Review of Berberian Sound Studio (2012) by Stuart K — 10 Mar 2013

Directed by Peter Strickland, (Katalin Varga (2009)), this is a low-budget British film which was an extention of a short film of the same name that Strickland did in 2005. It's a very weird and creepy psychological horror film, which goes for scares through it's editing and sound.

It also has a brilliant lead performance from one of Britain's most underrated actors, who gives a brilliantly tortured performance. Set sometime in the mid-1970's, Gilderoy (Toby Jones) is a meek, mild-mannered sound engineer who has worked on many English films, and he is asked to fly out to Italy to work on a giallo horror film called The Equestrian Vortex, which is very violent and exploitative.

It's very unlike what he's done before, and he doesn't know why he's been asked to do this, the producer Francesco (Cosimo Fusco) is very manipulative while the director Santini (Antonio Mancino), is very elusive, and is very vaugue with his instructions.

While constructing the sound for the film, Gilderoy starts to lose his mind, as he's unable to escape from this studio. It's a very weird film, but the editing and sound for this film are absolutely exquisite, and Jones makes it well worth watching.

It is quite experimental, and it can test the patience sometimes, but it does pay off and it's a good homage to old horror film as well.