Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
... and welcome to 'Day Fifteen' of "Awesome Horror Streams for Hallowe'en Screams on Roku" in which I will suggest my top picks of the fright flicks from the carefully curated catalogue of macabre movies available via the 'Shudder UK' streaming service - any of which can then be streamed to your television using the magic of Roku player - so, let's dim the lights... and prepare for more frights! :-O
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
For my fifteenth instalment in this series of posts I'm going to suggest another feature-length movie from Italy, once more directed by Dario Argento, but this one was first released in 1975 under the title of "Profondo Rosso"... although, British and American audiences will (perhaps) be more familiar with it under the alternative title of "Deep Red" which was also the world-wide English title reserved for this movie. Based on a screenplay co-written by the director and Bernardino Zapponi, it tells the story of an English jazz pianist who witnesses the brutal hatchet murder of a well-known psychic and is then quickly drawn into the savage crime. With the help of a feisty female reporter, the pair follow a twisted trail of deranged clues & relentless violence, all the while evading attempts on their lives by the unseen assailant (who is hell bent on keeping a dark secret buried) until their journey through the macabre, the bizarre, and the unnatural ultimately reaches it's shocking climax... which could well leave you screaming and, once you have seen this film, it's likely you will NEVER forget it!!! :-O
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [USA Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
If you haven't seen the film before, here is a brief taster in the shape of an original trailer for this horror mystery thriller, courtesy of a video uploaded by 'Arrow Video' to their 'YouTube' channel:-
If you'd like to know more... there's a full list of the cast & credits on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) listing for "Deep Red" (1975), FOUND HERE, which also includes a full storyline / plot summary as well as box office stats, technical specs & much more. For die-hard fans, there's even more tidbits of information to be had from the Wikipedia Page for Dario Argento's 1975 masterpiece "Deep Red" VIA THIS LINK, which may help to fuel your appetite for (yet) another screening. Although, if you're as much of a fan of this film as I am, or have a penchant for Italian Giallo films in general, it probably won't take too much persuading for you to watch this seventies classic again! ;-)
Clara Calamai as 'Marta' in Deep Red (1975) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
Anyway... you probably guessed already but, if not, this film (like the others from this series of posts) is also available via the 'Shudder' streaming service and can be easily viewed on any Roku device via their dedicated channel (app) for these streaming media players. There are other opportunities for UK Roku users to watch "Deep Red" (1975), including a brace of rental options from 'Amazon Video' and 'Google Play Movies & TV' where it is £1.99 (SD) or £2.49 (HD) to rent this film from either one - although I'd suggest you take a look at some possible free alternatives before parting with any money, because there may well be some free sources available online which offer streaming formats that are compatible with Roku. However, since my original idea for this month-long blogathon was to suggest thirty-one great Hallowe'en / Horror themed movies from the fang-tastic 'Shudder UK', I'm going to recommend streaming it via their channel - if possible! ;-) :-)
If you haven't already added it to your channel selection, you will find "Shudder" listed among the "Film & TV" channels in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. You can easily add it to your Roku player(s) by navigating to the built-in 'Channel Store' (accessed via "Streaming Channels" from the home screen on your Roku device) and scrolling through the options until you see the channel icon (pictured above). It's completely FREE-TO-ADD so, once you've located it in the list of channels, just click the "OK" button on your Roku remote to select it and then click "OK" again where it says 'Add channel' to install it on your Roku player(s). Having done that, it's simply a case of launching the channel via the 'Go to channel' option and navigating the on-screen menu to log-in (if you already have an account, but haven't yet done so) or start your free trial (if you are new to the service) and, once you see 'Shudder TV' playing on the screen, just push the "DOWN" arrow on your Roku remote to get to the main menu... from where you can "Search" for "Deep Red", then press "OK" on your remote to select and 'Play' this 1975 horror mystery thriller which, for the record, runs to 2h 06mins.
LINK TO WATCH 'Deep Red' (1975) VIA THE 'SHUDDER UK' WEBSITE
Unfortunately for readers outside the UK, at the time of writing, this mystery thriller does not appear to be available via 'Shudder' in either the U.S. or Canada... however, the good news for Roku users in both Canada and the United States is that Dario Argento's film "Deep Red" (1975) is available for streaming from 'iTunes Movies' who are only asking $0.99 to rent this film in 'SD' or 'HD' whether you're in Canada or USA. There is also the opportunity to purchase a digital copy of this film in 'SD' or 'HD' quality, for $7.99 or $9.99 respectively, in both countries. Now, I'm not sure if this option applies to full purchases only, or if rentals are also included, but the new "Movies Anywhere" Roku channel might be useful for Roku users in the USA to watch purchases from 'iTunes' on their Roku device(s) instead of via 'Apple TV' or other platforms. If you give it a go, and you're successful, then please leave a comment on this post and I'll update the article accordingly. Unfortunately for those in Canada, as with Roku users in the UK, I don't think "Movies Anywhere" is available there. So, as I've suggested above for UK users, there could well be one or two other streaming resources Canadians can use and it might be best to check for possible free alternatives before you pay to watch this. If you get stuck, message me via Twitter: @ukrokuchannels and I'll see if I can sort you out a link! ;-)
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
Meanwhile, for that full cinema experience, here's a few of the other related images that horror fans in 1975 (and more recently) would have encountered depending on their location around the world:
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [Italian Poster #1]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [Alternative Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [Nitra Movies DVD Cover]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [Norwegian VHS Cover]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [Arrow Video - Front Cover]
Deep Red [aka Profondo Rosso] (1975) [Italian Poster #2]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com
Finally, to round-off this fifteenth instalment in my month-long blogathon on 'Day Fifteen' for this edition of the 'Countdown To Halloween', here's more FRIGHTENINGLY FUN FILM FACTS... for example: did you know that the film was originally going to be titled "La tigre dai denti a sciabola" ("The Sabre-Toothed Tiger"), so as to follow the naming pattern of Dario Argento's previous thrillers. However, much to Argento's annoyance, other directors had started using similar animal-related titles for their own genre films, so he decided to go in a different direction. Also, did you know that the close-up shots of the killer's hands, clad in black leather gloves, were performed by Dario Argento himself? Or, that the role of Carlo's male transvestite lover, Massimo Ricci, was actually played by female actress Geraldine Hooper? Or, that the bar which David Hemmings walks past at night during one particular scene was styled after the famous painting, "Nighthawks", by Edward Hopper!?! :-)
Other interesting tidbits of trivia include the fact that the French title "Les Frissons de l'angoisse" translates as "The Shivers of Angst", while the German title "Rosso - Die Farbe des Todes" means "Red - The Colour of Death". Of course, feelings of angst are common to all of us... and co-writer, Bernardino Zapponi said the inspiration for the murder scenes came when he and Argento imagined what kind of painful injuries audiences would easily relate to. For example, not everyone knows the pain of being shot... but most have struck furniture, or been scalded by hot water, at some point! :-O