Good day ghastly ghouls and dastardly dudes.  Happy Women in Horror Month!  Tonight we will be dissecting a modern day Giallo style film titled THE STRANGE COLOR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS written and directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani starring Klaus Tange. For a brief summary, I will leave it to the pros over at IMDB to take it from here:

“Follow the disappearance of his wife, a man finds himself on a dark and twisted trail of discovery through the labyrinth halls of his apartment building.  Led on a wild goose chase by cryptic messages from his mysterious neighbors, he becomes entangled in a hellish nightmare as he unlocks their strange fantasies of sensuality and bloodshed.  THE STRANGE COLOR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS is a visually dazzling experience from the creators of AMER that takes you on a journey into mystery and blood soaked terror that you will never forget.”

So I have been aware of the Italian Giallo style of horror for quite some time.  With that being said, I had never really took the time to watch any acclaimed films such as YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY, DEEP RED, or A BAY OF BLOOD. Yeah, yeah I know, shame on me!  However, I was actually thrilled to watch a relatively new film within this genre that actually left me in awe.

I know that the cinematography plays a major role in these types of films and boy oh boy did this kaleidoscopic mind-bending camera work impress me.  Incredibly vivid colors augmented into patterns of human faces and repetitive scenes.  It left me feeling like I was having some type of LSD flashback, in a good way.  The only think about it that I could personally complain about is that sometimes the filming made the storyline a bit hard to follow.  However, at the same time, it added to the suspense of the film.

Speaking of suspense, the soundtrack in this film was killer.  There’s a strange ambiance throughout the musical score which is excellent for establishing specific feelings to particular scenes.  Certain parts of the soundtrack even sounded similar to soundtracks of 60s thriller films.  At other points you would be exposed to a very dark and ominous, yet steady, pattern of musical notes.

I actually really enjoyed the acting in this film.  It blended perfectly with the already dreadful atmosphere that the camera play and soundtrack build.  Klaus Tange play the completely bewildered Dan Kristensen on a continuous hunt for his missing wife.  After returning from work abroad he begins to dive deep into the rabbit hole and is swallowed by the disturbing wonderland of lust and murder created by the other tenants in his apartment building.  One thing Klaus does in this film is engulf you in his sense of fear and curiosity.  I know I have mentioned in previous writings that I don’t typically watch foreign films, as I have a hard time following the dialogue, but in this film in particular, I had no struggle in enjoying this movie or really feeling the acting.

The blood and gore in this film was very present but it was not over the top.  It honestly gave a sense of sensuality with a splash of sex appeal incorporated into the kills.  I generally like senseless gore but I was impressed none the less with the direction this film took in the effects department.

I honestly loved this film in its entirety.  I was completely caught off guard which I think really contributed to my appreciation of this film.  THE STRANGE COLOR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS can be found on the horror streaming service Shudder and has also made an appearance on the universal streaming service Netflix.  You can also check out other work by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani through “O” is for Orgasm in “ABC’s of Death” and another Giallo film titled AMER.

Also, I want to take a moment and show my appreciation for women in the horror industry.  In my mind women have always played key roles in horror movies.  With that being said, I don’t see how anyone can downplay the hard work that all these spectacular actresses, directors, producers, and writers all put in for the genre that is beloved amongst so many fans.  If anything, we should, as we do every February, always show our love and appreciation for these hard working women.

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Devin March

Co-Host at GoreLords Podcast

Devin is a contributing writer for Nightmarish Conjurings and one of the three Co-hosts of the GoreLords Podcast. In his spare time (when it exists) he's usually cuddled up to his wife binge-watching a TV series, checking out new indie horror films or more recently playing Nintendo Switch. Devin is a huge fan of horror and macabre and it shows in his household. There is a room in his house dedicated to VHS tapes, Disneyland, Vintage Halloween and 80's horror.

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Latest posts by Devin March (see all)

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