After a very successful career in Italy, as well as worldwide box-office success, it was inevitable that America would eventually come calling for Argento. He had built up a reputation and an audience throughout the 1980s and early 90s, thanks in large part to the explosion of VHS. Following Two Evil Eyes, Trauma marks Argento's first feature-length American production. He was afforded a not-insubstantial $7 million budget and a cast including horror fan favourites Piper Laurie (who later claimed that she had never seen the film because she had heard it was terrible) and Brad Dourif, ace composer Pino Donaggio and special effects maestro Tom Savini. The results were mixed. The plot was confusing and some of the character motivations wildly inconsistent, but praise must go towards Argento's handling of the gore, which obviously benefitted from Savini's handiwork. It's not over-the-top but it is very effective. The whole anorexia sub-plot should have been discarded, however, as it is never fully explained and has little relevance to the overall plot.
