Tweekums

As this Gaelic language drama opens Sir Douglas McClean, one on the wealthiest men in Scotland, calls his children to tell them that in intruder has shot him and his wife. The police arrive at their castle on the Isle of Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, and find him wounded but his wife is dead. Officer Kat Crichton, who left the islands ten years previously is tasked with being the Family Liaison Officer. She assures her boss, DCI Ahmed Halim, that there won't be any problems returning to her old home... but it soon becomes apparent that she has crossed paths with the family before and has reasons to dislike them. As the story progresses we learn more about what is going on within the family and Kat's issues with them.

I thought this series was rather enjoyable. It might be looked at as 'Shetland with Subtitles' given its Scottish island setting. The central mystery is solid although having our protagonist having past problems with the victim's family felt a bit forced; the mystery could have been just as intriguing without it. The characters are solid enough and there are plenty of suspects... at the half way point I was unsure as to who would ultimately be revealed as the killer, or more importantly the motive. The Harris setting, with its rugged mountains, sea lochs and beautiful empty beaches was a delight; I'm sure the local tourist board will love their corner of the country being shown off! Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the genre looking for a new location for their murder mystery fix. I've no idea if more of this is planned but if it is I'd certainly watch.

These comments are based on watching the series in Gaelic with English subtitles.

Roberto Tobias is the drummer in a rock group. He has become increasingly stressed as a strange man has been following him. Eventually he confronts the man, who pulls a knife on him! In the scuffle that follows the man is stabbed and dies. At this point Roberto realises that not only is there a witness, in a mask, who has taken pictures through a telephoto lens. Later the masked witness confronts him and tells him that they haven't finished with him. No money has been demanded but Roberto assumes it is a prelude to blackmail. Then people around him start being murdered. Will Roberto be able to find the identity of his tormentor before it is too late?

On the one hand this is a mystery film but being from director Dario Argento it is something more... something weirder. As one would expect from him there are plenty of disturbing moments; these are made even better by the stylish way in which it is filmed and the music used. I had expected weirdness but what I didn't expect, and was a pleasant surprise, was the level of humour. When the killer is revealed it isn't a complete surprise but that said it was neither too obvious. Overall a fun film that I'd certainly recommend to fans of Argento; I need to watch more.

This Italian psychological horror film is centred on Silvia Hacherman, the beautiful manager of a chemical factory in Rome. One day she and her boyfriend visit some African-Italian friends; the talk turns to the subject of witchdoctors and black magic; of how victims are driven mad before being killed. It is laughed off but soon after Silvia starts seeing things. At times it is hard to know if she is in danger or if she is becoming a danger to those around her.

When I started watching this I had no real idea what to expect. It starts relatively slowly but in a way that keeps the viewer sure that something disturbing could happen any moment. When it does get disturbing it is more unsettling than outright frightening and this sensation builds right up until the film's denouement. It does get a bit gory at times but, as with so many films of the era, the blood is more vivid that natural. The cast is solid, most notably Mimsy Farmer, who is rarely off the screen as Silvia. The cinematography and music/sound effects work impressively to increase the tension as the film progresses. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of Italian horror or psychological horror in general.

These comments are based on watching the English dubbed version on Amazon Prime; unfortunately the original Italian is not an option.