Trauma (1993)

Country of Origin: Italy / USA
Year of Production: 1992
Running Times: 101 mins 53 sec (UK - 1st video release)      101 mins 54 sec (UK - 2nd video release)      105 mins 1 sec (Italy - video)     106 mins (USA - video)     110 mins (Italy - theatrical)
Format: Technicolor     Technovision      35mm
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: Dolby Surround

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: ADC Produzione Cinematografiche e Televisive / Overseas FilmGroup / Penta Film / Mario and Vittorio Cecchi Gori / Silvio Berlusconi Communications / B.N.L. Credito Cinematografiche e Teatrale (uncredited)
Executive Producers: T. David Pash, Andrea Tinnirello
Producer: Dario Argento
Line Producer: Chris Beckman
Production Manager: Andrew Sands
Production Co-Ordinator: Abigail Sheiner
Assistant Production Co-Ordinators: David Ray Martin, Holly Edwards

SCREENPLAY
Screenplay: Dario Argento, T.E.D. Klein
Story: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini, Giovanni Romoli
Additional Dialogue: Ruth Jessup

DIRECTION
Director: Dario Argento
1st Assistant Director: Rod Smith
2nd Assistant Director: Phil Elins
2nd 2nd Assistant Director: Daniel Carrey

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Raffaele Mertes
Steadicam / Camera Operator: Kirk Gardner
1st Assistant Camera: Richard Cantu
2nd Assistant Camera: D.J. Harder
Additional 2nd Assistant Camera: Dennis Lynch
Electricians: Chris Van Zant, Michael 'Flash' McDonald
Best Boy Electric: Nick Cupkovic
Key / Dolly Grip: Christopher Skutch
Grips: Chris Barry, Neil Williams
Best Boy Grip: Edgar Martin
Gaffer: Michael Marzovilla
Generator Operator: Scott Fischel
Louma Crane Operator: Victor Korte
Stills: Carlo Ontal
Videographers: Jerome Thelia, Mike Rivard
24-Frame Video Playback: Intervideo
24 Frame Video Operator (Intervideo): Steve Austin
Video Assistant Support Services: Judah Hanna
Camera Equipment: Technovision srl
Grip / Electric Equipment: Leggs Inc
Pee Wee Dolly Equipment: Lighthouse Inc
Negative: The Eastman Kodak Company

EDITING
Post Production Supervisor: Steve Barnett
Editor: Bennett Goldberg
Assistant Film Editor: Jim Schimmerhorn
Editing System: Editdroid
Film to Video Transfer: Encore Video
Video to Laserdisc Transfer: Lucas Arts Entertainment Company

MUSIC
Music: Pino Donaggio
Orchestration: Natale Massara, Pino Donaggio
Music Performed By: The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Victor Ciuckovl
Synthesizer Programming: Paolo Steffan
Songs: Paolo Steffan, Pino Donaggio (Ruby Rain); Andrea Bandel, Pino Donaggio (The Loss)
Songs Performed By: Laura Evan, Paolo Steffan (Ruby Rain)
Songs Arranged By: Paolo Steffan (Ruby Rain); Andrea Bandel (The Loss); Pino Donaggio, Natale Massara (The Loss)
Songs Orchestrated By: Pino Donaggio, Natale Massara (The Loss)
Song Scores Conducted By: Gianfranco Plenizio (The Loss)
Songs Keyboards Programming and Performance By: Paolo Steffan (The Loss)

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Paul Coogan
Boom Operator: Jack Bornoff
Sound Effects: Interlock Studios

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Desne Holland, Tracey Roden
Hair: Tracey Roden
Hair for Piper Laurie: Lori Guidroz
Assistant Make Up and Hair: Cheryl Nick
Costume Designer: Leesa Evans
Wardrobe Supervisor: Allyson Brown
Wardrobe Assistant: Susan Strubel
On-Set Dresser: Cory Schubert

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Effects: Tom Savini, Greg Funk, Will Huff, Christopher Martin

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Physical Effects Supervisors: Paul Murphy
Physical Effects Assistant: Jessica Molitor

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Billy Jett
Assistant Designer: Ruth Jessup
Art Director: Nancy Derby
Assistant Art Director: Michael Morgenthal
Set Decorator: Jaqueline Jacobson
Prop Master: Joel Benton
Construction Co-Ordinator: Bob Hedstrom

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Dea Hickox
Dialogue Coach: Paul Draper
Romanian Language Coach: Michael Lupu
Production Accountant: Luciano Tartaglia
Set Production Assistants: David Diamond, Martin Kloner
Completion Bond: Film Finances
Legal Services: Mitchell, Silverberg and Knupp
Travel: Northern Lights Travel
Payroll Service: Producers and Artists Services
Transportation Coordinator: Paul Giorgi
Transportation Captain: Mike Kennedy
Unit Publicists: Cid Swank, Nikki Porter (Denmead Marketing)
Insurance (USA): Cohen Near North Insurance

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks To: The Minnesota Film Board; The Minneapolis Film Office

LOCATIONS
Locations: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; St Paul, Minnesota, USA
Location Manager: Jon Bergholz
Assistant Location Manager: Beth Lundin (aka: Beth Ann Lundin)

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Ky Michaelson
Stunt Co-Ordinator (Car Crash): Jack Gill
Stunts: Ky Michaelson, Donna Quinn

CASTING
Casting: Louis Di Giaimo, Ira Belgrade
Extras Casting: Andrea Wulff
Local Casting: Barbara Shelton

CAST
Christopher Rydell (David Parsons)
Asia Argento (Aura Petrescu)
Piper Laurie (Adriana Petrescu)
Frederic Forrest (Dr Judd)
Laura Johnson (Grace Harrington)
Dominique Serrano (Stefan Petrescu)
James Russo (Captain Travis)
Ira Belgrade (Arnie)
Brad Dourif (Dr Lloyd)
Hope Alexander-Willis (Linda Quirk)
Sharon Barr (Hilda Volkman)
Isabell Monk (Georgia Jackson)
Cory Garvin (Gabriel Pickering)
Terry Perkins (Mrs Pickering)
Tony Saffold (Ben Aldrich)
Peter Moore (Mark Leneer)
Lester Purry (Sergeant Carver)
David Chase (Sid Marigold)
Jacqui Kim (Alice)
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, Onesmo Kibira, Innocent Mafalingundi, Charles Petrus, Lance Pollonais (reggae band)
James Aden, Nick Holder (lorry drivers)
Hope Alexander (Willis)
Lynda Baron (CID officer)
Alex Chorea
Steven Elliott, Richard Leaf, Stuart McLennan, Sean Pertwee, Paul Shelley (youths at station)
John Harding (David Hopkins)
Godfrey James (Charles)
Michael Jaques (Lofty)
Beverley Klein (woman on TV)
Jonathan Kydd (man on TV)
Jim McCabe (man)
Deborah Barrymore (rn: Deborah Moore) (Susannah Hopkins)
David Morris, Steven Rosenthal (policemen)
Aline Mowat (WPC)
Piers Reddington (Sam)
Ashley Russell (guard at station)
Briony Wringe (Jessica)
Fiore Argento (Farraday Clinic receptionist (uncredited))

PLOT SUMMARY

Anorexic Aura Petrusco witnesses the murder of her parents at the hands of a serial-killer that stikes during rainstorms and uses a motorised device to decapitate his victims. She's rescued from a suicide attempt by a passer-by, David Parsons and begins to doubt what she really saw that night.

Dreadful in a way one never expected to see from Argento. Astonishingly, the film looks awful - less surprisingly, it meanders around aimlessly for far too long without ever having anything interesting to say. But while the narrative eccentricities of earlier films could be overlooked because of the dazzling technique used to propel the plot, this time they're glaringly obvious and often laughable. Dull, pointless and a bitter disappointment all round.

International
World Sales: Overseas Filmgroup

Italy
Theatrical Distributor: Penta Film
Video Distributor: Penta Video (1028201)

UK
Video Distributor: High Fliers Video Distribution (HFV 8261) (rental) (27 April 1994); Tartan Terror (TTV 2206) (retail) (September 1999)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Republic Pictures ?
Video Distributor: Worldvision (23 March 1994)

Australia
Rating: MA

Germany
Rating: 18

Italy
Rating: U

UK
Rating: 18 (cut by 6 seconds by the BBFC in 1994 with a further 1 second removed in 1999. There are 2 main cuts, both featuring close shots of wire cutting into the necks of Hope Alexander-Willis and Piper Laurie. This is in addition to 8 minutes of narrative material removed by the distributors, making it the shortest version available.)

USA
Rating: R (this version was cut to 101 mins - a full length unrated version was also available)

1992
August
3: Shooting begins

September
26: Shooting ends

1993
March
12: Italy - theatrical release

1994
March
23: USA - video release

April
27: UK - video release (on High Fliers Video)

August
10: France - theatrical release

1999
September
Day Unknown: UK - video release (on Tartan Video)

2005
October
18: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)
20: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)
25: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)
27: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)

November
7: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)
19: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)

December
15: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)
16: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)

2006
June
13: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)

July
24: UK - television broadcast (on The Horror Channel)

Some nightmares haunt you. Some... can kill you.

A dark secret. A twisted mind. An insane desire for revenge.

A new vision of terror.

Aura - German video title
Aura's Enigma - shooting title
Dario Argento's Trauma - USA title
L'enigma d'Aura - shooting title
Moving Guillotine - early title
Profonda Anima - early title

SEE ALSO
Star Trek (1966 - 1969)
L' uccello dalle piume di cristallo (1970)
Profondo rosso (1975)
Inferno (1980)
May (2002)
Phenomena (1985)
Return to Oz (1985)
Opera (1987)
Latin Boys Go to Hell (1997)

MAGAZINES

Cinefantastique vol.25 no.5 (October 1994) p.60 (USA)
illustrated review (by Judith P. Harris)

European Trash Cinema vol.2 no.8 pp.4-6 (USA)
review

Foreign Sales, Italian Movie Trade vol.18 no.1/2 (January / February 1993) p.7 (Italy)
illustrated credits, synopsis

Foreign Sales, Italian Movie Trade vol.18 no.3/4/5 (March 1993) p.36 (Italy)
credits, synopsis, review (by Irene Ranzato)

Hollywood Reporter vol.324 no.12 (13 October 1992) p.22 (USA)
credits

Necronomicon no.7 pp.20-21 (UK)
review

Shivers no.8 p.19 (UK)
review

Sight and Sound vol.4 no.5 (May 1994) p.67 (UK)
review (by Mark Kermode)

Sight and Sound vol.9 no.8 (August 1999) p.62 (UK)
review (by Geoffrey Macnab)

Starburst no.178 (June 1993) pp.41-42 (UK)
illustrated review (by Alan Jones), credits

Variety 14 June 1993 p.56 (USA)
illustrated review (by Derek Elley)

Video Watchdog no.22 pp.23-24 (USA)
review

BOOKS

Art of Darkness pp.219-228; 281, 283; 298
illustrated review (by Adrian Luther-Smith); credits; video data

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

serial killers, mediums, seances, anorexia, teenagers, attempted suicide, decapitations

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008