Trauma (1993)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Franco Ferrini (story) and
Gianni Romoli (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 March 1993 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Some Nightmares Haunt You. Some... Can Kill You.

Plot:

A young man tries to help a teenage European girl whom escaped from a clinic hospital after witnessing the murder of her parents by a serial killer and they try to find the killer before the killer finds them.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Serial Killer | Anorexia | Night | Decapitation

Cast

Christopher Rydell	...	David Parsons
Asia Argento	...	Aura Petrescu
Piper Laurie	...	Adriana Petrescu
Frederic Forrest	...	Dr. Judd
Laura Johnson	...	Grace Harrington
Dominique Serrand	...	Stefan Petrescu
James Russo	...	Capt. Travis
Ira Belgrade	...	Arnie
Brad Dourif	...	Dr. Lloyd
Hope Alexander-Willis	...	Linda Quirk
Sharon Barr	...	Hilda Volkman
Isabell O'Connor	...	Georgia Jackson (as Isabell Monk)
Cory Garvin	...	Gabriel Pickering
Terry Perkins	...	Mrs. Pickering
Tony Saffold	...	Ben Aldrich
Peter Moore	...	Mark Leneer
Lester Purry	...	Sgt. Carver
David Chase	...	Sid Marigold
Jacqueline Kim	...	Alice (as Jacqui Kim)
Rita Vassallo	...	Rita
Stephen D'Ambrose	...	Pale man
Bonita Parsons	...	Prime woman
Gregory Beech	...	Deal man
Kevin Dutcher	...	John Miller
Kathy Quirk	...	Gare Grayson
E.A. Violet Boor	...	Mrs. Potter
Les Exodus	...	Reggae Band
Onesmo Kibira	...	Reggae Band
Innocent Mafalingundi	...	Reggae Band (as Innocent Mifalingundi)
Charles Petrus	...	Reggae Band
Lance Pollonais	...	Reggae Band
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fiore Argento	...	Farraday Clinic receptionist (uncredited)
Ric McCloud	...	Police Detective (uncredited)

Directed by
Dario Argento

Writing credits
Franco Ferrini		(story) and
Gianni Romoli		(story) (as Giovanni Romoli) and
Dario Argento		(story)
Dario Argento		(written by) and
T.E.D. Klein		(written by)
Ruth Jessup		(additional dialogue)

Produced by
Dario Argento	....	producer
Chris Beckman	....	line producer
T. David Pash	....	executive producer
Andrea Tinnirello	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Pino Donaggio

Cinematography by
Raffaele Mertes

Film Editing by
Bennett Goldberg
Dario Argento		(uncredited in English language prints)

Casting by
Ira Belgrade
Louis DiGiaimo

Production Design by
Billy Jett

Art Direction by
Nance Derby

Set Decoration by
Jacqueline Jacobson Scarfo		(as Jacqueline Jacobson)

Costume Design by
Leesa Evans

Makeup Department
Greg Funk	....	special makeup effects
Lori Guidroz	....	hair stylist: Ms. Laurie
Desne J. Holland	....	key hair stylist (as Desne Holland)
Desne J. Holland	....	key makeup artist (as Desne Holland)
Will Huff	....	special makeup effects
Tracey Levy	....	assistant key hair stylist (as Tracey Lea Roden)
Tracey Levy	....	assistant key makeup artist (as Tracey Lea Roden)
Christopher P. Martin	....	special makeup effects (as Christopher Martin)
Cheryl Ann Nick	....	assistant key hair stylist (as Cheryl Nick)
Cheryl Ann Nick	....	assistant key makeup artist (as Cheryl Nick)
Tom Savini	....	makeup artist
Tom Savini	....	special makeup effects

Production Management
Steve Barnett	....	post-production supervisor
Andrew Sands	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daniel Carrey	....	second second assistant director
Philip Elins	....	second assistant director
Rod Smith	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Joel Benton	....	property master
Bob Hedstrom	....	construction coordinator
Michael Morgenthal	....	assistant art director
Cory Schubert	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Jack Bornoff	....	boom operator
Timothy A. Carpenter	....	sound effects editor
Paul Coogan	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Paul Murphy	....	physical effects supervisor

Stunts
Jack Gill	....	stunt coordinator: car crash
Ky Michaelson	....	stunt coordinator
Ky Michaelson	....	stunts
Donna Quinn	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Austen	....	24 frame video operator: Intervideo
Chris Barry	....	grip
Richard Cantu	....	first assistant camera
Nick Cupkovic	....	best boy electric
Scott Fischel	....	generator operator
Kirk R. Gardner	....	Steadicam operator (as Kirk Gardner)
Kirk R. Gardner	....	camera operator (as Kirk Gardner)
Judah Hannah	....	video assistant support services
D.J. Harder	....	second assistant camera
Kevin Kennedy	....	key grip
Dennis Lynch	....	second assistant camera
Bruce Macaulay	....	still photographer
Edgar Martin	....	best boy grip
Michael Marzovilla	....	gaffer
Michael 'Flash' McDonald	....	electrician
Thomas O'Connor	....	grip
Carlo Ontal	....	still photographer
Mike Rivard	....	videographer
Chris Skutch	....	dolly grip (as Christopher Skutch)
Chris Skutch	....	key grip (as Christopher Skutch)
Jerome Thelia	....	videographer
Chris Van Zant	....	electrician
Niel Williams	....	grip (as Neil Williams)

Casting Department
Barbara Shelton	....	local casting
Andi Wulff	....	extras casting (as Andrea Wulff)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Allyson Brown	....	wardrobe supervisor
Susan Strubel	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Jim Schimmerhorn	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Pino Donaggio	....	orchestrator
Victor Giukovl	....	conductor
Natale Massara	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Paul Giorgi	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Jon Bergholz	....	location manager
Dea Cantu	....	script supervisor (as Dea Hickox)
David Diamond	....	set production assistant
Paul Draper	....	dialogue coach
Holly Edwards	....	assistant production coordinator
Martin Allan Kloner	....	set production assistant (as Martin Kloner)
Beth Ann Lundin	....	assistant location manager (as Beth Lundin)
Michael Lupu	....	language coach: Romanian
David Ray Martin	....	assistant production coordinator
Jessica Molitor	....	physical effects assistant
Barbara Pastrovich	....	set production assistant
Nikki Porter	....	unit publicist
Abigail Sheiner	....	production coordinator
Paolo Steffan	....	synthesizer programmer
Cid Swank	....	unit publicist
Luciano Tartaglia	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• ADC Films
• Overseas FilmGroup

Distributors

• Republic Pictures (1993) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (1995) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD producer)
• Creative Axa Co. Ltd. (Japan) (DVD)
• Delta Vidéo Diffusion (1994) (France) (VHS)
• Ekaterinburg Art Home Video (EAHV) (Russia) (VHS)
• Laser Paradise (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra  music performed by
• Editdroid  edit in
• Encore Video  film to video transfer
• Film Finances Italia S.r.l.  completion bond
• Inter Video  24-frame video playback
• Interlock Studios  sound effects
• Leggs Inc.  grip/electric equipment
• Lighthouse Inc.  pee wee dolly equipment
• LucasArts Entertainment Company  video to laserdisc transfer
• Minnesota Film Board  the producers wish to thank
• Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp  legal services
• Northern Lights Travel  travel provided by
• Producers & Artists Services  payroll services
• The Minneapolis Film Office  the producers wish to thank

Also Known As:

Aura's Enigma (USA) (working title)
Dario Argento's Trauma (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and terror, and for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | Italy:VM14 | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-18

Filming Locations:

Hopkins, Minnesota, USA

Company:

ADC Films

Trivia:

The character played by Asia Argento is inspired by her half-sister Anna (Nicolodi's daughter from a previous marriage) who actually suffered from anorexia. Anna died in a scooter accident in 1994 shortly after the film's release, but she is seen in the actual movie during the closing credits dancing in the balcony.

Movie Connections:

References "The Phil Donahue Show" (1970)

Soundtrack:

The Loss

Unheralded masterpiece

TRAUMA

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Technovision)

Sound format: Dolby Stereo

A TV newsroom artist (Mark Rydell) helps a distraught anorexic (Asia Argento) to investigate the death of Argento's mother (Piper Laurie) at the hands of a monstrous serial killer.

Though often cited as the film which signalled a creative downturn in Dario Argento's career, TRAUMA is actually a much better entry than its reputation suggests. The victim of spotty theatrical distribution and horrendous pan-scanned video versions - which reduce the wide Technovision frame to a mere shadow of its former self - the film is an exercise in giallo excess, culminating in one of the finest Grand Guignol set-pieces of this director's long career. Indeed, far from providing evidence of 'creative decline', TRAUMA is actually a fine addition to Argento's filmography, and is ripe for reappraisal.

Despite its American setting, the film is defiantly European in style and execution, employing ultra-wide scope framing, inventive camera-work (including a bizarre shot from the point-of-view of a butterfly!!), ornate narrative structure and eccentric characterizations. It's no wonder some of the supporting American players seem a little disconcerted by the director's unconventional approach (including Frederic Forrest as a doctor sporting an unexplained neck-brace, and James Russo as a typically hard-boiled cop, always one step behind the film's youthful protagonists)! And the script - co-written by Argento and celebrated fantasy author T.E.D. Klein - adheres faithfully to the giallo template, punctuating its convoluted storyline with several grisly murders (though not *that* grisly, considering the involvement of makeup wiz Tom Savini), and a number of compelling set-pieces: The seance which ends in murder; the mental institution where the killer disposes of an important 'clue'; the room full of billowing drapes (an authentic stroke of genius); and the climactic revelation of the killer's motive, which is so utterly horrific, it almost justifies his/her gruesome rampage. The movie ain't called TRAUMA for nothing!

At least two other versions of the film have surfaced in bootleg video form over the years, both of which plug a number of gaping editorial gaps in the official 'director's cut' (note, for instance, the abrupt introduction of Rydell and Asia at the beginning of the film), which indicates either distributor problems or a rushed post-production schedule. This may explain why Pino Donaggio's half-hearted score sounds like it was written and recorded before completion of principal photography and tailored to match the finished product, rather than the other way around. The cast is a typical Argentonian mixed bag: Asia portrays the same joyless harpy she's played in all her collaborations with Argento to date (including THE STENDHAL SYNDROME and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA), leaving Rydell to shoulder most of the film's emotional burden as a young man who learns to accept Asia's flaws whilst simultaneously falling in love with her (few) virtues. Frankly, she doesn't deserve him! Laurie makes much of her limited screen time as Asia's domineering mother, while Brad Dourif (the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy) plays a former doctor whose guilty conscience comes back to haunt him in the worst possible way. Watch out for ex-"Falcon Crest" star Laura Johnson in a brief but creepy performance (her final scene is genuinely chilling) as an ambitious TV news anchorwoman who tries to stake her claim on Rydell in no uncertain terms.