All The Colors Of The Dark (1972) **** [50th Anniversary Giallo Double Feature Pt. 1]

All The Colors Of The Dark (1972) was Sergio Martino's third of five gialli (and likewise my third favorite of the five), made one after the other from 1971–1973, all of which were written by giallo juggernaut Ernesto Gastaldi.

Colors is the giallo answer to Rosemary's Baby (1968) (review) (which Martino has gone on record stating was a big influence to his approach)—a hallucinogenic, psychosexual thriller complete with a Satanic cult. Colors also stands out because it doesn't have a high body count or a lot of bloodshed, no black-gloved POV shots, and, while there is nudity courtesy of gorgeous giallo queen and lead Edwige Fenech, the film doesn't ogle its female stars in quite the same way as many gialli.

Colors is lavishly shot—in particular the nightmare vision sequences are striking—and the score by Bruno Nicolai features an excellent, catchy choir-lead rock theme. ATCOTD ranks in my top 20 giallo.

You can find my Sergio Martino Feature Films Ranked list here.

You can find my Giallo Feature Films Ranked list here.





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