Coda/Symphony of Evil-1987, Australia, TV movie, 99 minutes
A curious hybrid of slasher and the
mystery-suspense genre in the tradition of Hitchcock (the director Craig
Lahiff himself described the movie as 'Hitchcokian'), Coda has been influenced
by many styles and genres, most noticeably the American ‘stalk and kill’ movies
and the Italian giallo movies. Of the American slasher movies, the most obvious
suggestion is Halloween, starting from the creepy wax mask worn by the killer
along with his almost phantom presence, where he appears and disappears at will
within microseconds, as also the supernatural ability to resurrect after being
badly wounded. The giallo influence is noticeable in the heavy reliance on
music, be it the atmospheric soundtrack to the music college setting (reminded
me of Dario Argento's Inferno, where a music student is pushed into a bizarre
set of supernatural killings linked to her building), the
picturesque settings and use of airy, architecturally magnificent villas.
There is reference to noir films as well, with the well-constructed use of
light and shadow in corridors and spiral staircases, where a cat and mouse
chase ensues between the killer and the victim.
That said, the movie does not play out as
a traditional slasher, since the body count is relatively low and gore is
virtually non-existent except in the slaying of Sgt. Turner where throat and
back stabbing is clearly shown. The first killing happens to a music student Anna
who is thrown off from her apartment on the college campus. The police target
the wrong killer who was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and the
suspenseful chase ensues between this person and the police, culminating
in a lost key which may be the centre of the mystery. Thereafter, the
protagonist Kate, who happens to be the wife of the wrong suspect Mike, is
targeted by the killer, as she attempts to unravel the background and catch the
real killer. In between, the director throws in a few red herrings which don't
really add up. For instance, the hyped-up lost key is not found to open any
important door. If anything, it points at the lesbian music teacher Dr.
Steiner who was having an affair with Anna and may be protecting the killer.
Similarly, Kate’s stolen car leads to a stalking game at the opera, where the
killer simply eludes Kate and her friend Sally Reid after setting up bait.
If the intention was to kill, then
why simply run away after being spotted ? When Kate hadn't even seen the
key pointed out by her husband, how did she know what it looked like when
she saw a similar one in the keychain of Dr. Steiner.
Also, the movie drags quite a bit after
the first killing and the sudden, brutal death of Sgt. Turner. Thereafter,
it picks up pace towards the last 30 minutes, with the last encounter between the
killer and Kate being nail biting. The identity of the killer was not a big
surprise, with limited options and the cues provided by the director, with
regular shots of the weird and formidable Dr. Steiner staring emptily at people
and places, and her unhealthy intentions towards her student proteges. The
motive was also not difficult to deduce, with the backstory of a mysteriously
disappeared brother of Dr. Steiner, combined with her loneliness and
apparent guilt at his obscure fate.
Overall, the film has an offbeat quality
about it, due to the mixture of plot elements and genre offerings, and the
wonderful settings and music complimented the building sense of dread leading
to a memorable denouement.
Coda was released on Blu-Ray in November
2024 courtesy of Australian home entertainment label Umbrella Entertainment as
part of a three-movie set, the others being Desolation Angels and the
Thirteenth Floor. The disc contains a trailer, Interview with
cinematographer David Foreman, interview with actor Liddy Clark (who played Kate’s
geologist friend Sally Field in the movie), two short films by the director
Craig Lahiff, and an audio commentary with production designer Anni
Browning, assistant director Gus Howard and actress Liddy Clark.
