Enigma Rosso Blu Ray Review (Scorpion Releasing)

Enigma Rosso (aKa Red Rings of Fear, Virgin Terror, & Trauma) is a 1978 giallo film directed by Alberto Negrin (Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair, Secret of the Sahara, & Perlasca: The Courage of a Just Man). This was Alberto Negrin’s only feature film, he’s known for directing television. It’s the final film in the schoolgirl trilogy which includes What Have You Done to Solange? & What Have They Done to Your Daughters? from director Massimo Dallamano. Dallamano wrote the screenplay for this with six other writers. From the creative minds that brought you The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, A Quiet Place to Kill, Phenomena, Demons 1/2, The Church, Meet Him and Die, Rulers of the City, & many others! He was originally supposed to direct this also but tragically died in a car crash before production started. It was released in the U.S. under the title “Trauma” from Wizard Video. Here’s a strange & hilarious fact, it credited Arthur Kennedy on the cover but he wasn’t even in this film.

A gruesome discovery of a tormented naked body of a sixteen year old girl named Angela Russo is found wrapped in plastic by the river. Inspector Gianni Di Salvo (played by: Fabio Testi from What Have You Done to Solange?, The Four of the Apocalypse, & Contraband) is assigned to investigate this brutal crime. Mrs. Russo (played by: Helga Liné from Curse of the Black Cat, The Mummy’s Revenge, & The Vampires Night Orgy) & Emily (played by: Fausta Avelli from The Psychic, Kidnap, & Phenomena) give him information that leads him to the group the Inseparables. Paola (played by: Carolin Ohrner from Boarding School), Franca (played by: Taida Urruzola from A Man Called Rage & Exit: Dead End), & Virginia (played by: Brigitte Wagner from Frau Venus und ihr Teufel) are the survivors from the close clique. They go to the same private boarding school for girls as Angela. All of them are being hunted down by the mysterious black gloved killer known as Nemesis. They are all receiving letters from the stranger. Weird things are starting to happen to anyone associated with them. Di Salvo discovers some hidden sexual & dark secrets in a diary which gives him various options for the possible murderer in this shady environment. His boss Chief Inspector Louis Roccaglio (played by: Ivan Desny from Angels of Terror & The Invisible Terror) is trying to close the case with a easy suspect but Di Salvo knows he is wrong! Has he already met the monster responsible for all of this?

Enigma Rosso is definitely the black sheep in schoolgirl trilogy. Most know the first two films but this one slips by without much recognition. Hopefully that will change since it finally got a proper release in the U.S. from Scorpion Releasing. Giallo is one of my favorite sub genres & it’s great to see more from it starting to get high definition treatment here. Negrin delivers enough sleaze & murder to satisfy any fan. One of the most memorable & bizarre interrogation scenes I’ve ever seen in a film. Di Salvo questions & forces his suspect to speak on a roller coaster. You find out everyone knows more than him in this disturbed situation which gives his investigation a dark path that leads to unexpected scenarios. The script is full of suspense & twists, it keeps you guessing until the very end! For something with seven different writers that’s very impressive. I figured it would have been a mess with that much involvement. I love the way this film ended, it’s very unconventional. It took guts to go that direction with this. Italian cinema is something that always stands out & this gem provides everything you need. RECOMMENDED!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Scorpion Releasing! Enigma Rosso was first introduced to America from Wizard Video on VHS under the title Trauma. Mill Creek released it on their Drive-In Movie Classics – 50 Movie Pack in 2006. Sinister Cinema & Miracle Pictures released the same bad public domain print on DVD years later. Full Moon’s Grindhouse Collection resurrected their Trauma release from the Wizard days on DVD in 2013. As you can see, this film hasn’t had much life here for home video releases. This brand new scan of the original negative with extensive color correction destroys all of those cheap releases! Plus it’s the first time it’s available in full widescreen with this 1080p (2.35:1) transfer. Italian films are infamous for their quality issues when it comes to them getting upgraded. The beginning has a few white lines going across but it doesn’t last long. It’s not reference quality as far as the overall transfer but it’s night & day compared to past releases. It’s the best it’s ever going to look, Scorpion Releasing keeps giving us these forgotten gems that have been pushed away far too long. It has two different audio options which includes Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 & English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 on the blu ray. It’s a big improvement over all the older releases from the past. The additional option to watch it with the familiar English dub is a nice touch. Enigma Rosso has a killer score & it sounds great on this disc. It also has English subtitles.

Let’s discuss the special features from Scorpion Releasing! Here’s the biggest selling point of this new blu ray release…. Unlike all those other versions available here before you get the option to watch it with the Italian language track with English subtitles! That alone is worth picking this up for. Scorpion Releasing has included an Audio Commentary with film historian & Mondo Digital’s own Nathaniel Thompson. He’s full of knowledge & you learn alot from this audio track. I kinda wish he had a moderator to make it a little more exciting but it’s definitely worth checking out. Last but not least, you get trailers for Scorpion Releasing which include two for Enigma Rosso, Etoile, Murder Rock, The Psychic, Opera, The Sect, & The Gates of Hell. I am beyond excited about all of those collaborations between Scorpion, Doppelganger Releasing, & Music Box Films! The Enigma Rosso blu ray release is available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!