This horror film has captivated its audiences and is often called one of the best. If you’re looking for a terrifying film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, look no further.
This classic mystery thriller, Don’t Look Now, from Nicolas Roeg, has been adapted from the famous Daphne Du Maurier’s writing. Grieving the loss of their young daughter in a tragic accident, Laura and John Baxter visit Venice, where John is helping to restore a dilapidated church. As John works, Laura is befriended by two sisters, one of whom warns them to leave the city, claiming she has seen their dead daughter.
One reviewer on Letterboxed said: “Don’t Look Now isn’t just a title, it’s a warning. Right from the very opening shot of a rain-filled pond, Nicolas Roeg instills a sense of masterful psychological unease in this occult thriller, adapted from the Daphne du Maurier short story, that has rarely been matched in cinema before or since, creating something truly unique and remarkable in the bargain.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an impressive score of 93% making it very well-reviewed by film-lovers. The film has been named as one of the top 10 British horror films by What Sleeps Beneath.
Another person on Rotten Tomatoes writes: “This haunting thriller and study of the psychology of grief is one of the most accomplished, and most troubling, films by the British director Nicolas Roeg.”
The 1973 film is known for its innovative and disjunctive editorial style, it features scenes which were highly controversial for the time it came out.
Director Nicolas Roeg uses flashbacks and flash-forwards to distort the viewer’s perception of what is really happening.
Vincent Canby from The New York Times says: “It stops being suspenseful and becomes an elegant travelogue that treats us to second-sightseeing in Venice, which was not convincing on screen, since it appeared simply like a flash-forward, which is a standard storytelling device in films.”
You can watch the film on BBC iPlayer.