Dario Argento's Opera is a Great Slasher with a Creepy Twist

 

Credit to Dario Argento’s ‘Opera’ (1987) 2K Restoration Blu-Ray Review — PopHorror

Opera is another favorite of mine from Dario Argento. I have already seen this film several times now, and I think it has to do with the main character’s job that keeps me so interested in the film. You don’t normally see an opera singer as a final girl in horror, and I find this take so original.

This film is definitely a bit of a doozy for me, because of that messed up twist that I cannot stand in this film. It’s executed well, but I could not get over the reveal of the killer, and his connection to the young woman. 

It’s just plain creepy, man.

The film follows the story of an opera singer named Betty. 

Credit to Looking Back at Argento’s Opera — Wicked Horror

When an opera singer decides to run out of the studio in a rage, and gets hit by a car, young Betty is the next one chosen to take her place. She puts on a great performance, and the audience including those close to her loved it. Unfortunately, she is not aware that a killer is nearby, already claiming a random victim during the performance. 

Her costume is mysteriously destroyed by a person’s face that we don’t see, and sews a bracelet into the costume. The intruder is attacked by ravens that are owned by some of the people in the studio. The person kills several ravens and escapes, leaving the viewer with questions. Betty goes home with her boyfriend, Stefano, and they spend the night together. Betty is suddenly tied up and gagged, and has two tapes filled with needles placed beneath her eyes, so that she cannot look away. 

She witnesses her boyfriend get murdered, and the killer tells her something pretty damn creepy while touching her. He leaves her there, and she is able to escape. She runs into Marco, one of the people in charge of the studio. She tells him of her ordeal, and that this person resembled a person in her nightmares. 

We meet the inspector, who is in charge of the murder case. 

Credit to As The Crow Flies — 30 Years Of Dario Argento’s Opera — Cryptic Rock

The inspector tries to figure out what happened to Stefano and is concerned about the strange raven attack on whoever broke into the studio. After the inspector leaves, Betty is left with the costume designer who wants to fix her ruined costume. 

She finds the strange bracelet, and is instantly attacked. Just like before, poor Betty is forced to witness the murder. And this one is beyond gnarly. The woman accidentally swallowed the bracelet, so the killer had no choice but to cut her open and retrieve the bracelet. Now that is foul.

Betty is promised protection by the inspector, and she seeks refuge with his assistant in her apartment. This goes wrong so fast once the killer finds Betty. He kills the assistant, and Betty is able to escape through a vent with the help of a neighbor. 

She goes back to Marco, and they both hatch a plan to catch the killer. 

They decide to use the ravens as part of the performance, because perhaps the ravens never forgot their attacker. Sure enough, after another great performance by Betty, we finally get to see our killer. 

The inspector is revealed to be the killer. 

Credit to Dario Argento’s Operatic Terror | Electric Sheep

Yeah. The dude investigating the case was the one behind all the murders. 

Why?

It’s a pretty damn sick twist. 

The inspector used to date Betty’s mother. She was a wicked woman who loved to watch him murder young women, and it was the only way for her to feel any sort of love from him. He becomes frustrated over not being able to hold her, and he kills her in a rage. 

Betty as a child witnesses this, and is traumatized. The inspector’s love returned once he saw that Betty resembled her mother, and he returns to his murderous tendencies once again. 

Isn’t that sick??? That twist messed with my head for a while. 

Betty is captured by the inspector during chaos in the theater, and she is able to escape from him when he attempts a sort of murder suicide, so that they can be together. The studio is able to break into the room, and they believe that the inspector is dead. 

Well…he wasn’t. 

The inspector comes after Betty when she leasts expects it. 

Credit to x.com/rachael_nisbet/status/941336505930436610

Betty is now residing happily with Marco in the mountains. Their bliss is cut short when Marco discovers that the inspector had burned a mannequin in the fire, and is still on the loose. He discovers that his housekeeper has been killed, and he shouts at Betty to escape. He is stabbed to death, and the killer goes after Betty. 

Betty is able to fight back, and the police are able to arrest him, stopping his murder spree for good. Betty declares she is nothing like her mother, and is an innocent soul that loves life. 

The film ends with Betty lying down in the grass, a smile on her face. 

This film is one of the best from Argento. The twist is excellent, and even though it’s pretty disgusting, I thought it was done so well. 

Betty is one of my favorite protagonists from his films, she was a smart young lady who knew how to use her wits against this bastard. And yeah, she was nothing like her sick mother.