Don't Look Now

Don't Look Now comes in for undeserved criticism from people who think that horror movies should be gore-fests. Anyone who truly appreciates the art of horror will recognise this film for what it is: a classic. The atmosphere in this film is incredible for many reasons: Pino Donaggio's haunting score, the wintry Venice location work, the fragmented and thoughtful editting, and the perfect performances. Add to that the most unforgettable twist ending ever filmed (to date, anyway) and you're looking at a tremendous film. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie play a couple who go to Venice to... more

Psychological thriller about parents who retreat to Italy after the tragic death of their daughter in a drowning accident. Director Nicolas Roeg masterfully creates an almost dreamlike atmosphere using the canals of Venice as a backdrop. The surroundings are hauntingly eerie. The story develops in such a way that impels the viewer to keep watching. Indeed a genuine sense of dread permeates the action. At times, certain stylistic devices of the filmmaker like glass breaking, the recurrence of the color red and the use of slow motion, can feel a bit self consciously arty. And that infamous... more

I remember jumping out of my seat the first time I saw this film. It really haunted me actually for a good few days after, which I guess is the sign of a good horror film. Classic giallo from Nicolas Roeg. Oh, and it?s got a naughty sex scene in It too! more

Obviously informed by giallo films, in combination with Nicolas Roeg's dreamlike and disoriented editing, Don't Look Now is a very unique horror movie. I think it's a fucking neat one, too. The movie is not particularly scary, not at least until its incredibly intense final sequence. It's instead very ominous. Watching Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland prowl the back alleys of Venice makes for not only some really inspired camera work, but a lot of eerie little moments as well. The kind of stuff that makes you squint your eyes and say "oh, weird" to yourself. It's a miracle that Don't... more

Laura Baxter: One of your children has posed a curious question: if the world is round, why is a frozen lake flat? John Baxter: Nothing is what it seems. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie star as a loving couple who go through an unfortunate tragedy at the beginning of the film, when their daughter drowns in a nearby lake. The strange thing is how Sutherland's character was able to know what was going on and rush to where she was, only a little too late. The couple travel to Venice, where they still grieve over their loss. While there, they encounter a pair of elderly sisters, one of... more

A very unsettling movie. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie move to Venice after the death of their daughter, but Donald keeps seeing creepy glimpses of the dead girl. There are two creepy old sisters involved somehow. Strange things happen below the regular events of the movie; is it all in Donald's mind? This movie is crawling with things around the corner; things barely seen, giving an eerie lonely feeling. Things get weirder when Julie Christie goes back to England to check on their sick son, but Donald sights her and the old sisters in Venice together for some disturbing purpose. It... more