Michael Maggiano As nearly every professional critic mentions, this movie is more of a cinematic freakout than a story, though there's enough story to grab on to. Is it good? Is it self-indulgent with a whiff of pretension? Is it cryptic enough to leave you without an easy answer? Yes, yes and yes. It isn't really a horror movie, except for in a psychological, David Lynch way. I would say that the main weakness (and here's the mild spoiler) is that it gives us yet another metadramatic "Is it real? Is it a fantasy? A dream? Is he insane and it's all in his head? Is it about filmmaking itself?" kind of thread to pull on. And I think that thread is threadbare this decade. It's been beat to death. This said, I half-expect to change my score to a 3 or a 9 after I eventually see this movie again. It's so weird that I'm not even sure if it's good, lousy or great.

Michael Radny The film is extremely eerie, and beyond that, one of the more surreal films that I have ever seen. Whilst nowhere near mainstream, Berberian Sound Studio proves to be something very grand, but also unbelievably weird. There's no clear cut storyline, nor is there your traditional horror, but the atmosphere of this film is more than enough to propel the story into something truly scary. It's a film about sound, the manipulation of sound in films and whether what you see and hear in film is really there or not. I think people will dislike this film for being deep and metaphoric, but that's why I like it. Nothing in this film feels out of place and a sudden change in how the story plays out towards the end creates something really fantastic.

temrok9 I had had the pleasure of watching Berberian Sound Studio at first in Thessaloniki film festival, and I was greatly satisfied and surprised with the real cinematic freshness this films brings in the fields of horror movies and art cinema(if there is such a field) at the same time.Genuine and enigmatic, it does not succumb to the trendy ways in which directors usually manipulate their material these days,and does not seek to impress for nothing, but creates its own universe with completely original means, despite the fact that it is certainly referring to a certain era, that of the Italian Giallo, reproducing a feeling that belongs to that era, but at the same time creating something new.I consider this film one of the best I have watched over the last five years and a very serious candidate for the list of the ten best movies of the decade, when the moment comes.I understand that it is not for all tastes-as I realized by the reactions of many spectators-but I believe it's a film worth fighting for that will have its place as a classic in the future.In the meantime, I can't wait to watch the new film by Peter Strickland in this year's Thessaloniki film festival, all the more as his films do not seem to have release in Greece beyond the festival.At least Berberian sound studio never did, so I bought it from Amazon to watch it again and again.

gavin6942 A sound engineer's work for an Italian horror studio becomes a terrifying case of life imitating art.This is the sort of film that jaded horror fans will love. They will love that it was set in the realm of an Italian giallo in the 1970s (one of the most highly regarded subgenres during their finest decade). They will also love the variety of sound effects and how they are accomplished.Some have compared the plot to "Evil Ed", which is fair, but it is not remotely derivative and should not be seen as a ripoff. If anything, I felt the mood was much closer to "Pontypool", one of the best horror films of the past decade.Most fascinating is that while the action takes place during the editing phase of a movie, the film itself is never seen. Not a single frame. We pick up bits and pieces about priests and witches, but really have no idea how terrifying the images are -- it is all sound effects and imagination. Just brilliant.