Director Paolo Fazzini also made Hanging Shadows: Perspectives on Italian Horror Cinema, so he understands Giallo. He is telling us about Davide (Gianluca Testa), a blue-collar worker who has lost his job, so he kidnaps “the girl” (Eleonora Bolla), an exotic dancer who is the daughter of a rich factory owner, taking her away from the city to a small home near Sicily. He ties her up and takes care of her, all while looking for work and finally spiraling into becoming a murderer.

His mind is caught between nightmares and waking life, seeing visions of people who want to bite into his flesh in the forest or a woman with no mouth. The film invites us to “Witness the birth of a new serial killer,” but if you’re coming to this for a slasher, it moves slowly, and the time between the violent and caring acts takes time.

It looks wonderful—cinematographer Mirco Sgarzi has talent—and also has one of my favorite things: a claim that it was inspired by true events. Yet whenever I wanted it to expand into more than just sitting, watching, and waiting, it felt like it never wanted to go there. Sure, Giallo inspires it, but it never embraces anything other than the color that fills each moment.