes to turning him into psychopathic killer.Donald Pleasence plays the cop who tries to track him down.The film itself is rather dull,but it offers some really bloody murder scenes.I liked especially the scene where the woman is stabbed repeatedly until she smashes through a window.The acting is okay,but there is not enough suspense for my liking.Check it out,if you are a fan of Italian horror.6 out of 10.