MurderRock

Murder Rock (1984)

This movie opens like so many ‘80s flicks do, with a dance montage. Not really what I expect from a Fulci flick, but it doesn’t take very long before one of the dancers is naked and dead! Now that is what I expect from Fulci… This killing is the first of many as the female students of a prestigious dance studio are picked off one by one by an unknown killer. It is up to a detective and an out of work male model with a past to figure out who is responsible. Hopefully before the entire advanced class is wiped out before they make it to Broadway.

Fulci made some classic movies and also some very bad movies as well. Murder Rock falls somewhere in between for me. The story is a pretty solid Giallo with plenty of suspects running around for the audience to suspect. Though I will warn everyone that the movie does take an odd twist here and there that doesn’t make that much sense. The biggest one is the attempted copycat murder that is pretty much ignored after it takes place. Hell the person that is almost killed doesn’t even seem fazed by it the next time we see her on screen. As a fan of Italian flicks and Fulci in general I wasn’t bothered by this too much, but if you are one of the uninitiated then it might be confusing. When the killer is finally revealed it does make sense and the motivation for all the killings is satisfying in a “wow you are a crazy homicidal nut job” sort of way.

In addition to or maybe partly because of the confusion that some of the plot twists create Murder Rock drags a bit at times. After opening up with a bang and the best kill of the movie, things slow down dramatically. Though the does pick up towards the end it never gets as exciting or interesting as the first 10 minutes. And while I dig the identity of the killer there if you are paying attention at all they give it away before I think they intended to. That was kind of a bummer.

I’ve read that a lot of Fulci fans are disappointed with the lack of over the top gore. I can understand that if you sit down to watch this one after checking out Fulci’s zombie outings that this one might be disappointing. But this movie really wasn’t meant to be a bloodbath and the killings that you do have onscreen are effective. Though I think that the best one is the first kill. Basically the killer slowly inserts a needle into the victim’s chest as we hear the heart beating. It inches forward little by little until it finally reaches home and the heart beat stops. This might not be too gory, but for a kill in a Giallo I found it creepy and satisfying. An axe murder with limbs flying just wouldn’t have seemed appropriate for a flick like Murder Rock.

Of course now that I’ve said that the effects don’t bother me I do have another complaint about Murder Rock. While I was having some fun with the movie I felt like there was something missing. It wasn’t until after the movie was over that I realized this one wasn’t nearly as mean spirited as many of Fulci’s other movies. There really isn’t that moment here where something so terrible and nasty happens to a character that you want to look away and skulk out of the room. Whether it is a splinter to the eyeball, being buried alive, or any of the other classic moments this one is missing that. Not a deal breaker, but a disappointment.

Murder Rock is a decent entry into Fulci’s filmography and works as a Giallo pretty damn well. Though it does have some pacing issues, is too nice to the characters, and gives a bit too much away too soon I think that it is still worth checking out.

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer