spookymovie filter

November 10, 2005 4:01 PM

Haunted by a movie. About ten years ago I was in France and I saw a chilling suspense movie on late-night TV. I'm not sure that it was French - maybe Dutch or German, with subtitles? I remember little: the music-box/bells theme, the murderer's slow grace, and a scene where the detective fills a room with steam to recover a victim's traced final message. A little more (and a spoiler) inside.

I went to bed before the end of the film: I just couldn't take it. But the next morning I asked my friends how it ended. (Spoiler!) Apparently the mother of one of the early victims, who we meet in a harmless scene, was the one dressed in black silently taking people out.

This is essentially all I remember. It was very spooky, atmospheric, all slow art-film action instead of frenetic violence. And a message left in (the absence of) steam on the bathroom wall.

Anyone know what movie it might have been?

posted by Marquis to media & arts (3 comments total)

Profondo rosso?
posted by holgate at 4:09 PM on November 10, 2005

Gosh - that looks like it! In under ten minutes! And from one of my favourite MeFites!

My word, this place is remarkable. That said, I'm a little embarassed that after all this time my "mystery movie" was something so well known!

Many thanks, holgate.
posted by Marquis at 4:16 PM on November 10, 2005

I have read that Argento made it after being frustrated with Antonioni's Blowup and that film's refusal to provide a proper resolution -- or perhaps he just wanted to cash in on its success -- and decided to remake it after his own heart, casting Blowup's David Hemmings as the main character. Though the similarities are intriguing, it's a completely different film, of course (and, I think, inferior to Antonioni's masterpiece), but still an excellent little movie, and possibly Dario Argento's best.
posted by gentle at 1:52 PM on November 11, 2005