Opera (1987) Is the Pick of the Week

This past weekend, my local arthouse theater presented a Dario Argento double feature. Before each showing, various notes about the film, Argento, and Giallo flashed up on the screen, and then someone talked about the films. They called it “Splatter University” and even gave us a little diploma afterward. It was great fun. I love seeing some of my favorite old horror films on the big screen.

The two films they showed were Tenebra and Opera. Both are terrific. Opera is the last truly great Argento ever made (at least to date, but I’m not holding my breath he’ll pull off another masterpiece at this stage in the game). It is about a young woman who is understudying for Verdi’s Macbeth. When the lead actress gets into an accident, she gets her chance to star. But before the accolades can start pouring in, someone keeps murdering everyone around her. Sometimes the killer ties her up, then tapes needles just below her eyes, forcing her to watch.

Like most of Argento’s films, the plot often doesn’t make much sense, but he more than makes up for it in style. Severin Films is releasing a new 4K UHD boxed set of the film featuring both the director’s cut and the U.S. cut, plus loads of special features.

The Keep: Severin Films brings us a new 4K UHD restoration of Michael Mann’s absolutely bonkers film about a bunch of Nazis unleashing a mysterious monster in the Carpathian Mountains. The super cool-looking slip box has sold out already, but the regular version is still loaded with extras.

Weak Spot: Radiance Films continues to amaze me by putting out incredible releases of relatively obscure, but still really good films from across the globe. This one finds a man arrested by a totalitarian regime and then taken on a long, rambling journey to the capital city. You can read my full review.

Winchester ’73: Anthony Mann’s first of eight pictures he made with James Stewart gets the Criterion treatment. It follows the titular rifle along with Stewart through a series of adventures in the Old West.

Vixen/Supervixen/Beneath the Valley of the Supervixens: Russ Meyer was a master of exploitation films. He became famous for films like these three getting new 4K UHD transfers from Severin Films, loaded with extras that feature bodaciously buxom beauties blowing shit up.

Running on Karma: From Eureka’s Masters of Cinema line, this one is about a monk who is able to see into people’s lives and uses that power to help a cop out. Read Steve Geise’s review.

Underworld Beauty: Seijun Suzuki’s gangster picture gets the Radiance Films treatment. It’s about a gangster who gets out of prison, rescues the diamonds he stole, and returns home only to find a greedy boss hungry for his spoils. Read Steve Geise’s review.

Blood-A-Rama Triple Frightmare II: AGFA brings us these three exploitation films from the 1960s. The titles include: The Undertaker and His Pals, Follow that Skirt, and Six She’s and a He.

The New Adventures of Tarzan: Film Masters brings us this newly restored and complete set of Tarzan serials from 1935.