Terror at the Opera

Italian horror master Dario Argento pays homage to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, which he would remake a decade later, with this film about a hooded killer who torments the opera diva whom he adores. Cristina Marsillach stars as Betty, a young understudy who gets a chance to star in a production of Verdi's Macbeth when the lead breaks her leg. Her performance receives universal acclaim and also attracts the hooded killer who periodically kidnaps Betty, tapes razor blades under her eyes, and forces her to watch him commit murder. Like most of Argento's films, OPERA is long on style and short on sense, but among his work during the 1980s and 1990s, OPERA is one of the few bright spots.