A Blade in the Dark

Play trailer

A Blade in the Dark

1983

1h 50m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

Tomatometer

3 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Bruno rents an isolated villa to concentrate on his work, to compose the music for a new horror movie. But when several beautiful young women are brutally murdered within the house, Bruno becomes obsessed with solving the savage crimes. Bruno wonders if it is a clue to the killer's identity hidden within the film itself, or if there is a secret lurking deep in the dark.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

There are real scares along the way ... and Bava shows an early mastery of tension. This film is a must for his fans, an interesting curiosity for others.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 21, 2017

Full Review

Lucius Gore

ESplatter

Considering how low the budget obviously was, Bava does a great job crafting a classic giallo mystery. The film may even have inspired Wes Craven's "Scream 3," which was also a horror movie about the making of a horror movie.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 4, 2008

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 21, 2005

Full Review

Read all reviews

Tasos L

A great giallo! I would watch it again!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/06/24

Full Review

Valerii Ege D

The only feature that distinguishes the movie from classic slashers is that it has the same twist as Sleepaway Camp, which was released the same year. It could have been a much more enjoyable movie if it had been half an hour shorter.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/31/23

Full Review

justin t

This is a really bad Italian film that is no better than any other bad Italian horror film. Not scary, bad script and direction and for this movie there was an almost complete lack of violence. Stay away from this horrible tripe.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great film, very well paced, tremendously entertaining, filled with red herrings, great soundtrack, a »whodoneit« which hooks you from the beginning to the (breathtaking) finale. I'd say that it is a traditional giallo in the best italian tradition albeit a certain surrender to the hollywoodesque thriller genre in the murder and chase scenes is quite evident. Nothing that diminishes its value though. Don't hesitate to watch it, it will amuse and entertain you for two very well spent hours.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

marco b

Another giallo film with no real plot, and over-exaggerated, but creative, murders.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

By 1983 giallo films had achieved a seamlessly signature blend of style, fashion, atmosphere, and violence, and A Blade in the Dark is among the very best of this late-period genre his father Mario helped create.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Lamberto Bava

Director

Andrea Occhipinti

Bruno

Anny Papa

Sandra

Fabiola Toledo

Angela

Michele Soavi

Tony Rendina

Valeria Cavalli

Katia

View more photos

Synopsis

Bruno rents an isolated villa to concentrate on his work, to compose the music for a new horror movie. But when several beautiful young women are brutally murdered within the house, Bruno becomes obsessed with solving the savage crimes. Bruno wonders if it is a clue to the killer's identity hidden within the film itself, or if there is a secret lurking deep in the dark.

Director: Lamberto Bava
Screenwriter: Elisa Briganti, Dardano Sacchetti
Production Co: National Cinematografica, Nuova Dania Cinematografica
Genre: Horror
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 27, 2014
Runtime: 1h 50m

Most Popular at Home Now