Hot Takes on Horror - The Animal Trilogy
by Elizabeth Trail
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Introduction
Dario Argento is a massively influential director in the horror genre, despite being rarely recognized by the mainstream. One of the most influential Giallo directors, although not the first, his work shaped Giallo, which would go on to seriously influence the growing slasher genre. Giallo is an Italian subgenre of horror and murder-mystery defined by surrealism, suspense, crime, and high stylization. The genre is also associated with killers in glossy black gloves and outfits.
The films I will discuss today are Dario Argento’s first three, known as The Animal Trilogy due to the animals in each of their names. Argento would later go on to make more famous films, Deep Red, Tenebrae, and Suspiria, but his earliest films shine a light on the development of his talents and the genre as a whole.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Argento’s directorial debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is about Sam Dalas, an American writer living in Italy, who witnesses an attempted murder, and his visa is withheld before he is to return to America, as he is a vital witness to a possible serial killer. Over the course of the movie, he starts to piece together the case, he and his girlfriend have many blushes with death, all culminating in a stellar killer reveal. The movie is chock-full of symbolism. For example, there is a specific song, which sounds like a young girl singing La-La La La-La-La, being played when viewing the victims or looking at a painting associated with the killer. The movie has a high production quality, with its artwork, sets, costumes, and effects all looking stellar, especially for 1970.
The movie’s themes, that of trauma shaping you and that any old person could be a killer, are well shown, with trauma being the only motivation for the killing, and who the killer ends up being. The only things I can truly criticize are a small number of dated elements, the term “transvestites” and a flawed representation of trauma, ableism, and sexism. The movie is quite resonant thematically, very well put together, and has aged quite well. I give it the stellar score of 9/10.
The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971)
The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971)
The second entry in the animal trilogy, The Cat o’ Nine Tails, begins with a hospital break-in, which is investigated by Cookie, an ex-reporter and a blind man, and Carlo Giordani, who is currently a reporter. Cookie was brought into the mystery after overhearing, along with his niece, the break-in. The name comes from the nine leads the investigators have to untangle. The production quality is of a similar level to the first film, although there are fewer symbolic elements or shots that stick out to me as clever.
The movie uses Jacobs Syndrome (XYY Chromosomes) as a motivation for the killer. The reason for the start of the murders was clear, but is it unclear whether less fatal methods were not used is because the killer wants to kill because they have the syndrome, or uses the syndrome as justification (I would much prefer the latter). Overall, it is much weaker than the previous, but still worthwhile and deserving of the good score 7/10.
Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)
Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)
Despite the best opening in the trilogy, the most interesting killer, and a great score, this movie is the weakest of the trilogy. It opens on our main character, Roberto Tobias, playing the drums, intercut with him being followed while driving. After a moment, he kills a fly in his drum, and then he enters an empty opera house, following the man who was following him, who he comes and talks to. The man asks to be left alone, and pulls out a knife. Tobias starts to scuffle with him until accidentally killing the stalker. Someone wearing a mask snaps several photographs from a balcony. He goes on to be blackmailed and screwed with for seemingly no reason for the rest of the film, eventually leading to the death of a maid, and much more. This sounds like a great movie, but unfortunately the main character is insufferable, and so are many side characters. He hires a PI, a gay stereotype, and treats him like crap. He also starts an affair with his wife's cousin. Tobias sucking does end up mattering to the plot, leading to a really interesting killer reveal, but it is truly miserable to watch. The production quality takes a noticeable dive, with some really bad violence effects, but the shots are well done.
The movie uses a cavalcade of random extra elements, including an eccentric artist and dreams of an execution, but they lead to very little. The movie is overall a mediocre, but not bad, deserving of a 6/10. I will give more reasoning for this relatively positive score in the following spoiler section.
Spoilers:
The killer is his wife, Nina Tobias. She was abused and forced to live as a man by her father, as he wanted a son, and transitioned to a woman later in life. Unfortunately, Tobias continued to treat her horribly, causing her to frame him for murder (the stalker’s death was initially faked, although she eventually killed him) and start killing. Her situation is reminiscent of an experiment John Money did on a boy named David Reimer, whose penis was accidentally severed in an accident while performing a circumcision. David would later transition, disavow money, and later kill himself. This story is often used as an excuse to ban medically supported trans healthcare, while in reality David did not volunteer for his surgeries and treatment, while trans people do. The parallel between these is clear, and made this movie more enjoyable for me.
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