Lo Specchio Di Colore Giallo Dell’Aima (2017)

Lo Specchio Di Colore Giallo Dell’Aima (2017) from Grindhouse Films [Runtime: 18.32]

Trailer

Very effective giallo feel right off the start … black gloves, soundtrack reminiscent of something Goblin might have done, colored lighting, etc. 4 minutes in and zero dialog, so it’s good the music is on point. While it can’t be considered “art-house” or “abstract” there’s a very definite “style” at play here in my opinion, which you don’t often see come through in gore short films. Some of the shots during the pre-credit sequence are a little TOO close up but that’s more of a personal preference of mine from a technical standpoint and in no way detracts from the film.

The viewer is treated to more of the close-up camera work during some of the gore scenes, and the image is out of focus which I’m going to assume was either an artistic or practical choice by the director. I got a damn good chuckle out of some of the body movements of the masked killer during the final minutes, as it almost seemed like the actor was hamming it up slightly like they were performing in front of a live audience. There’s a twist ending, which I have no shame in admitting I didn’t “get”. Had there been more to the “reveal” it might have made more sense to me, but that segment is maybe 90 seconds long or so. I see where they were going with it, and it’s not a BAD ending … it just didn’t feel fully fleshed out to me).

Overall I found the film to be enjoyable, albeit quite short (under 20 minutes). It isn’t a gore-fest from beginning to end, relying instead on building atmosphere through the use of music and lighting. However, the main set piece of the film certainly is not for the faint of heart. The director saved all the really graphic visuals for the finale sequence of the film, and as a result it makes even more of an impact. I’ve always said that (for me at least) the gore in a film is like the seasoning on your food … too much, too consistently, and it becomes a numbing wall of violence which leaves very little room for tonal shift in a film. Thankfully because of how the direction and editing is done on this film I didn’t find that happening.

To sum it all up, if you’re at all familiar with and enjoy the other work by El Gore and the people at Grindhouse Films (or enjoy a good giallo) then “Lo Specchio Di Colore Giallo Dell’Aima” may certainly be up your alley and worth tracking down.