A couple of years previous, Lucio Fulci had directed, with slick and brutal efficiency, one of the most harrowing and controversial films of his career. A hard-hitting and unsparingly violent picture, THE NEW YORK RIPPER (1982) divided critics and fans alike, while some journalists, rather unfairly, went so far as to label Fulci a misogynist for his efforts. However, with time it has become abundantly clear that Fulci’s bleak – but highly compelling - late-entry giallo can easily hold its own alongside the best of the director’s work. With MURDER-ROCK: DANCING DEATH (1984), Fulci turned to another New York-based story (once again co-written by TNYR’s Gianfranco Clerici and Vincenzo Mannino), but unlike that film’s memorable in-your-face title cue of a dog biting down on a rotted dismembered hand, MURDER-ROCK opens with colourful NYC skylines intercut with voguish breakdancing, in what was clearly an attempt to ride the coattails of Adrian Lyne’s enormously popular FLASHDANCE (1983). Notwithstanding the film’s then-popular ‘topical’ content (which, admittedly does give the film an extra jolt of adrenalin), Fulci’s last “respectably” budgeted film is another technically assured, inventive, and highly-engaging picture, which looks especially impressive via Vinegar Syndrome’s first-class UHD/BD box set.
Candice Norman (Olga Karlatos), a hard-driving dance instructor at New York’s fiercely competitive Arts for Living Center, pushes her students to the very brink as they contend for a role in some prestigious unnamed Broadway production. When one of the students is murdered with a lo-o-onng hatpin during a virtually bloodless – but nonetheless gripping – scene, the already simmering rivalries between the students soon boil over as investigating detective Lt. Borges (Cosimo Cinieri) digs deeper, and uncovers a convoluted web of jealousies and in-fighting. But when George Webb (Ray Lovelock), a mysterious ex-actor appears, who also had ties to one of the victims, further distortions of the truth emerge…
A slick but otherwise underdeveloped giallo, MURDER-ROCK: DANCING DEATH contains more twists than a rotini noodle, but the narrative – however far-fetched at times it may be – becomes most entertaining at its conclusion during the big reveal. Brimming with lots of close-ups of suspicious faces (a Fulci trademark), much of the interaction between the spandex/lycra-wearing protagonists is unimportant (“For a lousy part, you’d even sell your souls!”), but Olga Karlatos does instill some angst into her part growing understandably edgier as more of her dance troupe is murdered. Ray Lovelock, far-removed from his über-cool leading role in Jorge Grau’s seminal living dead film THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE (1974), is first introduced haunting Candice’s dreams clutching the very same hatpin used in the murders, and whose character pulls in another few plot strings that are again reminiscent of the TNYR. Cosimo Cinieri, one of Fulci’s many stock actors also seen TNYR and MANHATTAN BABY (1982), really immerses himself in his role as the wry-tongued detective (“He’s not a psycho! He’s an asshole!”) who radiates a calm control throughout, which is in direct contrast to the cut-throat, fast-paced world of showbiz, so it’s no surprise he ends up being one of the few cast members who possesses any admirable traits.
While very competently executed across the boards, the most noteworthy aspect of Fulci’s film is Giuseppe Pinori’s highly-stylized camerawork whose occasional low-lighting design is by no means inappropriate within this coldly futuristic dance academy, a claustrophobic and unrelenting urban setting akin to a sort of purgatory set amidst the immorality of (in)human nature. It’s definitely one of Fulci’s most skillfully polished films from the ’Eighties, successfully emulating not only that cultural touchstone that is FLASHDANCE with its choreography of agile and toned limbs (in one brazen copycat scene from Lyne’s film, an actor even performs a water-soaked ‘flashdance’ at a nightclub), but some of Mario Bava’s most successful pictures as well with its vivid colour palette.
Although MURDER-ROCK: DANCING DEATH did receive a very belated U.S. theatrical run during the spring of 1989 as THE DEMON IS LOOSE, the film was never released on North American English-friendly VHS. Fans had to track down either the 1987 French-Canadian Video Vision VHS (“The frenetic rhythm will drag them to their deaths!”) or the Italian-language Domo Video VHS tape, which could be found in most Italian video stores. With the advent of DVD, Fulci’s off-beat thriller finally managed to snag an impressive, fully-loaded 2-disc DVD release in 2006 thanks to Media Blasters’ sub-label Shriek Show, but in 2018, the film arrived on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing in a much-improved restoration, which benefitted the film’s striking style immensely. Along with an audio commentary by Splintered Visions author Troy Howarth (more on that later), Scorpion’s disc also included an entertaining interview with the always wonderful Geretta Geretta (25m11s), wherein she talks about her time working with Fulci and how she landed her role in this “dance giallo.” Although she never had any problems working with the temperamental director, she did witness “the whole Fulci effect” and admits he “didn’t suffer any fools.” She also concedes that she doesn’t have too many stories from the set, but does express her love working alongside Olga Karlatos (“Her acting is so perfect!”) and was happy to be a part of it. Lastly, she delves into her other Italian film roles such as Joe D’Amato’s 2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS (1983), Bruno Mattei’s RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR (1984), and Lamberto Bava’s DEMONS (1985) as well as the confusing origin of her many screen names. Make-up artist Franco Casagni in interviewed in Pins Through the Heart (13m40s) where he goes over the early stages of his career, his respect for Fulci, the challenges of the make-up continuity with the dancers, and some of the issues with the retractable pin, which utilized glucose-made blood that made it jam. The film’s French-language trailer, and additional ones for some of Scorpion’s other Italian releases are also included.
Perhaps it was inevitable, but Vinegar Syndrome’s newly-restored UHD and Blu-ray was a tremendous surprise just the same, which not only features a brand new “4K scan from the original camera negative”, but a whole slew of newly-produced special features sure to please fans of the film. As good as Scorpion’s disc was, the VS release is another significant upgrade, which includes HDR10 compatible Dolby Vision and helps better preserve the carefully composed visual aesthetic missing from previous releases; it’s a flawless restoration, which establishes a far more immersive experience for this long-misunderstood and oft-maligned film. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo English and Italian 1.0 mono audio options (the latter with newly-translated English subtitles) also sound excellent with Keith Emerson’s highly-divisive score and pounding soundscape adding a surge of energy into its many sweaty dance numbers.
The extensive special features begin with the aforementioned Troy Howarth audio commentary, which has been ported over from Scorpion’s disc. In it, Howarth attempts to “mount a little defense” for this film, which he feels shouldn’t be dismissed as a “Lucio Fulci breakdancing dud.” He praises the film’s “visual flair”, which he believes plays like a film version of Mario Bava’s “The Drop of Water” segment from BLACK SABBATH (1963) showcasing the amazing technicians Fulci worked with over the years. Other topics discussed include how MURDER-ROCK was the first film in a proposed trilogy of similarly themed gialli, an idea which was eventually scrapped due to Fulci’s looming health issues, its “cleverly layered” plot and interesting character motivations, the usual “lapses of logic and contrivance”, all of the cast members, and even most of the English voice talent including old hand Edmund Purdom (he dubs actor Claudio Cassinelli) whose “impeccable diction” is unmistakable. As can be deduced from the above description, this is another engrossing listen, which sheds plenty of light on this unconventional film, while also acknowledging the film’s flaws, and its place among Fulci’s large body of work. Excellent stuff!
Highlighting the hard work of film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Federico Caddeo, VS’s disc also includes an assortment of featurettes beginning with Ballet in Blood (27m49s), an interview with actor Robert Gligorov who confesses that he’s had “an adventurous life.” Born in the former Yugoslavia, he talks about his early stints working on ‘photoplays’, which eventually led him to the Roman film industry and one of his first roles in Umberto Lenzi’s CICCIABOMBA (a.k.a. FATTY GIRL GOES TO NEW YORK, 1982). Naturally, his discussion eventually shifts to MURDER-ROCK, which he says was a “little bundle of magic.” In Hellfant Prodige (9m35s), former child actor Silvia Collatina, talks about how she was “never forced into a role” thanks to her protective mother, the competition among other child actors in Rome, the importance of her of role in MURDER-ROCK, and how she remains “stuck in the ’Eighties.” Renowned among Italian horror junkies for his role in Fulci’s ZOMBIE (1979), popular Fulci stock player Al Cliver (a.k.a. Pier Luigi Conti) is interviewed in Lucio’s Pet (13m33s) where he chats about his early film appearances, his first meeting with Fulci at the ZOMBIE production office, and his general dislike of horror movies (“I found the cannibal ones absolutely repulsive!”). Although he had a fruitful relationship with Fulci, he speaks candidly about the famously unpredictable director who “treated women terribly” and had poor hygiene (“He was just like a kid, he loved getting dirty!”), but despite these behaviours, he always enjoyed his company.
In what turned out to be his last interview (circa 2018), Giuseppe Pinori reminisces about his interesting career in Lighting Murder (26m33s) where he frequently divided his time working in advertising between his assorted film projects. Inspired by paintings, he wished more directors would be better versed in the art of cinematography, but praised Fulci for his knowledge (“He was sure of himself and knew what he wanted.”), which also allowed him to experiment a little more on MURDER-ROCK with such filters as the “black Dior sock” that guaranteed effective filtration with better contrast and more preservation of colour saturation; it’s a wonderfully detailed interview about one of the less-talked about, but no-less talented, Italian DPs. And speaking of talent, the usually reclusive Gianfranco Clerici participates in an audio interview (his first ever) in A Pen in the Dark (13m56s) who discloses that “he always liked doing new and different things” and doesn’t consider himself an artist but a “professional craftsman” instead. He also discusses his long-time affiliation with Fortunato Misiano’s Romana Film, and how Fulci was one of the best directors he’d ever met who “embodied the very essence of cinema.” Another person to “touch upon” all Italian film categories is writer/producer/director Augusto Caminito whose career is examined in detail by Eugenio Ercolani in Augusto’s Empire (32m), which got underway thanks to his ties with Roberto Rossellini. He eventually became a “powerhouse writer” when he became a part of “la bottega”, a group of writers molded by Rodolfo Sonego, who penned some of the most popular commedia all’italiana in the ’Seventies such as Luigi Comencini’s IL GATTO (1977), and by the end of the decade, he formed Scen.A Film (sometimes just spelled Scena Film), a production company which eventually produced MURDER-ROCK. Thanks to Eugenio Ercolani, further discussions about Caminto take place in The Murder Instigator (17m34), which are nicely intercut with an on-camera interview with the late producer who talks about his goal to “produce high-profile Italian pictures.” He also has fond memories of working with Fulci (“I always liked him. He was a spontaneous man.”), even though he did not appreciate horror, which is the main impetus behind MURDER-ROCK’s lack of gore; Caminito did not want a “splatter-heavy” picture, but instead wanted to focus on an “innocent kind of eroticism.” Although he speaks warmly of Fulci, there was some strain between the two very different men (Caminito sometimes referred to Fulci as a cinghialotto or ‘little boar’), but Ercolani believes that “difficult collaborations can lead to interesting films.”
Music historian and CEO of Four Flies Records, Pierpaolo De Sanctis is up next in Murder Prog (32m10s) wherein he examines the role of music in Fulci’s films as “key component” of his filmography whether it be jazz, “the dark side of Morricone” or a “throwback to the American folk tradition” in his western THE FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE(1975). Naturally, Keith Emerson is discussed at length who seemed perfect for MURDER-ROCK. Silvia Collatina appears yet again in Child’s Play (24m29s), which is another excellent interview and more of a career overview where she fondly discusses some of her commercial work, her part in Sergio Martino’s THE GREAT ALLIGATOR (1979) where she was regarded as a sort of “mascot”, and her experience on both THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981) and MURDER-ROCK, the second of which she got without auditioning because Fulci had “great regard for her.” And finally, author and screenwriter Antonio Tentori casually chats to Fulci in an archival audio interview with the director discussing the current situation of fantasy cinema and his latest project THE DEVIL’S HONEY (1987), which he describes as “intellectual sadomasochism.” The VS disc also includes the aforementioned Geretta Geretta interview from Scorpion’s disc as well as a re-edited version (8m15s) of the Franco Casagni interview. The film’s original English-language export trailer is finally included, too!
And if that weren’t enough, this attractively-packaged box set also includes a 40-page book featuring essays from several highly-respected writers including J.A. Kerswell from The Hysteria Lives!, the esteemed Stephen Thrower, author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci (FAB Press, 1999), and Amanda Reyes, author of Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium 1964 – 1999 (Headpress, 2017) all of whom add their usual expertise and wit to the project. There’s no doubt that MURDER-ROCK will still divide audiences, but for those that will allow themselves to become immersed in its strangely mesmerizing reality and dog-eat-dog world of showbiz will consider this one of the director’s more fascinating pictures with its eccentric and inimitable style.