Opera

(1987) ***

Argento takes himself pretty damn seriously. That's one reason I love the bastard, but if you're not in the mood to give a movie your undivided attention then the air of pretentiousness can be a turnoff. Fortunately he always delivers the goods in the shock department and is rarely satisfied with simple death sequences. Opera follows Betty, a young understudy who gets a big break after the diva drops out of a production of Macbeth. Before she can get accustomed to being a star, an obsessed serial killing fan begins murdering cast members.

Grossly inappropriate heavy metal music aside, Opera is a worthy, freaky addition to 80's horror. But I must say - tie her up and prop her eyelids open using a barbaric, makeshift Clockwork Orangy device while he brutally murders a friend of hers once, shame on him. When it happens a second time, shame on Betty.