Trauma

Director - Leon Klimovsky (The Vampires Night Orgy, The Dracula Saga)

Starring - Agata Lys (Taxi, EuroCops), Heinrich Starhemberg (Tales from the Vienna Woods, Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf), and Ricardo Merino (Ring's of Fear, Children's War)

Release Date - 1978

Genre - Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was first getting into horror, almost 20 years ago now, I found myself not really digging giallos.  They were too slow and boring for my tastes at the time.  However, over the years I've found myself starting to appreciate them and the atmosphere that they were able to create.  I've been collecting the ones I can from some of the other boutique labels like Mondo Macabro and Vinegar Syndrome.  At the beginning of the year Vin Syn released their Forgotten Gialli Volume 1 set.  I really wanted that one for my collection so I bought it.  Because I bought it I decided to review it at a later point and forgot and when I received Volume 2 I decided to hurry up and review Volume 1 before I dug into it.  The first one in the set was 1978's Trauma.

     The film follows a writer who books a room in a bed and breakfast owned by a young bride.  She tells him that her husband is disabled that lives in one of the upstairs rooms.  However, he suspects something else is at play when others check in and is never seen leaving.  

     When I was younger I had seen a few giallo flicks that I didn't care for so I swore them off for a few years.  However, when I started writing for Horror Society I was sent a few for review and found myself really enjoying them.  I have no idea why I was not a fan of the others during my youth but I really enjoy them now.  Trauma was a fun watch and really summed up what I like about giallos.  The acting in this one was pretty good.  Lys really stole my heart.  Not only was she beautiful but her character was almost a dual performance.  This beauty is very talented in front of the screen and I'm shocked this is the first time I've seen her.  As beautiful and talented as she is I would imagine she would have found her way into other Spanish genre films.  The supporting cast is just as good and the characters fit the story very, very well.  The story for this one is a giallo approach to Hitchcock's classic Psycho.  this approach really works for the story and the changes still remind viewers that its inspired by Psycho without feeling like a blatant rip off.  The mystery aspect that makes giallos so much fun works and it's not that predictable.  There was a few times where I was convinced of who the killer was before the reveal...I was wrong.  A giallo that is not predictable is a home run in my book.  Finally, this is not a gore soaked Italian horror film that most of you are looking for.  Instead, this Spanish giallo has some blood with minimal effects.  The deaths in this one are not the best but it works for the film.  Overall, Trauma is a sleazy Spanish giallo that has some nudity, some blood, and a solid mystery.  I really enjoyed it and fans of giallo will as well.  Check it out.