''Phantom of Death'' ( it, Un delitto poco comune, lit. 'An Uncommon Crime') is an Italian giallo directed by

Ruggero Deodato Ruggero Deodato (born 7 May 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and sometime actor. His career has spanned a wide-range of genres including peplum, comedy, drama, poliziottesco and science fiction, yet he is perhaps best known f ...

and released in 1988. It starred Michael York, Donald Pleasence and Edwige Fenech. The film was released in Germany as ''Off Balance''.Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd.

Plot

Robert Dominici is a pianist who suffers from a genetic condition that causes him to physically age at a rapid pace and also to go mad. Distraught by his condition, Dominici goes on a killing spree. Inspector Datti sets off to catch him. Meanwhile, Dominici targets the Inspector's daughter, Gloria.

Cast

Background

Deodato has stated that "I did ''Phantom of Death'' because it was based on a true element – the idea of growing old ..And I got to work with

Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Ro ...

and

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

." On the film as a whole, he commented that "some parts look like an 'A' production. But it seemed too long in the final part." He added that

Edwige Fenech Edwige Fenech (, ; born 24 December 1948) is an Algerian-born Maltese-Sicilian actress and film producer. She is mostly known as the star of a series of ''commedia sexy all'italiana'' and ''giallo'' films released in the 1970s, which turned her ...

was miscast, and was only included because the producer wanted her in the film.

Reception

From contemporary reviews, "Lor." of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' commented that the film had "little suspense". The review noted that York had "solid thesping which engenders some pathos for the central figure" and added that

Pino Donaggio Giuseppe "Pino" Donaggio (born 24 November 1941) is an Italian musician, singer, and composer of film and television scores. A classically-trained violinist, Donaggio is known for his collaborations with director Brian De Palma, and for his work i ...

's score was "lush".

References

Sources

External links

* * * Films directed by Ruggero Deodato Films scored by Pino Donaggio 1980s Italian-language films English-language Italian films Giallo films 1980s Italian films {{1980s-Italy-film-stub