Category: Cult Films

After directing the controversial 1982 giallo The New York Ripper, Lucio Fulci struggled to find the same success as before. His career suffered from clashes with producers, budget cuts, disagreements with the writers, and even lawsuits. While they've achieved cult status, Manhattan Baby, Conquest, and Warriors of the Year 2027 failed critically and commercially. Perhaps inspired by the moderate success of Argento's Tenebre, Fulci decided to make a giallo for his next movie. In 1983, Adrian Lyne's Flashdance was an international hit, so producer Augusto Caminito insisted that dance be an element. The film was shot between late 1983 and early 1984, primarily in Italy, with exteriors shot in New York. Fulci hoped this would start a new "Music Trilogy" of music-themed horror films, but this would never happen. Fulci's Murder-Rock: Dancing Death hit Italian theaters in 1984 and wasn't released stateside until 1990 as The Demon is Loose.

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Rating

Synopsis

Candice Norman (Olga Karlatos) oversees a dance routine managed by Margie (Geretta Geretta) at the Arts for the Living Center. While Margie tries her best, Candice complains that the dance troupe needs "more perfection," becoming more domineering. They're preparing for a huge TV show where only three dancers will be selected, so the pressure is mounting. Things take a turn for the worse when one of the dancers is found dead in the showers. Lieutenant Borges (Cosimo Cinieri) arrives to investigate the murder and immediately suspects someone at the dance academy is responsible. Meanwhile, Candice has recurring dreams of a mystery man (Ray Lovelock) chasing after her with a hairpin. As more dancers wind up dead, Borges suspects either Candice or academy director Dick Gibson (Claudio Cassinelli) as the killer. Who is killing the young dancers, and what do Candice's dreams have to do with the murders?

 

Review

Unlike his earlier efforts, Murder-Rock: Dancing Death is probably Lucio Fulci's most tame movie, which is saying a lot. 1982's The New York Ripper featured groin stabbings, eyeballs slashed with razor blades, and explosive gunshots through the face. Here, the killer only uses a hairpin to stab his victims through the heart after they've been knocked out. Not that you need bloody, gruesome kills to make a good horror film, but you'd expect more from Fulci. Still, some of Fulci's touches include trippy dream sequences, effective panning shots, and a moody atmosphere are here. Giuseppe Pinori's cinematography emphasizes this dreamlike quality and adds to the mood with some great skyline shots. Keith Emerson's score, while dated, does add some entertainment value thanks to its cheesiness, even if it can get repetitive. Even if it's a mixed bag, the film has some good qualities that make it redeemable.

While most of the cast is cannon fodder, the principal actors do a decent job. Olga Karlatos makes for a solid lead as she tries to make sense of the murders while maintaining the academy. Cosimo Cinieri is fun as the dry and sarcastic Lieutenant Borges, who immediately suspects everyone of being the killer. Though she has limited screen time, Geretta Geretta is enjoyable as the struggling choreographer clashing with Karlatos. Claudio Cassinelli, who sadly passed away a year after the film's release, is entertaining as the sleazy academy director. As solid as the principal actors are, they're not given much material to work with, so they feel one-dimensional. Many performances come off as wooden or stilted or wildly over-the-top and ridiculous to the point of parody. The lack of a cohesive narrative might be due to the film having four different writers, including Fulci.

Considering this came after several gory splatter films that made him a name, it's disappointing Fulci made this so tame. This might've been to avoid the backlash he received, especially since many ended up on The Video Nasties List. It doesn't help that this came when giallos were dead and Italian genre films were declining. This was meant to start a new trilogy, but that never happened due to the film's underperformance and Fulci's health. It's also interesting how the film crammed in many 80s tropes yet didn't get a US release until the 90s. As much as I criticize this movie, there is some charm to be found, especially for giallo fans. I'd recommend this to Fulci completionists, but there are better options if you're a newcomer. Overall, Murder-Rock: Dancing Death has merits and is worth watching for curiosity's sake, but only if you've seen everything else.

 

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