Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- paranoid
- stylized
- late night horror viewing
- giallo double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's striking color photography, moving-camera set-pieces, and isolated suspense sequences while finding its convoluted plot, dialogue, dubbing, and arbitrary conclusion weak.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film centers on a serial-killer mystery, anonymous pursuit, photographic blackmail, red herrings, and stylized murder sequences.
Contemporary criticism specifically praised the imaginative color photography, moving camera, and glossy set-pieces.
Roberto receives photographs of his accidental killing while someone murders his friends and attempts to frame him.
Roberto is followed, receives strange calls and incriminating photographs, and faces danger in claustrophobic locations.
Films like Four Flies on Grey Velvet, and why
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
shared giallo whodunit structure, stylized murder set-pieces, red herrings, and psychological paranoia
Deep Red
shared Italian giallo tradition, investigative suspense, vivid color cinematography, and serial-killer mystery
Tenebrae
shared outsider protagonist, blackmail-driven paranoia, lurid violence, and twist-oriented murder mystery
Movie Details
- Director
- Dario Argento
- Release Date
- 1971-12-17
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (440)
Cast
- Michael Brandon
- Mimsy Farmer
- Jean-Pierre Marielle
- Aldo Bufi Landi
- Calisto Calisti
- Marisa Fabbri
- Oreste Lionello
- Fabrizio Moroni
- Corrado Olmi
- Stefano Satta Flores
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- FlixFling
- Rent
- FlixFling
- Buy
- FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Four Flies on Grey Velvet about?
- A rock drummer is drawn into a lurid giallo nightmare when photographic blackmail and a string of murders make him look like the killer.
- What is Four Flies on Grey Velvet like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Four Flies on Grey Velvet as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Four Flies on Grey Velvet violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Four Flies on Grey Velvet as graphic.
- What did critics think of Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
- Critics broadly admired the film's striking color photography, moving-camera set-pieces, and isolated suspense sequences while finding its convoluted plot, dialogue, dubbing, and arbitrary conclusion weak.
- Which films are like Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
- Films with a similar feel include The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Deep Red, and Tenebrae.
- How long is Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
- Four Flies on Grey Velvet runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Four Flies on Grey Velvet?
- In United States, Four Flies on Grey Velvet streams on FlixFling.
