Usually, when someone mentions a horror film and Dario Argento’s name in the same sentence, I usually wonder just how crazy the film must be. Let’s face the facts, folks: the majority of Argento’s older films are masterpieces, but some of his recent work has not been his best. He is considered the master of the subgenre known as giallo, and there are a lot of young aspiring filmmakers who are trying to make their mark as the next best giallo filmmakers.

   Finale is a film that has similar imagery and style to that of some of Argento’s work. It’s a dark film that is more psychologically than visually scary.  The story is about a woman, Helen, who recently has lost her son. The small town that she lives in has been the victim of a rash of suicides, and knowing that there is something more to this bizarre series of events, Helen believes that there are darker forces at work.  When she begins to experience hallucinations and become witness to the supernatural, many in her family begin to think she is going mad. However, Helen, as paranoid as she may seem, knows that there is some dark and sinister after her young daughter, Kate. Helen, wanting to expose the truth behind her son’s death must live though this nightmare at all cost to expose the evil and the people behind it and to save her daughter from the evil and horror that threaten to take hold of her family and the town.

   My initial reaction while sitting though the first half hour of this film was not good. It moves along very slowly and I found it quite boring. However, as the story slowly develops, the pace begins to quicken and a dark, well-written story unfolds. Finale is a testament to the giallo films of the seventies. The character development and the psychological storyline really take the viewer on a trip into a dark world full of erotic and horrific imagery that leaves the viewer in a sense of disarray. The character of Helen seems crazy to all around her, yet you feel as if you are right there in her shoes experiencing the horrors that she does. You get pulled into the mystery, and want to know the answers, just as Helen does.

    The DVD has a few features such as a “Making of” featurette, deleted scenes and the film's trailer. There really is not much on the disc, but it is a film that fans of the old giallo films will really enjoy. Finale is a film that I have no problem comparing to Argento’s older work. I cannot say that I am one that is really into the subgenre of giallo films, yet I have seen plenty of them and respect the style of filmmaking. I have seen plenty of independent horror films that want to call themselves giallo films and they fail to achieve such a status. Finale is good enough to be typecast as one and is well worth checking out if you like the works of Argento, Fulci, Bava and Martino. 

- Horror Bob

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