A WHISPER IN THE DARK (1976)
Directed by: Marcello Aliprandi.
Produced by: Enzo Gallo.
Written by: Maria Teresa Rienzi & Nicolò Rienzi.
Director of Photography: Claudio Cirillo.
Edited by: Gian M. Messeri.
Music by: Pino Donaggio.
Released by: NoShame.
Language: Italian with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: Italy. 100 min. Not Rated.
With: Nathalie Delon, John Phillip Law, Joseph Cotton & Alessandro Poggi.
DVD Features: "Whispering Corridors" - interview with cinematographer Claudio Cirillo (32 min.) Introduction by Cirillo. Trailer. Poster & still gallery. Booklet with an essay on Italian Gothic films by Richard Harland Smith & bios.

In this gothic ghost story, a Venetian upper-crust family is haunted and terrorized by a son's imaginary friend. The boy, Martino (Alessandro Poggi), insists his invisible playmate Luca is not only real but part of the family. His parents try to convince him to abandon his foolishness, but somehow every time they try, something awful happens to make them think twice - his father falls into the Grand Canal and a family friend finds a toad in her bath. Desperate, they hire a doctor to observe Martino, but matters get even worse - and deadly - from there on in.

Poor acting - by almost the entire cast - and low-budget special effects kill all suspense and leave the audience amused rather than freaked out. But despite the film’s failure as a thriller, its sets are remarkably beautiful. Most of it was shot in a Venetian Villa, and there are also a few scenes in Venice itself, flaunting its architectural gems. It's the exhilarating and masterfully composed score by Pino Donaggio that provides the thrills in this otherwise mundane film.

DVD Extras: Overall, the extras are a bit lacking. The uneventful half-hour interview with cinematographer Claudio Cirillo is about 25 minutes too long. Any interest in the film’s production wears off in about five minutes. The trailer looks better than the movie itself, and the stills gallery is, well, a stills gallery. Michael Wong
September 27, 2005