Don't look now (1974)

Few horror movies succeed in being scary; most of these indulge in gore and blood without evoking any emotions deeper than the kind of sudden shock elicited by an unexpected sound or violent image. In that sense, Nicholas Roeg's Don't look now is an example of a more visually profound, character-driven horror movie, one could call it psychological drama with some supernatural overtones. It is partly the editing technique that makes the film something out of the ordinary: instead of ordinary plot, the film creeps upon you with loose threads and unexpected turns, along with strange connections. An English couples has lost their daughter in a drowning accident. They go to Venice, as the husband has business there (he reconstructs churches). If you are used to James Bond-styles lush Italy, think again. This is more Death in Venice - foggy, haunting images of a city that seems to dwell on many secrets. Roeg uses colors to great effect here, how the dead child reappers just as a color: it is a certain hue that evokes her. The general style of the film is also quite minimalist, no lavish special effects are thrown in for entertainment value. The film, from its initial scenes onwards, builds on premonitions and feelings, rather than concrete events. Don't look now takes place in the realm of guilt and memory - Roeg shows how ordinary life itself seems to bear elements of the supernatural, the ghosts within our minds and the associations and dreams that mark visual perception.