Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

gridoon2018 Antonio Bido came late to the slasher party, and didn't bring many presents to it. Looking up his filmography on IMDb, I discovered that - by chance - I have seen his other giallo ("Watch Me When I Kill" ) as well, although I don't remember anything about it! But, looking at the IMDb comment I left less than a year ago, I called it "dull". That's the same main word I would use to describe "The Bloodstained Shadow", too: nearly every scene in this movie seems to be padded to three times its necessary length. It's an ordeal to watch. Only the offbeat, sometimes experimental score and a couple (literally) of killings may wake viewers from their slumber. The ending, if you get that far, is pretty garbled as well. The English dubbing on the Blue Underground DVD version is generally poor (in an unintentionally funny moment, the leading man screams at the top of his lungs "PAOLO, CALM DOWN"!), but the picture quality is fine. *1/2 out of 4.

The_Void Antonio Bido's previous foray into the Giallo sub genre, The Cat's Victims, was a rather messy and highly derivative affair, so I'm pleased to report that he's improved greatly for this follow-up. Typically for Giallo, The Blood-Stained Shadow features a convoluted plot, and unfortunately Bido's plot pacing can be a little off at times, as the film is painfully slow at some points, and then whimsically clever at others. Luckily, the director uses the atmosphere from the Venetian Island upon which the film is set well, and even during the 'down time', there is enough about the film to keep it ticking over in a pleasant manner. The plot starts with a shot of a dead body; a young girl whose murderer was never discovered. We pick up the plot some time later when a young man has returned to his home, which also happens to be the place where his brother, the local priest, lives. After having being told by his brother of all the immoral people in the town, a group which includes gamblers, perverts and con artists, the dead bodies begin to pile up. Is there a connection with the murder years earlier? The Cat's Victims was clearly very derivative of the great Dario Argento, and this film is too. The film isn't as well put together as the likes of Deep Red and Tenebrae, but Bido does a good job of imitating the superior director. The murder scenes are very well orchestrated and really quite nasty also; as we've got a man getting an axe through the heart, a woman having her head forced into a fire and other such gory highlights. The score by Stelvio Cipriani is a particular highlight, as the heavy tones suit the movie excellently and provide it with one of its strongest elements. Naturally with this kind of plot, it can be a little difficult to follow at times as random events occur at regular intervals; but Bido makes good of it by the end, as everything comes together in a way that makes sense and manages a genuine surprise for the audience. Overall, while The Blood-Stained Shadow isn't one of the heavyweight 'must see' films of the Giallo cycle, it has enough strongpoint's to ensure that it will be a point of interest for Giallo fans, and while the director has borrowed, perhaps even a little too much, seeing all the common Giallo elements in a film together is a treat. Recommended!

BA_Harrison Set in and around Venice and heavily mired in the world of Catholicism, The Bloodstained Shadow is a dreary and unfulfilling giallo that brings nothing new to the genre. Director Antonio Bido allows the plot to unravel extremely slowly and often seems more intent on showing us the sights of Venice rather than telling a taut murder mystery tale.The story revolves around a group of unsavoury characters who are being bumped off one-by-one (in a relatively bloodless fashion) by a lunatic who may be connected to a murder that took place many years before. In between the lacklustre death scenes and the travelogue-style footage of Venice, we get an uninteresting love story (with a gratuitous sex scene) and loads of talking. Even the score, performed by Italian rock group Goblin, failed to impress me.By the time the identity of the murderer was revealed (and eagle eyed viewers will probably have guessed already), I was struggling to stay awake. The Bloodstained Shadow is one for giallo completists only.

TAKAROUKAS Typical giallo, highly influenced by Argento's Deep Red, (especially the ending and some scenes with baby dolls hanging by their necks) with a music score by Goblins which is obviously inferior to Suspiria's and Deep Red's. However you can find some interesting murder scenes ( I really liked the murder of an old lady in a wheel chair)and I must admit that Argento's Tenebrae copied some key elements from it. If you are a new fan of gialli films seek for Argento first, but if you are a dedicated fan you should also watch this film. 6/10