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With: Ilenia Pastorelli, Asia Argento, Andrea Gherpelli, Mario Pirrello, Maria Rosaria Russo, Gennaro Iaccarino, Andrea Zhang
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Written by: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini, Carlo Lucarelli
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Directed by: Dario Argento
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MPAA Rating: NR
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Running Time: 86
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Date: 10/13/2022
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Hazy Shades
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Like many horror nerds, I was excited to see a new Dario Argento movie, Dark Glasses, his first one in ten years. I was even more excited when the streaming service Shudder snatched it up for distribution. I was sure I could find examples of Argento's genius in the new work. But, sadly, I was wrong. This story of a high-priced escort, Diana (Ilenia Pastorelli), who, in the early scenes, stares at a total eclipse without anything to protect her eyes. Then she's chased by a mysterious white van which causes an accident. A woman in another vehicle is killed, orphaning a young boy, Chin (Xinyu Zhang). When she wakes up, she's blind. (I couldn't figure out why the accident took her sight and not the eclipse.) She feels guilty and tries to help the boy, while dodging a serial killer that has been targeting prostitutes (of course). Dario's daughter Asia Argento appears as an instructor for the blind, who teaches Diana how to get by in her new environment. That's some of the best stuff in the film, which is otherwise weirdly stiff and awkward, and even amateurish at times. It's pretty much thrill-free, and a big letdown.
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