ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK (1972) - Right off the bat, I could see that this Italy/Spain co-production was going to be a very interesting giallo flick. It stars a cast of giallo pros, it's directed by the man who made my favorite giallo film of all time (TORSO - 1973; the majority of his films have never let me down) and it begins with one of the most surreal dream sequences I have seen in quite a while.
     The dream consists of a dentally challenged ugly woman (Vera Drudi; LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE - 1974) in a Baby Jane wig showing off her blackened teeth, while a pregnant woman on a hospital gurney is in the position to drop her baby, holding her stomach. We also see a clock with no hands lying on the floor, as well as a close-up of a man's haunting and unusual deep-blue eyes. We then see Jane (the beautiful Edwige Fenech; STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER - 1975) screaming, while the ugly woman is taunting her. The dream ends with Jane dead, her stomach cut open and bloody, the ugly woman turning into a mannequin, as we then see a car's POV as it slams into a tree. Jane then wakes up and takes a shower in her bedclothes (Giving us a great wet t-shirt shot of Fenech. Damn, she is beautiful!). Her fiancé, Richard (George Hilton; THE KILLER MUST KILL AGAIN - 1973), a London pharmaceutical salesman, comes home, finding Jane in the shower (he knows what is wrong with her or, he thinks he does) and puts her back in bed, making her take her pills (which turns the glass of water a bright blue color), telling her that they are "vitamins", but they make her sick. We then see Richard making love to Jane (did I mention how beautiful Fenech is?), but she starts screaming. She tells Richard that her sister Barbara (Nieves Navarro, as "Susan Scott"; TORMENTOR - 1972) said she should see her psychiatrist boss, Dr. Burton (George Rigaud; EYEBALL - 1975), because he could probably make the nightmares stop. Richard says no, she should keep psychiatry away from her "problem". We then find out what is causing the nightmares. Jane recently lost her unborn baby in a car accident and Richard thinks she doesn't need her head shrunk, she just needs time to recover. Richard reminds her not to forget, it was his baby, too. Richard leaves for work, walking outside and seeing two young lovers hugging each other, the look on Richard's face telling us he wishes Jane wouldn't be so afraid of a little affection like that. Who is the woman in the apartment across from Jane's, who looks out her window at Richard with lust in her eyes? Jane, who is looking out her window, sees the woman, who then closes her curtains. That woman is Mary Weil (Marina Malfatti; SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS - 1972) and very soon she will be involved in Jane's life, with deadly results.
     Jane tells Barbara that she knows Richard loves her, but he doesn't understand her, Barbara saying she knows that and has set up an appointment with her with Dr. Burton, fully aware that it is against Richard's wishes. While sitting in Dr. Burton's waiting room, Jane sees the man with the blue eyes (Ivan Rassimov; SPASMO - 1974) from her nightmares sitting on the other side of the room, staring at her. When talking to Dr. Burton, Jane explains that the pregnant woman in her nightmare is her mother, describing to him how she saw her mother murdered by a man with piercing blue eyes when she was five years old. When the doctor asks Jane if she has told her husband the details of her nightmare, she tells him no, she and Richard are not married and she's afraid he will not understand. She also tells the doctor that ever since the car accident, she is not "comfortable" with sex, but she does not believe the accident is the cause, she believes the image of the blue-eyed man is the cause, but she can't tell Richard because she's afraid that he will leave her ("I already make his life so difficult."). She tells the doctor about the blue-eyed man in the waiting room and he says she must be mistaken, he never has his patients wait together. He takes her to the waiting room and, sure enough, no one is there. Jane asks Barbara if she saw a man in the waiting room and she says yes, he wasn't a patient, but he wanted to talk to the doctor. He suddenly got up and left without saying a word. The doctor apologizes to Jane, also telling her that at their appointment they will talk about why she is so frightened of the blue-eyed man and to stop taking the "vitamins" Richard is giving her, telling Jane, "Your worst enemy is loneliness." Jane then takes the subway home and at the next stop, everyone else get off, leaving Jane alone with a solitary figure at the other end of the subway car. It's the blue-eyed man and he approaches Jane (the subway car goes from darkness to light and every time it goes to light, the man is closer to her), but she is able to get out of the car at the next stop. The man meets her on the street, causing Jane to run home screaming, "Why are you following me?!?" She meets Mary at her front door and she invites Jane over for some tea. Over tea, Mary invites Jane to have lunch at her place tomorrow, telling Jane that she knows she is alone all day and could use some company. Jane agrees and goes home, where she gets a phone call from a lawyer named Francis Clay (Luciano Pigozzi, as "Alan Collins"; LIBIDO - 1965), who tells her to come to his office tomorrow at 3:30 PM because he has something important to tell her. When Jane asks him what it is about, he hangs up the phone.
     When Jane looks out her window that night, she sees the blue-eyed man walking down the street, so she goes outside to investigate, accidentally locking herself out of her apartment building. Jane begins to get very nervous and begins knocking on Mary's door, but no one answers. Just when Jane is about to lose it, Richard shows up and unlocks the door. She tells him about her day and, the next morning, Richard is at Barbara's apartment, chewing her out for taking Jane to a psychiatrist (and ogling her while she is getting changed!). Barbara tells him, like it or not, Jane will continue to see Dr. Burton, saying "Jane is a slave to her childhood, but I bet you blame that on me!" What did she mean by that and is there something romantic going on between Richard and Barbara? We then discover that Richard was driving the car that hit the tree, killing Jane's baby.  Barbara asks Richard if he wonders if that's the reason Jane won't marry him and he storms out of her apartment. Yes, this film is full of little surprises, but the best is yet to come.
     Mary and Jane are walking in the park, where Jane begins talking in strange ways, first saying, "Listen to the birds. They are complaining that we are here." Jane asks Mary if she would believe that a killer from her childhood is following her. Mary turns to her and says, "I believe in a lot more." What does she mean by that?  Mary tells her that she, too, had major problems when she was a child, but she found a way to destroy those memories. She then asks Jane if she knows what a "Black Mass" is (Uh, oh!) and Jane says that Mary is scaring her. Mary says don't be frightened, you, too, can put all your bad memories behind you. Jane then says, "But...what do you want from me?" Mary tells her to stop going to a psychiatrist, she has a "friend" who can cure her of her troubles. Jane asks who is this person, Mary replying, "My friends don't like questions. They just want trust. They're waiting for you."  Jane wants to meet her friends, so Mary tells her to meet her at her apartment at exactly a 5:30 this afternoon. If she is not on time, she will leave without her. Jane then drives to go see lawyer Francis Clay and begins to walk up several flights of stairs to get to his office. Suddenly, an animal skull comes rolling down the stairs, followed by the blue-eyed man, who tries to kill Jane with a hand axe. Jane runs down the stairs, out the building and into her car, where, after a few false starts (her car won't turn over), she drives to go meet Mary. She tells Mary that the blue-eyed man tried to kill her, so Mary drives her to a mansion, where they witness (and participate in) a Black Mass. Jane sees the cult's leader, J.P. McBrian (Julian Ugarte; FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD - 1969), slit the throat of a live fox (!) and drain its blood in a ceremonial goblet, which the cult members and Jane drink, culminating in an orgy, where Jane is passed around, naked, to the cult members and, finally, to their leader (who sports enormous black metal fingernails on all his fingers). That night, Jane is able to make love to Richard without being repulsed, for the first time since she lost the baby. So, is witchcraft the answer to Jane's problems? Jane thinks so, but if we know one thing about the supernatural, it is this: No matter how good the results, you always have to pay the Devil. What does this cult want from Jane? Could it be her soul or something more dastardly?
     Richard is so happy with Jane's lovemaking that he takes a rare day off of work so he and Jane can have lunch at a restaurant. Richard leaves the table to make a phone call and Jane sees Mr. Blue Eyes skulking outside. Jane runs out of the restaurant's back door, hails a cab and goes home, not thinking about Richard. Jane finds a book on magic and the supernatural among Richard's things and when Richard comes home, demanding an explanation on why she left him in the restaurant, she demands to know why Richard has this book.  He tells her he bought it at a used bookstore, but doesn't tell her why he bought it (looking guilty about something). The next time we see Jane, she is back at the mansion in the middle of another Black Mass, where she stabs and kills Mary with a ceremonial dagger (Mary welcomes it). Jane believes she is finally free, but when she is in the park, the blue-eyed man, whose name is Mark Cogan, grabs Jane by the arm and says, "Now you're one of us. You can't turn your back on us any more. Come, he is waiting for us!", leading her into the mansion and the blood-filled Black Mass room. J.P. McBrian appears and says to Jane, "With us you won't be alone any more! You belong to us forever, Jane!" She asks where Mary is, demanding to see her and McBrian says, "As you wish. Mary wanted to be free. Anyone who wants to go free has to bring a new adept (replacement)." Guess who that is? What has Jane gotten herself in to? If you want to find out, you'll have to watch the film, because most of the grisly thrills and surprises come after what I have just described to you. I will tell you this: The harder Jane tries to get away from the cult, the more painful it becomes for her (physically and emotionally), until she cannot trust those closest to her.
     Director Sergio Martino hasn't let me down yet when it comes to the giallo films he has directed (THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH - 1971; YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM... - 1972; the aforementioned TORSO - 1973; and even THE SCORPION WITH TWO TAILS - 1982 to some extant) and he certainly doesn't disappoint with this film (the only Martino giallo film I haven't seen is THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL - 1971, but that will be rectified soon). Filmed much in the same way as his other giallo flicks (cinematography by Miguel Fernandez Mila [THE LORELEY'S GRASP - 1973; THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK - 1975] and Giancarlo Ferrando [who shot many of Martino's other genre films, including THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS - 1973; THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A MINOR - 1975; and MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD - 1978]) and loaded with his patented flourishes, such as using a fisheye lens to film the Black Mass and orgy scenes, giving them an otherworldly feel, as well as implying that psychiatry is a cure for witchcraft (!), this film is never boring. Weird? Yes, but boring? Never. Besides those flourishes, there is plentiful nudity by Edwige Fenech, who I consider to be one of the most beautiful and talented women in Italian film history (and not just genre films). Most of the other actresses also have nude scenes, making this film easy on the eyes. If I do have one complaint (and it's minor), it's that this film is missing the graphic violence we expect in a giallo film, but when it does happen (the fox being killed, seeing Mary's dead body for the first time, the bloody finale), it is shocking. When it comes to mixing giallo and supernatural horror elements together, this film would be hard-pressed to be beaten, mainly because Martino is at the helm. He knows what makes these films work and he doesn't disappoint here. The screenplay for this film was written by his longstanding collaborator, Ernesto Gastaldi, who also knows what makes a giallo film work, as he has written some of the best of them, including A...FOR ASSASSIN (1966); THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH (1968); DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT (1972) and many, many more. So sit back, try to relax (it won't be easy here) and enjoy a film from one of the best giallo directors. And, oh, that ending! It certainly surprised me and I hazard to guess it will you, too.
     Shot as TUTTI I COLORI DEL BUIO (a literal translation of the review title), this film was released to U.S. theaters as THEY'RE COMING TO GET YOU (distributed by Independent-International Pictures) in edited form, shortening the orgy and nudity sequences. Super Video then released it on VHS under the title DAY OF THE MANIAC, shorn of even more footage. It was then released uncut and in widescreen on DVD by Mondo Macabro (long OOP). If you have an all-region Blu-Ray player, British outfit Shameless Films offer it in that format. I saw it on YouTube in a nice, uncut widescreen print, in Italian with English subtitles, the way it should be seen. This is a film screaming for a U.S. Blu release. I wish some enterprising stateside company would jump on this ASAP! Also starring Maria Cumani Quasimodo (RIOT IN A WOMEN'S PRISON - 1974), Dominique Boschero (WHO SAW HER DIE? - 1972), Renato Chiantoni (GANG WAR IN MILAN - 1972), Tom Felleghy (THE NIGHT CHILD - 1975), Gianni Pulone (THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS - 1971) and the prolific Carla Mancini (DEATH SMILES ON A MURDERER - 1973). Although the U.S. Theatrical version was Rated R, this version is obviously Not Rated. UPDATE: The fine folks at Severin Films have released a beautiful Blu-Ray & DVD of this title (The Limited Edition Blu-Ray comes with a CD of Bruno Nicolai's memorable music soundtrack!). Jump on it!

AMERICAN NIGHTMARE (1981) - I've always considered this film a sleazier low-budget Canadian version of director/writer Paul Schrader's HARDCORE (1979) and once you watch it, I think you will see the similarities, too. Just like Schrader's film, this one is about a man completely out of his element, who makes some surprising choices along the way in search of someone he loves. The film opens with stripper/hooker Isabelle (Alexandra Paul; SPECTRE - 1996) in a cheap motel room, naked in bed and smoking a joint. She is talking to a man in the bathroom (we never see his face or hear his voice), who is washing his hands and putting on a pair of surgical latex gloves. Isabelle is apologizing about some videotapes being made and swears she didn't know anything about it. The man comes out of the bathroom dressed in nothing but a towel, mounts Isabelle and then graphically slits her throat with a straight-razor. We are then introduced to Isabelle's brother Eric (Lawrence S. Day), a Classically-trained pianist and best-selling recording artist (he has the gold records hanging on his walls to prove it!), as he knocks on Isabelle's apartment door (he hasn't talked to Isabelle in quite a while, but she sent him a letter saying that she was in big trouble and needs his help), but gets no answer. Her cross-dressing across-the-hall neighbor Dolly (Larry Aubrey; THE VINDICATOR - 1986) informs Eric that Isabelle is a stripper that uses the name "Tanya" ("They always change their names when they do it.") and that he hasn't seen her in a couple of days. This leads Eric on an odyssey of the seedier side of life, where the streets are full of strip clubs, porno stores, porno theaters and prostitutes. He is truly a stranger in a strange land. When Isabelle, a.k.a. "Tanya", doesn't show up for her normal stripping gig, club manager Wally (Peter Lavender) asks the off-duty Tina (Lenore Zann; HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME - 1980) to fill in for her (Wally says about "Tanya": "Shit, she's probably so spaced out on 'ludes, she can't dial a phone!"). Tina agrees because Tanya is a friend and doesn't want her to be fired, so she goes on stage (she wears a Devil costume and dances provocatively with a pitchfork), much to the dismay of her boyfriend Mark (Page Fletcher; HUMONGOUS - 1981), who would rather Tina come home with him. Eric confronts his estranged father, Hamilton Blake (Tom Harvey), the owner of the huge corporation Blake Industries (who are holding some kind of telethon called "UNI Saves" in the very near future), with the note Isabelle sent him and asks for help in finding her, but Hamilton says it was her and Eric's choice to leave the family and he wants nothing more to do with her. When Eric leaves, Hamilton pulls a photo of Isabelle out of his desk and fondles it, so we know there is more to the story. Eric starts interviewing "Tanya's" friends: strippers Louise (Lora Staley; THIEF - 1981) and Andrea (Claudia Udy; NIGHTFORCE - 1986), but comes away with little information. He then goes to the police, where he talks to Sgt. Skylar (Michael Ironside; SCANNERS - 1980; here billed as "Mike Ironside"), who tells Eric that he doesn't have much faith in what strippers say, but he will look into it. Meanwhile, the faceless killer murders Andrea by slitting her wrists and drowning her in the bathtub, making it look like a suicide. As the killer is exiting the building, he bumps into the cross-dressing Dolly and he gets a good look at the killer's face. Louise doesn't believe that Andrea committed suicide and Eric asks her for help at Andrea's funeral. At first she turns him down ("You're asking me for help at a funeral?!?"), but when the killer tries to murder her and fails, she forms an uneasy alliance with Eric to discover the truth. Hamilton's right-hand man, Tony Shaw (Neil Dainard), asks Eric to play the piano at his father's telethon, but Eric tells Tony to tell his father to go to hell (clue alert!). Eric thinks he can trace Isabelle/Tanya's whereabouts by finding out what telephone calls she received from her answering service (the same service Louise uses). Eric and Louise get a list of numbers after bribing the lady at the answering service and notice there were several calls made by someone known as "The Fixer" at a cheap hotel. Dolly decides he is better off leaving town for good, but he chooses too late, as the killer grabs him in an alley and stabs him in the heart. Eric and Louise are nearly mugged, until Eric intervenes and turns the table on the mugger (I guess playing the piano gives you strong hands!). After Louise witnesses Eric saving her life, they become lovers and have sex at Eric's palatial apartment. While Louise is sleeping, Eric sneaks out and heads to the cheap hotel and strong-arms the hotel manager (Paul Bradley). The manager tells him that The Fixer videotapes all the girls having sex with their tricks, but only The Fixer has the videotapes and he has no idea where he is. Eric and Louise look through the slimier streets of town (where we see a theater marquee advertising the porn film THE SECOND COMING OF EVA - 1974) looking for The Fixer (this is after Louise goes through an embarrassing "audition" for a role in the UNI Saves telethon, but she has a callback) and when Louise goes home because she is tired, Eric finds The Fixer (Mike Copeman) in a porno theater and uses The Fixer's own gun to force him to tell Eric where the videotapes are (at a bus station locker). While Mark is being sweated by Sgt. Skylar as the possible killer, the real one shows up after hours at the strip club and slices Tina's throat with a knife. When Eric watches the videotapes, he sees a familiar face on one of the tapes and it ain't his sister's (well, half of it is)! It's Hamilton fucking his own daughter and when Eric confronts him with the evidence (Hamilton says he been screwing his own daughter since their mother died!) and says he is going to turn it over to the Press and the police, Hamilton commits suicide by shooting himself in the head. As you can guess by now, Hamilton is not the killer; it was Tony (Eric also discovers it is him when he finds Dolly's body and he is holding a key piece of evidence in his dead, clenched hand), who was trying to keep his boss squeaky clean by burying the evidence and the people involved. Eric must race to the UNI Saves auditions, where Louise is "rehearsing" for Tony. Can Eric save Louise in time before Tony takes her life?  This is a cheap, tawdry look at a slice of life that most of us never see and, therefore, is must viewing for people interested in the subject matter. It is full of tits and ass (but no bush) and has enough bloody violence to satisfy early-80's gorehounds, too. Director Don McBrearty is better known for directing episodes of Canadian TV series and TV movies (such as THE HAUNTING OF LISA - 1996), which he is still doing at the time this review was written. Screenwriter John Sheppard (BULLIES - 1986; Dolph Lundgren's DETENTION - 2003) definitely got the impetus for this film from Schrader's movie, except it is much more down and dirty than the George C. Scott-starrer. I actually prefer AMERICAN NIGHTMARE over Schrader's film because it is able to go places and show things not acceptable in a big-budget film. Producer Ray Sager got his start as an actor in a few films by goremaster H.G. Lewis (eventually appearing in the title role in Lewis' WIZARD OF GORE - 1970), before becoming a respected Producer of Canadian genre films, including all three sequels to PROM NIGHT (1980), as well as many Canadian TV movies and television series up to this day. This film was his first as a Producer. One of the Executive Producers was Paul Lynch, who also has a healthy career as a director, making the aforementioned PROM NIGHT, HUMONGOUS and BULLIES, as well as one of my favorite 90's action films NO CONTEST (1994). He is still very active today, especially on Canadian TV. Both Michael Ironside (who is given very little to do here) and Lenore Zann would appear together in the horror film VISITING HOURS, made the same year as this film. Lead actor Lawrence S. Day (who is not bad here) did one more film in 1992 before retiring from acting. Keep your eyes peeled for a juggling stripper and a poster for SCORCHY (1976) in one scene. Originally released on fullscreen VHS by Media Home Entertainment that was much too dark, with a budget VHS from Interglobal Home Video to follow (which was even worse to watch). Be aware that the DVD offered by Scorpion Releasing is also a fullscreen print and was taken from a less-than-pristine negative. There is a disclaimer before the film starts that says this was the only element of the film that could be found and is not up to Scorpion's usually great quality, but it is still better than the VHS print because you can see what is going on in some of the darker scenes. It is full of grain, dirt and emulsion scratches, but I think it adds just the right amount of ambiance to the film's subject matter. Also starring Bunty Webb, Nancy Oliver, Martin Doyle and Don MacQuarrie as the mugger. A Scorpion Releasing DVD Release. Rated R.

AN AMERICAN TERROR (2012) - You would think that a film that begins with a quote by Charles Manson would be complete trash, but this film turns into a socially relevant tale of bullying and school shootings. First off, here's the Manson quote:
"Look down at me and you see a fool -
Look up at me and you see a god -
Look straight at me and you see...yourself."
We then see high school punker Josh (Graham Emmons) get out of bed at 6:56 AM and then look at himself in the cracked bathroom mirror (a not so subtle way of saying this boy has some problems; we also hear his thoughts telling him to stay in bed and not go to school). He then has some breakfast while his mother and father totally ignore him and gets picked up by friends (and fellow punkers) Ray (Joseph Abplanalp, in a terrific performance) and Sammy (Taylor Hulett) in Roy's van and head off to another day of school punishment. Brandon (Nathan Green) and his usual bunch of superior-thinking jocks make comments like "Cheerleader pussy rocks" and Brandon's cheerleader girlfriend Tasha (Louise MacDonald) hears him and remarks that he will be lucky if he gets any. Brandon and the jocks do their daily bullying routine of the three punkers, telling them they need Brandon's permission to cross the football field and Brandon hauls off and punches and spits on Ray for talking back to him. We then see the three punkers in a basement watching a revenge movie on TV that night and when they get out of school the next day, someone has spray-painted "FAGS" across the passenger side of Ray's van. The cheerleaders laugh hysterically and take pictures of the van with their camera phones. The punkers are tired of being bullied because they dress and act differently from everyone else (this goes on daily in reality in almost every school in America), so Ray blurts out "We need guns!" (He wants to pull off a Columbine on the jocks and cheerleaders). The best they can do is come up with a 50 year-old handgun from Sammy's stepfather, but Ray sees a redneck (an unrecognizable Brian Thompson [COBRA - 1986; NIGHTWISH - 1988]) hauling a refrigerator away from Tasha's house (she needed to get rid of it and offered it free on an internet site saying "first come, first served") and makes Josh write down the company's phone number down. Ray says to the other two that the best place to get guns is from a redneck, so they do a reverse phone search of the number and find that the redneck's location (the end credits list Thompson's character name as "The Junker", but I'll stick with "redneck" since that is what the punkers call him) is 40 miles away from Denver (this film was lensed in Denver, Colorado). Ray and Josh plan to drive the 40 miles to the redneck's junkyard, while Sammy goes to the hardware store to get the components he needs to make pipe bombs. Ray tells Sammy if they don't return on time, he is to go through with the act of revenge, but make sure it is during Homecoming Night, when the jocks and their cheerleader girlfriends will be there. Ray and Josh drive to the junkyard, where Josh makes a phone call to the redneck saying there are some antiques that need to picked up immediately in Denver (Josh give him Brandon's address!). The wait for the redneck to leave in his truck and the two punkers break into the redneck's trailer, but find no guns. They do find a secret passageway in the trailer that leads to a huge underground bunker and they will need to use it when the redneck makes an unexpected return. They see that the bunker is full of automatic weapons and they suddenly hear loud gunshots, thinking that the redneck is shooting at them, so they run further down the bunker until they find what looks to be some type of torture room. They still hear the gunshots, so they hide in the room. The sounds they hear are not shots at all, but the sound of the redneck tipping the refrigerator ass-over-tea kettle until he gets it to the torture room. When he opens the refrigerator, Ray and Josh see that Tasha is inside, still alive but has duct tape over her mouth (it really does have many uses in films!) and is tied-up. The redneck puts Tasha in a special torture chair, but Ray talks Josh out of saving her, because she was going to be one of the targets on Homecoming Night anyway. The redneck hears Ray talking and grabs him (he doesn't see Josh), while Josh hides for his life.
HOMECOMING DAY 11:27 AM: The redneck has Tasha and Ray prisoner. The redneck straps some strange gear on his body (including a mask with a huge beak on it, not unlike the one Nivek Ogre wore in SCREAM PARK - 2012) and begins to videotape what is about to happen. The redneck pulls off Ray's eyebrows with a pair of pliers (ouch!) while Ray prattles on about how they could work together to kill their enemies. The redneck has heard enough and puts a bullet in Ray's head, killing him, and then leaves the room. Tasha is still alive and Josh tries to save her. The first thing he does is pull the duct tape off her mouth and she screams (the stupid bitch), so Josh puts the duct tape back over her mouth. The redneck returns to the room carrying the corpse of another woman and he screws the corpse on top of a table while watching Woody Woodpecker cartoons (which could explain the mask). The redneck then falls asleep and Josh frees Tasha (who seems to be drugged) and they try to escape the underground bunker, while a groggy Tasha hampers their speed and keeps passing out.
HOMECOMING DAY 3:42 PM: We watch Sammy making some pipe bombs, totally unaware of what has happened to Roy or what Josh is going through. The redneck wakes up and notices that Tasha is missing, so he grabs his pistol and goes looking for her. Josh and Tasha are still in the bunker thanks to Tasha's drugged-out state, but the more they get through the many corridors, the more dead bodies they find, which means that the redneck has been doing this for a very long time. The redneck soon finds the pair and chokes Josh unconscious, while Tasha grabs the redneck's pistol from its holster, but she misses the redneck with her first shot and drops the gun (We could blame the drugs for making her miss, but she was no more than three feet away from him, so even a blind man could have hit him. And she drops the gun because it makes a big bang, proving that it takes a special breed of idiot to become a cheerleader). The redneck knocks her out with one punch. When Josh wakes up, he is tied-up and in an empty hot tub with the redneck. The redneck (who is smarter than you think) has created a machine that will slowly burn Josh's body away as acid fills the tub and he whispers into Josh's ear (the first time we really get a good look at Thompson's face) that he knows what Josh was going to do that night (thanks to Ray telling him), but it looks like he is not going to be there. The redneck flips the switch that turns on the acid machine and Josh can see the acid traveling down some clear tubes. Tasha suddenly appears and hits the redneck over the head several times with a sledgehammer and tries to free Josh, but she's too stupid to figure it out in time and just pumps bullets into the hot tub, so the acid flows out. The redneck wakes up with what is probably Excedrin Headache #1, but Josh and Tasha have booby-trapped the room and the redneck trips it, causing a big metal gate to come flying at the redneck, hitting him hard. Josh and Tasha make it outside by crawling through a window in the trailer, but the redneck grabs Tasha's leg and Josh chains his arm to a pole. Josh and Tasha use a bulldozer to drop a bunch of junked cars on the trailer, killing the redneck. Suddenly, Josh says, "Fuck, it's not over!"
HOMECOMING NIGHT 7:15 PM: Josh has to stop Sammy from going through with the massacre, but he doesn't have the keys to the car, so he has to go down to the bunker and get the keys out of Ray's pants pocket (he also leaves a sign in the torture room as a tribute to his two friends). He gets the keys and he and Tasha race back to Denver, but it is 40 miles away and time is coming close to the massacre. Sammy walks into a convenience store, where he asks the nerdy teen behind the counter why he is not at the Homecoming Dance. The teen says "Are you kidding me? Just look at me!" and Sammy shakes his hand (It's a telling moment.). While Sammy is walking down the road, he gets hassled by a cop, who wants to know where he is going ("The Homecoming Dance.") and why he is dressed that way ("This is the way I always dress."), but the officer makes his life a living hell, just like the jocks, so he blows up the police car and the officer with a pipe bomb. Josh makes it to the high school just in time and tries to talk Sammy out of the massacre, but then suddenly Josh is woken up by his alarm clock at 6:56 AM, goes to the bathroom and looks at his reflection in the cracked mirror and has breakfast while his parents ignore him. Is Josh caught in a time loop? Turns out that Josh actually talked Sammy out of the massacre and he has become the hero of the school. Donald and the rest of the jocks still treat him like shit, but Josh has a new outlook on life and puts Brandon in his place, something he has never experienced before. Tasha (who is now Josh's girlfriend) yells to Brandon: "Cheerleader pussy...it does rock!" and kisses Josh. Make sure you stay through the end credits, because the final stinger is very important (I'm not going to spoil it for you, except to say that the redneck is not alive), as the title of the film changes to AN AMERICAN TERROR 2.
What looks like a film that is going to turn into a tale of violent revenge and retribution (Something we have seen much too often in our schools the past few years, turning our educational system into a virtual prison with "zero tolerance", such as a fourth grader who drew a gun in art class and was suspended from school. For drawing a gun!!!! Another younger kid took a two week rip for making his thumb and forefinger in the shape of a gun!!!!! That is not "zero tolerance", that is adult ignorance.) actually turns into a parable about redemption and forgiveness. Everyone, including Josh, can change the future (and sometimes become a hero in the process), but you have to apply yourself and sometimes turn the other cheek. Director/screenwriter/editor/sound designer Haylar Garcia (this was his first feature-length fictional film), was actually an acclaimed musician/songwriter/music producer before he decided to go into filmmaking (I must confess that some of the thrash metal songs playing during some scenes were a distraction to me, but I get the feeling that Garcia was actually speaking to teenagers with this film and not old fogies like myself) and I sincerely hope he sticks with filmmaking, because he actually pulls great performances out of the young cast (This is the first feature film for the actors who play Josh, Ray and Sammy) and holds you in suspense in some scenes. This film is basically serious stuff (but a hand gesture Thompson's character makes sure gave me a good laugh) and teaches both young and old what effect bullying has on people (I know some people who still have emotional scars from being bullied in school and that was over 40 years ago. These are emotional wounds that are hard to heal.) This film may not be for all tastes because, at times, it can be a little "torture porny", but people looking for some social significance to go along with the thriller elements should appreciate this film. It may have cliched portrayals of cheerleaders (Tasha does some really stupid things in this film, but not all cheerleaders are as ditsy as her), but Tasha has one of the best final comeback lines I have heard in quite a while. An enjoyable low-budget film that is as inventive as it is relevant. Besides, any film that makes Charles Manson look like an ass is OK in my book. We are all individuals. We just have to remember that. Also starring James Miller, Michael Haskins, T. Alex Demos, Jennifer Wilde, Kathryn Gould and Troy Alan. An Uncork'd Entertainment DVD Release. It is actually a DVD-R, since Amazon (the exclusive distributor of disc) only produces them MOD (made on demand). It is available on many streaming services, though.  Not Rated.

APPOINTMENT IN BLACK (1990) - We watch as a local butcher rapes a young, frightened teenage girl in the back of his butcher shop, picking her up, placing her on a counter (beneath his meathooks), ripping off her clothes and removing his belt. Thankfully, we don't see what happens next. Fifteen years later, we watch the beautiful Angela Baldwin (Mirella Banti; TENEBRE - 1982), dressed in a slutty red dress, enter a "sex cinema" (porno theater) and use the ladies bathroom, where she is violently raped and assaulted. Is the mysterious man wearing blue jeans and sunglasses (Daniele Stroppa; RUSH - 1983; also this film's screenwriter) responsible for this? Angela's diplomat husband, John Baldwin (Andy J. Forest; MARK OF THE SCORPION - 1986), is having an affair with Angela's best friend, beautiful model Eva (Mary Lindstrom). He blames Angela for her rape, asking her why she went to a porno theater dressed like a slut (remember this was long before the #MeToo movement). He tells Eva he wishes her could get rid of his bitch wife, but a divorce would ruin his political career. Eva has another idea on how to get rid of Angela and it doesn't require a divorce (She would like to become the next Mrs. Baldwin). The sex cinema's projectionist, Frank Evans (Franco Citti; WATCH ME WHEN I KILL - 1977), approaches Angela and blackmails her for a large sum of money, telling her he installed a peephole in the theater's womens bathroom and saw her fake her own rape (In flashback, we see Angela in the bathroom tearing her dress and even slicing open her lip to make it look like she was violently raped). If she doesn't want her husband to know what she did, she better fork over a lot of cash and he really rapes her as a down payment! I guess the real question is this: Why would Angela fake her own rape and even report it to a female Police Inspector (Sonia Viviani; THE POSSESSOR - 1975)?
     At one of John's diplomatic parties at their home, Angela gets drunk and dances provocatively in front of everyone, pissing off John. The mysterious man in blue jeans and sunglasses attacks Angela in the bathroom, but John doesn't believe her, that is until he sees "You're Dead, Angela" written in lipstick on the bedroom mirror. Is Angela faking it again or is something else going on?  John orders the Police Inspector to protect his wife better, but it's easy to see he's mad that Angela's rape in a sex cinema made the newspapers and couldn't care an iota about her safety. The Inspector is having none of John's macho bullshit and tells her female assistant (Ann Margaret Hughes; BLUE TORNADO - 1990) that John is "tedious" and she would love to lock him up (It is possible that the Inspector is a lesbian, but it is never made clear).
     John and Eva can't keep their hands off each other and have sex as much as possible, but they can't hide it from the maid, Rosy ("Roxana Cox"; Real name: Rossana Coggiola), because maids see and know everything that goes on in the homes they work at (Yet, Rosy won't talk to the Police Inspector.). When the Inspector is questioning Angela and Eva, Angela get a phone call from the mysterious man, who tells her he will be visiting her again very soon. For some reason, Angela searches Eva's purse and finds a receipt from a local joke shop, so Angela goes there and purchases a joke cigarette lighter shaped like a small pistol. Oh, and it also shoots blanks. The clerk tells Angela that the cigarette lighter can be dangerous, even deadly, if the blank cartridges were replaced with actual gunpowder (This film is beginning to push the unbelievability factor to eleven, as it telegraphs everything that will come later in the film).
     Angela finds a child's doll in her car with a switchblade shoved in its mouth and reports it to the Inspector. She tells Angela that she, too, was sexually assaulted when she was a young girl. We then find out that fifteen years ago, it was a young Angela who was raped by the butcher and her father was arrested for killing her rapist, forcing Angela to spend her teenage years in a "home" until she became of legal age to be on her own. The Inspector apologizes to Angela for judging her too hard, but we then discover that Angela may have indeed killed her rapist fifteen years ago, not her father, who may have taken credit to save his daughter from serving prison time. In flashback, we see someone killing the butcher by using his meat slicer to cut off his hand and then slice his throat open, the blood gushing out like a river.
     John and Eva continue to fuck like rabbits, John telling Eva not to worry about Angela catching them in the act because she takes a handful of sleeping pills every night just before she goes to bed. Not this night, though, as Angela watches from the shadows as her husband and her best friend do the dirty in the swimming pool (I hope there's a lot of chlorine in the water to kill the deposits!). The next morning, Angela is reading the newspaper, where the headline reads "PROJECTIONIST KILLED BY HIT AND RUN DRIVER". We then see Angela with the mystery man in blue jeans and sunglasses. Turns out he's Angela's brother, David, who everyone thinks is dead. He is actually the one who killed Angela's rapist fifteen years ago and when their father discovered David was the killer, he went to the police and confessed to the crime. We also learn that their father died in jail. It shouldn't come as a surprise that David also killed the projectionist, as we watch Angela give her brother an envelope full of money and an airline ticket to Brazil. She also gives him the joke cigarette lighter as a going away gift (I know what you are thinking and you're right!).
     Eva tells John to be nice to Angela so she doesn't get suspicious that she won't be around much longer. John then makes love to Angela (Where does he get the stamina?!?), but Angela lies on the bed like a corpse, showing no emotion while John bumps and grinds away. The Inspector's assistant tells her that the dead projectionist worked at the same sex cinema that Angela was raped in and she becomes instantly suspicious. We then discover that Angela and Eva are actually working together to kill John so Angela can inherit all his money and split it with Eva. Rosy hears their plans, but they catch her, chase her down and kill her. As they are shoving her dead body in the trunk of a car, they are almost caught by the Inspector. She tells Angela that Frank Evans was probably her stalker, because since his death, she has had no threats on her life. Does the Inspector really think this or it it only a ruse? John leaves on a business trip and gives Angela a pistol to protect herself if the stalker should come back when he is gone. We then learn that John is not on a business trip at all, as he meets Eva in a local hotel to prepare for Angela's murder that night. So who's playing who? Are Angela and Eva really together or is Eva actually working with John? Or is this story open for another "twist"? If you want to find out, I'm afraid you'll have to watch the damn film for yourself. I'll just say this: Think of the most outrageous thing that could possibly happen and you are probably correct. Oh, and that joke cigarette lighter? It plays a major role in the film's closing shot.
     This cliche-ridden pseudo-giallo flick, an Italy/Germany  co-production, has one good thing going for it, namely a ton of full-frontal nudity from the mostly female cast. Director Antonio Bonifacio (who also made another late-in-the-game giallo called THE STRANGE STORY OF OLGA 'O' - 1995; as well as being Assistant Director on ZOMBIE 5: KILLING BIRDS - 1987), working with a screenplay by "Daniel Brados", who is actually co-star Daniele Stroppa (writer of such films as DELIRIUM: PHOTO OF GIOIA -1987; WITCHERY - 1988; and the awful THE CRAWLERS - 1990), doesn't fail to miss one giallo trope here, especially during the film's final five minutes, where all logic is tossed out the window in favor of the film's "surprise" final twist. It wasn't a double-cross, a triple-cross or even a quadruple-cross, but a quintuple-cross! I have to say that even though the film is an assault on the brain of any logical thinking person, it is still very easy on the eyes, thanks to the non-stop female nudity. That is by no means a ringing endorsement, but I have certainly seen much worse pseudo-giallo films in  my life. So enjoy the non-sensical plot and stay for the constanty naked female flesh. Remember when you could enjoy films like this without feeling guilty?
     Shot as APPUNTAMENTO IN NERO (a literal translation of the review title) and also known as BLIND DATE, LADY IN BLACK and SCANDAL IN BLACK, this film didn't receive a theatrical or legitimate VHS release in the United States (even though the IMDb states it had a U.S. theatrical release in 1991, something I was unable to verify), making its first appearance in the States as a DVD from Mya Communications in 2010, under the BLIND DATE title. No Blu-Ray at the time of this review. It's also available streaming on YouTube from user "Film&Clips", who offer a nice anamorphic widescreen print dubbed in English (even though it is apparent everyone is speaking English). Also featuring Marina Hedman (PLAY MOTEL - 1979), Laura Piattella (THE STENDHAL SYNDROME - 1996), Vincent Regina (THE SECT - 1991) and George Sessax (APOCALYPSE MERCENARIES - 1987). Not Rated, obviously due to the frequent nudity and some nasty bits of gore.

AUTOPSY (1973) - Downright weird Italian thriller that mixes elements of giallo with horror. The film opens with close-ups of sun flares (the film's Italian title is MACCHIE SOLARI, which translates to "Sun Spots"), as we watch several people in Rome commit suicide. A topless woman slits her wrists with a razor blade. A businessman puts a plastic bag over his head, tightens the drawstring and jumps into a river. Another man lights a match inside his car, which is doused in gasoline, and blows himself up (we see a shot shot of him burning to death). A father kills his two young children with a machine-gun before turning it on himself. Just what is the cause of these suicides? Is it a case of mass hysteria (Rome is going through a sweltering heatwave) or are there more sinister causes at work?
     The job of finding answers falls on pathologist Simona Sanna (Mimsy Farmer; FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET - 1971; THE PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK - 1974), who is interning at a teaching hospital until she finishes her college thesis on "simulated and authentic suicides" (try not to think too hard about this!). Simona, who is over-worked and over-heated, has a freak-out scene where she imagines all the dead bodies in the morgue come to life and have sex with each other (it must be seen to be believed!). Simona is a new resident at an apartment complex, where she meets her upstairs neighbor, red-headed Betty Lenox (Gaby Wagner), who knocks on Simona's door to borrow an envelope. Betty hears her phone ring, runs upstairs and we can tell by the look on her face that the phone call is trouble. She runs out of the apartment complex, nearly gets raped by two drunk pedestrians, goes to church and then is picked up by someone she knows (but we don't see) . The mystery begins.
     The next day, Simona is in the morgue when the newest "suicide" is brought to her. It is the body of a young woman who stuck a pistol under her chin and pulled the trigger (We see her face which is missing teeth and one eyeball is hanging out of the socket!). We then watch as demented morgue assistant Ivo (Ernesto Colli; THE TEMPTER - 1974) fixes her face with putty so the police can take a picture of her for the newspaper (Ivo makes sure that his hand brushes against her cold naked breast). It turns out that this female stiff is the body of Betty Lenox without her red wig. A priest named Father Paul (Barry Primus; THE DION BROTHERS - 1974) shows up at the morgue and insists that Betty was murdered and could not have possibly committed suicide because he gave her absolution from her sins the night before. You see, Father Paul's last name is Lenox and Betty was his sister. Simona's photographer/race car driver boyfriend, Riccardo (the late Ray Lovelock; LAST HOUSE ON THE BEACH - 1978), recalls that Father Paul was once a famous race car driver that was committed to a mental institution after causing a major accident at a racetrack where people were killed (Riccardo tells Simona that it is not such a far leap from a loony bin to a man of the cloth!). Right away, we see that Father Paul is a sandwich short of a picnic, as he yells to Simona, "Show me some respect! Show me some respect!" when she questions his sanity after seeing him punch out the apartment complex's caretaker (Leonardo Severini) for calling Betty a prostitute. Making matter worse, someone is stalking Simona, trying to kill her. But why?
     There are many people who could be the stalker, as they are also hiding secrets of their own. Besides Father Paul and the caretaker (whom we see beating his dog for barking), there's Riccardo, who seems to know more than he is telling; Simona's father, Lello (Carlo Cataneo), who buys a pistol from the caretaker for reasons not yet made clear; Lello's former lover Danielle (Angela Goodwin), who is an artist of grotesque paintings of death (she works at a "criminal museum" that is full of photos of real-life death and wax figures of murderers); Simona's Uncle Gianni (Massimo Serato; DON'T LOOK NOW - 1973), who lies to Simona on when he arrived in Rome. Even Simona herself is a strange bird, as she cannot make love to Riccardo without seeing the bodies of corpses coming to life. It seems that everyone in this film has secrets they would kill for.
     Simona and Father Paul find the caretaker hanging by his neck in his bathroom (he used his belt as a noose). Father Paul tries to revive him (in one of the strangest resuscitation methods that I have ever seen, moving his arms up and down like some air pump!), only to witness him take a final breath before he foams at the mouth and dies. Then Lello jumps (or is pushed out) a window in Betty's apartment and he fractures his back, causing him to become a paraplegic, unable to talk. Just moments before, Lello and Gianni discover a letter written by Betty where she says she wishes she could become Lello's wife, but since she can't, she has taken the only action that makes sense. Yes, this could be looked at as a suicide note, but an important document (a revised will) is missing, which could prove Betty was murdered. Simona and Father Paul decide to hook up Lello with an experimental machine that will enable him to answer questions with his eye movements. Once hooked up to the machine, they ask him if he tried to commit suicide, but all he is able to communicate are the letters "SIMONASEI" before he convulses and dies, foaming at the mouth just like the caretaker did (The letters are part of a quotation in Italian, but it is not translated for English speaking audiences. It really doesn't matter, though.).
     The reveal of the killer is a cheat on the audience, as we are never clued-in on the killer's motivations until the film's final minutes. It seems that Riccardo was injecting people with a deadly paralytic agent to cover up the fact that he killed his father years earlier so he could inherit his father's fortune. Betty had his father's revised will, which disinherited Riccardo (which is why Betty wanted to borrow an envelope from Simona). He killed everyone to get his hands on that will to destroy it. His last act is to inject Simona and Father Paul with the agent, strip them nude, put them in Simona's bathroom and turn on the gas to make it look like a double suicide. Only God is on the side of Father Paul and Simona. They miraculously revive and ruin Riccardo's plans. He dies by falling off scaffolding on top of an old church after getting into a scuffle with Father Paul. Riccardo's final image is of tourists crowding around his crushed body.
     While we are never given a valid reason why some people are committing mass suicide, Simona theorizes that it has something to do with the solar flares that are causing the heatwave (It's a throw-away line that is the only part of the film that is in Italian with English subtitles). Every time someone kills themselves, we are shown close-ups of solar flares shooting off the Sun. Besides the sudden reveal of the killer and his motivations, this is an atmospheric and creepy delight. It has wall-to-wall full frontal male and female nudity and the music score, by Oscar®-winning composer Ennio Morricone (who wrote the my favorite score of all time, the soundtrack to DUCK, YOU SUCKER - 1971) adds immensely to the proceedings. Director Armando Crispino (COMMANDOS - 1968; THE DEAD ARE ALIVE - 1972; FRANKENSTEIN ITALIAN STYLE - 1975), who co-wrote the screenplay with Lucio Battistrada (RIPPED-OFF - 1972), fills the film with weird visuals which will get your mind off of some of the story's gaping plot holes. But that by no means distracts you from the fact that this is an enjoyable, twisted flick from those crazy Italians, whose country is shaped like a boot.
     This was one of a long line of Italian genre films that was released theatrically during the 1970's & 80's. AUTOPSY was released in 1975 (by Joseph Brenner Associates) in a severely-edited R-Rated print, shorn of 15 minutes of footage (Mostly nudity, including an attempted rape of Simona by Ivo, whom she stabs in the cheek with a fork. Which brings up the big question: What in the hell is a fork doing in a morgue?). The edited print was then released on VHS by Prism Entertainment in the mid-'80s, with an uncut widescreen VHS & DVD to follow from Anchor Bay Entertainment early in the New Millennium (long OOP). The only way to go now is the beautiful DVD from Blue Underground (No Blu-Ray at the time of this review). The DVD is short on extras (just a U.S. Trailer and an International trailer where it was known as THE VICTIM), but if your interests run towards strange, nudity-filled Italian thrillers, you won't be disappointed. Also starring Eleonora Morana, Giovanni Di Benedetto, Pier Giovanni Anchisi and Antonio Casale as clueless Police Inspector Silvestri. Not Rated.

BAD ASS (2011) - I love Danny Trejo. Love him. And while this film may be considered a geriatric version of DEATH WISH (1974, Charles Bronson even gets a shout-out in this film), there is so much more going on here than vigilante justice. Trejo has what is probably the biggest role of his career (even bigger than his role in MACHETE - 2010, as he appears in nearly every scene) as Frank Vega, an elderly gent who is about to become a YouTube sensation. Frank has had a hard life. After meeting his true love as a teenager, he enlists in the military and fought in the Vietnam War for seven years, the last year as a POW. He is shot in the leg while escaping the POW camp and is honorably discharged by the military, returning home to his true love (who promised to wait for him), only to find her married with two kids. He applies to the police department to become a cop, but is turned down due to his war injury. For the rest of his life, he has supported himself (and his elderly mother) by selling hotdogs from a cart, until one of those "boutique" food truck takes up residence across the street from him, stealing most of his customers. While taking the bus on the way home, two punks hop on board and start harassing the passengers, so Frank takes care of business and knocks the two punks out. People on-board the bus take footage of Frank's fighting on their camera phones on and post it on YouTube (called "YouSee" here, probably because YouTube wouldn't give them permission to use their name), making Frank an instant Internet sensation, who everyone dubs "Bad Ass". Frank is lacking knowledge in the technical department, as he doesn't even own a cell phone or a computer and wouldn't know how to use either even if he did have them. When Frank's elderly mother dies, she leaves her house to Frank, so he invites best friend Klondike (Harrison Page; LIONHEART - 1990), who saved his life during the war, to come live with him. While they are getting drunk at the house, Klondike throws Frank an envelope and tells him it contains a USB drive (Frank has no idea what that is), explaining that if anything happens to him, he should turn it over to someone he trusts. When Klondike leaves the house to pick up a pack of Camels, he is shot dead by two guys looking for the USB drive. They work for Panther (Charles S. Dutton; MIMIC - 1997), a man who is in cahoots with the town's corrupt Mayor Williams (Ron Perlman; TV's SONS OF ANARCHY) to buy up property in the area and regentrify it illegally. When Frank is notified of Klondike's death, he goes to the police precinct to see what progress they are making. After being assured everything is being done and then watching the detectives playing a game of foam basketball in the precinct's break room, Frank decides to take the law into his own hands. He becomes friends with foul-mouthed kid Martin (John Duffy), who lives next door with his physically abused mother Amber (Joyful Drake), who gets beat-up by her boyfriend nearly every night. When Frank steps in and stops one of those beatings, it becomes apparent that Frank and Amber will become much more than friends (even though he is old enough to be her father, but Trejo pulls it off magnificently). Martin shows Frank how to use the USB drive that Klondike gave him and discovers Panther and the Mayor's plan for their neighborhood. Frank gives the USB drive to the only cop he trusts, Patrol Officer Malark (Patrick Fabian), who Frank has gone on many "ride-alongs" with and have built-up a friendship and then he begins to hunt down the people who killed his friend, starting with the two people who actually killed Klondike. He follows one of the goon's girlfriend to her home (he is caught trying to break in by her diminutive neighbor, played by SEINFELD's Danny Woodburn, but he gives him a pass because he recognizes Frank as "Bad Ass"!) and finds the guy who actually pulled the trigger, killing Klondike. Frank sticks the goon's left hand into the garbage disposal until he gives up the location of Panther (As he is walking out of the house, he says to the goon, "I hope you're a righty!", one of the film's many little jokes that make this film a joy to watch). Trouble is, Panther is waiting for him at the warehouse and some more goons knock Frank out. When Frank wakes up, he is connected to an electrical torture device (shades of LETHAL WEAPON - 1987) and is shocked to give up the location of the USB drive, Panther not knowing that Frank was tortured the same way during his time as a POW and was never broken. Frank breaks free and blows up the warehouse, which leads to Panther and Frank stealing busses (Well, Panther really only steals a bus, as Frank is happily offered another bus because the driver recognizes him as "Bad Ass"!). A bus chase ensues (the only disappointing part of the film, because it is obvious that this footage was cribbed from the Schwarzenegger film RED HEAT - 1988 and digitally altered to substitute Los Angeles for Chicago), both of them crashing the busses. Panther heads to Frank's home to kill Amber, but Franks stops him in the nick of time, beating the crap out of Panther. The next day the Mayor is arrested, thanks to Officer Malark turning over the USB drive to the right people, everyone else is brought to justice and Frank becomes an honorary police officer.  Not just a revenge film, but also an essay on how we are so dependent on "instant access" in the Internet Age, this thriller/action/comedy, directed and written by Craig Moss (BREAKING WIND - 2012, also featuring Trejo), depends on the charisma of Danny Trejo and I'm glad to report, he pulls it off with the aplomb that he was never offered before. This may be the best role of his career, as it does show what a full range Trejo is capable of. He can be tough, tender, funny and romantic, sometimes all in the same scene. As of this review, director Moss has finished a sequel, BAD ASS 2: BAD ASSES (2013), which pairs Trejo with Danny Glover and will be released sometime in 2014 (This film is hilarious and full of action scenes. Trejo and Glover make a great team. See my review in the DTV Section.) and BAD ASS 3: BAD ASSES ON THE BAYOU (also with Glover) to be released sometime in 2015. It's great to see Trejo get such big roles and recognition he so richly deserves so late in his acting career, as he has been appearing in bit roles and secondary characters in nearly 250 films since 1985. Between this series and MACHETE KILLS (2013), it is my hope that Danny Trejo stay on top for years to come (It's hard to believe that Trejo will be 70 years-young in 2014!). Also starring Richard Riehle (HATCHET - 2007) as a priest, Duane Whitaker (TRAILER PARK OF TERROR - 2008) as a pawn shop owner, Norma Michaels (THE ZODIAC KILLER - 1971) as an elderly woman (she has one of the film's funniest lines when Frank saves her from a drive-by shooting) and a cameo by Craig Sheffer (NIGHTBREED - 1990) as a lawyer. A Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment DVD Release. Rated R.

BARRACUDA (THE LUCIFER PROJECT) (1977) - Here's a regional (Florida-lensed) conspiracy thriller that tried to pull the wool over audiences' eyes by making them think they were going to see a JAWS (1975)-inspired tale about killer barracudas, thanks to a misleading ad campaign. It didn't work. A chemical plant in the small coastal town of Palm Cove is dumping some unknown substance into the ocean via an underground runoff valve. Environmental professor Mike Canfield (Wayne Crawford; SOMETIMES AUNT MARTHA DOES DREADFUL THINGS - 1971) tries to find proof of the illegal dumping, only to be arrested by the town's friendly sheriff, Ben Williams (William Kerwin; BLOOD FEAST - 1963), on orders from the chemical plant's megalomaniac owner Papa Jack (Bert Freed). Mike becomes friendly with the sheriff's daughter, Eliza (Roberta Leighton), and together they begin to uncover a deadly secret conspiracy that may reach to top members of our nation's government. When swimmers and scuba divers end up missing or dead (one girl and her dog discover a human head on the beach), thanks to attacks by bloodthirsty barracudas, and thousands of half-eaten fish are discovered washed ashore, Papa Jack tries to cover it up with the help of some shady looking characters wearing dark suits and sunglasses, but things take a turn for the worse when the townspeople begin to get sick and act out violently, like they have lost control of their emotions (something that was covered more thoroughly in the similarly-themed film IMPULSE [1984]). As more people end up dead at the beach, Mike is now getting help from the Sheriff when the water samples Mike collected turn out to have an unknown trace element that seems to change the behavior of anyone or anything that ingests it (and it is in the town's water supply). Mike takes his findings to seemingly kindly local doctor Elliot Snow (Jason Evers; THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE - 1962), who has been treating far more sick patients than normal, only to discover that Dr. Snow may just be the driving force behind all this secrecy. Mike, Eliza and the Sheriff try to get outside help, but the subversive powers-that-be do a pretty good job of covering it up, killing Mike and the Sheriff in a typical nihilistic ending that the 70's so loved to give audiences.  This slow-moving thriller, directed by Harry Kerwin, who co-wrote and produced with star Wayne Crawford (Crawford is also credited with directing the underwater scenes), really doesn't have much to recommend and seems to suffer from severe edits to achieve a PG rating. As usual, Crawford sleepwalks throughout the entire film and looks bored (or stoned) whenever he is on-screen. Both Harry Kerwin, brother William (who also acted using the name "Thomas Wood") and Crawford (who occasionally acted using the name "Scott Lawrence") have worked together several times before, most notably in Harry's two underrated films, GOD'S BLOODY ACRE (1975) and TOMCATS (1976), which makes BARRACUDA a bitter disappointment in comparison. The violence here, unlike the previous two films, is sparse and uninspired (the barracuda attacks consists of someone shaking the camera while fake blood is released into the water, followed by close-ups of obviously fake barracuda's open mouths) and notable edits (even the music soundtrack jumps, which seems to indicate that the films PG rating was decided after post-production) robs the viewers of any carnage. The 70's turned out a lot of "They Are Us" conspiracy thrillers thanks to Watergate and it's aftermath, but BARRACUDA is one of the weakest of the lot. One funny scene shows Mike turning down a roll in the hay with Eliza because he doesn't want to disrespect her father by screwing her in his house. Now I've heard everything! Harry Kerwin puts in a cameo as an assassin who guns-down three people in a local newspaper office when they get too close to the truth. Also starring Cliff Emmich, Scott Avery, Bob J. Shields and Bobbie-Ellyne Kosstrin. Originally released on VHS by VidAmerica Inc. and available on DVD from Dark Sky Films as part of a double feature with ISLAND FURY (1983/89). Rated PG.

BECAUSE OF THE CATS (1973) - Compelling thriller about a gang of well-dressed young men who rob and rape wealthy people and the police inspector who is determined to catch them. When the film opens, we watch as the six youths break into the home of a wealthy couple and gang-rape the woman while forcing the husband to watch. As the wife tells her story to Amsterdam Police Inspector van der Valk (Bryan Marshall; THE PUNISHER - 1989), she remembers something unusual that one of the masked youths said when he refused to take part in her rape: "The cats won't like it." The Inspector, who believes the youths are well-bred and perform the robberies and rapes strictly for kicks (they especially seem to find joy in destroying property more than stealing it), begins his unorthodox investigation, first sleeping with an expensive call girl named Feodora (Alexandra Stewart) to get clues as to who these spoiled youths may be. It turns out that the Inspector's suspicions were correct. Each one of these youths comes from a well-to-do family and they have bonded together, calling themselves "The Ravens". The only problem the Inspector has is getting proof, since he runs into brick walls when trying to get anyone to spill the beans, since the kids' influential families can ruin them for life. The newest recruit to The Ravens, Kees van Sonneveld (Nicholas Hoye), may be the one person that breaks under the Inspector's questioning, but first the Inspector must navigate the unfamiliar world of society's rich, where the parents of the youths are just as corrupt (if not more so) as their children. The parents put pressure on the Inspector's superiors to get him to back off, but he keeps chugging ahead trying to find out the meaning of "The cats won't like it." The rest of The Ravens mistakenly believe that Kees has spilled his guts to the Inspector, so they try to kill him by running his scooter off the road, but he manages to escape. When Kees is eventually found dead on the beach dressed in scuba gear, the Inspector knows The Ravens are responsible, but will have a hard time proving it, so he begins his own intimidation campaign against them. Eric (Anthony Allen), the leader of The Ravens, begins an intimidation campaign of his own, threatening Feodora for talking to (and sleeping with) the Inspector. She finds her pet cats graphically slaughtered in her apartment, a warning to keep her mouth shut or she will be next. The truth is eventually exposed and the Inspector arrests The Ravens for murder, but he also discovers just who the "Cats" are (I won't spoil it for you) and that The Ravens weren't acting on their own. They also have a Manson-like leader who was guiding their every move. Can the Inspector find enough evidence to bring this monster down?  This slow, methodical thriller, directed and produced by Fons Rademakers (whose 1986 film, THE ASSAULT, won the Academy Award for best foreign film in 1987), begins with a graphically unpleasant and hard-to-watch gang rape (which is edited out of some prints) and then proceeds to give the viewers clues as to why these spoiled, privileged brats do what they do. The screenplay, by Hugo Claus (based on a novel by Nicolas Freeling), is not only an indictment against the wealthy and the influence they hold over the common people, it's also an indictment against parental neglect. Some parents, like Kees' father, are never around (he's not even available to the police when his son is found dead), some are protective only because they don't want their family name sullied and some just don't give a shit. While the violence (besides the rape) is fairly restrained (the shots of Feodora's slaughtered cats is the bloodiest this film gets), the nudity, including both full-frontal male and female, is graphic and borders on pornography in some scenes (It was originally Rated X when submitted to the MPAA and had to be shorn of some footage to receive an R-rating). The final thirty minutes, where The Ravens' Svengali-like leader is exposed and we witness a flashback involving Kees' murder, an orgy and a ritualistic cat sacrifice, is about as sexually graphic as a film can get without being covered in a plain brown wrapper. While some of the ideals and morality (not to mention the fashions) may seem dated today, BECAUSE OF THE CATS is still an entertaining mix of heady themes that makes for a satisfying thriller. The mod, brassy score, by Ruud Bos, is also a highlight. Also starring Edward Judd, Sebastian Graham Jones, Derek Hart, Christopher Blake, Delia Lindsay, Roger Hammond, George Baker and Sylvia Kristel, who plays an important role in the film's conclusion, besides being completely nude for the majority of her screen time. Originally available on VHS from Prism Entertainment in the compromised R-rated edit. The version I viewed was an uncut, widescreen version that I downloaded from a torrent site. Not Rated.

BLACK ANGEL (1989) - Really bad late-'80s Italian giallo flick, full of too many coincidences to be believable, a horrendous performance by the lead actress and dubbing that could be politely be described as amateurish. In other words, it's bad enough to be attention getting, like watching a train wreck where you think your closest friend has died. You don't want to see it, yet you can't take your eyes off of it, hoping it will get better, but you just know the result will be disastrous.
     Arabella (model Tini Cansino; who is called "Deborah" in the English dub, so I will call her that in this review) is married to novelist Francesco Veronese (Francesco Casale), who is permanently in a wheelchair, put there when Deborah decided to give him oral sex while he is driving away from the church they just got married in, causing him to get into a bad car wreck and losing the use of his legs. Francesco hasn't made love to Deborah since the accident, causing her to look for sexual thrills on her own in the middle of the night. On one of those nights, Deborah visits an S&M whorehouse and she watches, spellbound, people performing degrading acts on each other (A woman shoving a baton up a male client's ass; two gay men wrestling with each other; a two man, one woman ménage a trois). Two men then walk up to Deborah and begin to feel her up. She likes it, but when she is slapped by one of the men, she tells him to stop (it is an S&M whorehouse, after all) and he pulls out a switchblade, pressing it up against he neck. Luckily for Deborah, the police raid the joint. Deborah hides and when she thinks it is safe, she sneaks back to her car, only to get collared by a cop. As the cop slaps the handcuffs on her, putting her hands behind her back, she pleads with him, saying she is not a prostitute, she just came to pick up a friend. The cop then rapes her (standing up, the Italian's favorite way of having sex, at least in films of this type) and when he is done, he removes the handcuffs and says, "You were right, you are not a whore!", telling her to go home. The whole time this is happening, a Private Detective (Giose Davi) is snapping away with his camera, taking photos of Deborah, but who hired him?
     The next morning, Deborah makes breakfast for Francesco and brings it to his home office, where he sits by a typewriter, suffering from a severe case of writer's block. He screams at Deborah, telling her to get out of the room ("Look at my wife. She's in love with a cripple!"). She runs out of the room in tears and Francesco's mother, Marta (Evelyn Stewart; THE NIGHT CHILD - 1975), comforts her, saying her son will apologize to her because he's a good boy at heart. The buzzer to the front gate of their home goes off and Deborah can see by the security camera that it is the cop who raped her the night before (she dropped her purse when he raped her, which is how he knew where she lived). Deborah runs to the front gate and offers the cop money to go away. He's not interested in money, he just wants more of Deborah's sweet body. Deborah tells him not here, as her husband might see them and leads him to a nearby shed, where they begin to do the nasty. Meanwhile, Francesco has come to apologize and when he can't find his wife, he wheels himself outside, even though his mother tells him not to. Francesco spies on his wife making love to the cop, but what he doesn't expect is what Deborah will do next. Just as the cop is about to climax, Deborah hits him over the head with a mallet, killing him. This act of violence snaps Francesco out of his writer's block, creating a character called the "Black Angel", about a female vigilante who kills men who deserves to be killed, but he needs more material to finish the novel, so he sends his wife out in the night and when she comes back home, she tells him what she did and saw that night, which Francesco "fictionalizes", giving his novel an air of realism.
     About the time this is all going on, a serial killer, who the press have dubbed the "Scissors Murderer", is killing men at night cutting off their penises (!), beginning with the Private Detective we saw back at the S&M whorehouse. Female Police Inspector Gina Fowler (Valentina Visconti) is put in charge of finding the Scissors Murderer, but she has a secret that she only tells to her lesbian lover and police partner, Agnese (Rena Niehaus; DAMNED IN VENICE - 1978): When she was a young girl, she saw her mother cut off her father's penis for being a serial adulterer. Not one to keep a secret and looking to advance her career, Agnese betrays her lesbian partner and tells her secret to the press, where it makes the front page on all the newspapers the following morning, calling Gina the Scissors Murderer. Sure enough, Gina is pulled off the case and Agnese is now in charge, but something happens which makes Gina look like the serial killer that even the police can't ignore. The real Scissors Murderer calls Gina's phone, not knowing she has been discharged from the force, and talks to Agnese, who pretends to be Gina. She agrees to meet the killer that night, as he has something he wants to give to Gina. Stupid dyke. Agnese is viciously murdered that night and guess who's the prime suspect? That's right, it's Gina and the police have issued an all points bulletin for her arrest. Gina, who is hiding and trying to find the serial killer on her own to prove her innocence, has a friend on the force, a male detective named De Rosa (Carlo Mucari; BRIDGE TO HELL - 1986). She asks him to give her 24 hours to find the real killer and if she doesn't, she will turn herself in. So what does this have to do with Deborah and Francesco? This is where the believability-straining coincidences come into play (besides the big one I have just described).
     About two-thirds into the movie, we find out that Gina is Francesco's sister (!). Think about that for a moment (I'll wait)...... But, wait! It turns out that Francesco was never crippled, he can walk! It turns out that he wasn't hurt in the accident, he was pretending because, as he tells Deborah, it gave him ideas for a book. Think about that for a moment (I'll wait)...... Yes, he purposely didn't make love to his wife all for the sake of his book! So why did he have writer's block??? So who is the killer? It's not that hard to figure out (Gina's Mother + Dad's Penis = Francesco's Mother). About the only surprise this film offers is when Francesco makes love to Deborah outside at night and Marta, who was following Deborah every night and doesn't know her son can walk, stabs Francesco in the back, killing him, thinking he was a rapist attacking Deborah! The next time we see Deborah, she is back at the S&M whorehouse, only this time she is a changed woman, much different than she was when she first walked into the joint. Is it possible she inherited her mother-in-law's penchant for cutting off penises? Is she the new Scissors Murderer?
     This sleazy Italian giallo doesn't have one good thing going for it, but it has plenty of bad, enough to make you watch it from beginning to end. Director Stelvio Massi (FIVE WOMEN FOR THE KILLER - 1974; MAGNUM COP - 1978; BLACK COBRA - 1987; HELL'S HEROES - 1987), using his pseudonym "Max Steel", loves to fill this film with pubic hair, allowing the camera (he was also this film's cinematographer) to linger on vaginas as much as humanly possible. That may sound like a good idea to some people, but not in this film. It's extraneous, put there to cover up the fact that the story is weak. Every time you begin to realize that the plot is nothing but puked-up giallo clichés, Massi throws in a vagina. How did she die, it wasn't clear? Vagina! What, he can walk? Vagina! This isn't a mystery, it's softcore bordering on hardcore porn. Vagina! Add to that the acting "talents" of model Tini Cansino. As an actress, she is a great model. Vagina! Even poor Evelyn Stewart (real name: Ida Galli), who did her share of classic giallo films (THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH - 1968; WEEKEND MURDERS - 1970; THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY - 1971; and Lucio Fulci's THE PSYCHIC - 1977, just to mention a few), looks embarrassed appearing in this dreck. Films like this give giallo a bad name.
     Shot as ARABELLA L'ANGELO NERO ("Arabella The Black Angel"), this film never received a U.S theatrical release and was released severely edited on VHS under the review title by Imperial Entertainment (cutting out the majority of vagina scenes). An outfit called Cinema De Bizarre then released an uncut, badly English-dubbed fullscreen print on DVD under the ARABELLA title, which I saw on streaming channel B-Movie TV (Only available through Roku). Even though it was free, after watching it, I thought I deserved to be paid for doing so. Avoid at all costs unless you are a masochist (Hey, I've been called worse!). Also featuring Renato D'Amore, David D'Ingeo, and Vinicio Diamanti (TO BE TWENTY - 1978). Not Rated. Vagina!

BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA (1971) - You gotta love a film that opens with a nude Barbara Bouchet getting a full body massage from a blind man (and getting aroused by it!). Bouchet portrays Maria Zani, who we next see getting slapped around by her husband, Paolo (Silvano Tranquili), after he receives nude photographs of her with another man. After accusing her of being a nymphomaniac and telling her he is being blackmailed, he demands to know the man's name, but she refuses to tell him. We then see some unknown person, wearing a trench coat, a big floppy hat and flesh-colored latex gloves, preparing a long needle, then creeping into Maria's house and inserting it into the back of her neck, paralyzing her. As she lays motionless on her bed, she can only watch (she can't even scream) as the killer slowly stabs her in the stomach and moves the blade upwards, killing her. Police Inspector Tellini (Giancarlo Giannini) interviews Paolo and finds out he and Maria were separated for three months. Tellini also finds a torn half of the blackmail photo, showing only a nude Maria and the mystery gentleman's hands, but Tellini finds a smudge in the upper right hand of the photo, which turns out to be a clue. Paolo has the other half of the photo and hires a private investigator to find out the man's name and where he lives. The killer then murders another female victim, using the same method that was used on Maria: A paralyzing needle to the neck followed by a knife to the stomach. Tellini can find no connection between the latest victim (a cocaine trafficker) and Maria. Paolo is considered the main suspect, but after professing his innocence to Tellini, he goes on the lam and swears to find the real killer. Tellini breaks one case (cocaine being transported in containers of tarantulas!), but it brings him no closer to unmasking the killer (he does learn about the symbiotic relationship between tarantulas and wasps, though, which he will learn later is also an important clue). Paolo, with the help of the private investigator, finds his wife's lover in the photo, but a series of mishaps results in Paolo falling off the roof of a highrise building and dying, while the lover is run over by the killer (who's driving a red sportscar) as Tellini is chasing him. Tellini discovers that all the killings may be tied to a blackmail ring, but the killer keeps knocking-off any potential witnesses. When the killer tries to take Tellini's life (with a runaway pipe truck), Tellini must find a way to stop the killer before it becomes even more personal.  This early 70's Itallian/French giallo, directed by Paolo Cavara (MONDO CANE - 1962; DEAF SMITH & JOHNNY EARS - 1972; PLOT OF FEAR - 1976) is a pretty tight little murder mystery that contains all the giallo staples: A mysterious gloved killer, some brutal murders, plenty of red herrings and lots of nudity. Scripter Lucile Laks also puts us deep into Inspector Tellini's personal life, introducing us to his flaky wife, Anna (Stefania Sandrelli), who, at one point, sells all the furniture in their apartment, leaving them only with a bed (!), but it proves to be an integral part of the film. When Tellini discovers homemade movies the dead blackmailer had in his apartment, the whole detective squad watch them and discover footage of Tellini making love to his wife, which results in laughter  from the squad and embarassment and anger from Tellini. Throughout the film, Tellini tells his wife that he's going to quit the force because he feels that he's not "up to it", but time and time again he proves to us that he is probably the smartest man in the department. The murders, while not particularly gory, are still brutal in their execution; the beautiful Barbara Bouchet's (CRY OF A PROSTITUTE - 1974) being the most memorable. This would make the perfect companion piece with HANNIBAL (2001), if only to imagine star Giancarlo Giannini playing an older version of his Tellini character in that film (Their characters are strikingly similar in both films, right down to having wives needing money and wanting to leave the police force). BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA was released theatrically in the U.S. by MGM in a severely-edited 89 minute version as part of a double feature with WEEKEND MURDERS (1970). For a lot of American audiences, this was their first taste of giallo. Not a bad way to be introduced to the genre, if you ask me. As with a lot of giallo films, the opening scenes are an important clue to the killer's identity. Also, the use of primary colors play a role in telling the story. Here, red is the dominate color. Try to spot how many scenes director Cavara uses red in the background or on objects and clothing. Ennio Morricone once again provides an evocative and powerful music score to compliment the murder and action set-pieces. A young Barbara Bach (THE HUMANOID - 1979; THE UNSEEN - 1981) appears briefly as Jenny, who does a striptease and then ends up with a needle in her neck. Even though Claudine Auger (BAY OF BLOOD - 1971) is given second billing, she's on-screen for less than five minutes. Also starring Rossella Falk, Giancarlo Prete, Daniele Dublino and Ezio Marano. Blue Underground offers the fully-uncut 98 minute version in a nice, but not perfect, widescreen print on DVD. Not Rated.

BLADE (1972) - For the first time on U.S. home video, thanks to DVD label Code Red, we are now able to see this TV staple in its unedited glory (well, maybe glory is going too far). The version shown on TV and VHS for all those years was heavily edited, removing all instances of violence and nudity and new footage was shot in 1979 (including the opening, in which we can plainly see a theater marquee advertising the film APOCALYPSE NOW) to pad out the film to 79 minutes so it could be shown in a 90-minute time slot. This is the full 90-minute theatrical version (lensed in New York City) and even though it was directed by Ernest Pintoff (DEATH OF A HOOKER - 1971; JAGUAR LIVES - 1979) and co-written by Pintoff and Jeff Lieberman (the director of such cult films as SQUIRM - 1976, JUST BEFORE DAWN - 1980 and SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER - 2004), the film itself is a mixed bag. The movie opens with well-dressed woman-hating psycho Frederic Peterson (Jon Cypher; THE FOOD OF THE GODS - 1976) watching white girl Melinda (Jeanne Lange) making out with black man Henry (Ted Lange; THE LOVE BOAT - 1977-1987) in his car. When Henry leaves, Frederic follows Melinda into her apartment complex, where he brutally kills her using karate moves and slamming her head over-and-over on a stair bannister. High-price call girl Karen (Raina Barrett; STIGMA - 1972) descends the stairs after her weekly meeting in the penthouse with her wealthy john and spots Frederic in the complex entrance (but she doesn't see the murder), even offering to make a date with him in the future (Frederic follows her home to find out where she lives). It turns out that Melinda was the daughter of crooked Congressman Powers (William Prince; THE GAUNTLET - 1977), who is now running for President on an anti-drug and anti-pornography platform (The speech he gives about the Middle Class is as relevant today as it was back then). When it is discovered that Melinda was a drug addict and Henry was not only her boyfriend, but also her supplier, Powers' spin doctor, Steiner (Keene Curtis; a popular TV series guest star, probably best known for his recurring role as millionaire "John Allen Hill" on CHEERS from 1990 to 1993), calls up Police Chief Rearson (John Schuck; who would soon become Rock Hudson's sidekick on TV's MCMILLAN AND WIFE [1971-1977] and previously appeared as suicidal Captain "Painless" Waldowski in the movie M*A*S*H - 1970) and tells him to keep the drug aspect of the murder case out of the newspapers. Since Rearson is as crooked as a corkscrew, he agrees, but he has to contend with Lieutenant Tommy Blade (John Marley; THE CAR - 1977), a no-nonsense honest cop (practically the only one in this film) who decides to investigate Melinda's murder his own way after arresting Henry and knowing he is not the killer (Reardon threatens to put in Blade's retirement papers if he doesn't listen to him). Blade is a divorced cop who lives with much younger novelist Maggie (Kathryn Walker) and doesn't see his young son as much as he should (He confiscates a .22 caliber zip gun off his son, which will prove handy later on). Blade gets a call and pays a visit to Black Panther-type leader Chris (an early role for Morgan Freeman), who tells him that he better release Henry, otherwise there will be a black militant uprising. Blade treats everyone the same: He says what he means and doesn't care what the consequences are. When Frederic murders Karen (he gives her a few katate chops and kicks, then strangles her with a telephone cord) so she can't identify him to the police, only Blade notices the similarities between Melinda and Karen's deaths. Another crooked cop, also on Congressman Powers' payroll, steals Karen's red appointment book (which could sink the Congressman's presidential aspirations) and locks it in his car's glove compartment (but he doesn't even bother locking his car doors!). Blade picks the glove compartment lock and steals the appointment book, which is a treasure trove of important information. Meanwhile, female secretary Jill Connors (Karen Machon) knows something is hinky with new hire Frederic Peterson and does some investigation into his background with the help of ex-CIA operative Gail (a cameo by Rue McClanahan) and discovers that Frederic Peterson's name is actually Frederic Powers and he was dishonorably discharged from the Marines during the Korean War for the brutal beating death of a Korean girl. Yes, Frederic is actually Congressman Powers' brother and the Congressman has been covering-up Frederic's murderous ways ever since he was released from a mental institution after the war. Frederic was sent to live with his elderly Aunt Cynthia (Katherine Squire), who makes sure he stays out of trouble (she doesn't do such a good job). When Frederic kills Jill and then Aunt Cynthia (for ratting on him to his brother), he sets up Blade (who quits the police force in disgust) for a final showdown in a wooded park with Maggie as bait, where he beats the snot out of Blade before Blade shoots him dead with the zip gun. A final on-screen scrawl tells us that Congressman Powers won the election by only 1,800 votes and Blade was found not guilty of murdering Frederic (after Reardon and several cops were convicted of corruption), being reinstated to the police force.  First of all, the print used by Code Red, although shown in its proper aspect ratio, is a total mess (They did much better with their uncut DVD version of director Bert I. Gordon's THE MAD BOMBER - 1972 [under its alternate title THE POLICE CONNECTION], which was butchered for U.S. TV and VHS). It is full of emulsion scratches and dirt (even a hair or two), is missing some frames (which makes us miss some dialogue here and there) and even shows us the reel change dots in the upper right hand of the screen (Code Red founder Bill Olsen wants us to believe this is a grindhouse experience, as it is apparent that no restoration at all was even applied to the film's less-than-stellar celluloid elements). There's not much action in the film and even less violence, just Frederic kicking the shit out of women and Blade (it is brutal, but not as bloody as it could have been). There is plenty of nudity, though, including Karen's ditzy porn actress roommate, Claudell (Geri Miller), who is topless in all her scenes (Steve Landesberg puts in a comedic appearance as Claudell's porn director). The film looks like it was edited with a trowel, as one scene jumps to the next, many of them without any connective tissue at all (The majority of the film also looks to have been lensed with hand-held cameras). John Marley is good in the role (much of his dialogue seems improvised), but his attire, including wearing a hankerchief around his neck like it was a tie, definitely shows the film's early-70's roots. BLADE doesn't quite deliver as a thriller, action or exploitation film. It feels more like a 70's TV cop movie with added nudity and curse words. It's good as a time capsule (many of the actors here have since passed away), but not much else. Also starring Michael McGuire, Joe Santos (who is wasted in a nothing role as Blade's partner), Peter White and Marshall Efron. Originally available on VHS in the TV edit by Video Gems and then as a budget VHS (recorded in the lousy EP mode) by Star Classics. Code Red has released the theatrical version as part of a double feature DVD, the other film being the Franco Nero-starrer RING OF DEATH (1969). Rated R.

A BLADE IN THE DARK (1983) - The career of director Lamberto Bava is a very erratic one. It seems for evey good film we got (MACABRE a.k.a. FROZEN TERROR - 1980), we also got a terrible one (DEVIL FISH - 1984). He gave us the superbly twisted DEMONS (1985) and the fair-to-middling DEMONS 2 (1986), but then also gave us the supremely bad DEMONS III: THE OGRE (1989; but, to be fair, that was an Italian TV movie). In other words, Bava's output was a little schizophrenic, but there was always one thing you could count on in both his bad and good films: you would get plenty of gory violence. Personally, I think he has more hits than misses, but some of his films defy description, such as DELIRIUM: PHOTO OF GIOIA (1987), and even his minor films, such as BLASTFIGHTER (1984) and BODY PUZZLE (1992), gave us the over-the-top violence we craved in the 80's & early-90's (He would usually use the pseudonym "John Old Jr." on his minor or bad films as a tribute to his father, genre maestro Mario Bava, who used the pseudonym "John Old" on some of his older films, before he became an established name of quality entertainment). Which brings us to A BLADE IN THE DARK, which was a late entry in the giallo genre with a little of Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO (1960) and Brian De Palma's BLOW OUT (1981) mixed in for good measure. It's not the greatest mystery thriller, but it is an entertaining one that gives us more than enough nudity and violence to make up for some huge holes in Dardano Sacchetti (THE PSYCHIC - 1977; THE BEYOND - 1981) and Elisa Briganti's (MANHATTAN BABY - 1982; HANDS OF STEEL - 1986) screenplay. The film opens up with two young boys pressuring another young boy to enter the basement of what is probably a haunted house. They tease him by repeating. "You're a female! You're a female!..." and throw a tennis ball down the stairs, telling him if he doesn't want to be called a female, he will go down the stairs and get the ball. The young boy slowly walks down the stairs, while we hear the sound of a heartbeat on the soundtrack. When the boy disappears in the shadows and then screams, the heartbeats stop and someone (or something) throws the tennis ball up the stairs, it hitting a wall and leaving a round bloodstain where it impacts. The two young boys flee as if their lives depended on it (and probably crapping their pants in the process). We are then introduced to film composer Bruno (Andrea Occhipinti; Lucio Fulci's THE NEW YORK RIPPER - 1982, which he acted in using the pseudonym "Andrew Painter"), who is about to compose music for his first horror film. His agent, Tony Rendina (future director Michele Soavi; STAGE FRIGHT - 1987; THE CHURCH - 1989; he's an Assistant Director on this film and is badly dubbed), has rented Bruno a secluded villa where he can concentrate on creating music without distractions, but as we will soon find out, that is not going to happen. The director of the horror film, Sandra (Anny Papa; THE GREAT ALLIGATOR - 1979), will not give Bruno the final reel of the film, rather letting Bruno's seclusion and imagination take over in composing the soundtrack. She believes her horror film needs a music soundtrack from a composer that has never done a horror film before (Actually, the music we hear Bruno composing comes from the outstanding de Angelis brothers, Guido and Maurizio, who have done the soundtracks to such genre films as THE MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD [1978]; ALIEN 2: ON EARTH [1980] and many others, sometimes using the name "Oliver Onions") The only other person around, who lives in a guest house next to the villa, is caretaker Giovanni (Stanko Molnar; Bava's MACABRE - 1980), who basically keeps to himself, even though he looks sinister. When Bruno goes to sit at his piano and record his first session to the soundtrack, he notices that a nude photo of one of the women in his girly magazines has been sliced-up (We earlier see an unknown person with one of those retractable X-Acto knives [the kind that "clicks" when you move the blade up or down], slicing up that picture while Bruno is not present), but Bruno thinks it was Giovanni and one of his quirks and continues composing. Bruno think that Giovanni is the only other person around. That is, until he finds Katia (Valeria Cavalli; MOTHER OF TEARS - 2007) hiding in one of his closets (She is a neighbor from down the road and wanted to meet her new neighbor). Before they can talk, Tony calls on the phone and Katia goes to use the bathroom, but when Bruno is done talking to Tony, Katia has disappeared. He discovers Katia's diary in the closet and begins reading it, where she says that she is about to reveal a big secret to someone very soon. Bruno continues to record the soundtrack, while a killer with the same X-Acto knife attacks Katia outside, slicing her face and her hand, but she gets away, only to get caught behind some chicken wire fencing where the killer graphically cuts Katia's stomach and slices her throat through the openings in the chicken wire. Bruno can't hear her screams because he is playing the piano and recording it. He plays back his recording while the killer is dragging the dead corpse of Katia away, where he hears a strange abnormality on the tape. It sounds like a woman's voice, but he can only make out "Secret...yes, Linda...no one must know" and writes it down on a piece of paper (It seems to be almost the same thing Katia wrote in her diary). Bruno steps outside to smoke a cigarette and nearly catches the killer dragging Katia's body away, but when he steps back inside to find droplets of blood on his pants, he goes outside again to discover even more blood, but no body. He once again returns to the inside of the villa, only to find his recording destroyed and pages from Katia's diary burning in the fireplace. Someone is trying to cover up their tracks. Bruno's actress girlfriend, Julia (Lara Naszinski; Lucio Fulci's AENIGMA - 1987), pays him a surprise visit, and when he mentions that Katia payed him a visit and he thinks she now may be dead, she acts like a jealous bitch and  leaves (not even caring that Katia, whom she thinks Bruno believes is more beautiful than her, may have been murdered). Bruno does some research and discovers that a woman named Linda rented the villa before him and Tony tells him that he put some of her stuff in a locked room in the cellar. Tony tells him to forget about the room and finish his music soundtrack when Bruno asks for the key. Katia's friend Angela (Fabiola Toledo; Bava's DEMONS - 1985) stops at the villa to talk to Bruno and ask if she can use the pool. Bruno has no objections and we then see the killer watching Angela strip naked in the pool-house to get into her bathing suit. While Angela is swimming in the pool, she discovers the X-Acto knife at the bottom and places it at the edge of the pool. Bruno has made a trip to the film studio, where both we and Bruno discover that the scene we saw at the beginning of the film with the three boys is actually part of the final reel of Sandra's horror film, while Bruno plays the scene in forward and reverse to get a sense on how to score it (What the two mean boys call the other boy turns out to be a major clue as to who the killer is). The killer, who we now discover has hands with red nail polish and wears a nice pair of black pumps, plunges a knife into Angela's hand while she is washing her hair in a sink, pinning her hand to the counter. The killer murders Angela by putting a clear plastic bag over her head and banging her cranium over and over on the porcelain sink until the plastic bag fills with her blood (there's a particularly nasty scene of the knife that is pinning Angela's hand slicing it until her hand is free). The killer pulls the knife out of the counter and cuts Angela's throat for good measure. Eerily, the killer seems to be disturbed by all the blood that is scattered throught the bathroom (and it is a lot!) and takes the time to clean it up before leaving. Now is the time I ask readers a few questions, because I never give away the ending of a giallo film in my reviews. Here are the questions: Is the mysterious Linda involved because she is hiding something (or someone) in that locked room in the basement? Is Julia so jealous that she will kill any woman who gets close to her boyfriend (she shows up during the final third of the film holding a big knife)? Is Sandra using Bruno as a pawn to come up with a good final act to her film? Could Bruno actually be the killer since we never see him and the killer in the same shot (not even when he discovers the blood on his pants)? What about Giovanni, as we never see him leave the property or even have a girlfriend? And what does a cedar chest full of tennis balls have to do with it all? I've given you more than enough clues. Now you need to figure it out.  Actually, the killer's identity is rather easy to figure out since there are precious too few red herrings. I'm not going to tell you who it is, but it all makes sense in the end. Lamberto Bava borrows many themes from other giallo and slasher films, but he gives us some wince-inducing moments here, especially Angela's pinned hand slowly being sliced open between her fingers as the killer is bashing her head in, putting pressure on her hand to move backwards, as the camera lovingly stays on the hand as it is being sliced open. As a giallo film, this is just average and full of holes (The villa that Bruno is living in is supposed to be secluded, but he sure gets a lot of visitors and it seems to be a short car ride to the film studio), but it is still entertaining nonetheless. The trick here is that every person in the film holds some type of bladed weapon at one time or another in the film, so any of them could be the killer but, as the film progresses and the small cast begins getting killed, it is obvious at the halfway point that only one person could be the killer. There's a quite surprising death in the finale, but I will not spoil it for you, other than to say I thought that person would survive. The film made its premiere in edited form on VHS from Lightning Video and then was released supposedly uncut on VHS and DVD early in the New Millennium by Anchor Bay Entertainment in a 104-minute version. Blue Underground then gained home video rights and delivered a beautiful fully uncut 109-minute version in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) from original vault materials. If you are a giallo completist (and what genre fan isn't?), then A BLADE IN THE DARK should be part of your library. Also featuring Giovanni Frezza and Marco Vivio. A Blue Underground DVD Release. Not Rated.

BLOOD AND LACE (1970) - This is probably the sleaziest and bloodiest film to ever receive a PG (or GP) rating. As I was watching it, all I could do is think about how the MPAA must have been napping when this film was submitted for a rating. The film open with an unseen killer murdering a women sleeping in bed with the claw end of a hammer (the imaginative POV shots are taken from the perspective of the hand holding the hammer) and then setting fire to the room. Ellie (Melody Patterson), the dead woman's wise-ass daughter, looks to find out who killed her mother, even though she knows her mother was the town slut. Since Ellie is underage, she gets put in the orphanage run by Mrs. Deere (Gloria Grahame; THE NESTING - 1980), who receives a $150 a month stipend for every orphan she houses. That's all fine and dandy, until we find out that Mrs. Deere likes to spend the money on herself and leaves the orphans hungry most of the time and is not above killing those who try to run away. She simply puts their bodies in the basement freezer and puts them in the infirmary when the clueless Dr. Mullins (Milton Selzer) comes to visit to take his monthly head count. When Ellie arrives there, she almost immediately knows something wrong is going on (it doesn't help that she finds one poor girl chained up in the attic, dying of thirst). Ellie strikes up a friendship with fellow orphan Walter (Ronald Taft) and makes an enemy in female orphan Bunch (Terri Messina), who has a crush on Walter. Meanwhile, Tom (Len Lesser), the orphanage handyman, has just chopped-off the hand of a runaway orphan with a meat cleaver, which upsets Mrs. Deere. Not because he chopped-off the hand, but because the orphan got away! Mrs. Deere will do anything to keep collecting $150 per orphan. It doesn't matter if they are dead or alive, but she must have a body. As Ellie investigates further, she becomes aware of Mrs. Deere's evil doings and finds out that when the orphan supply becomes low, parents turn up dead in town. Is it possible that Mrs. Deere is responsible for Ellie's mother's death? If you think you have it figured out, think again.  The subject matter of this film is so slimy, you'll need to towel-off after watching it. Every adult in this film, including the film's part-time detective Calvin (Vic Tayback), who considers Ellie "good breeding stock", are portrayed as sleazy, conniving individuals who only care about their own satisfactions. When the killings begin, it plays like a mystery film with enough blood and guts to keep you asking yourself, "Is this really rated PG or did someone fuck-up royally?" There's hammer and cleaver violence, attempted rape, catfighting teens in their underwear, partial teen nudity, kids being tortured, implied incest, shots of open wounds bleeding and other politically incorrect doings going on. By the time the killer is unmasked (literally) in the film's finale, you'll be shaking your head in disbelief at some of the things you'll see and hear. This is the closest thing to PG-rated porn that you will ever see. In other words, if you haven't seen this, you should as soon as possible. Be on the lookout for a very young Dennis Christopher (FADE TO BLACK - 1980) as Pete, one of the unlucky orphans. Directed by one-hit wonder Philip S. Gilbert, who disappeared after making this. Maybe the orphans got him. Scripter Gil Lasky also wrote the screenplays for THE NIGHT GOD SCREAMED (1971), THE MANHANDLERS (1973) and MAMA'S DIRTY GIRLS (1974) and produced them all with then-partner Ed Carlin. Also starring Peter Armstrong and Maggie Corey. Future PSYCHO FROM TEXAS director Jim Feazell was an electrician on this. I got this off eBay on a DVD-R which was copied from and English language, Dutch-subtitled VHS tape. Rated PG. UPDATE: This film was finally released on home video for the first time in the United States by Scream Factory in a beautiful DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack. One caveat: Scream Factory slapped their own R-Rating on the packaging (there is no MPAA logo to be found anywhere), taking away one of the film's biggest pieces of notoriety. Since there is no extra footage (the film is in anamorphic widescreen), just commentary from film historian Richard Harland Smith, an alternate opening title card and a theatrical trailer, Scream Factory blew the chance of advertising this film as the bloodiest PG-Rated film ever made. Whomever decided to make this blunder should be fired immediately or face the person holding the bloody hammer.

BLOODRAGE (1979) - This film, also known as NEVER PICK UP A STRANGER, oozes the atmosphere of the sleazy 70's and is bound to upset even the steadiest of stomachs, not because it is overly bloody (it's not) but because of the matter-of-fact way that director Joseph Bigwood (actually Joseph Zito using a pseudonym) treats the material and characters. While the storyline is of the basic "serial killer murders prostitutes" formula, the acting and situations seem so natural and unhampered by not having a big budget (this is an extremely low budget effort) that it makes the killings all the more horrendous. A young peeping tom named Richard (Ian Scott) graduates from watching prostitutes doing their business to killing them. After his first kill (he finds it enjoyable) he moves to a room in the seedy Times Square area to be closer to his prey. As his killing spree continues, he becomes facinated with a prostitute (Judith-Marie Bergan) who lives across the alley. He watches her undress through the window and we hear his innermost thoughts via voice-over monologues. This proves to be his undoing. He is dogged by a vigilante cop (James Johnston) who would like to see him pay for the death of his hooker girlfriend. When Richard finally makes contact with the prostitute across the alley, she rebuffs his advances and he tries to kill her. She proves to be quite a fighter though and attacks Richard with a razor while two pimps (one being B-movie staple Irwin Keyes) hold him. The cop comes in the nick of time to save Richard. Without saying a word, the cop grabs hold of Richard and throws him out the window, sending him to his death. End of film. BLOODRAGE, the precursor to HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986) contains the same gut-grabbing intensity as John McNaughton's classic and should be on everyone's list as a must-see. I doubt that you'll find a more disturbing foray into the mind of a mass murderer. Also starring Lawrence Tierney (RESERVOIR DOGS - 1992). Joseph Zito also directed Judith-Marie Bergan in ABDUCTION (1975), as well as making THE PROWLER (1981), INVASION U.S.A. (1985) and many others. A Marquis Video Corp. Release. Originally released on VHS by Best Film & Video. Unrated for pure sleaziness.

BODY PUZZLE (1992) - Another late entry in the giallo genre by director Lamberto Bava (A BLADE IN THE DARK - 1983; BLASTFIGHTER - 1984; DEVIL FISH - 1984). Just like his DELIRIUM: PHOTO OF GIOIA (1987). it doesn't quite work, even though he throws in some bloody set-pieces and actors (in supporting roles) who have appeared in a few of Italy's more memorable '70s genre films. Still, the story is maddening, offering very little logic for people (like myself) who demand a good mystery to go along with the killings. Also, there is absolutely no nudity, another thing giallo fans (like myself) expect from this type of film. It is an interesting failure, though, if only for what it doesn't show.
     We see a young man (François Montagut) sitting in front of a piano, listening to classical music on his Walkman (remember them?) while thinking about a motorcycle accident, where he apparently died. He then goes to a confectionery store and stabs the clerk over and over with a large knife, all the while listening to classical music through his earbuds. He then goes to the home of book editor Tracy (Joanna Pacula; THE KISS - 1988), sneaks in (almost getting caught by Tracy's saint bernard, Beau) and leaves something in her refrigerator. We don't see what it is (at this moment), but police detective Michael (Tomas Arana; THE SECT - 1991) arrives at the confectionery store and discovers the killer cut off one of the clerk's ears. The next morning, when Tracy goes to the cemetery to visit the grave of her dead husband Abe, the cemetery director (Gianni Giuliano) tells her someone stole her dead husband's body out of his grave. To make matters worse, when Tracy goes home and grabs something to drink out of the refrigerator, she discovers the ear in a plastic bag, her name written on a piece of paper in what turns out to be in her dead husband's handwriting. Michael questions Tracy and discovers a clue under her refrigerator, a piece of cloth from her husband's coffin. Why is the killer obsessed with Tracy and why does classical music turn him in to such a vicious killer?
     The next time we see the killer, he is in a womens bathroom in a mall. He grabs a woman's right hand from under a stall and cuts it off, the hand falling into a toilet. When Michael and his team arrive at the mall, he discovers the woman's chest was also cut open. He has a couple of officers watch Tracy's home in hopes the "homicidal maniac" will return. Michael pays another visit to Tracy and tells her there has been another murder. He checks her home to make sure it is secure and tells her to lock her windows and doors as he leaves. A short time later, Beau begins whimpering at the front door and Tracy stupidly takes him for a walk outside. She gets the feeling that she is not alone and turns around, finding the severed right hand hanging from her front door. Once again, Michael comes to her house and asks Tracy to tell him about her dead husband. She tells Michael that Abe was well-liked by her family and friends and, oh, he was a concert pianist! Michael then goes to the home of Abe's best friend, Morangi (Giovanni Lombardo Radice; THE HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK - 1979), who tells him that he identified Abe's dead body after his motorcycle accident (Tracy never did see his dead body). He then shows Michael a photo of Abe (with another man). It comes as no surprise that the photo of Abe is also the killer we have been seeing.  Morangi lets Michael search Abe's work desk and he finds an address book hidden in one of the drawers. One of the officers protecting Tracy discover a case in her refrigerator that is dripping blood. He calls Michael to tell him what he found, when Abe appears (a stocking pulled over his head) and he throws the officer in Tracy's indoor pool and makes a hasty retreat.
     The only name that pans out in the address book is that of a female psychiatrist named Dr. Jennifer Corti (Erika Blanc; THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE - 1971). She tells Michael that Tracy was her patient and that she changed her last name when her brother died, She also tells him that she had a patient named Timothy Bell, who was obsessed with Tracy. Dr. Corti knew Timothy could be very violent, so she had him committed to a psychiatric facility for Tracy's well-being and safety. She also tells Michael that she never met Tracy's husband. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that all this has something to do with the killings, but what comes next is truly mind-boggling (and not in a good way!). Michael and Tracy soon have romantic feelings for each other, putting his life in danger. Abe then kills a lifeguard swimming in a pool and cuts off his penis and, yes, mails it to Tracy. Michael intercepts it before Tracy can see the lifeguard's package in the package. The coroner (Guido Quintozzi) tells Michael that he discovered something he didn't notice before: all three victims had some of their internal organs removed, as if the killer were a skilled surgeon. The Police Chief (Gianni Garko; NIGHT OF THE DEVILS - 1972) warns Michael to act professional and not to have feelings for Tracy, but he can't help himself, as he and Tracy make love that night. Michael discovers that Timothy Bell escaped from the loony bin fifteen months ago, but what is his connection to Abe? I have no idea, because this film is all over the place! The coroner tells Michael that all three murder victims received transplanted organs, the same organs the killer removed. The coroner also tells him that all the victims received their transplanted organs from the same donor: Abe. OK, now I'm really confused. Is Abe alive or what?!?
     Morangi tells Michael that he just saw Abe and he must have misidentified his body when he "died" in the motorcycle accident. Michael notices that Morangi is drunk and scared, but is he lying? Michael discovers that two other people are still alive with transplanted organs from Abe. Both of them are women. One is a teacher of young children and the other one is pregnant and in the hospital. Can Michael save them in time? Michael also discovers (He does a lot of discovering in this film!) that the photo Morangi showed him of Abe also contains the image of Timothy Bell. That's right, the person we (and Michael) thought was Abe is actually Timothy Bell, who worshiped Abe and is collecting Abe's organs to make him whole again (remember, he stole Abe's body from the cemetery). Or so I thought...
     In a series of coincidences that would even make God blush, we discover the killer is actually Abe (I know, I know!) and he kills the school teacher in front of her young charges (her blood splashes on a young boy sitting in the front row). Since only the pregnant lady is left, can Michael save her and solve this extremely confusing mystery? Let's hope so, because I can't think straight!
     While this film has plenty of violence, all I could think about is that the camera pulls away just as it is about to get interesting. We never see the killer remove the organs, or even the ear and the penis. We only see them after the deed is done (As for the penis, we never see it at all, as the camera gets close to showing us the lifeguard without his pecker, but just as the camera moves down his body, it switches to another scene). Since this film is considered a giallo, the mystery is at the forefront, yet it is so confusing and senseless (screenplay by Bruce Martin, his only film credit and it's easy to see why, from a story by Domenico Paolella, director of STUNT SQUAD - 1977), that I got a migraine headache trying to unravel it. It is obvious that Lamberto Bava saw BODY PARTS (1991) before making this film because the plot of this film follows that film very closely, almost to the point of plagiarism. There is also no nudity here (just like the organ removal, when Tracy removes her clothes to make love to Michael, it switches to another scene) to keep our minds off the amazing coincidences that happen, which is a major sin for a giallo film. Director Bava has delivered a polished film which, unfortunately, goes nowhere, especially the super-quick finale which tries to wrap things up, but delivers more questions than answers. Films like this are why giallo flicks went out of fashion. People didn't grow tired of them, they grew tired of all the cliches filling the later films, such as this one. This film doesn't conclude, it just ends.
     Released to Italian theaters in severely truncated form as MISTERIA, missing most of the violence, which was a flop. It was released on fullscreen VHS by Triboro Entertainment in the U.S., uncut for the very first time. This edition also was released on DVD by many budget labels, such as Madacy Entertainment and EastWest Entertainment. If you must watch this film, please go for the uncut, anamorphic widescreen DVD from Raro Video (It does not have "New and Improved" English subtitles or is it in its original Italian language, as it states on the back of the DVD sleeve, a rare mistake from Raro). Unlike most Raro releases, the disc contains no extras, not even a trailer. It does come with a booklet (scanned HERE), where ex-Fangoria editor Chris Alexander praises this film. I don't know what film he was watching, but it definitely wasn't this one! The DVD is cheap, at $6.99 (on Amazon), so you won't feel cheated. As far as I'm concerned, Lamberto Bava has made more less-than-satisfying films and only a few good ones (MACABRE - 1980; DEMONS - 1985). Also starring Matteo Gazzolo (SPECTERS - 1987), Susanna Javicoli (SUSPIRIA - 1977), Bruno Corazzari (SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS - 1972), Ursula von Baechler, Sebastiano Lo Monaco, Giuseppe Marini and Francesco Romano as the lifeguard without his manhood. Not Rated.

THE BOSTON STRANGLER: THE UNTOLD STORY (2006) - It's time once again for another one of director/producer/screenwriter Michael Feifer's wildly inaccurate accounts of a well-known serial killer. This time it is Albert De Salvo, a.k.a. "The Boston Strangler", and like most of Feifer's serial killer flicks (see my review of B.T.K. - 2007), this one is more about stunt casting rather than actual facts (although there are a few truths in this film here and there). David Faustino ("Bud Bundy" on TV's MARRIED WITH CHILDREN [1987 - 1997]) plays the vertically-challenged Albert (with a piss-poor Boston accent) who, during the 1960's, supposedly strangled and raped thirteen women, sending Boston into a serial killer panic. The film opens in 1973, with an already incarcerated Albert agreeing to tell his life story to a psychiatrist. We then flashback to the early 60's, during the middle of the Boston Strangler panic, as we witness the Strangler killing Jennifer Mitchum (Jen Nikolaisen) in her home. Police detective John Marsden (Andrew Divoff; THE RAGE - 2007) is assigned to the Strangler case, but he is handcuffed by a police captain (Timothy Oman), who keeps supplying the newspapers with vital information that should be kept secret. Marsden believes that there are two stranglers at work here (he's right), but Mayor Arthur Winfield (Joe Torry, in a wince-inducing performance) doesn't want to hear it and threatens Marsden's job if he makes that fact public (Marsden dreams of a future when forensic evidence, like DNA, will help nab killers, but the police chief shakes his head and says, "Not in my lifetime."). Albert fools one young woman into believing he works for a modeling agency and talks her into going back to her place so he can take her "measurements". As soon as he tries to guess her breast cup size (by putting his hands on her tits!), the young woman realizes he is a fake, so Albert rapes and strangles her with a stocking tied in a bow, based on evidence he read in the newspapers. This film purports that the real Boston Strangler was an unknown criminal and that Albert De Salvo was merely a copycat killer, raping and killing because his mail-order Russian bride, Claudia (Tara Shayne), won't have sex with him. In 1964, Mayor Winfield creates a "Strangler Squad" and appoints a clueless paper-pusher to head it, insulting Marsden even more because he has to report to him, which turns his job into nothing but an unfunny and political joke. Albert is arrested and put in a cell with violent criminal Frank Asarian (Kostas Sommer; Feifer's DRIFTER: HENRY LEE LUCAS - 2009) and, before long, Frank has scammed Albert into confessing that he's the Boston Strangler to shyster lawyer Stuart Whitmore (Corin Nemec; Feifer's CHICAGO MASSACRE: RICHARD SPECK - 2007), who agrees to take the case for a third of the reward money. Marsden doesn't believe it for a second, but the case is a political hot potato and the rest, as they say, is history (at least revisionist history).  Triple-threat Michael Feifer, who is also responsible for the serial killer films ED GEIN: THE BUTCHER OF PLAINFIELD (2007) and BUNDY: A LEGACY OF EVIL (2008), manages to coax pretty good performances out of David Faustino (phony accent not withstanding) and Andrew Divoff (who doesn't even attempt an accent), but the film is so flat and uninvolving, it's hard to get worked-up over the proceedings. The violence level in this film is bloodless, since most of the killings are stranglings and the instant comraderie between Albert and Frank when they meet in their cell seems forced and unreal. The film's implication that Frank may have been the real Boston Strangler may be this film's biggest conceit has to offer (not to mention the HUGE coincidence that Albert is thrown into the same cell with him!), not to mention that the flick also suggests that Albert was killed in prison in 1973 because he was about to expose Frank as the real Strangler. It's not only a jump in logic, it's a giant leap of faith. The film ends with a disclaimer that in 2001, the Strangler's last victim was exhumed for DNA evidence under her fingernails and undergarments (You mean to tell me she was buried in the same panties she was raped in?) and the evidence came up with two different individuals. Neither of those individuals was Albert De Salvo. Read into that what you want, but as far as movies go, rent or buy the DVD of the 1968 film, THE BOSTON STRANGLER, with Tony Curtis as Albert. The facts may also be extremely fudged in that film, but it is much more entertaining than this version. Also starring Johnny Liska, Caia Coley, Sonia Curtis, Jack Stehlin, Jay Pickett and Sal Catalano. A Weinstein Company Home Entertainment/Genius Products LLC DVD Release. Rated R.

BUNDY: A LEGACY OF EVIL (2008) - Another "true-life" serial killer flick from director/producer/screenwriter Michael Feifer, who also gave us other serial killer films such as THE BOSTON STRANGLER: THE UNTOLD STORY (2006), ED GEIN: THE BUTCHER OF PLAINFIELD (2007) and B.T.K. (2007). In this film, which mixes some facts with mostly fiction, Ted Bundy (Corin Nemec; MANSQUITO - 2005) is first seen drunk around a campfire, pulling a tied-up girl out of his Volkswagen Beetle (the real Bundy did drive a Beetle) and telling her in no uncertain terms that she is about to die ("After I kill you, I'm going to burn you. I'm going to burn your head in the fucking fire and I'm gonna watch your pretty face melt and your eyeballs fall out of your fucking head! Look at the sky. I want you to see the stars while you die!"). He then kills the poor girl by pummelling her with a shovel and then challenges God to strike him dead. The next time we see Bundy, he's in a prison cell awaiting execution. The Warden (Kane Hodder; who played both Ed Gein and the B.T.K. killer in Feifer's other films) informs Bundy that his latest appeal has failed and his "luck" has run out. Bundy would rather think of it as "fate", since he has found religion in prison (don't they all?) and the Warden hands him a tape recorder so he can record all his sins before he does the dead man walking routine. The film then flashes back to when Bundy was a young boy, reading violent comic books (yeah, they turns us all into killers!), while the adults in his life argue about telling Teddy "the truth" (his sister is actually his mother; a true fact). We then switch to the University of Washington in 1966, where handsome student Bundy woos pretty co-ed Stephanie (Jen Nikolaisen, a regular player in Feifer's films) by quoting Shakespeare and eventually moving in with her (It's really the only stable relationship he's had with anyone in his entire life before it all turns to shit). Bundy has a problem with premature ejaculation when he tries to make love to Stephanie, which causes all kinds of problems in their personal life (She callously says to him: "I can have better sex with a damn retard!" Yee-ouch!). Stephanie breaks-off the relationship and Bundy begins his killing spree, leaving school and traveling to Burlington, Vermont, where he was born (another true fact). He goes to the county hall of records, where he finally learns the truth about his sister/mother and the next time we see him, he has just raped an unfortunate hitch-hiker (no premature ejaculation here), tied her up like a dog and then kills her in the basement of a burned-out home in the middle of the desert. Now it's 1971 and Bundy is working at a suicide hotline in Seattle, Washington, where he proves to be a natural (many sociopaths are good at adapting to their surroundings, especially when they can relate to the subject). At the same time, he is luring a series of girls into his red Beetle and then raping and killing them (at one point, we watch as he throws the severed head of one of his victims into a fireplace and he gets-off watching it burn!). It's now 1973 and Bundy is working on Washington State's gubernatorial election. Bundy reconnects with Stephanie while on a trip to San Francisco. He proposes marriage to her in a crowded restaurant and she accepts, but when he goes to the mens room, he doesn't return, leaving Stephanie to look like a fool (Maybe she should go fuck a damn retard!). Meanwhile, Bundy continues his cross-country killing spree (we will never know the exact number of his victims), until he is captured by a cop while sleeping in his car. Bundy escapes from a Colorado jail (his first of two jail breaks) and continues his killing spree until he is eventually caught again and sentenced to the electric chair, which we see carried out.  As with most of Michael Feifer's serial killer films, there are germs of truth to Bundy's life story, but there is more "artistic license" than fact. Corin Nemec (who also had a role on Feifer's Boston Strangler film and also portrayed Richard Speck in Feifer's CHICAGO MASSACRE: RICHARD SPECK - 2007) is quite good as Ted Bundy, who is appropriately charming when he needs to be and then creepy as hell the next moment. While there are a couple of gory killings, most of Bundy's murders are kept off-screen, as director/writer Feifer seems more interested in Bundy's internal demons (he keeps flashing back to when Bundy was a little boy in a cowboy hat). Don't get me wrong, there are some graphic scenes of violence on display, especially during the final third (including Bundy killing two sleeping co-eds with a baseball bat and then breaking into another girl's apartment, where he brutally beats her with his fists and a telephone), but this film is more of a psychological piece, showing how Bundy used his good looks and high intelligence to nearly get away with all his killings, but like all narcissists, his own inflated ego gets the best of him (especially when he acts as his own defense attorney in his trial for killing the two sleeping co-eds). As far as Feifer's serial killer films go, this one rates better than most, so if you are hesitant about which one of Feifer's serial killer films to start out with, try BUNDY: A LEGACY OF EVIL first. Also starring David DeLuise, Shannon Pierce Wilkins, Kristen Clement, Molly Fix, Alyson Hope, Rachael Kollman, Tim Oman (another Feifer regular player), Jay Pickett and Angela Padilla. A Lionsgate Entertainment DVD Release. Rated R.

THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL (1971) - "There's a crime behind every great fortune." When it comes to giallo flicks, it's very hard to beat those directed by Sergio Martino. This is his second giallo film, following THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH (1971) and preceding ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK (1972), YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY (1972) and TORSO (1973), my favorite giallo film of all time. This film is right up there when it comes to an involving mystery, plenty of red herrings, lots of nudity, graphic violence and some exotic locales, but, most of all, it holds your attention for the entire 95-minute running time. Thanks to Arrow Video and their marvelous Blu-Ray, we can see the film the way it was meant to be seen, as well as offering a plethora of informative extras.
     The film opens with Lisa Baumer (Evelyn Stewart; THE PSYCHIC - 1977) walking down a busy London street, wearing a bright red hat (making her stand out from the crowd). When she gets home, she calls her nameless lover, telling him that her husband, Kurt (Fulvio Mingozzi; SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS - 1972, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo, but his photo is prominently displayed throughout the film), has left for Tokyo and she really needs to see him, so come over right away. When he comes over they make love (look for a bottle of J&B Scotch next to the record player, one of many appearances it makes in this film), which is juxtaposed with footage of Kurt's plane in the air, headed for Tokyo. Just as they finish making love, we then see the plane explode, giving a whole new meaning to the word "climax"! A short time later, Lisa (who is sleeping in bed with her lover) gets a phone call telling her that her husband is dead, one of thirty-five people killed when the plane exploded. The question becomes: Did Lisa or her lover have anything to do with the plane exploding or is it something even more sinister? (Martino keeps the viewer off-balance, zooming the camera in tight on Lisa and her lover's eyes and even zooming in on a photo of Kurt that resides on Lisa's nightstand, so we can't decide who the killer actually is, making them all look guilty. It's an often-used giallo trope, but it works here.).
     A short time later, an insurance executive named Mr. Brenton (cameo king Tom Felleghy; EYEBALL - 1975) contacts Lisa and tells her to come to his office. When she arrives, he tells Lisa that her husband took a life insurance policy on himself while he was in Greece, naming her as the beneficiary. Lisa tells Mr. Brenton she had no idea her husband took out the policy, explaining that she and Kurt led independent lives. His business was located in Greece, where he spent most of his time and every once in a while he would come to London, staying no longer than a couple of days (Where can I get a marriage like that!?!), Mr. Brenton then tells Lisa that the policy was for one million pounds, payable to her, but only after the "necessary formalities" are completed. When Lisa walks out of the room, Mr. Brenton tells his secretary to contact "Peter Lynch", he needs to talk to him. I wonder if Peter Lynch is part of those necessary formalities?
     When Lisa leaves Mr. Brenton's office, it is obvious she is being followed by a man with blond hair. He follows her taxi and watches her exit the cab and go into a phone booth, where she calls her lover and tells him everything went smoothly, she will travel to Greece to cash-in the life insurance policy and then they can be together all of the time, revealing to the viewer that she knew about the policy well before Mr. Brenton told her, but did she have anything to do with her husband's death (making her a mass murderess)? When Lisa exits the phone booth, she notices that the blond-haired man is following her. It turns out he is an ex-lover of Lisa's named Philip (actor unknown, but familiar), who tells her he has a certain letter she wrote that will implicate her in her husband's murder.  It turns out Lisa left Philip because he became a hopeless drug addict, so she asks him how much he wants for the letter (he knows about the insurance policy). He tells her it is going to cost her a large sum of money, because his drug habit has become bad. He needs five hits a day and that is an expensive habit. Lisa agrees to pay him and gives him a hundred pounds to start him off, promising to give him more money later that night, neither of them noticing that another man in sunglasses is watching them. A short time later, Lisa sneaks into Philip's apartment to look for the letter, but she finds the place ransacked, the letter missing. She then notices Philip stabbed in the stomach, his dying words are Lisa's name (Just before Lisa entered the apartment, we see a man in a hat and a trenchcoat walking away, putting a letter in his coat pocket. Could it be the letter Lisa is looking for? Count on it!).
     Lisa then flies to Greece and checks into a hotel, a strange handsome man following her (Lisa seems to attract strangers!). When the man approaches Lisa at the dinner table, she tells him she knows who he is. He's Peter Lynch (George Hilton; THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS - 1971) and Lisa knows he is an insurance investigator for the company that her husband insured his life with, telling Peter that she, too, has informants. Peter is not surprised, telling her that nothing is really private these days (He should see what it's like today!) and admits defeat. Lisa tells him to quit wasting his time, confessing that she cheated on her husband and then excuses herself, saying that she must leave, she has another appointment. She gets up from the table and walks away, but we see another man, John Stanley (Alberto De Mendoza; A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN - 1971), is watching Lisa and Peter from another table, giving Peter a knowing glance. So who is John Stanley? (I wouldn't be giving anything away by saying he's an Interpol Agent.).
     We then see Liza take a taxi to her next appointment and goes to an empty theater, where she meets Lara Florakis (the late Janine Reynaud; BLINDMAN - 1971) and her lawyer Sharif (Luis Barboo; THE LORELEY'S GRASP - 1973), the man in the sunglasses who was watching Lisa in London and who may be responsible for Philip's murder. Lara accuses Lisa of killing Kurt, telling her that her husband was going to divorce Lisa and marry her. Kurt was going to change the life insurance policy and name Lara as the beneficiary, accusing Lisa of finding that out and killing Kurt before he could make the changes. Lara says the million pounds belong to her, but Lisa tells her that no court in the world would recognize that Lara had any right to that money (she has a point). Lara tells her (actually, she threatens her) that Sharif is not much of a lawyer, but he has a special talent for making people disappear without a trace (Sharif doesn't say a word, he just stands there looking extremely dangerous). Lara once again accuses Lisa of killing Kurt and tells her she is going to pay for what she lost. Lisa says she didn't kill anyone, so Lara says she can tell that to the inquest commission who are investigating the plane crash. If Lara reports her to the commission, the insurance company will block payment of the million pounds. She then tries to make a deal with Lisa. If she were to sign a document giving Lara half the money, Lisa could count on her showing her "gratitude", otherwise she will get revenge on Lisa for killing Kurt. Sharif slowly approaches Lisa, so she runs away, Lara telling Sharif to stop her. As Sharif and Lara chase Lisa down a long metal spiral staircase (there are two spiral staircases in this film), Peter is waiting at the bottom, saving Lisa from certain harm.
     The next morning, Lisa goes to the bank to cash her million pound check, the bank manager telling Lisa that it would be safer to transfer the money to her London bank, but Lisa says no, she wants it in cash, so they give it to her in a black leather case (it looks like a woman's makeup case), She then goes to a travel agency and books a first class plane ticket to Tokyo, which leaves at 9:00p.m. that night. Why in the world does she want to go to Toyko? Think you know? You may be right in your assumption, but there are many more surprises to be had in this twisty mystery, which is like a crossbreed of giallo and Eurocrime genres. What I have described in this review happens in the first thirty minutes of the film and if I tell you any more, it would deprive you of discovering why Sergio Martino is a master of the giallo genre. The screenplay was also written by three masters of the giallo genre, namely Ernesto Gastaldi (DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS - 1971), Eduardo M. Brochero (HUMAN COBRAS - 1971) and Sauro Scavolini (director/writer of LOVE AND DEATH IN THE GARDEN OF THE GODS - 1972), who supply a very intriguing mystery as well as offering a nice dose of police work, courtesy of Inspector Stavros (Luigi Pistilli; THE KILLERS ARE OUR GUESTS - 1974), an Athens Police detective who becomes involved in the case when people end up murdered. One memorable gag shows an unfinished jigsaw puzzle on Inspector Stavros' office desk. We see the puzzle being slowly pieced together to completion the closer he gets to solving the murders (Pay close attention to who completes the puzzle). I can't tell you who ends up dead because I need to leave you, my dear readers, with something to discover on your own. Needless to say, the people killed in this film are important to cracking the case, so if you want to know if Lisa murdered Kurt (or if there is some other explanation), you are just going to have to watch the film. I can promise you one thing: If you are a giallo fan (and who isn't?), I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. There is violence (some of it quite graphic for its time), female nudity, especially by the lovely Evelyn Stewart and Anita Strindberg (WHO SAW HER DIE? - 1972), who portrays female reporter Cleo Dupont, a character I haven't mentioned in this review, who teams up with Peter to try and solve the case (and becoming his lover), as well as some unusual camera angles (check out the scene where Inspector Stavros asks to check Peter's hands) and unusual locations (including the Parthenon and an underwater cavern). I can't tell you much about Cleo without giving away the core of the story, but I will tell you this: She is important to getting to the bottom of the murders, but, please, don't make me tell you any more. Believe me when I say I want to, but I can't in good conscience (Okay, just one slight hint: The killer wears a wetsuit.). So what does a scorpion have to do with anything, since it is mentioned in the title? It seems the killer lost a cufflink during one of his murder attempts and it is, yes, a scorpion cufflink. Tracking down the Turkish jeweler who made it leads to the killer's identity (Now I've said too much!).
     Shot as LA CODA DELLO SCORPIONE ("The Tail Of The Scorpion"), this film had neither a theatrical or VHS release in the United States, making its first appearance here as an uncut, widescreen DVD from NoShame Films. This review is based on the wonderful Blu-Ray released by Arrow Video. It's a tad expensive, but well worth the money, as it is chock-full of extras, including new 2018 interviews with Sergio Martino and George Hilton (both interviews are very entertaining and full of information I never heard before, especially what Hilton says about Anita Strindberg's breasts!), as well as an informative 40-page booklet on the making of the film (which I have scanned HERE). The disc offers the film in two versions, English dubbed or in Italian with easy to read English subtitles (my preferred way of watching these films). I may go broke purchasing the many Arrow Blu-Rays of Italian genre films, but I can't think of a better way of losing all my money. Just leave me enough money for food and I'll be a happy man. Also featuring Annalisa Nardi (THE MURDER MANSION - 1972), Franco Caracciolo (KILLER NUN - 1978) and Tomas Pico (THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK - 1975) as George Barnet, an air steward who the killer graphically stabs in the eye with a broken bottle before finishing him off with a switchblade to his heart (He is someone we saw much earlier in the film, but he didn't have a name then. Hint!). Not Rated.

CAT IN THE CAGE (1978) - Unbelievably bad thriller that involves a man (Behrouz Wossoughi, the only dubbed voice in the entire cast) returning home after a short stay in a mental institution. His father (Frank De Kova, Chief Wild Eagle on TV's F TROOP) has married his dead wife's nurse (Sybil Danning [PANTHER SQUAD - 1984], spelled "Cybil" in the credits). Together with the chauffeur (Mel Novak), she plans to bump off De Kova, and inherit his vast fortune and estate. She runs into problems with Behrouz (he can't stand her) and his cat, Samson, who attacks her at every available moment. The first problem with this film is the cat. Samson is as about as vicious as a toothless frog (having two cats myself, I know what I'm talking about). The film's idea of showing his viciousness is by dangling a piece of string in front of him and photographing him swatting at it. In one flub, the cat is shown rubbing against Danning, showing her affection. Another detraction is the presence of Wossoughi (who is given an English name "Tony Bova" in the end credits), a Pakistani (?) actor (?) who looks out of place among the other players. He looks as much like De Kova's son as Eddie Murphy would look like David Duke's. It looks like someone owed somebody a big favor. Even though Colleen Camp (DEATH GAME - 1977; DEADLY GAMES - 1980) is top-billed, she has very little to do except to play Wossoughi's girlfriend (she's a great actress) and sing the title song. Technical gaffes, flubbed lines and some of the worst canned music to bleed my ears in quite a while flesh out the film. Speaking of flesh, Danning exposes a lot of it here (the only saving grace). Recommended for Danning completists only. Genesis Home Video offers this tape for $9.99 and can be found at finer (?) video stores and retail outlets. Director Tony Zarin Dast (a.k.a. Zarindast) went on to make the action thriller HARDCASE AND FIST (1989) and the ungodly howler WEREWOLF (1995). Unrated.

THE CENTERFOLD GIRLS (1974) - Psychopath Andrew Prine disposes of various naked centerfold girls with his trusty straight razor because he thinks the girls are corrupting the minds of the people who view their photos. That's basically the whole story except for the way it is told. This film is in three parts, each part focusing on a particular centerfold girl that Prine stalks. The first part is about a nurse who travels to a camp to apply for a job. Her home is invaded by hippies, who force her to drink alcohol and nearly rape her. She escapes and runs to the camp where owner Aldo Ray saves her. Ray then attempts to rape her, but gives up, saying she's not worth the trouble. Prine, who has been tracking her, enters the house and slits her throat. The second part concerns a model who travels to a secluded island with an entourage for a photo shoot. Prine follows the model onto the island and kills everyone one by one. The third part is about a stewardess (Tiffany Bolling; KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS - 1977) who realizes that Prine is after her after finding her look-alike friend dead in her apartment. She moves out and tries to hide, but Prine finds her. She escapes in her car, has a flat and gets picked-up by a couple of Marines who drug and rape her in a motel room. Prine finds her, they struggle and she stabs him repeatedly with a hunting knife. As he lies dying, Prine moans, "All I wanted to do was help you!" The End. If you like nudity (who doesn't?), you won't be disappointed with this film. Most of the actresses are naked the majority of the time. There's not much else to recommend here. The acting is sub-standard, the editing is terrible and the blood quotient is rather low. Andrew Prine (GRIZZLY - 1976) walks around in a daze, wearing black pants that are way too short with saddle shoes (quite a fashion statement!). Director John Peyser also made FOUR RODE OUT and KASHMIRI RUN (both 1969). The executive producer was Arthur Marks, who directed BONNIE'S KIDS (1972) and others. For nudity fans only. THE CENTERFOLD GIRLS also stars Ray Danton (who directed the American inserts for the abysmal CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD - 1973; and also directed the much better DEATHMASTER - 1972 and the strangely satisfying PSYCHIC KILLER - 1974), Francine York, Jeremy Slate and Mike Mazurki. A Media Home Entertainment Video Release. Also available on DVD from Dark Sky Films. Rated R.

CHOSEN SURVIVORS (1974) - A group of diverse people are drugged and helicoptered to a top secret underground government base, where a female government official with the name of Mary Louise Borden (Kelly Lange) pops-up on a giant computer screen to inform them that a global nuclear war has broken out and they were picked to "continue the human race". Ms. Borden also informs them that there are twelve other installations just like theirs scattered throughout the United States and that they have enough food and provisions to live underground for the next five years. Ms. Borden also tells them that when radiation levels on the surface reach the point that allows human life again, the elevator doors will open and let them return above ground. Major Gordon Ellis (Richard Jaeckel) then appears in person and shows them satellite footage of a nuclear-ravaged Earth. We are then introduced to all the characters and their idiosyncracies: Ray Couzins (Jackie Cooper), a corporation genius who doesn't buy into the nuclear war scenario and is looking for a way out; Peter Macomber (Bradford Dillman), a psychologist who studies the group and makes observations into a tape recorder; Kristen Lerner (Christina Moreno), a nutritionist who doesn't want to live; Alana Fitzgerald (Diana Muldaur), a Congresswoman; Woody Russo (Lincoln Kilpatrick), an Olympic gold medal winner; Steven Mayes (Alex Cord), a novelist; Luis Cabral (Pedro Armendariz Jr.), an oceanographer; Carrie Draper (Gwenn Mitchell), an ecology expert; Dr. Lenore Chrisman (Barbara Babcock), a Nobel Prize-winning medical researcher; and Claire Farraday (Nancy Rodman), a biologist. Before this group has a chance to worry about the predicament that they are in, they are attacked by a hungry swarm of rabid vampire bats. That's right, vampire bats. The bats have disrupted the lighting system (they only attack in the dark), so Major Ellis sets up an alarm system to warn them when the lights go out (the first attack happens when everyone is sleeping). Ray starts getting drunk and begins telling everyone how he feels (He tells Woody, "You're nothing but a goddamn stud!"), thinks this is all a conspiracy (he just may be right) and tries to rape Dr. Chrisman (turns out she likes it!). When Luis is killed by the bats, one of the members reveals that this was all an experiment (not much of a surprise), but when he tries to contact his superiors, he finds the bats have destroyed the rescue signal. He also makes it known that the government planned to kill them once the experiment was over. They have five more days of avoiding the bats (there's a failsafe involved) before troops come down to the base. Will anyone make it out alive?  This study in paranoia and isolation went virtually unseen after it's 1974 theatrical release (It did play on Canada's Scream channel, but how many people actually have that channel?) until it was released on DVD in 2007 as part of 20th Century Fox's Midnight Movies series. This is a rare bad guy role for Jackie Cooper and he's pretty good here, boozing it up and spouting vitriolic dialogue. He goes around pitting people against each other, bribing some with money and blackmailing others and does it with glee, making his character just as dangerous (if not moreso) as the bats. Even though he's the bad guy, it's his actions which gets everyone saved (even if they were strictly self-serving). The rest of the cast are pretty dreary (to be fair, their roles are underwritten) and take backstage to the bat attacks, which are filmed with a blue filter, probably to hide the more bloody attacks (since this is rated PG). The novel approach with how the group handle the bats (everyone gives a pint of blood, which they smear on a homemade electrified fence) is very well done, even if it doesn't work. I also liked how the daily pre-programmed videotaped announcements by Ms. Borden still played every morning, even after the ruse was exposed. Ms. Borden would tell them in different ways every day how important they were and how they should get on with repopulating humanity, making everything after the expose quite sarcastic. The film reminded me of THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN (1971), with it's themes of isolation and both contain outside forces beyond their control (deadly germs vs. deadly bats) and a long, dangerous climb up a shaft to safety. CHOSEN SURVIVORS does contain some bloody scenes that belie it's PG rating (Kristin & Woody's deaths), but this was the 70's after all. Directed by Sutton Roley, who mainly directed episodic TV (he died in 2007), but he did direct one other theatrical film, THE LONERS (1972), as well as the MFTV films SWEET, SWEET RACHEL (1971) and SATAN'S TRIANGLE (1975). Filmed in Mexico City's Churubusco Studios. A 20th Century Fox DVD release as part of a double bill with THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING (1964). Rated PG. Other 70's films concerning bats include THE BAT PEOPLE (1974) and NIGHTWING (1979).

THE COMEBACK (1977) - Director Pete Walker makes a bloody good thriller here as retired pop singer Nick Cooper (Jack Jones) decides to come out of retirement after divoricing his wife (Holly Palance) of six years. In the beginning we witness the bloody slaughter of his wife with a sickle (her hand is chopped off and face and body brutally slashed) by someone wearing a rubber witch mask. Nick's manager Webster Jones (David Doyle) sets him up in an old mansion in England to settle down and write and record some new songs. Pretty soon he begins hearing the cries and screams of a woman at night and views a rotting body in a wheelchair and then the maggot-filled head of his ex-wife (who he doesn't know is dead) in a hatbox in the basement.  He cracks up and is committed to an institution as no one else, including housekeeper Mrs. B (Sheila Keith) can see or hear the body and noises. He is then set free and sets out to solve the mystery of who is trying to drive him mad. Could it be his manager? His new girlfriend (Pamela Stephenson)? Mrs. and Mr. B (Bill Owen)? Or is he just mad, like everyone thinks? Needless to say, the denouement is outrageous (you would never guess why in a million years) and the outcome bloody and inconclusive (as the final freeze-frame accentuates). Real-life singer Jones makes a better singer than actor, but he begins to get into a groove here that makes the proceedings seem more realistic than if a professional actor were to have taken the role. There are exactly three murders here and they are bloody and shocking (especially Holly Palance's). The blood is extremely red and flows freely. Sheila Keith is no stranger to Pete Walker films, appearing in his HOUSE OF WHIPCORD and FRIGHTMARE (a.k.a. FRIGHTMARE II - both 1974), THE CONFESSIONAL (1975) and HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS (1983). Her looks could melt cement and her acting ability always induced goosebumps. This is one old lady you would not want to have as a babysitter! THE COMEBACK, also known as THE DAY THE SCREAMING STOPPED, HALLUCINATIONS and ENCORE, is one of Pete Walker's best films and I, for one, wish he would get back in the directorial chair and make the kind of films that made England famous in the 70's: namely, blood-soaked psycho-thrillers that keep you guessing and make you jump. A Karl Lorimar Video VHS Release. Also available on DVD & Blu-Ray from Redemption Films/Kino Lorber. Not Rated.

CROSS CURRENT (1971) - This giallo film opens with some unknown person reading a letter, crumpling it up, grabbing a gun out of a desk drawer and then kicking a door in, the gun ready to fire. The film then switches to a cigarette boat race on the ocean. Someone has tampered with the pin of the steering column of a boat piloted by Marco Breda (Philippe Leroy; MILANO CALIBRO 9 - 1972), causing the boat to crash while traveling at a high rate of speed and putting Marco in the hospital with serious head trauma. The doctor explains to Marco's wife, Monica (Elga Andersen) and his brother, Burt (Ivan Rassimov; SPASMO - 1974), that the only way to save Marco's life is with a risky brain operation. Monica tells the doctor to perform the operation and Marco survives, only he has lost his memory. Marco returns home (he insists that he drives home, even though he has a chauffeur, something he never did pre-memory loss) and is surrounded by people that are his friends, although he doesn't remember any of them (he does have quick flashes of the boating "accident"). At a dinner party at his home, Marco receives a phonecall by someone claiming to be Sante, Marco's former gardener. He tells Marco that he "must remember" and to meet him at the cemetery alone at midnight, which seems to visibly upset both Monica and Burt. That night, while Marco waits at the cemetery, someone wearing black gloves strangles Sante and then runs over him with a car. Police Inspector Baldini (Julio Pena), who is already investigating Marco's boating mishap (he hints that he thinks it was sabotage), arrives at the villa to inform everyone that Sante is dead and he believes the last phonecall made to him came from a phone booth located just outside the villa gates. Both Monica and friend (and fellow boat pilot) Tommy Brown (Franco Ressel; EYE IN THE LABRYINTH - 1972) let Marco believe that they saw him sneak out of the villa the night before, but Marco denies it. That night, someone stabs Tommy at the boatyard, killing him. As the plot becomes much too complicated to describe here, Marco begins to get his memory back little pieces at a time. As he tries to fit the puzzle pieces of his life back together, a few questions rise to the forefront: Why won't Monica make love to Marco? Just what was Terry's (Rosanna Yanni; HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE - 1973) relationship with Marco before his accident? Is it possible that Marco is actually the killer or is someone setting him up? When Marco seemingly kills himself trying to get away from the police in a car chase, the antagonists turn on and then kill each other until only one is left. If you haven't already guessed, there's a surprise ending that explains everything.  This fairly standard giallo film, directed by Tonino Ricci (PANIC - 1982; RAIDERS OF THE MAGIC IVORY - 1988), is pretty rough going for seasoned giallo fans, but casual viewers will probably be more entertained. The fact that it took five people (including Ricci) to write this film's screenplay, a routine "lets frame the brother/husband for murder since our attempt on his life failed and another attempt to murder him would throw up too many red flags", makes the viewer wish there were more meat to the plot. Setting the film in the realm of cigarette boat culture (where the speedboats spend more time in the air than the water as they zip across the surface of the ocean) is a unique idea, but it's unfortunately underused. Toss in a severe lack of nudity (only one scene) and bloody violence and all the viewer has to occupy their time is the mystery itself and it's not a hard mystery to solve. The use of amnesia as a major plot element is nothing new, especially in mystery films, and it's woefully mishandled here. As with most 70's giallo films, there's a scene at a disco (miniskirt alert), POV shots by the killer (always wearing black gloves, of course) and a short car chase. I really can't recommend this film (just because it's rare doesn't mean it's good) unless you're a gialli completist or newbie. The only true highlight is Giorgio Gaslini's infectious music score, including the unusual opening tune, which has a hook that will take days to leave your head. Future director Flavio Mogherini (THE PYJAMA GIRL CASE - 1977) was the Art Director here. Also starring Franco Fantasia, Rina Franchetti, Giorgio Cerioni, Liana Del Balzo, Carla Mancini, Franco Balducci and a cameo from Italian speedboat champion Vincenzo Balestrieri. Never legally available on U.S. home video, the print I viewed was taken from an English-dubbed, Greek-subtitled VHS tape. Not Rated.

DARK FORCES (1980) - When magician/clown Gregory Wolfe (Robert Powell) cures terminally ill child Alex Rast (Mark Spain) at his birthday party, it brings him to the attention of Alex's father, Nick Rast (David Hemmings), a prominent politician who is the unknowing puppet of spinmaster Doc Wheelan (Broderick Crawford). Wolfe also brings out the interest in Alex's mother, Sandra (Carmen Duncan), who begins to fall in love with him. The whole premise of this film is if Wolfe is the real deal; a healer who can perform miracles or a con man with ulterior motives. No one is able to dig up any information on his past, so Doc Wheelan fabricates some incriminating information on Wolfe to turn Nick and Sandra against him. Wolfe performs some feats of magic at a dinner party (including cutting a dove in half with a flying cymbal and moving an absess from the mouth of a wealthy dowager down to her fingertip). Is Wolfe real or a fake? Is he just a hypnotist and magician or something beyond the natural? You'll have to watch the film to get the answers because to say any more would be revealing too much. Director Simon Wincer, who made such films as THE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN (a.k.a. NIGHT AFTER HALLOWEEN, a.k.a. SNAPSHOT, a.k.a. ONE MORE MINUTE - 1979), HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE MARLBORO MAN (1991) and TV's miniseries LONESOME DOVE (1989) and other TV Westerns as of late, has crafted a sly political thriller with supernatural overtones. Robert Powell (THE ASPHYX - 1973) is simply astounding as Wolfe (as in sheep's clothing), keeping the viewer off-balance as to who, or what, he really is. This film, also known as HARLEQUIN (due to the costume Powell wears at the film's conclusion) throws the viewer subtle clues to Wolfe's real identity, but you'll probably have to watch it several times to get it all (HINT: Video cameras don't lie.). This is an excellent way to spend 96 minutes, especially if you don't mind using your brain instead of witnessing mindless violence. A Media Home Entertainment VHS Release. Also available on a beautiful widescreen Blu-Ray from Scorpion Entertainment. Rated PG due to the dove incident and several gunshot wounds. This is for fans of cerebral thrillers and should not be missed!

DARK SANITY (1978) - Technically inept but strangely intriguing psychological thriller. Ex-alcoholic wife and workaholic husband move into a house where a brutal murder occurred a year before. A woman  was chopped to pieces with an axe and her head was never found. As soon as the wife steps through the door she begins to have visions of the murder much to the disapproval of her husband. She had a nervous breakdown due to alcoholism years before and her husband does not want it to happen again. This self-serving bastard cares more about making a good impression with his boss than with the welfare of his wife. She meets some strange people in her neighborhood: Her next door neighbor, a woman with a cheating husband, introduces herself with some sexually frank talk. Her gardener, a balding weirdo, loves to get media attention.. An ex-cop (Aldo Ray) has the same visions she does. He believes the wrong man was convicted of the murder and the killer is still at large. He was right. It turns out that their visions are not of the past murder but of a future murder. Choppy editing, canned music, vaseline lenses, flubbed lines and bad acting actually add to the ambience of this rarely seen film. This one was made during the nadir of' the late Aldo Ray's career and he lends an air of professionalism to an otherwise amateur affair. While most of you will probably think I'm nuts for recommending this one, it did keep my attention. That's more than I can say about most of' the films I watch. Although this film is Unrated it would probably get a PG-13 today, as there is no nudity, only mild swearing and shots of a decapitated head and hand. It is still facinating to watch if you are in the right frame of mind. Also starring Kory Clark and Charles Jamison. Directed by Martin Green (FOOTSTEPS IN THE SNOW - 1966). DARK SANITY is also known as STRAIGHT JACKET. A Prism Entertainment Home Video Release.

DEADLY GAMES (1980) - Rule Number One when making a thriller: Have an ending that doesn't make you scream, "What the FUCK!!!.". Someone dressed all in black (including ski mask) is killing the loose women of a small town. Keegan Lawrence (Jo Ann Harris of RAPE SQUAD, a.k.a. ACT OF VENGEANCE  - 1974), the sister of one of the dead women, comes back to the town looking for answers. What she finds is a town of offbeat women and even stranger men. She strikes up a relationship with police detective Roger Lane (Sam Groom of DEADLY EYES - 1982), who has a sickly and scarred friend named Billy Owens (Steve Railsback of ED GEIN - 2000) that Roger saved during the Vietnam War. Billy runs the local movie theater where it seems only old films are shown. More women are killed and Keegan starts falling for Roger (who has a hidden mean streak). Since there aren't that many red herrings in this film to fill a can of sardines, it's easy to spot who the killer is. It's just that the ending is shot haphazardly and stops on a freeze frame that makes no sense. I wanted to reach through the TV and grab director/writer Scott Mansfield, shake him violently and let him feel how all the viewers of his film must have felt after watching 85 minutes of his film without getting a payoff. The action is bloodless, the suspense lacking and the nudity is non-existant except for the first five minutes. Not much of a thriller if you ask me unless you like endless talking and inane dialogue. Is it too much to ask for my 85 minutes back? Also starring Coleen Camp, Dick Butkus, Denise Galik, Robin Hoff and a blink-and-you'll-miss cameo by June Lockhart. Shown on TV under the title THE ELIMINATOR. A Monterey Home Video Release. If you want a real laugh, read the first paragraph on the back of the video box. It's a real hoot. Rated R.

DEADLY HARVEST (1977) - In the year 1979, the United States suffers it's second straight year of drought and lack of crops, forcing the government to impose martial law and curfews, closing up all the borders and stopping all long distance phone calls (One government official suggests that euthanasia should be lawful and that all the elderly and prisoners should be killed!). It's not long before everyone becomes hungry and people begin breaking the law to get their hands on anything edible. Midwest farmer Grant Franklin (Clint Walker) and his family must protect themselves and their small food reserves from raiders. Things go bad when their last cow is shot and stolen by the evil Mort Logan (Nehemiah Persoff) and his sons (they sing "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" as they drive away with the cow's carcass). Grant's hothead son Michael (Geraint Wyn Davies, billed here as "Gary Davies") joins forces with corrupt town sheriff Frank Wilcox (Dwayne McLean) to patrol all the farms for interlopers and becomes directly involved in giving an old man (Tim Whelan) a heart attack, killing him. The old man's son, Charles Ennis (David Brown) vows revenge. Ennis goes to black marketeer Mort Logan and makes a deal with him. Ennis knows that Grant's daughter Susan (a young Kim Cattrell) is getting married tomorrow (where all the neighbors plan to show up with gifts of food) and he will give Logan all the details for a percentage of the food. Logan and his goons invade the wedding, steal the food and kill Grant's wife Leah (Dawn Greenhalgh) and Susan's new husband John (Jim Henshaw), when Wilcox and Michael get into a shootout with them. The normally peaceable Grant shifts into revenge mode and heads to the big city to get some justice. Grant first stops at Ennis' house, where he learns of Michael's involvement in the death of Ennis' father and that Logan is on his way back to Grant's farm for some payback (A guilt-ridden Ennis poisons his family's last meal, killing them all [off screen]). Grant races back to his farm, where Michael is holding off Logan's men with a rifle. Grant arrives and has a final showdown with Logan, crushing him in his car with a bulldozer. I just love a happy ending.  This minor Canadian-made thriller is too preachy for it's own good. While director Timothy Bond (THE SHADOW MEN - 1997, and too many Canadian TV series to mention) does a good job portraying a society that would do nearly anything to get their hands on their next meal, he pulls back when it comes to showing the violence. The bleak Canadian landscapes (substituting for the Midwest U.S.) greatly enhance the proceedings (global warming has made it snow in August), but the total lack of action, even during the wedding raid and the final assault on Grant's farm (which consists of a couple of bullet hits and a lame-ass car chase) makes it a long, boring ride for most viewers. Clint Walker (KILLDOZER - 1974), who normally makes for a stiff hero, is positively wooden here and is not given very much to do but act as the voice of reason. Even when he gets his revenge on Logan in the finale, he still does it with a stiff upper lip. The Al Gore documentary on global warming, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006), had more action than this did. DEADLY HARVEST is deadly dull.  While I applaud its ideas, the execution is lacking. This film is boring with a capital B. Scripter Martin Lager, also wrote some episodes for the boring TV Series THE STARLOST (1973-74) and the screenplay to the snoozefest called THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (1979), which helps explain why this film moves slower than molasses in winter. Also starring Tami Tucker, John Stoneham, Cec Linder, Jan Rubes and Peter Jobin. A New World Video VHS Release. Also available on a budget DVD from Westlake Entertainment and about a dozen other budget DVD companies. Not Rated, but no stronger than a PG. 

DEADLY MEMORIES (2002) - More of director Donald Farmer's no-budget madness, a revenge thriller in need of a better editor (at 106 minutes, it's at least 30 minutes too long). Auto body shop owner Art Gary (producer & co-scripter Phillip Newman) is driving his wife and young daughter Sally to church one lazy Sunday morning when they are run off the road by some punk and his two never-do-well female companions, who have just robbed a convenience store and also beat the crap out of the store's clerk (played by Robert Z'Dar; EVIL ALTAR - 1988). Art's car explodes (in one of the worst staged car wrecks in recent memory), killing his wife, putting Sally in a coma and giving Art a permanent limp (Art nearly dies, but his wife comes to him as an angel and convinces him to return to life for the sake of their daughter!). Two years pass and Art still runs his auto body business and the still-comatose Sally lives with him at their house next to the business, yet there is something drastically different about Art. He's still a religious man, but there is vengeance in his heart, which may be why he is now having severe heart problems that can only be controlled by medication. A surprise visit by the robbed convenience store clerk (who now sports a large facial scar from the attack two years earlier) gives Art the chance to get revenge on Hailey (Tina Krause), one of the female teens involved in the fatal crash. Her car is disabled on the side of the road, so Art tows it and offers Hailey a warm bed to sleep in until her car part arrives the next morning. That night, Hailey is stripped naked, bound and gagged, brought to the car painting shed in Art's garage and spray painted a nice shade of blue by someone wearing a welder's mask. The question soon becomes: Is Art the murderer or is it someone else? Could it be the convenience store clerk? How about Billy Ray (L.P. Brown III), an old friend of Art who has just returned to town after a mysterious two-year absence? Could it be Sheriff Taggart (William Smith; MERCHANT OF EVIL - 1991), who has a lot of respect for Art? Or is it someone else? When a snooty female representative from the Department of Human Services threatens to take Sally away from Art and put her in a state-run hospital unless she sees progress in her condition within thirty days, Art goes to a bar with Billy Ray to blow off some steam. In the bar is the punk who ran him off the road and Art nearly chokes him to death on a pool table, but Billy Ray intervenes. Later that day, someone blows up the punk and his girlfriend in their car with a rocket launcher, the same rocket launcher that Art keeps in his home (What the hell would a church-fearing man be doing with a rocket launcher? Oh, never mind!). After an obnoxious customer and the female DHS representative are brutally murdered, the identity of the killer is revealed. The finale is a mish-mash of useless sentimentality (Sally wakes up from her coma at the same moment the killer is dispatched) and "What The Fuck?!?" moments (How does someone survive a point-blank shotgun blast to the chest?).  Though not as gory as most of his other films, director/co-scripter Donald Farmer (VAMPIRE COP - 1990; CHAINSAW CHEERLEADERS - 2008) keeps many of his other trademarks in abundant supply: Questionable acting (Big Bill Smith and Robert Z'Dar excepted); painfully long takes that tax the viewer's patience; cut-rate special effects (done here by Brett Piper, director of such films as PSYCLOPS [2002] and BACTERIUM [2007], who is also this film's cinematographer); and, of course, copious amounts of female nudity (At one point in the film, a topless female is seen jumping up and down on a trampoline in the middle of a rock quarry. What the hell is a trampoline doing in the middle of a rock quarry?). Phillip Newman, who looks like Conway Twitty's brother (the soundtrack is also full of third-rate Country music tunes), does a halfway decent job in his role as Art, but the character is woefully underwritten, making Art a hard person to root for even though it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he's not the killer. And therein lies this film's major problem: While the film is dialogue-heavy, most of it is useless to the audience, as it does nothing to advance the plot. Besides a bloody drillbit-through-the-forehead gag and lots of nudity, DEADLY MEMORIES (originally shot under the title BODY SHOP) is a deadly long and boring revenge thriller. Filmed in Tennessee, where, apparently, acting is cheap. Also starring Rachael Robbins, Colby Newman, Sabrina Newman Stidham (I smell nepotism!), Shelly Holmes, Linda Kelly and Tracey Wofford. Available on DVD from Pendulum Pictures as part of their CATACOMB OF CREEPSHOWS 50-Movie compilation. Also available on stand-alone DVD from Midnight Releasing. Not Rated.

DEAR DEAD DELILAH (1972) - Gothic thriller directed and written by novelist John Farris (his only directorial effort, although he did write the screenplay to Brian DePalma's THE FURY [1978], based on his novel of the same name), produced by musician Jack Clement (known for his collaborations with Johnny Cash) and starring a cast of veteran genre actors, many who are no longer with us. DEAR DEAD DELILAH opens in Nashville, Tennessee in 1943, where a young Luddy Dublin makes a living drawing portraits in chalk for $1.50 each. It's apparent from the opening moments that Luddy has a screw loose, as she primps in front of a mirror, complains about the heat, talks to her mother (who never answers back) and pines for her lover Don (his photo is in a frame with cracked glass), who she says she is going to marry once he comes home from the war. When we finally get a good look at Luddy's face, it's easy to see that she has taken a beating, as she is sporting a fat lip and a black eye and the front of her slip (exposing a pregnant belly!) is covered in blood. And her Mother? Well, she is dead and leaning up against the kitchen stove and her hacked-off (with an axe) right arm is lying on the floor in the hallway! The next time we see Luddy (Patricia Carmichael), it's almost thirty years later and she's being discharged from the mental institution she has just spent nearly three decades of her life in. The overweight and white-haired Luddy hops on a bus (where, in the time she has spent "recuperating", the fare has gone up from a dime to a quarter!) and later on she gets off to draw some guys playing football. When Richard (Robert Gentry) accidentally knocks the wind out of Luddy when trying to catch an errant pass, he and wife Ellen (Elizabeth Eis) invite Luddy to stay with them at the palatial estate lorded over by Ellen's invalid Aunt Delilah Charles (Agnes Moorehead; FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY - 1973). The crusty old Delilah is one tough broad (yet, she still talks to her dead father for advice) and, together with family lawyer Roy Jurroe (Will Geer; THE MAFU CAGE - 1978), is about to drop a bombshell announcement that is sure to displease her brothers, Morgan (Michael Ansara; THE MANITOU - 1977) and Alonzo (Dennis Patrick; HEATED VENGEANCE - 1984), and sister, Grace (Anne Meacham; SEIZURE - 1974). Luddy, who is prone to blackouts (especially whenever she sees an axe), finds an ally in Alonzo, who is a doctor with a bad drug habit (besides Alonzo being a junkie, they do have a lot in common, like their love of children) and they become fast friends. Ellen, who is Delilah's nurse, knows all about Luddy's history and hires her to be a housekeeper anyway (Ellen tells Luddy that she'll keep Luddy's murderous history a secret. Now why would she do that?). Richard is having an affair with Grace and they are plotting to murder Delilah. Luddy and Delilah also become fast friends and she tells Luddy that as long as she is here, she's part of the family (While Delilah is saying this, Luddy is getting mighty queasy watching two men chop wood with axes). When Morgan arrives on the estate with his ditsy girlfriend Buffy (Ruth Baker), Delilah announces over dinner that she has sixty days to live and she has willed the estate to the State of Tennessee. She leaves her brothers and sister the paltry sum of $5,000 each, but tells them that somewhere on the estate, their dead Papa has hidden $600,000 and whoever finds it can keep it. Let the killings begin!  As a tale of gothic revenge, DEAR DEAD DELILAH works in the same vein as WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE (1962) and HUSH...HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964; also featuring Moorehead), as director/screenwriter John Farris places the majority of the action on a Southern plantation with plenty of unlikable characters. It's obvious someone is setting up Luddy to take the fall for all the murders, but which family member is it? As the film progresses and more members end up dead (Roy has his hand chopped-off and dies in front of Luddy and Alonzo while grasping his severed hand in his other hand; Morgan and Buffy meet the sharp end of an axe when they are digging for the treasure at night; Delilah is "killed" [offscreen] by someone pretending to be Papa; a drunk Grace is beheaded by someone on horseback while she is taking a ride in Delilah's wheelchair [the film's standout gore scene]; Alonzo is given an overdose of his drug of choice and is left to die), it is obvious who the killers are, but they didn't count on Luddy being the sanest member of this whole crazy clan, as Richard gets a face-full of buckshot from a not-quite-dead-yet Delilah (a very gory scene) and Luddy saves Alonzo and then turns the plantation into an orphanage (or at least I think they do, although the ending can also be read as two extremely fractured people living in a world of their own delusion). The acting is excellent across the board (Agnes Moorehead is both cantankerous and sympathetic, a rare trait that most young actresses today could take lessons from) and the gore is sparse, but effective. This story about a group of privileged people (who argue whether martinis should have olives in them or not!) getting their comeuppance should appeal to those that appreciate a good, old-fashioned gothic tale with some gore trimmings. Also starring John Marriott as Marshall the butler. Originally released on VHS by Embassy Home Entertainment and not available on DVD. Rated R.

DEATH STEPS IN THE DARK (1977) - This Italy/Greece co-production is a bloody and funny giallo film from the director of TORMENTOR (a.k.a. DEATH CARRIES A CANE - 1972), helped immensely by a cast of seasoned pros and its Athens, Greece setting. While hardly original, it is still different enough to please diehard giallo addicts (like myself), thanks to the cast, some bloody murders, some welcome nudity and, yes, humor.
     The setup is fairly simple. When playboy photographer Luciano Morelli (Leonard Mann; THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE - 1985) is on a train from Istanbul to Athens, someone wearing black gloves goes into the bathroom and cuts the fuse box, causing the train to go dark when it passes through a tunnel. When the train leaves the tunnel and it becomes visible once again, Luciano and the other people in the train car discover one of the passengers, a young Greek woman (Anthi Andreopoulou), has been viciously murdered, Luciano's letter opener sticking out of her chest, stabbed in the heart. Luciano is the main suspect and he must prove himself innocent.
     The train makes its scheduled stop in Athens, where a nameless Police Inspector (a dubbed Robert Webber; HIT SQUAD - 1976) questions Luciano and takes his passport, not believing his story that he is innocent, but also not sure that he is the killer (Luciano tells him, "I photograph beautiful women, I don't go around killing them!") The Inspector has four other suspects he must question besides Luciano: Lebanese Catholic priest (!) Omar Effendi (Antonio "Nino" Maimone; HORROR EXPRESS - 1972); mysterious snobby woman Ida Tuclidis (Barbara Seidel; this film's Assistant Director); button-down businessman Ben Amuchin (Nazzareno Macri) and ditzy Swedish model Ingrid Stelmosson (Vera Kruska), who all give the Inspector the details of what they were doing when the train car went black, but one of them is lying  (When the Inspector questions Ingrid, asking her if the murder "struck" her in any way, she takes off her hat and checks her head!). Maybe all of them are lying, but does it make any of them the killer?
     Ingrid, who knows Luciano, trys to help him solve the murder, along with Luciano's black female friend Ulla ("Susy Jennings", real name: Marie Elise Eugene; who we first see having a lesbian encounter with a beautiful white woman back at her place. Nudity alert!), only Luciano doesn't know that Ulla has a friend and lover, Raul (Nikos Verlekis; THE DEVIL'S MEN  - 1976), who was also on board the train and he is blackmailing the unknown killer, as he has one of the killer's gloves he found on the train, asking for $10,000 to return it. Raul watches the killer deliver the money at the agreed-upon location and then drive away, only when Raul goes to collect the money, the killer is waiting for him and slashes Raul's throat, killing him and taking both the glove and the money. When the Inspector arrives at the crime scene, he finds two train ticket stubs on Raul's body (The Inspector says to his nameless partner [Lefteris Giftopoulos], " A man doesn't buy another man a first class ticket from Istanbul to Athens unless he's gay... Wait a minute, was he gay?) The Inspector then questions the train's conductor, who tells him that the punch marks on the stubs are his, but he has no way of identifying who the tickets belonged to. The Inspector gets a search warrant for Luciano's home after discovering that Luciano withdrew $10,000 from his bank a few hours before Raul's murder. Luciano knows he looks guilty, so he dons a disguise (a blond woman's wig!) and calls his home, where Ingrid is waiting, not realizing the Inspector is already there, listening on the phone (a really comical moment). Luciano then goes undercover as a hooker in a bright green miniskirt (!) to contact his friend, Greek dockyard worker and petty criminal Salvatore (Anestis Vlahos), to give him a place to hide out, not knowing that the Inspector is much smarter than he looks. Salvatore gives Luciano a shack next to the railroad tracks to hide out in and, a few days later, Ingrid stops by to give him newspapers and food (and another comic scene, where a train rumbles by, shaking the shack as if an earthquake hit it). Luciano tells Ingrid he used the $10,000 he withdrew from the bank to buy some black market cameras, but he couldn't tell the Inspector that because the transaction was illegal. Ingrid then mentions that the "black chick" (Ulla) was Raul's lover, so Luciano says he will talk to Ulla, but first, he makes love to Ingrid (nudity alert!).
     We then discover that the uptight Ida is getting a divorce from her nameless husband (Andrew Johnson). She has the divorced planned out to the very last detail, as we watch her tell her soon-to-be-ex how it is going to be played out. Her husband asks her if there is another man and she says no, if he wants to know why she wants a divorce, he should talk to her lawyer. Is this going anywhere to advance the plot? Read on... The husband tells Ida that he wants a separation immediately and asks her if she wants the name of the hotel he is staying at. Ida says no, it's not important to her (I can see why divorce is imminent!).
     We then see Ulla singing in a nightclub (Her lips don't match the lyrics we hear!), while Luciano and the nameless businessman watch in the audience. Luciano threaten Ulla, saying that he will spill the beans about her lesbian habits to her boss if she doesn't tell him what Raul was up to. Ulla says not here, meet her back at her hotel room tomorrow morning. I think we all know what that means. Ulla phones her nameless (there's a lot of it in this film!) lesbian lover (Imelda Marani; MILANO CALIBRO 9 - 1972) and tells her to clean out her hotel room of any incriminating evidence. When her lesbian lover arrives at the hotel room, she is murdered by the killer (all we see of the killer is an extreme close-up of one of the killer's blue eyes), who first drowns her in the swimming pool's filter (!) and then slices her throat with the straight razor (talk about overkill!). Ulla then comes home, strips naked (nudity alert!) and takes a bath. While she is in the bathtub, she turns on the faucet, but all that comes out is bloody water (it is never explained how the pool's filter is connected to the bathtub's water supply!). She screams out her lesbian lover's name (I couldn't make out what the name was, even after rewind the scene several times), only to have the killer pin her head with the bathroom door and finish her off with the straight razor to her neck (shown in extreme close-up, as we watch the razor bloodily slice her neck open).
     A short time later, the Inspector looks over the two bloody bodies and wonders out loud why everyone Luciano knows is being murdered (The Inspector's partner asks him how he knew the bodies were there. "I received an anonymous phone call" says the Inspector. The partner then says, "From who?"!). The hotel's female concierge (Jessica Dublin; SEX OF THE WITCH - 1973) informs the Inspector that she may have heard a scream last night, but she has no idea what time it was. When the Inspector shows her the front page of the newspaper, where the photos of all five suspects are displayed, she recognizes one of them (but we are not privy as to which one it is), telling the Inspector that "he" tried to rent a room the previous day. Does this mean that Ida is off the hook?
     We then see Omar Effendi in a hotel room with a naked woman. It turns out he is not a priest at all, telling his lover that he had to don that disguise when leaving Istanbul, because someone was following him. Meanwhile, Luciano comes up with a plan to unmask the killer, but Ingrid will have to pretend to be a Swedish journalist so she can interview an art gallery owner (Nikos Vandoros), who has an expensive gold plated bust of Ulla in his gallery (he was also Ulla's "sugar daddy"). Is the bubble headed Ingrid up for the challenge? The Inspector catches Luciano in yet another disguise (as a bearded hippy!), but when a drug dealer offers hashish and cocaine to Luciano in front of the Inspector, he slaps the cuffs on the drug dealer and gives Luciano 48 hours to prove his innocence. Will Luciano be able to unmask the killer with Ingrid's help or will he fall victim to the killer's wrath? What do you think?
     Director Maurizio Pradeaux (CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS - 1970; the aforementioned TORMENTOR - 1972) gives this film what most giallo flicks are missing: A healthy dose of humor. Nearly every scene that Robert Webber is in has at least one comic moment, some that work and some that don't (When the Inspector's partner asks him if he found any fingerprints on the train, he says, "Hundreds of them, There's a beauty in a smear of shit like someone wiped his ass with his fingers. Incredible!"). The screenplay, written by Pradeaux and Arpad DeRiso (HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN - 1964; CROSS CURRENT - 1971; and nearly all of Pradeaux's directorial films, including the two I mentioned), is not interested in proper names, but contains all the giallo staples, including full-frontal female nudity, gory murders and plenty of red herrings, as well as a decent mystery that ends much in the same way as Pradeaux's TORMENTOR did, by breaking into a house and discovering the evidence needed to reveal the killer's identity. The dialogue between Ingrid and a woman we have never seen before the finale is priceless, where the woman describes to Luciano and Ingrid how her grandfather, a master safecracker, swallowed all the tools of his trade just before he was arrested, crapping out the tools (using a powerful magnet!) and using them to escape from prison! While I wouldn't say that this film is required viewing for giallo addicts, it is good for a guffaw or two, especially how Luciano unmasks the killer (So to speak. You'll know what I mean when you see it.). The prolific Riz Ortolani (DON"T TORTURE A DUCKLING - 1972; SEVEN DEATHS IN THE CAT'S EYE - 1973; HOW TO KILL A JUDGE - 1974) supplied this film's effective music score.
     Shot as PASSI DI MORTE PERDUTI NEL BUIO ("Death Steps Lost In The Dark") and also known as LADYKILLER, this film never received a theatrical or home video release in any format in the United States (it is available on DVD-R from many gray market sellers). I saw an uncut, slightly letterboxed print on YouTube, now my go-to place to view rare Italian genre fare, thanks to a user with the name "Giallo Realm" (Type that name into YouTube's search bar). Also starring Albertina Capuani (SPECIAL SQUAD SHOOTS ON SIGHT - 1976), Luigi Romano and Bartolillo Palma. Not Rated.

DEATH VALLEY (1981) - Uneven mixture of family drama and slasher genres. A young boy named Billy (Peter Billingsley; A CHRISTMAS STORY - 1983) is separated from his father Paul (Edward Herrmann; THE LOST BOYS - 1987) when divorced mom, Sally (Catherine Hicks; CHILD'S PLAY - 1988), decides to take an extended vacation and uproots Billy from his New Jersey home and heads to Death Valley, Arizona, where Sally reconnects with high school boyfriend Mike (Paul Le Mat; GRAVE SECRETS - 1989). Young Billy, who is a stickler for details, takes an instant dislike to Mike and proves to be a handful, as the trio head off on a road trip through the desert, their destination being a Wild West show at a popular ghost town tourist attraction. On their way, they pull over to stretch their legs and Billy wanders off, ending up in a parked RV where an unseen serial killer has just murdered a young couple. Billy notices a frog-shaped necklace on the RV's floor and pockets it, but before he can discover the dead bodies, Mike enters and they leave. The killer, who drives a late-50's gold-colored Chevrolet (the type with a bullet-shaped front bumper), thinks Billy knows something and begins following the trio. When they stop at a diner for a bite to eat, Billy notices that one of the workers, Hal (Stephen McHattie; THE DARK - 1993), is wearing the identical frog necklace that he stole from the RV. At the scene of an accident (it's actually the RV that the killer dumped over an abutment), a guilt-ridden Billy turns the necklace over to the Sheriff (Wilford Brimley; AMERICAN JUSTICE - 1985), who immediately recognizes it. It seems a series of similar murders have been plaguing the area for years and the Sheriff  now has a clue as to who the killer is. When the Sheriff goes to Hal's home and confronts him with the evidence, Hal tells him that it must be his brother Stu's necklace, but when the Sheriff leaves the house, someone plants a pickaxe in his chest. At the Wild West show, the killer disguises himself as one of the stuntmen and tries to kill Billy with real bullets, but fails. Oblivious to what is happening to them, Billy, Sally and Mike continue on with their vacation and Billy begins to warm to Mike. Mom and Mike leave Billy with a babysitter while they have a night on the town and the killer strikes, slitting the babysitter's throat. Hal makes an unannounced visit to Billy's motel room, but Billy manages to escape. The film concludes with Mike killing Hal and the real killer finally revealing himself. If I have to tell you who it is, it's time for you to get a brainscan, because you may have a tumor blocking your basic reasoning skills (And, no, it's not Billy's father!). This is an unfortunately easy-to-solve whodunit which is marred by way too much family drama and too many convenient coincidences (especially the conversation Mike overhears in a bar that lets him know that Billy is in real peril). Director Dick Richards (FAREWELL MY LOVELY - 1975; HEAT - 1986), working with a screenplay by Richard Rothstein (HUMAN EXPERIMENTS - 1980; UNIVERSAL SOLDIER - 1992), offers too many obvious misdirections, as it should be clear to even the most brain-damaged individuals that when Hal mentions his brother Stu, it has to be a twin brother. That can be forgiven if all the personal issues between Billy and Mike weren't so pat and unrealistic. While I have no problem with Billy disliking possible new stepfather Mike, I do have a problem with Mike telling outright lies to Billy about the history of the Wild West, especially since Billy is so well versed on the subject. Wouldn't Sally have informed Mike about what a smart little pecker Billy really is? This film is so full of questionable situations like that and they all go unanswered. The violence is also fairly mild for a slasher flick, just a couple of sliced throats, the pickaxe murder and a shooting. There's one brief shot of nudity early in the film and then it's boob-free (unless you count some of the characters' motivations). Peter Billingsley, in his feature film debut, gets to fire a real gun in the finale, which is the film's most disturbing scene. An unsuccessful mixture of KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979) meets FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980). The desert location photography is the film's best asset, but not enough to save it. Also starring Mary Steelsmith and Jack O'Leary. Released on VHS by MCA Home Video in the early-80's and not yet available on DVD. Rated R.

DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT (1972) - Famous model Valentina (Nieves Navarro, as "Susan Scott"; THE SLASHER...IS THE SEX MANIAC! - 1972) is visited in her snazzy ultra-modern apartment by her reporter friend Gio Baldi (Simón Andreu; NIGHT OF THE SORCERERS - 1973) and a doctor, who injects Valentina with an experimental hallucinogen called "HDS", while Gio records the session with a tape recorder and begins to take photos with his camera. As the hallucinogen takes affect, Gio asks Valentina what she expects from life and she answers, "purple ice cream". Valentina starts tripping while Gio snaps away with his camera. Valentina then tells Gio that she likes "church organ music" and "red priests" and then stares Gio in the face, saying she doesn't like him because he has a "monkey face" and begins laughing hysterically, also telling Gio that all she sees are "colors" (Where can I get some of this shit???). Valentina then has a vision where she sees a young woman being murdered by a man wearing a large leather glove where spikes protrude from the knuckles (we get a good look at the man we think is the murderer, but is he really, or is Valentina just tripping?). The killer bashes the young woman's head over and over with the spiked glove until blood fills the screen, Valentina collapsing, telling Gio that she has seen a "man with an iron glove" ("Stop him! Stop him!"). Instead of comforting Valentina, Gio continues snapping away with his camera. Why did Valentina agree to be injected with such a strong experimental drug?
     The next morning, Valentina is fired from her job as a reporter for a fashion magazine because Gio published the photos he took of her tripping in an National Enquirer-like rag called "Novella 2000", complete with the story she told him about the murder with the iron glove. She confronts Gio, who tells her that she agreed to take this HDS so he could tell the story about how it affects people and that any publicity is good publicity (True back then and even truer today, thanks to the internet). Gio has security throw Valentina out of the building and when she sees Gio smiling and waving goodbye to her through his office window, she picks up a rock and throws it through the window, shattering the glass into tiny pieces. Police Inspector Serino (Carlo Gentili; THE DEVIL'S WEDDING NIGHT - 1973) pulls Valentina into his office for breaking the window (Asking her if she is a fascist or a Communist!) and is ready to arrest her, but Gio shows up to save her ass.
     Back at her apartment, Valentina is visited by ex-husband Stefano (Pietro Martellanza, as "Peter Martell"; THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS - 1972), who is pissed that she took drugs and appeared in a trashy magazine article ("Sometimes you amaze me. How can you still be so middle-class?"). It turns out that Valentina agreed to take HDS so Gio could report on the effects of the new drug for Novella 2000, but Valentina was supposed to wear a mask to protect her identity, Gio reneging on the last part of their deal. Valentina tells Stefano that everything in the article is true, especially the part about the murder with the iron glove. Her doorman (Manuel Muñiz; KILLING OF THE DOLLS - 1975) delivers a note that says: "I saw the article in Novella 2000. I need you for a new product ad. Would you come to Flat 21 at Via Lanciani at noon?" The note is unsigned, but it doesn't take a genius to know the note is from the killer. Neither Stefano or Valentina are geniuses, as Stefano offers to go in her place, but Valentina says no, she'll go because it is just around the corner.
     Valentina walks to the location and we can see the man from her vision is following her. She enters Flat 21 and finds it empty, but she can see Stefano in her apartment clearly from Flat 21's window. She goes to leave when the man exits the elevator and begins chasing her. She locks herself in Flat 21 and screams for Stefano, but he can't hear her. She then breaks a mirror (Seven years bad luck!) and uses a piece of it in the sun to try to get Stefano's attention and he finally sees her screaming bloody murder. The man breaks down the door with his iron glove, but before he can kill her, Stefano shows up. He doesn't believe Valentina's story, thinking it is nothing but a publicity stunt (Hey jerk, look at the fucking door!), as we see the killer silently sneaking away (taking full advantage of the widescreen image). Gio meets Valentina and Stefano in the lobby of her apartment building and Stefano says to Valentina, "Next time they try to kill you, give me a call, right?" and then walks away (telling us clearly why he is her ex-husband!).
     Valentina can't get anyone to believe her story, but Gio tells her that a young woman was killed with an iron glove...six months ago and she probably had the vision because she read it somewhere (it still doesn't explain how she saw the killer's face). Gio even goes as far as to accuse Valentina of lying to him when they have lunch together, but she sees the killer in a crowd and runs after him, with Gio not far behind. The killer loses them and Gio accuses her of leading him on a wild goose chase (Why is she still friends with him?). Inspector Serino tells Valentina that the man who killed the young woman six months ago is currently in prison. The man volunteered to be a guinea pig in prison, being dosed with HDS. Gio does some digging and then tells Valentina that the woman who was killed spent four years in prison in Hamburg, Germany for being a drug dealer and her killer was never in prison, he was committed to an insane asylum and the asylum director, Professor Otto Wuttenberg (Ivano Staccioli; THE DEVIL WITH SEVEN FACES - 1971), is willing to talk with her, for a price, which Valentina is willing to pay. On the street, Valentina is stopped by a woman, Verushka (Claudie Lange; FLASHMAN - 1967), who wants to talk to her in her car. She tells Valentina that she is the sister of the murdered woman and she shows Valentina photos of her sister. Valentina tells Verushka that it is not the woman in her vision, she was a brunette and her sister isn't. Verushka drives her to the asylum to meet the killer, but what is she trying to prove? Verushka wants to know why the killer murdered her sister, since he didn't even know her. (Think you have it figured out? Read on...).
     Once in the asylum, Verushka and Valentina meet a nun while walking past some of the asylum's inmates (including a tap-dancing nut, portrayed comically by Giacomo Pergola; THE MAD BUTCHER - 1972)). The nun shows them to Nicola Ravelli (Giorgio White), the supposed killer, who has his back to them. Verushka wants Valentina to walk up to him and identify him as her sister's killer. She does just that, but it is not the man she saw in her vision. For some reason, Verushka runs away and Valentina meets the crippled asylum director, Professor Otto Wuttenberg, who shows her the way out, Valentina not seeing the iron glove hanging on a door as she leaves (I would not be giving too much away by telling you that Verushka is Professor Wuttenberg's sister). Valentina takes a taxi home, when she sees the killer in a hearse passing them. She tells the taxi driver to follow the hearse and when the hearse gets to its destination, the taxi driver, knowing who Valentina is, tries to get fresh with her (!), so she knees him in the balls, losing the killer. She flags down the police, who take her to the Inspector. She tells him everything, but the Inspector accuses her of lying to him and threatens to arrest her and Gio (For what???), but she does learn some important information on the murdered woman, which leads her to a nightclub, where she participates (partially) in a drug-fueled orgy, but leaves before it gets interesting. As she is walking home, she is chased by the killer, but loses him when she hails a cab. She goes to Stefano's workshop, where he is watching a Japanese friend's two young children. Valentina begins to cry, so Stefano comforts her by taking her to bed and making love to her. They later play with the children, who tell her that they saw her sleeping with "Uncle Stefano". Stefano takes her to an art gallery displaying some of his sculptures. The art gallery owner tells Stefano that someone hired him to build a funeral sculpture at a local graveyard, so Valentina accompanies him. She meets Verushka at the graveyard and someone tries to kill Valentina by toppling a heavy metal  angel statue on her, but fails. She then meets Professor Wuttenberg at the graveyard and he acts strange, calling her a strange name. She and Verishka drive away, but they are being followed. Think you have it figured out? Why does the dead woman's handyman, Pepito (Fabrizio Moresco; THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES - 1972), keep bumping into Valentina? I have given you all the clues, so put on your wrinkled trenchcoat and play detective.
     This is the second of director Luciano Ercoli's (THE FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION - 1970; THE MAGNIFICENT DARE DEVIL - 1973; KILLER COP - 1975) "Death Walks" giallo films, the first one being DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS (1971). This is a fairly involving giallo with a twist, as we know who the killer is, but we must find out why he is doing it and how HDS is involved.  The screenplay, by Ernesto Gastaldi (THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH - 1968) and May Velasco (WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? - 1976), with a story by Sergio Corbucci (CASTLE OF BLOOD - 1964), is fairly light on graphic violence, but when it happens, it is quite brutal. It is also light in the nudity department, just flashes of Valentina's breasts and very quick glimpses of the orgy, but this film has a wicked sense of humor, especially the way Valentina reacts when she is accused of lying. Her scenes with the Inspector are priceless and Susan Scott (who was married to Luciano Ercoli from 1972 until his death in 2015) has never been better than she is here. She and Simón Andreu have a chemistry that cannot be faked, thanks to them appearing in a few films together, including this film's companion piece and TORMENTOR (1972). If it seems my review mentions every bit of minutia in this film, it's because it is integral to the plot, even the Japanese children. Our old friend, hunchback actor Luciano Rossi (DEATH SMILES ON A MURDERER - 1973) puts in an appearance in the excellent (and superbly choreographed) rooftop finale as Hans Krutzer, a maniacally-laughing drug dealer, who has his face planted in a mound of lye by Stefano. This is a film you have to watch very carefully to pick up the clues. Movies like this are why I love giallo films so much. It is a feast for both the eyes and the brain.
     Filmed as LA MORTE ACCAREZZA A MEZZANOTTE ("Death Caresses At Midnight") and also known as CRY OUT IN TERROR, this never had a U.S. theatrical or VHS release, making its first appearance on these shores on DVD from NoShame Films and then as a DVD box set titled "Death Walks Twice" from Arrow Video, containing both films from this series with plenty of extras (both are long OOP). Arrow later released both films in their own Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs, also containing plenty of exclusive extras. I saw this for free streaming on Amazon Prime in a beautiful uncut widescreen print in its original Italian with English subtitles. There's a funny scene where the Inspector and his assistant stop talking in their native language and switch to talking perfect English, showing us that he is much more intelligent than he lets on to Valentina. This film is full of these little surprising scenes, especially the finale, which I cannot describe any further without giving the surprise away. Needless to say, if you are a giallo fan (and if not, why???), this film is a must-see. It's suspenseful, funny and full of surprises. Also starring Claudio Pellegrini (STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER - 1975), Alessandro Perrella (GIRL IN ROOM 2A - 1973), Franco Moraldi (5 WOMEN FOR THE KILLER - 1974), Giuliana Rivera (TEENAGE PROSTITUTION RACKET - 1975) and Raúl Aparici (KILLING MACHINE - 1984). Not Rated.

DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS (1971) - This is director Luciano Ercoli's second giallo film, following THE FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION (1970) and continuing with DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT (1972), featuring many of the same actors and behind-the-camera personnel. This is also his most enjoyable mystery of the trio, for reasons I will explain. This film also contains a gonzo performance by hunchback actor Luciano Rossi, who is quickly becoming my favorite Italian genre actor because whenever I see his name in the credits, it usually means his performance will be memorable, no matter how small his role is.
     An eyepatch-wearing man on a train gets ready for bed, putting the German Luger he keeps tucked in his waist under his pillow. There is a knock on his cabin door and the man on the other end tells him it's the conductor and he needs to check his ticket, but when he opens the door, a man wearing a ski mask (all we can see are his pale blue eyes) slices his neck with a knife and then rifles through his belongings, but apparently doesn't find what he is looking for. We are then in Paris, where Nicole Rochard (Nieves Navarro, using her pseudonym "Susan Scott"; ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - 1972) and her fiancé, Michel Aumont (Simon Andreu; THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE - 1972), are in the back seat of a taxi. It is obvious that they are very much in love, but as we have learned in many giallo films, love is not the most important aspect in a relationship. They arrive to their destination, the office of the Chief of Police, who tells Nicole that over 700 million French francs worth of diamonds have been stolen from the safe of a dealer in Paris. Nicole's late father was a professional thief, his specialty was cracking safes. It turns out that Nicole's father was the eyepatch-wearing man we just saw murdered by someone trying to get their hands on the diamonds. Nicole tells the Chief that her father retired from the safecracking business a long time ago, he was on the train because he was tired and needed a vacation. The Chief warns Nicole that she better tell him all that she knows, asking her if her father gave her the diamonds. If he did, then she is in danger. Nicole says that her father gave her nothing, the last time she saw him was two months before he was murdered. Nicole tells the Chief that he's on the wrong track, smiling and laughing at the unintentional (?) pun she just made, but the Chief is not smiling, telling Nicole that she is making a big mistake. He hopes it won't be too late when she realizes it. Michel interjects, saying to the Chief, "Listen...if the sermon is over, I guess we'll be off" and he and Nicole leave the Chief's office, but the Chief tells them not to leave Paris without giving him the address where they will be staying.
     Nicole, who is a performance artist/stripper, gets a phone call from a stranger using a portable voice box, pressing it against his throat and saying that he must see her privately as soon as possible. Nicole tells him to quit busting her balls, her performance at the Crazy Club starts in two minutes and she will be stark naked, thinking it is Michel playing a practical joke on her. We then see Nicole performing at the Crazy Club, dancing provocatively in a sequin bra and g-string, wearing a short black wig and wearing dark makeup all over her body, making her look like a black woman (and a damn fine one at that!). A man in the audience then begins filming her with an 8mm movie camera. He asks one of the waiters her name and to ask her to join him at his table, but the waiter (after giving him her name) tells him he doubts she will join him because she has another show to do at the Kit Kat Klub right after this performance. Nicole is met in her dressing room by Michel (He says to her, "I like it when you're all black", rubbing cold cream on her body to remove the dark makeup [Lucky guy!]) and she gets turned on when he continues rubbing his greasy hands all over her body, so they make love. As Nicole leaves to do her other show, Michel asks her why they only make love between her shows and she says sarcastically, "Listen, darling...someone has to work to keep things going, while you wait to be offered a position as an ambassador. So in the meantime, it's all up to me." Michel tells he she's not funny and she leaves by taxi to do her second show, telling Michel not to drink too much. Remember what I told you about love in giallo flicks?
     At the Kit Kat Klub, the same man who was filming Nicole at the Crazy Club is in the audience for this performance (Here, she looks like Cher, complete with shiny beaded wig [looking very bonable!]). This time, the man is waiting for her in her dressing room, telling her that he enjoys watching her performances. She strips naked in front of him and has him zip up her dress, promising to return for future performances and then shakes her hand and leaves. When he leaves, Nicole gets another phone call from the voicebox-using man, who tells her if she doesn't want to end up like her father, she'll tell him where the diamonds are. She tells him that she doesn't know anything, a sound of fright in her voice. The man says, If you don't talk, I'll kill you. You'll see, you'll recover your memory very soon." Nicole walks home, but a woman is following her. Nicole walks faster and faster, only to discover that the woman is an overweight street hooker looking for a light for her cigarette (When Nicole walks away in a huff, the hooker says, "How rude!").
     When Nicole gets home, she pours herself a drink and a knife goes whizzing past her and sticks in the wall. It was thrown by a drunk Michel (they have been living together for two years) and he laughs, but Nicole doesn't find it funny, telling Michel if he is so good at throwing knives, he should get a job at the circus. Michel then makes fun of her, telling her to "wiggle her ass" for him, but Nicole has heard it many times before from Michel, especially when he has been drinking, which has been happening a lot lately. Michel tells Nicole that she's a beautiful woman (she really is), but he can manage without her, her money or her ass. He's tired of people thinking that he is her pimp, which is why he drinks. He's also tired of waiting for her at home all night (Hey, Michel, get a hobby!). Michel then drunkenly leaves their home, where we see someone in a ski mask and carrying a straight razor is watching Nicole. He enters the home, puts the razor to her throat and rips off all her clothes. He throws her on the bed and says (in his robot-like voice), "With this razor you won't feel the pain right away, but it will leave your body covered with horrible scars. Tell me where the diamonds are and I'll leave." Nicole tells him she has no idea where they are, so he traces the dull edge of the razor down her body, telling her to think it over carefully, the next time he'll use the sharp edge of the blade, then he leaves. Nicole goes looking for Michel at his favorite bar, only to run into her not-so-secret admirer, who tells her his name is Dr. Robert Matthews (Frank Wolff; THE GREAT SILENCE - 1968) and even though he is slightly buzzed, he would like to take her away by plane and have breakfast with her (Handing her his business card and telling her that he is staying at the Ambassador Hotel). Nicole is too frightened to hear a single word he is saying and hops in a taxi to continue looking for Michel. When she gets home, she finds Michel in bed and she tells him what happened to her, but he doesn't believe her, telling her it was all probably a dream (Why is she with this guy???). He then apologizes to her, saying that trying to find a job and people thinking that he's her pimp is driving him to drink (excuses, excuses). Then they make love!!! (Maybe they do deserve each other).
     The next morning, Nicole enters the bathroom, opens the medicine cabinet and a piece of cloth falls out. Inside the cloth are two blue contact lenses and what immediately comes to her mind is how her assailant from the night before had the same blue eyes. She believes Michel is the guilty party, so she leaves and goes to the Ambassador Hotel to have Dr. Matthews whisk her away from here, but he tells her that he must be in London tomorrow on business. Nicole goes to London with Robert to get away from all the craziness in her life, but she will soon discover that the craziness has followed her, there's no escaping it.
     Robert treats Nicole like a queen, buying her expensive clothes and taking her to fancy restaurants, but it is quite clear he has only one thing on his mind, getting Nicole out of those expensive clothes and into bed. Nicole wonders why Robert doesn't ask her about her past and he tells her questions like that lead to answers that are disappointing, he stopped asking questions like that a long time ago after years of a "stupid, monotonous marriage" to a woman named Vanessa (Claudie Lange; FLASHMAN - 1967). It turns out he is still married to her, as she refuses to give him a divorce. He tells Nicole that thanks to Vanessa's money, he has a successful clinic and considers himself a good doctor, but his wife won't give him a divorce unless he returns all the money she gave him, something he is not willing to do because it would mean the end of his clinic (All this small stuff is essential to the plot, so pay close attention!). Nicole shows her appreciation to Robert by putting on private strip shows for him (Robert doesn't want her to take her boots off when they make love because he likes the way they look on her, contrasting with her body).
     Back in Paris, Michel is trying to find Nicole and discovers from the Ambassador Hotel's doorman that she left for London with Dr. Matthews. Robert sets up Nicole with a nice seaside cottage as their love nest, which Vanessa knows nothing about. Robert and Nicole enter the small town's local bar, where he introduces Nicole as his wife to barmaid Peggy (Rachela Pamenti) and the mysterious Hallory (Luciano Rossi; THE STRANGER'S GUNDOWN - 1969), who holds a cat in his left hand, which is covered with a studded black leather glove. We learn that Hallory is the cottage's caretaker and since he is played by Rossi, it could only mean one thing: Wild and dangerous times are ahead. But why does everyone stare at Nicole and why does Peggy give her the cold shoulder? Hallory accompanies Robert and Nicole to the cottage, which sits near the ocean and has it's own private dock, including a small motorboat. Robert tells Nicole that when he is away on business or at his clinic, if she needs anything, she should phone Hallory, he's reliable. Nicole tells him that Hallory makes her nervous and scared, so he shows her a hidden drawer under the fireplace mantle that hides a pistol (I don't know about you, but red flags are being raised in my mind!). He tells Nicole that she will never have to use the weapon because nothing ever happens in this old, backwards town (Telling her the residents consider the tango a "sinful dance"). When Nicole goes to town to pick up a few personal items, we can see that Hallory is following her. He even watches her paint her toenails with lust in his eyes, but is he doing all this on his own or did Robert tell him to keep a close eye on her?
     We then watch as someone with a telescope is keeping close tabs on Nicole, breathing heavy and watching her strip nude and go to bed. A short time later, Robert and Nicole go to the bar and meet Captain Lenny (George Rigaud; EYEBALL - 1975). Robert is looking to buy a bigger boat and Captain Lenny has some photos for him to look at. Nicole then hears a voice that sounds all too familiar and when she turns around, she sees a man on the phone using a portable voicebox and the bad memories come flooding back, begging Robert to take her back to the cottage.  Once there, she tells Robert to take her to London because she does not like the way people look and talk about her in this small town, calling it a "village of the dead".  Robert tells her to be patient, he'll ask Vanessa for a divorce and then they can be married. He tells Nicole that he loves her and she apologizes to him for being harsh at the bar. Later that night, the person with the telescope watches Nicole get a visitor, a woman whose face we don't see. She tries to hand Nicole a wad of cash, but she refuses to take it, so she throws it at her and leaves the cottage. We then see Nicole hide the money (so does the person with the telescope). When Robert returns to the cottage, Nicole isn't there and Hallory tells him he has no idea where she is, he thought she was at the cottage. At the bar, Captain Lenny tells Robert that everyone in town knows Nicole isn't his wife ("The village is too small to hide such things. And people like to gossip, which is worse."). Robert tells Captain Lenny that he is sure Nicole will return and gives him his phone number in London, telling him to call him when she returns.
     Holy Shit! This review is getting very long, so let me summarize the remaining important plot points.

1.Robert operates on the eyes of a man named Smith (Jose Manuel Martin; CURSE OF THE DEVIL - 1973), removing his cataracts in some uncomfortable real-life surgery footage, telling Smith that soon he will be able to see again, but not to take the bandages off for any reason.

2.An unknown woman then enters his operating room, shoots and seriously wounds Robert.

3.Scotland Yard Inspector Baxter (Carlo Gentili; SILVER SADDLE - 1978) and his assistant, Bergson (Fabrizio Moresco; THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES - 1972), are assigned to the case and question "Mrs. Matthews", the real Mrs. Matthews, Vanessa. They hear a delirious Robert cry out Nicole's name, but Vanessa tells the Inspector she has no idea who Nicole is. The Inspector then questions a bandaged Smith, who tells him he heard a woman with heavy footsteps or it could be a man wearing women's shoes, running away after the gunshot. He also never heard Dr. Matthews mention the name Nicole.

4.Things get worse for Nicole when the Inspector discovers reel-to-reel tape recordings of Robert and Nicole making love. Michel is discovered blind stinking drunk at Peggy's bar and is brought to the cottage, where he tells the Inspector that Dr. Matthews stole Nicole from him. Before he is detained, Michel gets Captain Lenny to spill the beans to him.

5.The Inspector finds Robert's 8mm movies of Nicole's striptease act and confronts Robert, who tells him it wasn't Nicole who shot him, but refuses to say who did.

6.Things get really bad for Nicole when she is found dead, the apparent victim of a suicide ("apparent" being the key word).

7.Using the information he gleaned from Captain Lenny, Michel gets to the truth faster than the Inspector, but uses the truth to blackmail the guilty parties.

8.No surprise here, it was Vanessa who threw the money at Nicole, but did she shoot her husband?

9.Is Hallory the one with the telescope, or is he hiding something from everyone? Something that is very embarrassing for the time (but wouldn't even cause a stir today).

10.How is all this tied to the missing diamonds?
    
     I have given you everything you need to know to solve this mystery, so read it again, put on your thinking cap and get to work. Oh, and one more thing: The blue-eyed, ski mask-wearing killer pays Vanessa a visit in London, graphically slicing one of her breasts and cutting her throat (and then giving her a "Glasgow Smile") while she is lying in bed, leaving behind a blue contact lens in her hair as a clue for the Inspector to discover. Think you know who the killer is? No? Okay, one more clue: Blocks of ice and a piece of rope attached to a small boat's anchor may be all the Inspector needs to solve this case.
     There is a damn fine mystery in this film, particularly since no one here is who they pretend to be, even Smith, who isn't as blind as he acts, as he is connected to Nicole's father and the diamond robbery. What confounded me is how underutilized Luciano Rossi is in this film, unlike his role in DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT (1972). In that film, he had a standout fight scene on a rooftop that ended very badly for him, but in this film he's nothing but a red herring (you can cross him off your suspect list). We are given no reason as to why he wears that studded glove on his left hand (unless I missed it, but I'm particularly meticulous when it comes to giallo films). Ha! Ha! Ha! Gotcha! Rossi's role is key to this film, but if you want to see how, you'll have to watch the film yourself. Needless to say, it's wild and memorable, something I have come to depend on from him. He never disappoints. No one does crazy like Luciano Rossi! But is he the killer? I'm not telling. It's a shame that Luciano Ercoli only directed eight films in his career (including THE MAGNIFICENT DARE DEVIL - 1973; and KILLER COP - 1975), as he was a Producer by trade. All eight of his films starred his wife "Susan Scott" and she's used to eye-opening effect here, as her stripteases show off her fantastic body, proving Ercoli was a very lucky man. I have never seen her more fetching than in this film. (Ercoli passed away in 2015, still married to her). The screenplay, by giallo veteran Ernesto Gastaldi (THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH - 1971; TORSO - 1973) and Mahnahen "May" Velasco (an Assistant Director on THE PRICE OF POWER - 1969; THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED - 1969; and VOODOO BLACK EXORCIST - 1974), who both co-wrote Ercoli's other two giallo films, is a cornucopia of female nudity and fairly restrained violence, that is until Vanessa is murdered, making her death all the more shocking and about as gory as any modern-day slasher flick (especially the blade ripping her throat open). If you are a giallo fan, this film should be on your must-see list. It's intriguing, well paced, titillating and full of surprises. It should also be noted that the music soundtrack, by the late Stelvio Cipriani, is way above average. You'll be tapping your feet, especially during Ms. Scott's striptease scenes.
     Shot as LA MORTE CAMMINA CON I TACCHI ALTI (a literal translation of the review title), this film never had a U.S. theatrical or VHS release, making its first appearance on these shores as a DVD from NoShame Films in 2006. Arrow Video then released both a DVD and Blu-Ray of this title and it looks amazing, like it was shot yesterday. As with most Arrow products, the extras on the disc are second to none, including an introduction to the film by Ernesto Gastaldi and archive interview with Ercoli and Susan Scott. The film is available in both its original Italian with English subtitles or English dubbed. Amazon Prime also offers the same print streaming, but only in Italian with English subtitles (my preferred way of watching films). If you don't like to read while watching a film (Don't laugh, I know people like that!), then the Arrow discs are the only way to go. They are pricey, but well worth the investment. Also featuring Osvaldo Genazzani (DYNAMITE JIM - 1966) and Manuel Muniz (SUGAR COLT - 1966) as fisherman Philip, who unknowingly unmasks the killer with a single line of dialogue at the end of the film. Not Rated.

A DEMON IN MY VIEW (1991) - The late Anthony Perkins, in one of his last performances, stars in this German psychodrama set in London. He plays his patented PSYCHO (1960)-type role: an anal retentive, woman-hating strangler who can only get his jollies by making love to a mannequin he keeps locked up in the basement of the apartment complex he lives in. We can trace his problems back to his childhood (shown in flashbacks). When his mother died, he was forced to live with his aunt who treated him like a girl. One flashback shows Perkin's aunt making him babysit a infant girl while she goes out. He sticks the baby continuously with a safety pin and washes out the bloody diaper to hide what he has done. This leads to a series of unsolved strangulations of women which has lasted well over twenty years. When a man (Uwe Bohn), who has the same last name as Perkins' character, moves into his apartment building, complications arise. This young man is carrying on a long distance love affair with a married woman (Sophie Ward) and when he burns Perkins' mannequin in effigy on Guy Faulks Day, Perkins goes madder than usual and decides to get even. In between strangulations he intercepts his neighbor's mail (remember, they both have the same last name) and writes to the married woman, saying that the affair is over. The plan backfires though, as the woman leaves her husband and comes to London to find out what went wrong. In an ironic finale, Perkins is shot dead by her jealous husband, who mistakenly thinks he is her lover. Perkins made one more film (TV's IN THE DEEP WOODS) before succumbing to AIDS in 1992. I'm still reeling from the loss. Unfortunately, A DEMON IN MY VIEW is not a fitting tribute to the grand master of psychotic roles. Not that this is a bad film. As a matter of fact, Perkins is able to display more emotion with a simple facial expression than most actors would be able to do with twenty pages of dialogue. It's just that this film is slow and uninvolving and lacks the gore and nudity one expects from this type of film. Directed and written by Petra Haffter (CRASH KIDS - 1996). A Vidmark Entertainment Release. Rated R.

THE DESIGNATED VICTIM (1971) - We first see Stefano (Tomas Milian; SYNDICATE SADISTS - 1975) lying in bed, taking fake photos of a naked Fabienne (Katia Christine; FIVE WOMEN FOR THE KILLER - 1974) by using his hands as an imaginary camera. Stefano is co-owner of a successful designing firm; his latest customer being a chocolate candy company in which he used Fabienne to star in their commercial (It's a weird commercial with Fabienne flying through the air everywhere she goes). The married Stefano wants to sell his half of the company when someone offers him 220 million lire for it, but his wife, Luisa (Marisa Bartoli), who actually owns his half of the business, refuses to sell. It's easy to see Luisa controls the money in their marriage (she's rich with family money) and she refuses to sell because she believes if she does, Stefano would leave her (She's probably right). Stefano angrily tells her that she may have put up the money for his half of the business but it was he alone who made it successful, therefore he should be able to sell it, but Luisa stands pat in her decision. Stefano is a womanizer and gambler who often loses big and Luisa usually pays his debts, but she is growing tired of it. Stefano keeps running into a strange rich man who introduces himself as Count Matteo Tiepolo (Pierre Clementi; THE YEAR OF THE CANNIBALS - 1970), who tells Stefano that this is the third time in one day they have bumped into each other and if it should happen a fourth time, their relationship will "evolve". Guess what? Yes, they run into each other for a fourth time that day and begin to have a conversation. Matteo asks Stefano if he ever had the urge to kill someone and Stefano laughs, not taking him seriously but answering yes, saying that his wife is ruining his life. Matteo then agrees to kill Luisa if Stefano will murder his brother Balsamo (Ottavio Alessi; one of the screenwriters of DAMNED IN VENICE - 1978), who often physically and mentally abuses him. Stefano thinks Matteo is one strange duck and tells him he will think about it, not taking Matteo seriously. Stefano will soon learn that Matteo is more than he seems to be; he's a cold-blooded killer who is meticulous in his planning and will soon destroy Stefano's life if he doesn't complete his half of the plan.
     For one thing, Matteo keeps showing up in all the same places as Stefano, telling him it is just a coincidence, but we know it isn't. Luisa also knows that her husband is having an affair with Fabienne, thanks to a note Matteo attached to a card with a bouquet of flowers he sent her; the card telling her everything about Stefano's plans for the future, such as selling his half of the business behind her back and moving to Venezuela with Fabienne. Luisa kicks Stefano out of their home, telling him that when they first met he was a nobody and now he is a nobody again; she's divorcing him and not giving him a penny of her fortune. Matteo then keeps playing mind games with Stefano, pushing him to the point of no return, but will he kill Matteo's brother?
     Stefano also has a one-night stand with pretty German tourist Christina Muller (Alessandra Cardini; ROME: ARMED TO THE TEETH - 1976) and after a night of passion, he wakes up and can't remember a thing about the night before, only knowing that he met a girl named Christina and nothing else. He phones Luisa, hoping she will take him back, but Police Commissioner Finzi (Luigi Casellato; THE BLOODSTAINED SHADOW - 1978) answers the phone, telling Stefano to come immediately, his wife is dead. With no recollection of the night before, the time Luisa was murdered, Stefano must try to get Commissioner Finzi to believe him that he had nothing to do with his wife's murder, even though all evidence points to him as the killer. Since Luisa's killer wiped all fingerprints from the crime scene and walked away with all of her expensive jewelry, Stefano becomes prime suspect #1, even though he swears to Finzi that he didn't do it. The only person that Stefano trusts is his best friend Bosco (Enzo Tarascio; THE BLOODSTAINED LAWN - 1973), but even he comes under suspicion in Stefano's untrusting mind. When someone leaves Stefano an envelope at the hotel he is staying at, which contains a piece of Luisa's jewelry, Stefano trusts no one. It doesn't help that Christina has vanished, as if she never existed. Could Matteo be behind all this? If you answered yes, you would be right. When Matteo's framing evidence against Stefano is more than he can handle, Stefano decides to go through with his half of the bargain, murdering Matteo's brother, but in the surprise finale, where Stefano grabs a high-powered rifle Matteo has left him and pulls the trigger with the police rapidly approaching, we discover what Matteo was actually trying to achieve. Don't expect a happy ending, because that's not what this film is about. The finale is bittersweet, to put it mildly (If you think I am going to tell you what that is, you have another thing coming!).
     If this sounds a lot like Hitchcock's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951), you would be correct, but this film does go off in some surprising directions you will never see coming. Part giallo and part Eurocrime mystery, this film, directed by Maurizio Lucidi (PROBABILITY ZERO - 1969; STATELINE MOTEL - 1973; STREET PEOPLE - 1976; one of the fired directors of VAMPIRE IN VENICE - 1988) and written by Fulvio Gicca Palli (TEMPLE OF THE THOUSAND LIGHTS - 1965; HOW TO KILL A JUDGE - 1975; MAGNUM COP - 1978), contains some wonderful cinematography and quite a few plot twists that should surprise you. Filled with copious nudity, but very little graphic violence, this film is worth watching if only to see a clean-shaven Tomas Milian portray a man whose life is rapidly getting out of hand. Milian usually portrays a character who makes other people's lives difficult, so it is refreshing to see him playing an everyman whose life is being meticulously controlled by Matteo, played extremely well by Pierre Clementi, who looks like Russell Brand here. The more that Stefano tries to prove to Commissioner Finzi that he is innocent, the guiltier he looks, thanks to Matteo planning every aspect of Luisa's murder down to the minutest detail, forcing Stefano to do the unthinkable, but as the closing shot shows us, Stefano doesn't know what he has really done. This is a quick-moving film that has much to recommend (Milian is always good no matter what film he is in. He always makes a film seem better than it actually is), so it comes recommended from this reviewer.
     Shot as LA VITTIMA DESIGNATA (a literal translation of the review title) and also known as MURDER BY DESIGN, this film had a 1972 U.S. theatrical release by International CineFilm Corporation, but no legitimate VHS releases in the States that I could find. No legitimate disc releases in the States, either, but Sinister Cinema does offer it in widescreen on DVD-R. If you have an All Region disc player, British outfit Shameless Screen Entertainment offers the film on DVD. No Blu-Ray at the time of this review. Also available streaming on YouTube from user "Der Joker", who offers it in anamorphic widescreen and dubbed in English (which is how I viewed it). Also featuring Bruno Boschetti (THE SLASHER...IS THE SEX MANIAC! - 1972), Giuseppe Alotta (DOUBLE GAME - 1977), Vittorio Pinelli (DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT - 1972) and prolific cameo queen Carla Mancini (FLAVIA THE HERETIC - 1974). Not Rated.

DO NOT DISTURB (2008/2013) - Any regular reader of this site knows that I am madly in love with Tiffany Shepis (THE FRANKENSTEIN SYNDROME - 2010; THE VIOLENT KIND - 2010). She is such a great actress (and easy on the eyes, too) that she elevates any film she appears in, even if it is just a cameo role. One of the biggest mysteries in life is why she hasn't become a major star in A-List Hollywood films. Besides being a great actress, she has no problem shedding her clothes if the role demands it (even showing the full monty in several films), but she won't play the usual Hollywood "casting couch" game, so this is probably why she hasn't been offered roles in major films. I just thank my lucky stars that she does a whole lot of genre films, because I love to look at her and watch her act her brains out (and she has scruples, which more actors could use). I know I'm not the only one to feel that way, but she has held a special place in my heart ever since I saw her in that silver jumpsuit in THE HAZING (2004) and then went out of my way to try and find every movie she appeared in. Thankfully, she has a major role in this film, although it is nothing like the DVD sleeve describes. First, a little background on this film: This film was shot and finished in 2008 (Shepis was engaged to the late Corey Haim at the time and she brought him along on the shoot in Pennsylvania. Haim asked if the script had a role for him, but there wasn't, so the director/screenwriter wrote a role specifically for him.) and released in 2010 under the title NEW TERMINAL HOTEL, which ran 99 minutes. The film was then pulled and cut of 11 minutes to tighten the pace and released in 2013 under the current title (the end credits gives it a 2013 copyright, even though Corey Haim tragically passed away of pneumonia in 2010). The film begins with screenwriter Don Malek (Stephen Geoffreys; FRIGHT NIGHT - 1985; MR. HUSH - 2011), who has been in a career slump for the past two years due to the tragic murder of the love of his life, Katherin (Laura Leigh), and hasn't written a single word since it has happened. Don finally gets his chance for retribution when Stan Glissberg (Anthony Colliano), the person responsible for Katherin's death, agrees to meet Don at his room the Terminal Hotel (a skid row type of joint where you can just smell the piss in the hallways). Stan arrives and Don lays out a couple of lines of cocaine for him and when Stan snorts them, he becomes paralyzed, because Don laced the cocaine with a paralytic agent. He puts Stan in the bathtub and removes his appendix while he is alive and puts the organ in his freezer wrapped in tin foil (Don wears a mask of a human face and a blonde wig when he commits acts of violence), stitching up the incision when he is done. Don's agent, Ava Collins (Shepis), who still has faith in Don, even though he hasn't written anything in two years, makes an unexpected appearance at Don's door and wants to know why he is living in a fleabag hotel. All Don can say is, "I'm tired", which infuriates Ava because she knows what potential he has. She tries to get his blood boiling by saying "There are a line of good writers waiting to fill your shoes.", but Don retorts, "Are they any good?" Ava comes back by saying that she could throw a stone and find a great writer, but Don says, "What about a Killer? Could you find a great killer?" Things take a sharp turn when Don Tells Ava to go look in the bathroom (Don: "It's my greatest work."  Ava: "Do you want me to flush it for you?"). Ava sees Stan in the bathtub filled with ice, still alive, but unable to speak, and she thinks Don and Stan are collaborating on a script when Don shows her the appendix in his freezer. She wants to see Don and Stan in her office tomorrow morning to sign an exclusive contract, but Don says that she has to come back to the hotel tomorrow night instead. Ava leaves and Don goes back to the bathroom, where he removes one of Stan's kidneys and stitches up the incision. Don plans on keeping Stan alive as long as possible, feeling the pain that his love once felt. Ava arrives the next night expecting to be handed a script, but Stan comes stumbling out of the bathroom and Ava maces Don in his eyes because she is scared for her life. Don assures Ava that he means her no harm (He tells Ava that he is doing to Stan what Stan has done to him: Tearing him down piece-by-piece for the past two years). When Ava leaves, saying she expects a screenplay about his ordeal, Don takes Stan back to the bathroom and hits him over his head several times until he is still alive, but basically brain dead. He asks his neighbor Spitz (Ezra Buzzington) for a major favor: He wants to borrow his wheelchair (he is legless from the war), where he wheels the braindead Stan to the hospital and drops him off, returning the wheelchair to Spitz, where Stan is barely alive and put in Intensive Care. Ava visits Don (he makes her take her shirt off to make sure she is not wired, the closest we get to see Shepis nude in this film), where she is worried that once Stan becomes conscious, he will implicate Don, but Don tells her not to worry; he will never be able to say anything. Ava thinks this screenplay will be a huge moneymaker for her when Don writes the screenplay, but Don tells her he hasn't written a word yet, it is still all in his head. Later that night, Spitz wheels himself into Don's apartment with a huge open gash on his chest and says he is calling in the favor. He wants Don to kill the prostitute he was with because she is the one who cut him badly. Spitz wants Don to take her behind the hotel and bash her brains in with a brick. Don checks out Spitz's room and the naked prostitute is still there and tells Don that Spitz is a degenerate. Don pays her the $100 she is owed and tells her to leave, while Don checks out Spitz's apartment and discovers that he is actually a degenerate. He finds boxes of mutilated Barbie dolls and videotapes of Spitz abusing the prostitutes he hires, including the last one he just let leave (Don is appalled at what he sees on-screen). Don goes back to his apartment and begins to stitch-up Spitz's gaping chest wound, while listening to Spitz complain about his time in the military and what happened to him ("All I can do now is eat pussy. And I have to pay for it!"). Don mentions the torture tapes he found in Spitz's apartment, where Spitz says he actually is fond of them and watches them all the time. Don then gives Spitz a shot that he says is a pain killer, but after Don gives it to him, he tells Spitz that it is actually a paralyzing agent. Spitz will be unable to move but will be able to see and feel everything. Spitz begins to wheel himself out of Don's apartment, but only makes it halfway down the hall before the drug takes effect. Don brings him to his bathroom, puts on his face mask and blonde wig, throws Spitz into the bathtub and cuts him into pieces while he is alive (The film's biggest flaw is that we don't actually see any of the murders; they are only implied. Only once in a while do we see the aftermath, like when Don removed Stan's kidney). When another agent named Carter Ball (James Grabowski) wants to steal Don away from Ava (We also learn that Stan died in the hospital), Ana sets it up so Carter visits Don, expecting Don to kill him. Another one of Don's neighbors, Jasper (Haim, doing the lamest British accent I have heard in a while), mentions that he saw Don wearing his mask and wig when he was wheeling Stan down the hallway, so Don has no other choice but to beat his brains in with a rock when they leave a bar. Don returns to his apartment, only to discover that the police have taped-up his floor as a crime scene, thanks to the police finding Spitz's body. Detective Turkovich (Robert Di Donato) questions Don because Spitz's body was found in pieces by a garbageman and the stitches on Spitz's chest are exactly the same as the ones that were found in Stan's body in the hospital. Don says he knows nothing about it and the detective leaves. Carter pays Don a visit thanks to a collaboration between Ava and Carter's prostitute girlfriend Rebecca (Tara Sukustis). Don wants to buy his contract and Don tells him to come back tomorrow (uh-oh!). Don makes love to the prostitute that Spitz abused, when he is visited by Ava. The prostitute leaves and Ana demands a script, but Don tells her it is still all in his head. Don wants Ava to just forget about him, but Ava has a way of speaking to Don to make him stay in the game. Don says that she has to come to his apartment tomorrow when Carter arrives (He says to Ava, "I'll spin the web, but you're the black widow!"). When Ava leaves, Don is once again visited by Detective Turkovich, telling Don that there is video footage of Don and Stan entering the motel, but no footage of either one of them leaving. Don kills the detective in the bathroom with a claw hammer, scrubs the bathroom clean, fills a bunch of hypodermic needles with all types of deadly drugs, puts a gun under his chin and pulls the trigger, committing suicide (He leave a note saying he is sorry and wishes Ava luck). Ava kills Carter after seeing Don's body and reading the note. She stabs Carter with the hypodermic needles Don left on the bathroom sink until Carter's chest looks like a pin cushion. She laughs like a mad woman and then the film ends with her screaming over Don's death (which she was mostly responsible for and she realizes that there is no way she can get out of this).  More of a character study than a horror film or thriller, this movie makes Don a decent guy who is deeply depressed and he was just looking for revenge for his girlfriend's death and then other people (especially Ava) get involved and it spirals out of control. Don never wanted to be a mass murderer, but forces beyond his control made him one. The fact that Don pays Spitz's prostitute her $100 fee and then she joins him in bed a few days later proves that he is a decent guy at heart. But revenge only leads to more and more violence and Don learns it the hard way, but he gets his revenge by blowing his brains out, since his "screenplay" was all in his head. His suicide is a complete surprise to the viewer because it is shown so matter-of-factly, but when you think about it long after the film is over, you realize that it was the only choice that made sense. The acting is effectively sleazy across the board (Stephen Geoffreys pulls-back his normal over-acting here [unlike MR. HUSH] and comes off like a depressed man who is just trying to cope as things get worse and worse), but Corey Haim comes off the worst because of his ridiculous British accent (which he said was a tribute to Jason Statham!). While the blood and gore is kept to a minimum (I can't really speak if there is more gore in the original version, but it doesn't look like there was, since most of the carnage takes place in Don's bathroom), there is plenty of topless nudity (but none by Shepis, dammit!). The whole atmosphere of the film feels dirty and grimy (like a fleabag hotel should), which I think director/producer/writer BC Furtney (WEREWOLF RISING - 2014) was aiming for. Still, for a film of this type, a little more blood and guts wouldn't have hurt but, like I said in the beginning of this review, I'll watch anything with Tiffany Shepis in it and she shines here as an agent without a soul. Executive Producer Jesse Baget directed the horror film WRESTLEMANIAC (2006); was one of the directors on the anthology film ZOMBIEWORLD (2014); and wrote the story to MISCHIEF NIGHT (2013). Also starring Danielle Fortwangler, Sam Nicotero, Wayne Kryka, Brain Derby, Danny Cooper and a quick cameo from director BC Furtney as a bartender. An RLJ Entertainment DVD Release. Not Rated.

DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING (1972) - An excellent giallo film from director/co-screenwriter Lucio Fulci. If you are a fan of Fulci's earlier giallo flick, A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN (1971), which I am, you are going to love this one. It is frightening, the plot complex, but satisfying, and Fulci shows us he is a master storyteller, yet he doesn't scrimp on the gory violence which would become his trademark in the later film of his career.
     In a small mountainside Italian city (filmed in Monte S. Angelo, Italy), a woman named Maciara (Florinda Bolkan; FLAVIA THE HERETIC - 1974) is digging through the dirt and uncovers the skeletal remains of an infant. She picks up the bones and walks away. Two pre-teen boys are smoking cigarettes under a bridge when they are joined by a third boy, who says, "They're coming!" "They" are prostitutes, who have set up a meeting place in an old shack near the bridge. The boys are there to make fun of Giuseppe Barra (Vito Passeri; THE BLACK CAT - 1981), who is peeping on the prostitutes through a crack in the door. The boys call out Guiseppe's name and he runs after them. We then see someone sticking pins into a wax doll, while one of the boys, Michele, uses a slingshot to shoot lizards off a rock (This may not make sense now, but it will later in the film). Michele goes home, where his frustrated mother (Rosalia Maggio) complains constantly about her life and how she works too much. She hands Michele a tray containing orange juice and tells him to give it to new tenant Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet; THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES - 1972), who is lounging totally naked (A naked Barbara Bouchet? Lucky boy!).  Michele delivers the tray and Patrizia is not ashamed of her nakedness. As a matter of fact, she encourages him to look at her as she pours the orange juice between her breasts (Damn lucky boy!). Patrizia asks Michele how many girls he has "had" and he answers "lots". Patrizia calls him a liar and says he is full of shit because she can believe one or two girls, but not "lots". A smiling Patrizia approaches Michele and asks  him, "Would you like to go to bed with me?" (Fucking damn lucky boy!) Michele says yes, but his mother interrupts their would-be tryst. Was Patrizia serious or is she a cocktease?
     That night, we see 12 year-old Bruno running for his life outside his house when someone hits him and knocks him out. We then see the Police Commissioner (Virgilio Gazzolo) and his entire force looking for Bruno. His parents tell the Commissioner that they received a ransom phone call demanding six million lire in cash for Bruno's safe return. They are very poor and can't afford to pay such a large sum. The Commissioner tells them not to worry about the ransom. Also interested in this case is newspaper reporter Andrea Martelli (Tomas Milian; ALMOST HUMAN - 1974), who alerted the police to the ransom demand, even though the caller said that if anyone alerted the police, Bruno would be killed. The police set up a sting at the ransom drop-off location and capture Guiseppe Barra, who pleads he is innocent. The police make him talk to Bruno's parents over the phone to see if the can identify his voice as that of the kidnapper, and they do. Guiseppe then leads the police to Bruno's grave, but he tells them he found Bruno's dead body and all he did was bury the boy. Is he telling the truth? The Commissioner calls Guiseppe an "imbecile" and believes they have their kidnapper. We then see Maciara is at Bruno's gravesite, but why is she smiling so slyly?
     The killer strikes again, as we see an old woman scream when she discovers the dead body a pre-teen boy floating in a well. Maciara then buries a wax doll in a miniature grave. What's the connection? Martelli then interviews new town priest, Don Alberto Avallone (Marc Porel; BLAZING FLOWERS - 1978), who tells Martelli that he has suspicions about Patrizia, who was involved in a drug scandal in Rome before her father shipped her off to this town until the heat blows over. One night, while it is raining out, Michele discovers someone is digging a hole. He smiles at the unseen stranger and then the killer strangles Michele and throws his body in the newly dug hole. Police Captain Modesti (Ugo D'Alessio), who is relieved when he is told none of the dead boys have been sexually assaulted, questions Patrizia about Bruno's murder. He believes she may have seen the killer, but Patrizia tells him that she use to be a drug addict and it has affected her memory. She doesn't know if she has seen the killer. Is she telling the truth?
     At Michele's church funeral service, Maciara screams, "I know he is here! I know he is here in the church!" and then runs away. The police tell Martelli that the towspeople believe Maciara is a witch who works with old man Francesco (George Wilson), who may also be a witch. The police question Francesco and he tells them he hasn't seen Maciara for months and believes she is hiding, but doesn't know why. Is he telling the truth?
     The State police are called in to perform a search and Martelli wonders why, since no other children have been reported missing. Martelli also has an interest in a woman (Irene Papas; RING OF DARKNESS - 1977/1979) carrying a young girl named Malvina (Fausta Avelli), who is deaf and dumb. Martelli asks a resident about the woman and he says, "We put up with her because she is the priest's mother." What does he mean by "put up"? The police get a phone call from Mrs. Avallone and she tells them that Maciara is hiding in a cave. The police go to the cave, but Maciara is not there. A police dog uncovers the grave of a missing pre-teen boy, who disappeared fifteen years earlier. It turns out the missing boy was the son of Maciara and Francesco. The dogs also catch the scent of Maciara and the police soon capture her. She confesses to killing the three boys and her son, who she calls "the son of the Devil." Maciara tells the police that she didn't strangle them but she "put them to death in a different way. They asked for it! They asked for death!" Are these the rantings of a crazy women or is there a kernel of truth in what she says? The police inject Maciara with truth serum and she describes how she made wax dolls of the boys, stabbing each of the dolls thirteen times with pins while reciting the words "you have to say to command the devils. Thirteen devils enter someone's mouth. By the mouth infects the blood...and he kills." When the police ask her who "he" is, Maciara says, "Anybody. Man or woman." Is it possible something supernatural is at work or is it more down to Earth? I'm afraid you'll have to discover that for yourself. Since this is a giallo flick, you already know I never reveal the killer's identity in any of my giallo reviews, but I have supplied you with enough clues to figure out on your own.
     This is a fantastic giallo film with many effective visual touches. For those who think director Lucio Fulci is mainly a director of mindless gore flicks and is not capable of delivering something literate and intelligent, look no further than this film, as Fulci gives us an experience that is so involving, you won't be able to take your eyes off the screen. Pay particular attention to how Michele firsts spots a nude Patrizia or the music used during Maciara's killing by the villagers to see a true master of storytelling at work. The screenplay, by Fulci, Roberto Gianviti (THE PSYCHIC - 1977) & Gianfranco Clerici (THE NEW YORK RIPPER - 1982), is simply wonderful and sharp as a tack, as the story doesn't take a single wrong turn. The old ways clash with modern times in a battle that will make you think. Is all this modern thinking just a waste of time? Old towns have old legends and, like most legends, they are based on a morsel of truth. I really don't know why I waited so long to watch this film because I have had the DVD for five years. Fulci throws so much up on the screen, from human drama to haunted house themes, and none of it seems extraneous. It feels necessary, as all the left-field plot devices gel to a delicious whole, like finding that missing jigsaw puzzle piece that you have been trying to locate for weeks, just so you can see the entire picture. I really cannot recommend this film enough. It is an important entry in the giallo genre that bridges the gap from pure mystery to gory violence (the killer's death is especially juicy and memorable). One of my new favorite films. I don't say that often.
     Originally titled NON SI SEVZIA UN PAPERINO ( "Do Not Torture A Little Donald"; and, yes, Donald Duck, or at least his head, is a key clue to the mystery), this film was never shown theatrically or released on VHS during the '80s in the United States. Anchor Bay Entertainment released it on VHS & DVD early in the New Millennium, with Blue Underground releasing a barebone DVD in 2011 (just a short Fulci biography) but, luckily, the disc doesn't need any extras because the film is so good. It is uncut, in widescreen and, while there is very minor damage during reel changes, the film looks good considering its vintage. Even the English dubbing is better than average and does not distract from the performances the way so many dubbed films are guilty of. It would have been nice if Blue Underground released it in its original Italian language with English subtitles (I'm a purist at heart), but I'll take this film any way I can get it. Available on Blu-Ray from Arrow Video. Also starring Andrea Aureli, Linda Sini, Franco Balducci, Gianfranco Barra and John Bartha. Not Rated.

DOPPELGANGER (1992) - Slow and uninvolving murder mystery somewhat redeemed by an unexpected slimy and splattery finale (supplied by the KNB effects wizards). Drew Barrymore portrays a confused girl who believes she has a doppelganger, an evil ghostly twin who murders people for the sheer delight of it. After her mother is murdered in New York (the police believe Drew did it but don't have enough evidence to hold her), Drew heads to L.A. to escape her dilemma. She shares an apartment with aspiring writer George Newbern (ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING - 1987), who begins to notice that Drew is a little peculiar. After talking to Drew's psychiatrist (Dennis Christopher), he learns that Drew's father repeatedly raped her as a child. Drew's brother caught him in the act and threw his father out the window, killing Dad and putting poor brother in a permanent coma. Basically, Dennis explains to George, Drew is an emotionally fucked-up wreck and her doppelganger theory is her way to escape reality. Murders begin to happen that are tied directly to Drew (including a knife attack on her comatose brother) and George has a run-in with an FBI agent (who doesn't really exist) and is chased down an alley by Drew's supposedly dead father. Together with his writing partner (a star turn by Leslie Hope), George slowly uncovers the mystery. When Drew is abducted by her double, George steps in to save the day, unmasking the killer as none other than headshrinker Dennis. Besides being a damned good make-up artist, it seems that Dennis is madly in love with Drew. Enough, in fact, to try and get her committed so he can have her all to himself. Everything up to this point is standard slasher material. If you have managed to stay awake this long, make sure your eyes are open for the final ten minutes. It crosses over into surreal territory and is a real surprise. Competently acted by the cast, this film could have used a shot of adrenalin in its first 90 minutes. Drew does manage to appear nude once (in a blood shower sequence, a common occurence in horror films). Director Avi Nesher also made the comical fantasy SHE (1983) and the excellent actioners TIMEBOMB (1991) and MERCENARY (1996). If DOPPELGANGER had managed to maintain the kinetic energy of its final ten minutes throughout the entire film, it would have been a classic. A Fox Video Release. Rated R.

A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE (1973) - A junkie buys some smack off the street and drives home, unaware that an unknown black-gloved, hooded killer is following him. As the junkie is shooting-up in his home, the killer pulls out a sword hidden in his/her overcoat and hacks the junkie to death. Inspector Paolo Scaporella (Paul Naschy) is assigned to the case because, just like another murder he is investigating, the killer has left a dragonfly on the dead body. What could this possibly mean? The killer strikes again, this time stabbing a prostitute to death as she walks on the sidewalk. The dragonfly murders are a make-it-or-break-it case for Paolo, as his superiors view him as a hot-headed violent cop (when we first see him, he's about to strike an elderly flasher), who's career could be over if he doesn't solve this string of murders. The hooded killer than chops-up three naked, drugged-out people in an apartment with a hatchet and then destroys their stash of pot and pills. He also leaves a dragonfly on each victim. Paolo sees a pattern emerging (can you?) and finds an important clue: One of the latest murdered victims is clutching a button that was ripped-off the killer's overcoat. Paolo's wife, Silvana (Erika Blanc), who works for one of the country's top fashion designers, is able to discern that the button has come from a woman's coat, and an expensive one at that. Paolo goes to a party thrown by Silvana's boss and a Professor (Eduardo Calvo) there gives Paolo an historical (and valuable) lesson in dragonflies and their signifigance in the murders. It becomes apparent to the viewer that one of the guests at this party is the killer, but which one is it? The Professor is into kinky, necrophelia-like sex (where prostitutes lay in a coffin motionless), but the stripper he is about to do it with is hacked apart by the killer with a hatchet as she lays waiting in a casket (We see the killer chop-off her hand). Paolo's investigation leads him to a high-class pimp named Muhammed, who has secret dealings with Ingrid (Maria Kosti), a member of the party that Paolo and Silvana attended, but Paolo is beaten-up by a gang of Nazi paraphenalia-wearing goons before he can question him. On Paolo's birthday the next day, a giftwrapped package arrives at his home, containing the head of Muhammed and a note from "The Dragonfly" telling Paolo that he/she is going to clean up this "corrupt city" and that he/she plans on murdering all those responsible "one-by-one until the city is clean". When Paolo's stoolie ends up dead (with a dragonfly stuffed in his mouth) after phoning him saying he has important information, Paolo figures out that the killer is someone he knows. Silvana's boss also supplies an important clue about the origin of the button: A Hitler-worshipping designer who committed suicide a week earlier. Can Paolo solve this mystery before more people end up dead? Like all good mysteries, the denouement is a killer.  This Spanish/Italian giallo, written by Paul Naschy (using his real name, Jacinto Molina) and directed skillfully by frequent Naschy collaborator Leon Klimovsky (WEREWOLF SHADOW - 1971; DR. JEKYLL AND THE WOLFMAN - 1972; THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK - 1975), is one of the best European murder mysteries of the early 70's. This contains all the giallo staples: A gloved, masked killer; plenty of gory murders; nudity; and slowly unravelling clues. This mystery is very involving and some of the murders are quite good, especially the stripper in the coffin. As with most giallo films, there is no shortage of red herrings, but A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE contains people who are necrophiliacs, transvestites, obviously gay (Silvana's boss), Nazi bikers and gangsters. Also, as with a lot of giallo films, a photo (and a drawing) holds an important clue in solving the mystery. When Silvana thinks she's figured it out, a stubborn Paolo says to her, "Conclusions! Intuitions! What I need are realities!" as he storms out the door. This sets up the film's excellent conclusion, which I will leave for you to discover. This is a rare example of Naschy portraying a good, if flawed, regular joe rather than a werewolf, hunchback or bloodthirsty criminal. The rest of the cast, staffed by Spaniards, except for the lovely Italian Erika Blanc (THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE - 1971; MARK OF THE DEVIL PART II - 1973), perform admirably, although the reveal of the killer at the end could have used a little more punch. Also starring Susana Mayo, Angel Aranda, Ricardo Merino and Ramon Centenero. Never legally available on home video in the U.S., the print I viewed was ripped from a British VHS tape from Video Unlimited. Not Rated.

EBOLA SYNDROME (1996) - When Kai (Anthony Wong) is caught screwing his boss' wife, he is forced to kill his boss, cut out the wife's tongue and castrate a co-worker. He is about to kill the boss' young daughter when he is interrupted. He flees to Johannesburg, South Africa and takes a job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. Ten years pass and guess who visits the restaurant? Why, it's none other than the dead boss' daughter, all grown up. She recognizes him and gets physically ill, not knowing what she is going to do about the situation. Kai has a severe sexual problem: He likes to rape women and will do anything to get a piece. We witness Kai offering white women in bars money for sex only to be rebuffed and thrown out. We also see Kai jerking off into a piece of pork while listening to his boss have sex with his wife. He then serves that piece of pork to a complaining customer! Things get considerably worse when Kai and his boss visit an African village looking for some cheap pigs to buy. Some of the villagers are dying of some unknown disease but that doesn't stop them from buying the pigs. On their way back the truck breaks down and Kai sees a Zulu woman passed out in the grass. Not one to pass up an easy lay, he rapes her only to have her die and spew fluid all over his face. He is now a carrier of the Ebola virus and he will cause many people to die before this film finally ends.  This vile, nasty film is so unpleasant to watch that I nearly turned it off. Nearly. Anthony Wong (HARD BOILED - 1993; DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE - 1999; THE MISSION - 1999; TIME AND TIDE - 2000) plays Kai as a man with absolutely no redeeming qualities. He takes advantage of every opportunity and doesn't hesitate to rape and kill anyone he takes a dislike to. When he finds out that he is carrying the Ebola virus, he runs around spitting on people! This is strong stuff, folks, so be prepared for scenes of rape, castration, beheadings, dismemberments, autopsies, dead children and the effects of the Ebola virus. The camera shies away from nothing here. The difference between this film and THE STORY OF RICKY (1991) is that RICKY's violence is so over-the-top that it's funny. There's nothing funny about the violence in EBOLA SYNDROME. Director Herman Yau (THE UNTOLD STORY - 1992; COP IMAGE - 1994; ADVENTUROUS TREASURE ISLAND - 1996)  has made a film so relentlessly bleak that I cannot recommend it to anyone except those with an ironclad stomach and a will to match. The English subtitles are good for a laugh, though. When a character says "Fuck!" the English subtitles translate it to say "Gee fuck!" This could only happen in Hong Kong. Also starring Law Mon and Chan Mui Ying. A Mo Asia DVD Release. Not Rated.

ED GEIN: THE BUTCHER OF PLAINFIELD (2006) - Another serial killer film from writer/director Michael Feifer (B.T.K. - 2007) that plays fast and loose with the facts, stretching the credibility of it's "Based On A True Story" disclaimer. The first fact you will have to erase from your mind (if you are familiar with the Ed Gein story) is that hulking actor/stuntman Kane Hodder (HATCHET - 2006) is portraying Wisconsin killer Ed Gein. It is well known that the real-life Gein was a somewhat scrawny man (Steve Railsback, who portrayed Gein in ED GEIN [2000], was much closer in body build and stature), so this was a serious mistake on Feifer's part (nothing against Hodder here) if he wants us to take the story seriously. Another distraction is the many anachronisms on view (Calling 911 in 1957? I don't think so!), which also hurts the film. The film opens with one of Gein's female victims waking up, only to realize she is in Ed's barn, hanging by two hooks, which have pierced the flesh of her shoulders. She wriggles free (the flesh on her shoulders rips open, releasing her from the hooks) and tries to escape, but Gein is waiting for her. The credits then roll, showing a mixture of real newspaper and crime scene photos (even showing a photo of the real Ed Gein!) with obviously fake ones (including staged b&w gore photos of Ed's victims). The story then shifts focus between Gein and way-too-earnest Deputy Bobby Mason (Shawn Hoffman; Feifer's A DEAD CALLING - 2006), who discovers the blood-stained car of Gein's latest female victim and vows to solve the crime. Bobby (who is based on real-life Deputy Frank Worden) has a lot going on in his life, as he lives with his sickly religious mother, Vera (Priscilla Barnes; TRAILER PARK OF TERROR - 2008), wants to marry his virginal girlfriend Erica (Adrienne Frantz) and is investigating a series of grave robberies in the local cemetery. Those grave robberies, of course, are being committed by Gein, with an assist by friend Jack (Michael Berryman; THE HILLS HAVE EYES - 1977; DEADLY BLESSING - 1981), but when Jack refuses to help Gein anymore, Gein kills him with a shovel and drags his body behind his pickup truck, right pass a necking Bobby and Erica! When Gein strangles local barmaid Sue (Caia Coley) and disposes of her body, by crucifying and then cutting her into pieces with a hacksaw (Gein has severe mother issues, as he sees his abusive dead mother's face nearly every time he talks to a woman), her husband files a missing persons report and Bobby is put in charge of finding her. Bobby makes a connection between the grave robberies and the missing women when he finds a key piece of evidence, but when his mother Vera ends up missing from her job in the General Store, Bobby gets into a bad car accident when he races back to Plainfield and Erica is badly injured when she is thrown from the car. In one of the biggest plot contrivances in film history, Bobby leaves Erica by the side of the road while he sets out on foot to find help, only to have Gein show up and kidnap her. When Bobby returns with help, Erica is gone (she is now in Gein's barn having her broken leg set) and Bobby calls the police station (He dials 911 on a rotary pay phone!), but nobody answers! Can Bobby and the police department save Erica before she becomes his next victim?  While this pretends to be a serious look at the life of an infamous serial killer (including numerous references to God and religion, which is a cop-out in my opinion), director/writer Michael Feifer (THE GRAVEYARD - 2006), who lately seems to be carving (pardon the pun) a career out of making "true life" serial killer flicks (for more titles, see my review of B.T.K., also starring Hodder), piles-on inaccuracy after inaccuracy until this film is nothing but a joke. When the Sheriff (Tim Oman) says, "We want Plainfield to return to being...plain" to a bunch of reporters outside the police station, I let out an audible groan. When Bobby discovers his mother's butchered body in Gein's barn and delivers a long speech to her corpse about telling his Daddy in the afterlife that he will not give up until Gein is captured, I laughed out loud. I hardly doubt that was Feifer's intentions. This is also one of those films that is purposely drained of color, giving the film a predominantly reddish brown tinge. I guess it's supposed to give the film a 50's documentary feel, but it looks to me that it was also done to soften some of the gruesome makeup effects, such as when Gein wears the skins of his victims; his setting of Erica's broken leg (the film's toughest scene to watch); and the cops' grisly discoveries in Gein's house. One unintentionally funny death finds Gein pinning a cemetery security guard's head between the fork of a tree and then smashing his head in with a tree branch. I hardly think that the life of a serial killer has to be embellished with non-existent characters, half-truths and deaths that never happened, but, apparently, that's exactly what Feifer thinks is needed to sell DVDs. Also starring John Burke, Stan Bly and Matteo Indelicato. A Lionsgate Entertainment DVD Release. Rated R.

THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT (1987) - I don't believe that director Paul Leder received the proper attention he so richly deserved (he passed away in 1996). Most genre fans recognize his name as director of the cleverly titled I DISMEMBER MAMA (1972), but very few people seem to realize that Leder was directing, producing and writing (and sometimes even acting in) competently made exploitation films since the late 50's. My favorite Leder film would have to be MY FRIENDS NEED KILLING (1976), an uncompromising and extremely downbeat look into the mind of an emotionally damaged Vietnam veteran (Do not watch this film if you are in a good mood, because it will destroy it for days after), but he continued to churn out watchable thrillers and crime dramas up until his death, including this one, which was retitled to the generic BODY COUNT for its VHS release (the copy I viewed was taken from a 1989 showing on HBO under its original title). This is basically a reworking of I DISMEMBER MAMA with a few minor plot changes (Leder based his screenplay on William W. Norton's MAMA script, which was originally known as POOR ALBERT & LITTLE ANNIE). The film opens with a female mental patient in a red gown playing the violin on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital, while a doctor inside tries to convince delusional patient Robert Knight (Bernie White; QUARANTINE - 2008), who is dressed as a priest, that his uncle Charles Knight (Dick Sargent; THE CLONUS HORROR - 1979) is a good man. Robert, who has been committed to the hospital since he was a young boy, totally disagrees about his uncle; he is convinced that he saw Uncle Charles kill his father and rape his mother and had him institutionalized to cover it up. The years he has spent at the mental hospital have not been good for Robert's psyche, because he is now convinced that he is an instrument of God who must save his nine year-old cousin Deborah (Lauren Woodland; the ALIEN NATION TV series; 1989-1990; THE DOORWAY - 2000) before Uncle Charles and Aunt Joanne (Marilyn Hassett; MASSIVE RETALIATION - 1984) ruin her. Robert says this about Deborah to his doctor: "She is beautiful and innocent. She is not yet infected with their sin." He also says this about Joanne and Charles: "She and that vile man are the foxes. They're the little foxes that spoil the vines." Charles and Joanne have been trying to get Robert declared legally insane (they stand to inherit the family fortune if he is) through their lawyer, Ralph Duris (Grag Mullavey; who has appeared in many Leder films), but Robert's doctor and orderly friend (James Avery; NIGHTFLYERS - 1987) think Robert can be fixed and released back into society. Charles has a nurse at the hospital on his payroll (she does arm curls at her desk with white dumbbells!) and she does everything in her power to drive Robert over the edge so she can perform electroshock treatments on him at higher-than-recommended levels. Robert finally has had enough. He steals the keys from a sleeping Larry, retrieves his Bible (with a white cover) and is forced to kill the bitch nurse when she tries to stop him from leaving (he stabs her in the stomach with scissors). He steals the nurse's car and escapes from the hospital; turning his attention towards his fucked-up family. Joanne, who is a former Las Vegas "chorus" girl (*cough*hooker*cough*), is having affairs with both Ralph and Tom Leary (Steven Ford), Charles' personal assistant, and ignores young daughter Deborah. The cop assigned to finding Robert, Lt. Louis Chernoff (Thomas Ryan), is addicted to booze and Percodan and Charles uses that knowledge to get Lt. Chernoff to kill Robert once he finds him. Robert kills the family chauffeur (he stabs him in the stomach with a switchblade and throws him in the trunk of the limousine) and kidnaps Deborah, but Charles and Joanne don't seem concerned at all (they are a couple of real scumbags). Will Robert be able to "save" Deborah from the family of n'er-do-wells or will he be killed before he completes his "mission"?  Director/producer/screenwriter Paul Leder (A*P*E - 1976; MURDER BY NUMBERS - 1990; THE BABY DOLL MURDERS - 1993) takes the MAMA premise (I like to think of this film as POOR ROBERT & LITTLE DEBORAH) and adds a few new twists, including his reliance on the color white (see how many objects you can spot using that color) to portray purity and the way it can be debased. Bernie White is rather bland as Robert, but it is that blandness, whether it is quoting verses from the Bible in his monotone voice or turning down sex from an middle-aged motel clerk (who then threatens to turn him into the police for diddling his nine year-old cousin), that makes his killing spree so shocking. Sure, most of these people deserve their fates (not too sure about the chauffeur, though), but he thinks of himself as a man of the cloth and he takes his "orders" from God, so he's not murdering these people, he is "saving" them (just like all devoutly religious nutbags throughout history). While not very bloody (just a couple of stabbings and bloody bullet squibs), THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT (that Commandment probably being, "Thou shalt not be a soulless douchebag.") is an engaging way to watch bad people get their comeuppance (the only good people in this film are Deborah and maid Kim [Haunani Minn], who truly loves Deborah and is more of a mother than Joanne could ever hope to be) and to watch religion take it on the chin. Also starring Julia Campbell, Jennifer Rhodes, Dean Dittman and Oceana Marr. Available on VHS from Forum Home Video (under the BODY COUNT title) and not available on DVD. Rated R.

EYEBALL (1975) - I've been watching a shit-ton of Italian genre films lately and I must confess that I love giallo films. Love'em, love 'em, love 'em! Which brings me to this film. Most good giallo films have received a Blu-Ray or DVD release in the U.S. but, strangely, not this one. I don't know why; it could be a rights issue or the owner doesn't want it in circulation because I had to pull my old Prism Entertainment VHS tape out of retirement in order to write this review. Unfortunately, this is the R-Rated U.S. theatrical cut (distributed by Joseph Brenner Associates) that is missing nearly ten minutes of footage. I was hoping to hold off writing a review until a disc company like Blue Underground or Raro Video released a proper uncut, widescreen version, but I'm not getting any younger waiting for that to happen (I'll bet a million dollars that someone will now release it on disc. It always seems to happen when I review a film only on VHS!).
     A group of people are taking a bus tour of Barcelona, Spain (filmed on location). They are being targeted by an unseen killer who removes the left eyes of his (or her) victims. We are introduced to the group and nearly all of them seemingly have something to hide. There's Paulette Stone (Martine Brochard; THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS - 1973), a young redhead who cancels a trip to New York City and instead decides to go on the bus tour (Why?). Suddenly, her married lover Mark Burton (John Richardson; TORSO - 1973) finds her (How?) and tells Paulette that his wife Alma (Marta May; SHE WOLVES OF THE WASTELAND - 1988) has been committed to a New York asylum because of a violent incident that happened recently. He assures Paulette that he will be with her from now on. Also on the bus is Reverend Bronson (George Rigaud; LOVE BRIDES OF THE BLOOD MUMMY - 1973), who is not as devoted to the cloth as he pretends to be (He has an old photo of him with a bunch of young children that he looks at often. I know what you are thinking!). The bus tour guide, Martinez (Raf Baldassarre; THOR THE CONQUEROR - 1983), is a practical joker. We watch him put a wind-up mouse next to Paulette while the group are checking-in to a hotel and she lets out a loud scream (Martinez finds it funny).
     The first to die is Jenny Hamilton (Verónica Miriel), a young woman who is traveling on the bus with her father (John Bartha; VIOLENT ROME - 1975). Rev. Bronson hears her screams and finds her dead on the street with her left eye missing (Why doesn't the Reverend give her Last Rites?). The tour's next stop is at an amusement park, but it is raining out. Martinez hands out red ponchos to the group so they don't get wet (Perhaps this is a tribute to Nicolas Roeg's DON'T LOOK NOW - 1973?). The next to die is group member Peggy (Olga Montes). She is riding in a car of a haunted house attraction and when she gets to the exit, she is dead with her left eye missing. Police Inspector Tudela (Andrés Mejuto), who has one more week left until he retires, is assigned the case and he arrests Martinez because a wind-up spider was found next to Peggy's body, the same spider he used to play a practical joke on her earlier in the day.
     Mark calls the asylum to check up on his wife, only to learn that she was never admitted. He discovers that she is in Barcelona. This triggers a flashback where Mark finds Alma unconscious next to a pool; in her left hand is the same bloody dagger that the killer uses. Also next to her is a human eye. Mark picks up the dagger and pockets it, not telling anyone what he saw. This is why Alma was supposed to be in the asylum. Back in the present, Mark discovers what hotel Alma is staying at in Barcelona, but he just misses her, as she has just checked-out. He discovers she is about to leave for New York, so he goes to the airport, only to learn that she canceled the flight. Is it possible that Mark is on a wild goose-chase and someone is impersonating Alma?
     The next to die by the killer (who is sporting red knit gloves) is a young servant girl. Bus rider Robby Alverado (Daniele Vargas; THE ARENA - 1973) is immediately suspected because he has fresh scratches on his hands. Fellow tourist Lisa Sanders (Mirta Miller; COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE - 1973; THE ICEBOX MURDERS - 1982) suspects that Paulette is the killer because she saw her washing off her shoes at a nearby well (The girl was killed in a muddy area). Inspector Tudela has no other choice but to free Martinez and he continues to be the tour bus guide (You would think that the tour would have been canceled, at least after the second murder!).
     Lisa is the next to be killed as she is developing some photos in her hotel bathroom. The killer, who is now wearing one of the red ponchos to go along with the gloves, stabs Lisa in the torso and then slits her throat, but doesn't take an eye. The killer rifles through some developed proofs and almost gets caught by Lisa's lesbian lover Naiba (Ines Pellegrini; ESCAPE FROM WOMEN'S PRISON - 1978). When Mark hears Naiba's screams, he runs to the hotel room, notices a torn photo of him with someone else (that person's image is what is missing) and pockets it (He couldn't look more guily if he tried, but that is what make giallo films so fascinating. We must separate the guilty from the red herrings.).
     Inspector Tudela believes that Lisa's killer may not be the same person responsible for the prevoius murders, but his partner, Inspector Lara (José María Blanco; KILMA, QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE - 1975), says that may be because Naiba interrupted the killer from doing so. Father Bronson goes to visit Naiba in the hospital, but he disappears just when the killer tries to kill Naiba, but fails. Now Inspector Tudela is looking at the good Father as a suspect. He also discovers that all the missing eyes were the same color and the killer is right-handed. Once back in her hotel room, Naiba receives a package sent by Lisa, which are some photos she developed previously. One of the photos show who the killer really is. Naiba tries to find Rev. Bronson, but he is nowhere to be found, not even in the local church. Naiba makes a discovery at the church that puts her life in mortal danger. She watches as the killer removes the eye of a dead young girl (an uncredited cameo by Laura Trotter; CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD - 1980). But just who is the killer? If you have read my other reviews of giallo films, you know that I never give away the killer's identity, but I have given you the clues to the killer's real identity. So now it is your turn to play detective!
     Directed by genre specialist Umberto Lenzi (THE MAN FROM DEEP RIVER - 1972; ALMOST HUMAN - 1974; SPASMO - 1974; EATEN ALIVE! - 1980; CANNIBAL FEROX - 1981; and many others), with a screenplay by Félix Tusell (his only writing credit), this film, shot under the title GATTI ROSSI IN UN LABIRINTO DI VETRO ("Red Cats In A Maze Of Glass") and also known as THE SECRET KILLER, is light on both gore and nudity (just a few quick topless scenes), but that can be chalked-up to the fact that this is the edited R-Rated U.S. theatrical print. Still, this is an enjoyable thriller which keeps you guessing until the film's conclusion (Just like most giallo films, the opening scene is integral to the plot). I love these Italian mysteries (this is actually and Italy/Spain co-production) because I love to use my brain while watching them. As I have stated previously, this film is only available legally in the U.S. on VHS from Prism Entertainment, which is long OOP. There are various DVDs available in other countries, such as an English-friendly German DVD, but it is the same print used for the Prism tape. It's is in widescreen though, so if you have an all-region player, you can hop on the German Amazon site (www.amazon.de), type in "Labyrinth des Schreckens" and get it for 12.95 Euros ($15.89 at the time of this review). Shipping may cost you more than the disc. Roku-only streaming channel B-Movie TV airs an uncut version of this film under THE SECRET KILLER title. Also starring Silvia Solar (THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI - 1975), Olga Pehar, Richard Kolin and cameo king Tom Felleghy as the coroner who examines Jenny's body. Rated R.

EYE IN THE LABYRINTH (1972) - Julie (Rosemary Dexter) has a nightmare where her boyfriend Lucas (Horst Frank) is viciously stabbed to death by some black glove-wearing assailant. When she wakes up, she finds out that Lucas is missing and hasn't shown up at the psychiatric hospital, where he worked as a doctor. After leaving the hospital and going back home, Julie finds a mysterious sunglass-wearing stranger waiting for her. He slaps her around while asking her where Lucas is and when she answers that she doesn't know, he leaves but warns her to keep her mouth shut. Of course, curiosity gets the best of Julie and one word, "Maracudi", seems to be the link to Lucas' disappearance. The investigation leads Julie to the small strange town of Maracudi, where someone tries to kill her (by dropping a ceiling on her in an abandoned building) when she mentions Lucas' name. She meets an all-too-friendly elderly gentleman named Frank (Adolfo Celi) in town and he puts her up in a boardinghouse run by a weird spinster and a peeping tom artist named Saro (Benjamin Lev). The boardinghouse walls are full of paintings done by local artists and one of them will lead Julie to the truth about Lucas' disappearance. Frank sends Julie to a villa owned by Gerda (Alida Valli) that's a commune full of oddball artists and actors, in her search for Lucas. Julie spends the night (her clothes are stolen when she goes skinnydipping in the ocean), plays Scrabble with the residents (she spells "assassino", which visibly upsets some players) and notices a book in Gerda's library which looks exactly like a book she gave Lucas, but Gerda denies it (Later on, Julie sneaks down to the library for a peek at the book and it is, indeed, the same book she gave Lucas). Frank (who we find out is an American gangster living in exile) takes an unhealthy interest in Julie, checking-up on her constantly (even phoning her and hanging up) and he eventually tries to kiss her, but she rebuffs him. In Julia's continuing investigation, she discovers that Frank and Gerda were once lovers and business partners (their business being of the illegal variety), Lucas raped one of Gerda's residents, photographer Toni (Sybil Danning, here billed as "Sybill Dunning") and that Saro may have painted Lucas' murder. This all leads to another attempt on Julie's life, where she is locked in a garage with a running car. Frank saves her, but it becomes clear that everyone in this town (including Julia) is harboring one secret or another. Will Julie be able to uncover the truth about Lucas' disappearance before it's too late?  This Italian/German co-production, directed by Mario Caiano (NIGHTMARE CASTLE - 1965; THE MANIAC RESPONSIBLE - 1975; NAZI LOVE CAMP 27 - 1977) is an interesting giallo film, full of weird angles and camera flourishes. As the film progresses, it becomes apparent to the viewer (and eventually Julie) that Lucas is/was a real son-of-a-bitch. As we learn in flashbacks from the people in town who have had contact with Lucas, he was a rapist, blackmailer (a surprising scene where one of the major characters turns out to be a transgender), drug dealer and much worse. We just have to figure out who hated him the most (The answer is not that surprising, as the clues are there if you look for them). While not particularly bloody (save for the opening nightmare sequence, which looks to have been influenced by German impressionist films of the 20's), the film is still an enjoyable murder mystery, where the actresses get naked as much as possible and Julie is constantly put in a lot of danger (the brake line in her car is cut; someone shoots a speargun bolt at her; etc.), but she somehow survives it all. The weird jazz soundtrack also enhances the film, adding a spark of atmosphere to the chase and death scenes. Adolfo Celi (MANHUNT - 1972; LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN - 1976) manages to steal every scene he is in. He's able to invoke sympathy and menace, sometimes in the same scene. Director Caiano bathes the film in yellows (a giallo staple) and blues, lighting scenes in neon colors and outfitting people in bright primary colors (at one point, Julie drives her yellow Fiat into a BP gas station and all we see is yellow!). Colors also play an important part in solving the mystery, so pay attention from the very beginning. EYE IN THE LABYRINTH is an excellent giallo and, like all good giallo films, contains a wicked sting at the end. Also starring Michael Mayen, Franco Ressel, Gigi Rizzi, Peter Kranz, Gaetano Donati and Elisa Mainardi. Never legally available on home video in the U.S., the version I viewed was ripped from a widescreen Dutch-subtitled VHS tape on the Film Lab label. Not Rated. UPDATE: Amazingly, this was released on an uncut anamorphic widescreen Blu-Ray by Code Red (Available only through Screen Archives Entertainment and Diabolik DVD) for the very first time in the United States. And it looks magnificent!

EYES OF CRYSTAL (2004) - I have to say that this film, an Italy/Spain co-production, surprised me and gave me hope that the giallo genre isn't dead, it's just merely in hibernation. Even though it was filmed in 2004, it reminded me of the giallo films of the '70s, as it contains copious female nudity, plenty of very graphic violence and a corkscrew mystery that will keep you guessing up till the end. It also contains many other giallo tropes (in this case, not a bad thing), such as: the killer's POV every time he claims a victim; plenty of red herrings; a surprise reveal or two you won't see coming; and many other staples. This film also contains an actor who starred in many giallo films of the '70s that we all know and love. That actor is Simon Andreu, who starred in the giallo flicks THE FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION (1970), DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS (1971), DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT (1972), TORMENTOR (1972) and many other Italian genre films. He really shines here as a Chief Detective who is dying of a brain tumor, whose fragile memory may hold clues to who is killing people and collecting their body parts. Before I get too far ahead of myself, here's a long synopsis (Is there such a thing?) of the film's plot.
     The film opens with Inspector Giacomo Amaldi (Luigi Lo Cascio) and his partner, Inspector Nicola Frese (Jose Angel Egido), chasing down a rapist, cornering him in an alley. After Giacomo slaps the cuffs on him, he shoots the rapist in the leg, knowing his partner will back him up, saying the shooting was necessary. As the opening credits roll, we see someone killing a live squirrel (by injection), cutting it open and then performing taxidermy on it, giving us a step-by-step procedural of the process. The taxidermy man then goes to a field with a high-powered rifle, pours resin on a tree branch and sprinkles live worms on it, dropping a spool of fishing line in the process. He hears a woman moaning and goes to investigate, finding an elderly voyeur watching a young couple making love in the field. He shoots and kills the old voyeur and turns the rifle towards the couple, shooting the young man in the back and putting a big bullet hole in the young woman's left breast (a very graphic image). He then finishes off the woman by crushing her head with the butt of his rifle, slamming it on her cranium over and over (the killings are juxtaposed with a bird screaming on the tree branch, as it is stuck in the resin and can't fly away). What we have just witnessed is a serial killer in the making.
     Giacomo and Nicola arrive at the crime scene and notice that whoever performed these killings did so with extreme violence. Even stranger is that the killer took the time to cut up a blanket and stuffed the pieces in the woman's left breast, sewing it shut with fishing line, as if he was trying to repair it. Is this the killer's signature? Well, yes and no. Once the two Inspectors are back in their office, Chief Detective Augusto Ajaccio (Simon Andreu; THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE - 1972) tells them that he has to go to the hospital because he hasn't been feeling well lately, so he will be there for a few days while they run some tests. Pretty young college girl Giuditta (Lucia Jimenez) walks into the department and wants to talk to a detective, so Giacomo volunteers. She tells him someone is following her and leaving creepy phone messages for her. It's like this man knows everything about her life. It is rather obvious that Giuditta and Giacomo are attracted to each other, so he gets involved in her case heavily, maybe too much, but other more pressing matters may push it to the background.
     At the hospital, Chief Detective Ajaccio tells Giacomo and Nicola that he just found out that he is dying of an inoperable brain tumor and he only has a short time to live, continuing with he's led a "wasted" life and that no one will mourn him when he passes away, his whole life has been devoted to the police department and he has no personal life. He then has some type of spell, caused by the brain tumor, saying that he smells something burning and he travels back to when he was a child living at an orphanage, where he sees a mysterious young boy looking at him while the orphanage burns (later we learn that two nuns and five young boys died in the fire). He shows the two Inspectors some burn scars on his chest, something they have never seen before, also not knowing that he was an orphan. Ajaccio's physician, Dr. Civita (Eusebio Poncela; THE APARTMENT ON THE 13TH FLOOR - 1972), tells Giacomo and Nicola that the brain tumor is playing tricks with Ajaccio's memory, but, as we discover as the film progresses, these memories are key to solving the case.
     We then see antique dealer Viviana Justic (Yordanka Kuzmanova) phone the killer, telling him she has found an antique, anatomically correct life-size doll, just as he requested. She tells him not to worry about the price because his mother was good to her when she was alive, so her price will be more than fair. When the killer arrives at her shop, he is not interested in price, so he kills her. When Giacomo and Nicola arrive on the scene, they discover that Viviane Justic's arms have been cut off and replaced with the life-size doll's arms, which are surgically connected to her body (the rest of the doll is nowhere to be found). But it is what they discover the killer did to her face, applying two hooks to the ends her mouth and using fishing line to pull the hooks tightly, tying it to the back of her head, giving her a macabre smile, that both Giacomo and Nicola realize that this death is connected to the killings in the field. They have a serial killer on their hands. Giacomo searches the antique shop and discovers three small leaves tacked to the underside of a drawer of Viviane Justic's desk. He knows they mean something, but he doesn't know what, so he goes to his old college anthropology teacher, Professor Avildsen (Carmelo Gomez), to find out what the leaves mean. The Professor, who is also Giuditta's teacher, says he is certain it does mean something, but before he says anything concrete, he will have to do some research and will get back to him.
     Back at the hospital, Dr. Cerusico (Ernestina Chinova) tells Dr. Civita that some supplies are missing from surgery, namely a bone saw, some scalpels and red grease pencils. Dr. Civita seems more interested in romantically connecting with her (they were lovers previously), but she tells him she is busy tonight, she has a date. When Dr. Cerusico checks up on Chief Detective Ajaccio, she discovers that someone has written his full name across his chest in red grease pencil. Giacomo and Nicola question her about the grease pencil (Giacomo found a red grease pencil line on Viviana Justic's neck) and she tells them that red grease pencils are used to mark the area where a surgeon is to make an incision, but before she can say any more, she gets a phone call and tells the person on the other end that she will see him tonight at her apartment, she is looking forward to it. Wanna bet?
     Giacomo does some research on the importance of leaves at the library and runs into Giuditta, so they decide to go out to dinner. In the middle of dinner, out of nowhere, Giacomo realizes that Dr. Cerusico is in mortal danger, so he calls Nicola and tells him to meet him at the doctor's apartment immediately (We see Dr. Cerusico's "date" drug her wine and then see her tied-up on the floor, where he approaches her with a bone saw). Giacomo gets up and leaves, not even saying goodbye to Giuditta and when he and Nicola get to Dr. Cerusico's apartment, they discover that her legs have been cut off and surgically replaced with the doll's legs. Giacomo finds two small leaves at the crime scene and now knows what they mean (even though, previously, Professor Avildsen told him the supernatural meaning of leaves in various cultures). It means the serial killer has two more victims to go. All evidence points to the killer needing a human torso and a human head to complete his "masterpiece". Giacomo and Nicola also discover a phrase in Latin, written in Dr. Cerusico's blood on a wall that will eventually lead Giacomo to discover what "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." stands for. Will the serial killer be able to complete his masterpiece and who will be his final two victims? Or will Giacomo and Nicola be able to stop him?
     This is just some of what happens next: 

*Someone leaves a burned cat by the front door of Giuditta's home and Giacomo chases the person who left it. It turns out to be a college classmate of Giuditta's, Max (Federico Di Pofi). Giacomo catches him and points his gun in Max's face, ready to shoot him. Max tells him that it's not really a cat but some burnt hair and old bones, he was just playing a practical joke on Giuditta (some fucking joke!). Just as Giacomo is about to pull the trigger (he realizes Max is the person following Giuditta and leaving her creepy messages), Giuditta stops him and realizes that Giacomo gets off on violence. She is disgusted by his behavior and leaves him.

*Detective Di Fusco (Hristo Jivkov), who is tasked with watching Chief Detective Ajaccio at the hospital, hears Ajaccio say that he knows who the killer is, yet he doesn't tell him the name. Di Fusco leaves the room and phones Giacomo, telling him that Ajaccio knows who the killer is. Giacomo tells him to get back to Ajaccio's room immediately and when he gets there, the killer murders him (with a lethal injection to his neck) and cuts off Ajaccio's head, leaving the head of the doll surgically attached to Ajaccio's neck (We now know that the killer is the young boy in the orphanage that Ajaccio keeps seeing during his spells, but if I tell you who it is, it would ruin the film for you).

*The killer kidnaps Giuditta (he knocks her out with chloroform), throwing her in the back of his car and taking her to his lair, which is the former location of the orphanage, which burned to the ground, leaving only the stone foundation standing. Giuditta is to be the killer's "torso" but will a bruise on Giuditta's side force him to postpone finishing his "perfect masterpiece"?

*Nicola, who is at a glass eye factory, phones Giacomo and gives him the killer's name and address. Will Giacoma arrive in time to save Giuditta?

*When taxidermied animals are incinerated in the film's finale, all that is left of them are their eyes of crystal, giving the film it's name.

     This film may remind people of David Fincher's SE7EN (1995) or, especially, Russell Mulcahy's RESURRECTION (1999), but I believe it lies closer to the giallo films of the '70s in both spirit and execution, helped by the fact that Simon Andreu is involved and one of the screenwriters is Franco Ferrini, who wrote or co-wrote the giallo flicks RINGS OF FEAR (1978), NOTHING UNDERNEATH (1985), DIAL: HELP (1988), as well as Dario Argento's PHENOMENA (1984), OPERA (1987) and many of his other films in the '90s and New Millennium. But the film really belongs to director/co-screenwriter Eros Puglielli (AD PROJECT - 2006; NEVERMIND - 2018), who gives this film some great location photography (filmed mainly in Bulgaria, which is why many of the actors here have the letter "v" in their names) and some great cinematography (including a shot of a fly Ajaccio sees in his hospital room that must be seen to be appreciated). The technical and acting credits are all above board, especially the acting by Luigi Lo Cascio as Giacomo and Simon Andreu as Augusto Ajaccio, who has his head actually shaved for the later scenes in this film (and it is easy to see it is not a bald cap). What I particularly admired is that nearly every character in the film is hiding a secret from their past that helps explain their actions today. Giacomo tells Giuditta a story about something that happened to him as a sixteen-year old that helps explains why he shot the rapist in the beginning of the film. All these secrets a make a nice heady stew for the viewer, giving each character more depth than usual in this type of film. Another thing I admired is that Giacomo and Nicola make a great team, but they do their best work when they are alone, separated from each other. Those two ingredients make this film memorable to me, as it has enough meat on its bones to make a tasty gourmet dinner for your brain. I wish most films today aspired to such lofty goals, but the sad fact is, most of them are junk food. Yes, junk food is good every now and then, but not every day, which is what makes this film a revelation to me and gets my highest recommendation.
     Shot as OCCHI DI CRISTALLO (a literal translation of the review title) and also known as CRYSTAL EYES, JIGSAW, THE PUZZLE and V.I.T.R.I.O.L., this film had neither a theatrical or legal home video release in any format in the United States, but if you have an all-region DVD or Blu-Ray player, a DVD can be easily picked up from British label Revolver Entertainment. Or you could watch it, as I did, streaming on YouTube from user "Der Joker", who offers a beautiful anamorphic widescreen print in Italian with English subtitles. Also featuring Plamen Peev, Plamena Getova, Branimir Milaninov, Tzvetan Philipov and Dessy Tenekedjieva as Giuditta's roommate Lucia. Not Rated, but it would have to suffer extensive cuts (in both nudity and violence) just to get an R-Rating in the States.

FATAL PULSE (1988) - Lower-tier slasher film nonsense with a slight giallo vibe. When college boy Jeff (Ken Roberts) refuses the sexual advances of the nearly naked Stephanie (the single-monikered Kitty) and leaves her sorority house, she is visited a few moments later by an unknown black-gloved killer, who chases Stephanie to her bedroom and strangles her with one of her silk stockings. It seems Jeff is still in love with ex-girlfriend Lisa (Michelle McCormick; SWEET JUSTICE - 1992) and, after talking to Professor Caldwell (Alex Courtney; PROGRAMMED TO KILL - 1987) about losing his one true love years ago (all this is happening while they are playing a game of chess, which Jeff loses), Jeff decides to confront Lisa and win her back. It won't be easy, though, because Jeff's ex-best friend Brad (Steven Henry) is also romantically interested in Lisa and when Stephanie's body is found by the police (one of the detectives is portrayed by porn star Herschell Savage, here using the name "Harvey Cowen"), Brad implicates Jeff of the murder in front of Lisa (Brad saw Jeff leaving Stephanie's sorority house just before she was murdered). Jeff and Lisa rush over to the sorority house just in time to see the body carted away and when the detective asks Jeff his name, he runs away (Don't make yourself look too guilty, Jeff!). The list of suspects in Stephanie's murder doesn't just include Jeff. There's sorority house owner Ernie (Joe Estevez; LOCKDOWN - 1989; here using the pseudonym "Joe Phelan"), who suffers from frequent Nam flashbacks; Professor Caldwell, whose discussion with Jeff about lost loves makes him appear to be a misogynist; Brad, who may be killing girls to make Jeff look guilty; Jeff's pot smoking pal Mark (Blair Karsch), who may be hiding a deadly secret; or any one of the sorority girls themselves, including Lisa. The next victim of the black-gloved killer is music student Carol (Sky Nicholas), who has her throat slit open with a record album (the film's most unusual kill). Jeff tries to talk Lisa into moving in with him after Carol's death and they get it on, which doesn't please Brad at all. Jeff and Mark go to Carol's murder site to look for clues (because the police, you know, don't know how to look for them), but they find nothing except a chalk outline of Carol's body and a big bloodstain where her neck was. Sheila (Maureen O'Hanlon) is the next to die, drowned in her tub by the killer. Cassie (Cindra Hodgdon) is the next to bite it; she's kidnapped while jogging and then electrocuted by the killer with some strange get-up in the shower. Ann (Roxanne Kernohan) is tossed out of the top floor window of the sorority house and Karen (Christie Mucciante) is smothered in plaster of paris, as Brad and the police chase Jeff throughout the college. When Jeff accidentally knocks-out Brad, he makes a discovery that will clear his name and point the police to the right person. Will Jeff save Lisa in time before the killer makes her the final victim?  The first thing you'll notice about FATAL PULSE, directed/produced by Anthony J. Christopher (THE PLATINUM TRIANGLE - 1989; DAY OF REDEMPTION - 2004) and written by James Hundhausen, is how unlikely a heterosexual romantic lead Ken Roberts is as Jeff. It's quite obvious by his speech patterns and mannerisms that Roberts is a homosexual (if he's not, then I'm sincerely sorry, but I think the only way you can accept him as straight is if you delude yourself into believing that Kiki Dee actually broke Elton John's heart), so casting him as the romantic lead is a huge misstep. His, and nearly everyone else's, stabs at acting are of a sub-soap opera level. As a matter of fact, the entire film has an 80's porn feel to it, from the over-cranked synth score, barebones sets, substandard acting and flat photography. At least director Christopher had the good sense to have most of the female cast get naked, but the majority of the time, their nakedness comes at the points of their demises (the killer has a nasty habit of ripping off their tops before doing them in), so the nudity is not erotic or titillating. Most of the killings are bloodless (besides the record album throat slitting), as the killer likes to use his hands more than any foreign objects. The killer's identity is way too easy to guess, since it's obvious that all the other suspects are blatant red herring material. The explanation for the killer's motive comes straight out of Stevenson's "The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde" and is as ridiculous as it gets. Good for an unintentional laugh or two, but not much else. Originally released on VHS by Celebrity Home Entertainment and not available on DVD. Not Rated.

THE FIRST POWER (1990) - I knew when I went to go see this film on opening day at a theater and there were only about 15 other people in the seats, that this film was going to bomb big at the boxoffice (It eventually made a little over twice its $10 million budget, but when you factor in advertising and print costs, it probably ended up losing plenty of money). Filmed under the much better title TRANSIT (you'll get the inference if you see the film), the film was changed to THE FIRST POWER a couple of months before release to play up the supernatural angle (that, too, also makes some sense if you can make it through 3/4 of this film). To make matters worse, I remember going to see the Denzel Washington film FALLEN in 1998 and a severe case of deja vu came rushing over me. It was nothing but a bastardization of this film, but done much better (There's no one humming "Time is on my side, yes it is." in the first film), but since this 1990 film was directed and written by Robert Resnikoff, whose only other claim to fame was co-writing the screenplay to the awful Jay Leno/Pat Morita action comedy COLLISION COURSE (made in 1986, but dumped directly to home video in the U.S. in 1989), this film offers very little to the supernatural action film genre lover except for a larger-than-usual role for character actor supreme Jeff Kober (AUTOMATIC - 1994) and trying to spot some genre actors in small, nothing roles (like Bill Moseley as a bartender). Besides a couple of good stunts (you will know them when you see them), the film mostly comes up snake eyes because the plot is very underdeveloped and once this film was finished, Robert Resnikoff was never seen or heard from in the filmmaking business again. That right there should tell you something. Since MGM released a perfectly good anamorphic widescreen release of this film on DVD in the early 2000's, it surprises me that Kino Lorber/Scorpion Releasing would give this film the DVD and Blu-Ray treatment (probably using the same print master as the MGM DVD) when there are so many more MGM titles screaming to be released on disc for the very first time. Maybe it was a contractual thing, but it was a poor choice to release it as a stand-alone feature. This at least belongs on a double feature Blu-Ray with some other film so you can get more bang for your buck. This is just a minor potboiler with lofty aspirations that it fails to achieve. The film opens with Sister Marguerite (Elizabeth Arlen; LUCKY STIFF - 1988; also with Jeff Kober) pleading with the Cardinal (Philip Abbott; HANGAR 18 - 1980), the Monsignor (David Gale; RE-ANIMATOR - 1985) and Father Brian (Hansford Rowe) that something must be done about Satan and his minions. She tells them that Satan's powers are growing and that there have been 15 women murdered this year alone in this town with an inverted pentagram carved in their stomachs. As is normal with religion, the males belittle the woman (The Monsignor makes a joke about ending up on "Geraldo") and tell her to go back to her convent and keep her mouth shut. Detective Russ Logan (Lou Diamond Phillips; ROUTE 666 - 2001) is after a murderer called the "Pentagram Killer" (the same person Sister Marguerite was talking about) and has hit a dead end until he gets a phone call from Tess Seaton (Tracy Griffith; SKEETER - 1993), telling him that the Pentagram Killer will strike again tonight on Sunset Boulevard (when Logan marks the location on the murder map, it forms a perfect pentagram, a trope used in many other horror films), but she has one strange request: If Logan catches him, he cannot let the killer die on Death Row and she makes Logan promise. Logan makes the promise, but he has no intention of keeping it. That rainy night, a stakeout crew is sent out to the location (including Brian Libby, who played a serial killer in the underrated Chuck Norris film SILENT RAGE [1982], who pretends to be a bum lying on the ground covered in newspaper and he says, "Only a psycho fucking killer is smart enough to stay out of the rain."). Logan is cruising the area with his partner Detective Oliver Franklin (Mykel T. Williamson [a.k.a. Mykelti Williamson]; SPECIES II - 1997) when they get word that Officer Carmen (Sue Giosa), who was the bait, is missing. They both race to an abandoned concrete structure to save her, where we see her tied to the ground with the Pentagram Killer (Jeff Kober) waving a knife around and wearing an ugly old man mask. He is very polite in the way he tells Carmen the way he is going to kill her and puts the mask over her face. Before he can do anything to her, Logan and Franklin intervene. Franklin gets knocked out, but Logan chases and catches him, even after being seriously stabbed in the stomach by the killer (Logan is a highly decorated officer who caught three serial killers in his short career). We find out that the Pentagram killer is really Patrick Channing, a mild mannered worker for the Public Water Department and no one can understand how he could do such horrible things. He is convicted in a court of law for 15 murders and sentenced to die in the gas chamber in San Quentin Prison. Logan once agan gets a call from Tess, who says he must keep his promise, but he and Franklin watch a smiling Channing die in the gas chamber. Logan sees Channing's hand move after he is dead and then he breaks his straps, shatters the chamber's glass window and heads towards Logan with a knife in his hand while Logan empties his gun into him. with no effect. That last part is a recurring nightmare Logan has had since he witnessed Channing die and he starts having more vivid halucinations, like one of the rooms in his apartment covered in blood and then it disappears when two cops come knocking on his door. The two cops actually arrive at his door to tell him that Carmen has been murdered and it is in the same place he and Franklin saved her months before. Carmen's throat has been cut and an inverted pentagram carved into her stomach. Tess arrives at the police station and will only talk to Logan. She tells him that she is a professional psychic who has helped many police departments find missing children, but a disbelieving Logan tells her that this has nothing to do with missing children and blows her off. Tess tries to tell Logan that Channing is back and his evil soul is on the loose thanks to Satan. He can jump from body to body (the weaker the person's will, the easier it is for Channing to take over the body), but he can disguise his appearance to look like himself. She tells Logan that Channing is not just after him, he is after her, too. They find the person that killed Carmen and it is a skinny drunk drug abuser, the perfect kind of person for Channing to take over. When Logan decides that this guy is too out of it to kill anybody, he walks away, but he hears the guy say "See you later, buddy boy!" in Channing's voice. No one else in the room heard it. Logan and Franklin illegally break into Tess' lavish home (Franklin says, "Psychics must get paid well.", when he sees the indoor pool) and Logan listens to the messages on her answering machine. The third message is from Channing and he says that he will be seeing them all soon. Tess catches them in her house and when Logan goes to play the third message, there are only two on the answering machine. Logan then accuses Tess of belonging to the same occult cult as Channing, while Tess takes one look at Franklin and tells him he is in mortal danger. The third message on the answering machine told Logan where the next murder will be, so all three of them head there, where Franklin is trampled to death by a horse his dying words to Logan are, "I saw him Russ. It was him!" Logan and Tess chase the horse-drawn carriage and Logan watches in amazement as Channing jumps off a ten story building and run away (One of the film's highlights, even though you can see the rope harness). Logan's boss, Commander Perkins (Dennis Lipscomb; RETRIBUTION - 1987) finds Logan's story hard to swallow while hard-drinking Lt. Grimes (Carmen Argenziano; HELLRAISER: INFERNO - 2000) makes fun of Logan's story and lets Tess go home. When Mazza (Clayton Landey), another cop at Carmen's original scene, is found murdered and hung like Jesus on the cross on the underside of a high expansion bridge (One cop says, "How'd they get him up there?"), Commander Perkins takes Logan off the case and puts Lt. Grimes in charge. Logan goes to a church confessional to ask about possession, only to discover that the priest he was talking to was Channing in the other confessional room. Tess has a vision of Logan in danger (he's supposed to get an axe in the head by Channing) and she saves his life, but Channing chases them through the hallways of a cheap motel with the spinning blades of a ceiling fan before Channing jumps on the hood of a car that Logan and Tess have commandeered and Logan must destroy the car to get Channing off it (As a joke, Logan tells the car's owner to contact Lt. Grimes directly for reimbursement). Logan now believes Tess, even if they don't see eye-to-eye on all the details. That will change soon. They go to talk to Sister Marguerite at the convent, but she refuses to talk to them. They then go to Channing's grandmother (Julianna McCarthy), where they inadvertantly learn that Channing  was a product of incest, his mother having sex and getting pregnant by his grandfather (Satan must love incest!). Logan and Tess find Channing's "special place" since he was a child: an abandoned and unsafe section of the underground water system where a reservoir worker (Grand L. Bush) tells them that the water will still flood the tunnel if you spin the handle. Tess suddenly gets two bloody pentagrams on her palms. Channing chases Logan and Tess to a highrise construction site, where Tess knocks Channing off the building and he is impaled on a metal pole below. When they get to the bottom, they discover that the body is actually Lt. Grimes' (he was a hard drinker, therefore easy to possess). Commander Perkins is slightly more than agitated, but he gives Logan one more chance to solve the murders (Really? You would let a prime suspect take over the case? Are we sure this is the United States?). Sister Marguerite suddenly gets a conscience and leaves the convent to help Tess and Logan (If you haven't guessed by now, they have also become lovers.). Logan and Tess are attacked once again by Channing, who this time takes over a bag lady's body. It leads to Logan flipping his car on the highway (Clearly, the film's best scene), with both Tess and Channing disappearing from the wrecked car. A bloody Logan meets Sister Marguerite, who gives Logan the only tool that can defeat Channing and his body-hopping abilities: An ancient crucifix with a hidden blade. She also explains the three evil powers that Channing possesses: 3) The ability to take over other people's bodies (well, duh!). 2) The gift of knowing the future and 1) Resurrection and immortality (The First Power). The ancient bladed crucifix should be able to stop all three. Logan and Sister Marguerite go to Channing's "special place" in the water tunnels where Logan knows Channing is with Tess, but after killing the bag lady and saving Tess' life, Channing jumps into Sister Marguerite's body (I wonder what her weakness was? Not listening to men?). The ridiculous ending finds Tess turning the wheel and flooding the tunnels as all three of them go on their own private amusement park water flume ride, where they all end up on a metal grate with a pool of acid below (Say what now?). Tess manages to toss Channing into the acid, but she learns that it takes more than acid to kill him. Logan finds the ancient crucifix knife (After that long water ride, it ends up right next to him! What are the chances of that actually happening?) and goes to stab Channing in the heart with it, but he is shot twice by two officers at the scene. Logan still manages to plunge the ancient dagger into Channing, ending the evil satanic menace and we see Tess sitting by Logan's hospital bed as he recovers from his wounds. But was he weak enough to have Channing's evil soul travel into his body when he killed Channing (remember, he was already shot and weak when he stabbed Channing)? The film ends and I got into my car wondering what in the hell I just watched. I still was wondering that after watching the Blu-Ray. The film is weak except for a few good stunt sequences and the story is cookie-cutter stuff. There's nothing here that screams, "Look at me! I'm special!" Everyone walks through their roles, especially Lou Diamond Phillips, who doesn't go out of his way to act any way special except for the basic stuff. He comes off as flat and disinterested in the story, just like the audiences must have felt when the theaters took their hard-earned money to watch this film. I'm not saying that it is awful, because it isn't. It's just one of those films that could have worked better as a DTV VHS during the time period, than as a theatrical film. Some of the decisions made by the characters will make you shake your head until you get whiplash, but it was the only way to advance the plot. That is a sign of sloppy screenwriting and Robert Resnikoff takes full blame for this since the story was solely his baby (It could also be the reason he left filmmaking). It should be noted that Stewart Copeland, the drummer for The Police, composed the film's musical score and Ed French did the very few special makeup effects, which are really the only positive things throughout the film. This is the kind of film that when you see a person standing in front of an empty window, you just know someone is going to come crashing through it. I'm a big fan of Jeff Kober and even though this is one of his biggest roles, he has done much better in shorter ones. If you don't have the original MGM DVD (which is really all you need for this film), you can always purchase this film on DVD & Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber/Scorpion Releasing if you want two new extras: New interviews with Lou Diamond Phillips and Jeff Kober. It seems they couldn't locate Robert Resnikoff to do a running commentary for this film (or he flat-out refused to). I can't say I blame him. David Gale, who has one scene in this film, died the following year of cancer. He managed to star in SYNGENOR (1990) and THE GUYVER (1991) after this before passing away. Melanie Shatner (UNKNOWN ORIGIN - 1995), the daughter of William Shatner, has a very small role as a shopgirl. Also starring Nada Despotovich, J. Patrick McNamara, Lisa Spect, Mark Bringelson, William Fair and Scott Lawrence. A Kino Lorber/Scorpion Releasing Blu-Ray & DVD Release Rated R.

FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON (1970) - Director Mario Bava (PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES - 1965; RABID DOGS - 1974) made this psychedelic and trippy version of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" (originally called "Ten Little Niggers" until saner heads prevailed) in 19 days because he was contractually obligated to do so (his next film was the influential A BAY OF BLOOD [1971], on which he had total control). Still, this is a fun little giallo film with many of Bava's patented stylistic flourishes.
     Professor Gerry Farrell (William Berger; MAYA - 1988) has invented a revolutionary synthetic resin which many companies and their representatives would kill for, and they do. We must figure out who is responsible for the killings which take place at an mod, ultra-hip house on an isolated island, occupied by various scuzzy wealthy people who think infidelity is a virtue.
     The film opens with the teenager Isabel (Justine Gall; NAKED MASSACRE - 1976) peeping inside the house, watching the debauchery inside. Marie Chaney (Edwige Fenech; THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS - 1971) is dancing to some groovy music at a small party of people, removing her clothes in an impromptu striptease. George Stark (Teodoro Corrà; THE RUTHLESS FOUR - 1968), who is the owner of the house and the island, has the houseboy, Charles (Mauro Bosco), hand out daggers to his guests and then says that they are going to sacrifice a virgin to the god Kraa (WTF?!?). The lights go out and when they come back on, Marie is lying on the floor, covered in blood with a dagger in her stomach. Trudy Farrell (Ira von Fürstenberg; THE FIFTH CORD - 1971), Gerry's wife, screams, but Gerry proves to everyone that Marie is faking and the blood is not real. These people like to play mean tricks on each other, but soon it will turn deadly.
     Industrialists Nick Chaney (Maurice Poli; URBAN WARRIORS - 1987), Marie's husband and Jack Davidson (Howard Ross; WEREWOLF WOMAN - 1976), along with George, beg Gerry to sell them an interest in his revolutionary resin and offer him a million dollars each. Gerry tells them no, for once he is not interested in making money, he is going to give his invention away at a conference in Geneva next month. For some reason, George has sent his yacht away, trapping everyone on the island. Marie is cheating on her husband with housebay Charles, but when she finds Charles dead, a dagger protruding out of his ribcage, she goes running to Nick to tell him what has happened. Even though they have an "open" marriage (Do they even work???), Nick calls her a "dirty whore" and accuses her of murder (Marie takes a shower she he can now call her a "clean whore"!). Marie says she is innocent. Is she? Is Charles faking like Marie did the night before? Apparently not, as they decide to hang Charles' body in the house's walk-in freezer.
     We then find out that Nick is cheating on his wife with Trudy and George is cheating on his wife with Peggy (Helena Ronée; ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE - 1969), Jack's wife (This is getting very confusing!). It's a regular Peyton Place with this group and it comes as no surprise that all this infidelity and individual secrets everyone holds would lead to murder. But why does Isabel hide Marie's flowing white cape under some rocks at the beach? And who is George's wife, Jill (Edith Meloni), looking at through the scope of a rifle? A shot rings out and Gerry is found dead on the beach by Jill. Jill drags his body into the ocean and doesn't try to cover her footprints in the sand, so when everyone else comes running to the beach, her footprints are clearly visible. What is she up to? (Now there are two bodies hanging in the freezer).
     Earlier, Nick tried to sway Gerry and stab George and Jack in the back (not literally) by handing him a million dollar cashiers check, but when Gerry is discovered dead, he tries to get the check back, it is missing. Who took it? (A cashiers check is as good as cash). The next one to die is Jill. Nick finds her outside his bedroom, on the porch, a bullet in her head (Yes, they were sleeping together!). Now there are three bodies in the freezer. Marie is then found dead, her body pinned to a tree by a large knife in her chest (four bodies in the freezer). The next death is Peggy. She is found dead in an oversize bathtub, "Forgive me. I can't go on" written in lipstick on a mirror. Did she commit suicide or was it murder? (Five bodies in the freezer).
     Trudy records an account of what is going on in the house on a reel-to-reel tape recorder, but forgets to turn it off. Then George and everyone else are drugged (it was in the champagne) and they all fall to sleep (or do they?). The Coast Guard then show up on the island, but when they search the house, no one is there. Thinking that they must have found another way of getting off the island, the Coast Guard leave the island (without searching the freezer???). We then watch as Trudy, George  and Jack waking up from their drugged slumber in the house's living room. Trudy finds one of the reels of the tape recorder spinning and plays it back, where they discover that the Coast Guard were there. Why didn't they see them? Did someone move their bodies and hide them, only to place them in the living room when the Coast Guard left? Oh, and Nick's dead body is found hanging in the freezer. Who is responsible for all this? If you are a fan of Christie's "Ten Little Indians", it's not hard to figure out that one dead person is not dead and was working in conjunction with one of the living. Will the killer(s) get away with it or will proper justice be meted out?
     It's easy to see that Mario Bava was coasting here, but a coasting Bava is still better than most directors who try their hardest. While Bava was not a cinematographer on this film, it still contains his sense of visual flair and atmosphere, especially the sequence  where George and Jack get into a fight and knock over a bowl of glass marbles. We follow the marbles like a wave of water, as they travel down the stairs  and into the tub containing Trudy's body. Very effective, as is the sight of all the dead bodies in the freezer, swaying in unison like some bizarre dance. Very creepy. The film, originally titled 5 BAMBOLE PER LA LUNA D'AGOSTO (a literal translation of the review title), moves at a brisk pace (it is only 81 minutes long) and, unlike A BAY OF BLOOD, both the nudity and violence are fairly restrained. Sure, who wouldn't want to see the beautiful Edwige Fenech naked? But it's not that kind of film. Filled with late-'60s fashions, music (a catchy score by Piero Umiliani; BLACK COBRA WOMAN - 1976) and interior decor, this film is about the idle rich wanting to become richer and doing everything in their power to achieve that goal, even if it means sleeping with their opponents' wife or husband. This film was reviled by critics  and Bava fans when it was originally released but, like most of Bava's films, it has gained a cult following, and rightfully so. This may not be essential Bava, but it's a nice diversion.
     Never released theatrically or on VHS in the United States, it was originally released on DVD from Image Entertainment early in the New Millennium. It says it is uncut, but it is actually missing more than three minutes of footage. The one you want is the DVD or Blu-Ray released by Kino Lorber. It is uncut and in its original OAR and it looks fantastic. Bava bathes the film in primary colors and the image is crisp and clean. While it is light on extras (just trailers for some of Bava's films on Kino's roster), Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas offers a running commentary of little known trivia about the film and it is very informative, if a little too psychological. The bouncy screenplay is by Mario di Nardo (RICCO: THE MEAN MACHINE - 1973) A worthwhile film for your library. Not Rated.

555 (1988) - While I generally frown upon shot-on-video movies, I decided to rent this one after reading so many scathing reviews of it just to see if it was as really bad as they said. It isn’t. As a matter of fact, it is probably better than 90% of the shot-on-video shit that lines the video stores shelves. Still, we’re talking video here, so don’t go in expecting much. A serial killer is cutting up young lovemaking couples in Chicago. Two distraught cops try to search for clues to the killer’s identity while trying to avoid a nosey female reporter who is not fond of the police. The cops are able to trace the killer’s tracks back 20 years. It seems that every five years he kills five couples in five days (hence the title) and then disappears. Since four couples have been killed this time, time is running out. The cops unmask the killer after the reporter supplies them with some vital information on someone she used to date. This is by no means a good film, but it does have some positive points. It is decently acted, something you usually don’t find in a film of this type. The effects aren’t halfway bad either. There’s a decapitation, a throat slashing, a knife shoved clear through a neck and various sharp blade mayhem. Just remember that we’re talking about a home movie budget here, so don’t expect anything on par with shot-on-film movies. Director Wally Koz tries really hard to get the most out of his meager budget and he generally succeeds. It may have helped that the entire Koz family worked both behind and in front of the camera. With more money and a 16mm camera, he may be able to make something that I could praise. Until then, he’ll just get a “nice try”. 555 stars Greg Kerouac, Mara-Lynn Bastian, Charles Fuller, B.K. Smith and Bob Grabill as “The Killer” (which is a cheat). A Slaughterhouse Entertainment Home Video Release (which, for some ungodly reason, commands big bucks on the collectors market; one copy selling for over $760!). Boutique label Massacre Video has purchased the rights for this film and plans on releasing a limited edition 50-copy VHS big box ($30.00), as well as a special edition DVD ($65.00!), a DVD Hardbox ($50.00) and standard DVD ($20.00) release slated for October 2011. (All are in very limited supply and sold out by the time you read this, making me believe it is an eBay scam to charge ridiculous prices for the product made. If people were willing to spend over $700 for an old copy, what would they be willing to pay for a "remastered" edition? I've seen them on eBay and they have been going for over $200.00 a piece just for the VHS alone! Mission accomplished!). Not Rated.

FIVE WOMEN FOR THE KILLER (1974) - Here's a sleazy and bloody giallo film directed by Stelvio Massi, who is better known for his fast-paced Eurocrime films, such as EMERGENCY SQUAD (1974), the Mark The Narc trilogy (BLOOD, SWEAT AND FEAR -1975; MARK SHOOTS FIRST - 1975; and THE .44 SPECIALIST - 1976) and the war actioner HELL'S HEROES (1987). This film was co-written by the duo who gave us the ultra-violent (and misogynistic) THE NEW YORK RIPPER (1982), of which this film shares some similarities in plot, as only the female sex are the ones being murdered in a very uncomfortable way. This film is also a well-plotted mystery with some great cinematography (by Sergio Rubino; APACHE WOMAN - 1976; DAWN OF THE MUMMY - 1981). Stelvio Massi started his career as a camera operator and then a cinematographer, photographing such films as ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS (1961) and the Spaghetti Western THE PRICE OF POWER (1969), so he knows where the camera should be placed for maximum effectiveness and this film does display that talent. I must admit that I wasn't a big fan of Massi, especially after viewing his BLACK COBRA (1987) and BLACK ANGEL (1989; another sleazy giallo flick, but without any of the good elements found in this film), but I may have to change my opinion since I found this film and MAGNUM COP (1978) to be quite effective and enjoyable. But enough prattling on, let's get to the film in question.
     Giorgio Pisani (Francis Matthews; DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS - 1966) is a journalist and author who has just returned home after a lengthy assignment overseas. At the airport, he phones his pregnant wife Erica and discovers that she is in labor. He races home after grabbing a doctor when Erica tells him that her regular physician, Dr. Lidia Franzi (Pascale Rivault; THE BEAST - 1975), is not with her and cannot be reached. When Giorgio and the doctor arrive home, Giorgio hears a baby crying and sees Lidia descending the stairs, a look of sorrow on her face. Erica has died during childbirth, the premature baby boy is then rushed to the intensive care unit at the clinic Lidia works at and put in an incubator. Giorgio is heartbroken at his wife's funeral, where we learn that Erica's brother, Fabrizio (Alessandro Quasimodo), who is married to Lidia, is a real bastard who only cares about himself. Fabrizio is looking for an envelope Erica was supposed to give to Lidia, but she died before she could hand it over. Whatever is in that envelope, Fabrizio is willing to do anything to get his hands on it. Does that include murder? Giorgio then gets some distressing news while waiting for Lidia in her office. On her desk is a folder with Giorgio's name written on it in big black letters. Inside the folder is a medical document that states Giorgio is sterile. When Lidia enters the office, Giorgio wants to know why he was never told he was sterile. Lidia tells him she knows he is sexually virile and handsome, but Erica didn't want him to be told he was unable to have children. It then dawns on Giorgio that if he is sterile, then how did his wife get pregnant? Lidia tells him not to think about it; he knew his wife was desperate to have a baby, but Giorgio can't help wondering who the baby's father is. When Giorgio leaves the office, Lidia calls in her nurse and asks why she put Giorgio's medical folder on her desk. The nurse tells her she didn't, she put the folder in the filing cabinet, just like she does with all the medical folders. It is apparent the folder was purposely put on Lidia's desk so Giorgio would read it, but who is responsible?
     While Giorgio is walking towards the clinic, he sees foreign tourist Tiffany (future porn star Ilona Staller; THE MANIAC RESPONSIBLE - 1975; a.k.a. "Cicciolina", here using the name "Elena Mercuri") nearly get hit by a car, so he goes to her to see if she is hurt. She's not, but she asks him to drive her home. At her place, Tiffany strips naked and wants to make love to Giorgio because she just learned that she is pregnant. Giorgio seemingly refuses her advances (it's not made clear), but, later, we see someone wearing gloves (which aren't black for a change, but tan driving gloves) slicing a naked Tiffany from vagina to stomach with what looks like a box cutter in some sort of perverted and deadly abortion. The killer also slices and mutilates Tiffany's left breast, carving a strange symbol on it (a symbol of fertility) as their "calling card". An unnamed Police Commissioner (Howard Ross; FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON - 1970, who is credited on some advertising materials under his real name, "Renato Rossini") and his harried assistant, Palumbo (Ugo Bombognini; THE .44 SPECIALIST - 1976), are assigned to the case, not realizing that this is just the first of several graphic murders of pregnant women that will happen in the days to come and their only common link to all the crime scenes is Giorgio, whom we hope is not killing all these women because of his dead wife. But that would be too easy, wouldn't it? Let's hope so.
     Giorgio's newspaper editor (cameo king Tom Felleghy; DAMNED IN VENICE - 1978) wants to send him on an assignment to Cambodia, but Giorgio says he cannot go, he has a baby to take care of now and recommends he send female reporter Oriana (Catherine Diamant). The editor pulls Oriana into his office and tells her about the new assignment, but she declines to go, telling him that she found out this morning that she is pregnant. Uh, oh! Fabrizio, who was standing outside the editor's office for reasons not yet made clear, also hears the news. That night, while Oriana is driving home, she gets the feeling that she is being followed, so she rushes to her apartment and bolts the door. It is then revealed that the gloved killer was already in her apartment, so the killer strips Oriana naked and slices her from labia to navel with a sharp blade. This is the second brutal murder where the only common link is Giorgio and it doesn't go unnoticed by the Commissioner, who questions Giorgio. he seems to have valid answers to all the questions the Commissioner asks him (yet he lies about knowing Tiffany and being in her apartment), but he is still the number one suspect to the Commissioner. Maybe he and Palumbo should dig a little deeper for other common links. Giorgio can't get over that his wife had sex with another man, yet he treats the baby as if it his own.  Deep down inside, Giorgio lizes that his wife was willing to have sex with another man just to get pregnant, because she really wanted a baby so they could start a family. Giorgio wants to know who that man is, if only to see if he had anything to do with the murders.
     We then see Sofia (Gabriella Lepori; ROME: ARMED TO THE TEETH - 1976) making love to the married Professor Aldo Betti (Giorgio Albertazzi; FATAL FRAMES - 1996), a doctor at the clinic (Sofia is a nurse at the clinic). She asks him when he is going to leave his wife and Aldo tells Sofia that his wife knows all about his dalliances with other women and she just doesn't care, but since she is a "good Catholic", she will never give him a divorce. Aldo also tells Sofia that all women are alike, all they want to do is get pregnant so they can be called "mommy" (remember this was the early-'70s; it's nothing like it is today!). Sofia says to him, "I'm not sure how much this will interest you, perhaps you don't care...but I'm already pregnant. Aldo gives her a surprised look, but I think we know how this will all turn out: rather badly. Fabrizio, who is also having an affair with Sofia, accuses her of caring more about Aldo than him, but Sofia says she loves him and Aldo is nothing but a meaningless fling. She then makes love to Fabrizio.
     The Medical Examiner (Franco Moraldi; DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT - 1972) tells the Commissioner that the same set of fingerprints were found at both crime scenes (Which is weird because the killer wears gloves and doesn't take them off. It's also a major clue.). The Commissioner is sure that Giorgio was lying when he said he never met Tiffany, as the fingerprints are his. Just to be safe, he is willing to give Giorgio the benefit of the doubt, saying further evidence is needed before accusing Giorgio of two murders. Giorgio tells Lidia everything, holding nothing back, and she tells him not to worry because he is innocent. Lidia wants to know why Fabrizio was at the newspaper and Giorgio tells her Fabrizio was trying to sell one of his stupid ideas to his editor; another one of those scandal columns that was prevalent in newspapers during that time, but the editor refused and Fabrizio said he would take his idea to another newspaper. It seems that Fabrizio did just that, as another newspaper agreed to his scandal column and the person he turned his attention (and ire) to was Aldo, who is extremely rich, thanks to his wife. After complaining about the column to his wife, Aldo gets a phone call from Sofia, who wants to see him right away. His wife tells Aldo to do three things: 1) Find out if Sofia is really pregnant (Aldo says he already has, as he talked to Lidia, Sofia's gynecologist, who said yes, Sofia is pregnant). 2) Get some new clothes because he looks ridiculous (Aldo tells her if they were good enough for his grandfather, then they are good enough for him!), and 3) Be careful. She says to Aldo, "I've given up everything, even having children, but I'm not prepared to lose my dignity." Aldo asks her to explain herself and she says, "If she causes a scandal and it's in all the papers, I won't be on your side!" (Aldo calls her a "bitch" under his breath). She may be a good Catholic, but she has her limits.
     The Commissioner and Palumbo arrive at Giorgio's house unannounced, the Commissioner lying to housekeeper Aunt Marta (Maria Cumani Quasimodo; ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - 1972), telling her that he and Giorgio are good friends. When she discovers who he really is, she throws a fit, but Giorgio tells her to calm down by saying they might not be friends, but they are also not enemies (Giorgio is nothing if not diplomatic). The Commissioner meets the beautiful Alba Galli (Katia Christine; THE DESIGNATED VICTIM - 1971), whom Giorgio hired to act as a nanny to his baby son, who is home from the clinic.The Commissioner only has one question to ask Giorgio and that is where Aunt Marta resides. When Giorgio tells him she lives in an apartment above the garage, the Commissioner excuses himself and he and Palumbo exit the house. Curious, no?
     When Aldo fails to meet Sofia, she calls his home and talks to his wife, who tells her, "He didn't come? I don't know, try the clinic. Do what you like! Jump off a cliff!", then hangs up the phone. Sofia then gets in her car and drives away, unaware that Giorgio is watching her out a shop window across the street. When Sofia arrives home, she phones Fabrizio, but he's not there. She runs the water to take a bath and undresses, when her phone rings. Sofia picks it up, thinking it is Aldo, but we can see it is the gloved killer, calling her from a phone booth across the street from her home. The killer says nothing and hangs up the phone. As Sofia is about to take a relaxing soak in the bathtub, the killer strikes, slashing Sofia across her chest and then slicing her open from clitoris to bellybutton. When The Commissioner arrives at the crime scene and says this is the third pregnant woman murdered, the Medical Examiner informs him that Sofia wasn't pregnant. He says the killer's technique was like the others, but he is sure it isn't the same killer, telling the Commissioner, "It's a variation on a theme. Good luck, Commissioner!" So was Sofia murdered for another reason, making it look like the other killings? Damn right it was! But who killed her? The Commissioner and Palumbo question Aldo and he tells them that Sofia was a nurse at his clinic, but he fails to tell them  he was having an affair with her. When the Commissioner asks him where he was at the time of Sofia's murdewr, he uses that old chestnut, that his profession protects the confidentiality between him and his patients and he refuses to break it. When the Commissioner and Palumbo leave, Aldo phones Lidia and tells her to come to his office immediately to have her back up his alibi should the Commissioner question her. What Aldo doesn't know is the Commissioner is talking to Pellegrini (Lorenzo Piani; RIOT IN A WOMEN'S PRISON - 1974), Aldo's chauffeur and part-time clinic worker, whom the Commissioner once arrested for being a pimp, which he failed to tell Aldo. The Commissioner then questions Lidia, telling her he knows Aldo was having an affair with Sofia, but that is not important. Lidia tells him that Aldo asked her to visit Sofia yesterday morning for an examination to see if she was pregnant. It turns out Lidia didn't visit Sofia, saying Sofia wasn't stupid and would know it was a setup orchestrated by Aldo. Lidia pretended she did visit Sofia and then phoned Aldo to say that Sofia was pregnant, which was a lie. This bit of information only makes Aldo look guiltier, something Aldo is aware of, as we see him talking to Lidia, telling her that only he and her knew Sofia was pregnant (He still doesn't know that Lidia lied to him). But Lidia tells him one other person also knew... his wife, whom the Commissioner and Palumbo are now questioning, when Aldo walks in and says he needs to talk o the Commissioner in private, telling his wife to leave the room. Aldo tells the Commissioner that he and Sofia weren't madly in love, "It was just a bit of fun, a distraction." The Commissioner asks Aldo if he had a key to Sofia's apartment and Aldo says he never had a key. When the Commissioner and Palumbo leave abruptly (something they do quite often in this film), Aldo's wife says the key is an important clue. Aldo then goes to the Commissioner's office to tell him everything when the Commissioner tells him the killer must have had a key to Sofia's  apartment, since she was completely naked and about to take a bath and wouldn't answer the front door nude if anyone knocked on it. Aldo tells the Commissioner about Sofia's phone call to meet her, but he was late showing up because he had to see a friend's son who live outside the city, saying he was there until 7:00pm, long after Sofia was murdered. He then says that he drove back to meet Sophia at the agreed place, but the car broke down, so he called Pellegrini to come pick him up (not knowing that the Commissioner already talked to Pellegrini). When the Commissioner tells Aldo that Pelligrini was once a pimp, all Aldo can think about is how the Press will run with this story and ruin his reputation
     Fabrizio tells Giorgio that Aldo's wife was once locked up in an asylum for attempted murder. When she was 15-years-old, she tried to kill her entire family by putting rat poison in their dinner, but she didn't use enough and nobody died. She was locked up for a few years, then released. Why is Fabrizio telling this to Giorgio, who couldn't give a shit? Fabrizio looks at Alba pushing a baby carriage and says that she's his kind of woman. He then callously says at least his wife is still alive, even though she is cold as ice. He the looks at the baby and says, "He looks like no one!"
     Okay, as you can probably guess, there are two killers on the loose. I've given you all the clues you need to figure out who the killers are. Still need to know more? I will tell you this: The Commissioner pulls Pellegrini into his office and discovers he was very, very close to Sofia. He even came up with the idea of Sofia being pregnant, so they could blackmail Aldo for a lot of money. Pellegrini also tells the Commissioner that Sofia was incapable of having children, because she told him when they first met that she had something hereditary, something inside her, a condition he can't remember the name of, but the clinic was aware of it. But who in the clinic knew about it? It certainly wasn't Aldo.  Lidia phones Giorgio and tells him to come to the clinic, she has  something important to tell him, also saying that she is frightened and believes she is being watched. Giorgio tells Alba and Aunt Marta that he is going to the clinic and when he arrives, he hears Lidia screaming. He rushes into the clinic and discovers that it is dark and no lights are on. He hears Lidia quietly calling out his name, telling him the light switch is next to the front door. When he turns the lights on, he finds a naked Lidia cowering in a corner and she tells him......That's enough. It's time for you to put your thinking cap on and start doing some deducing.
     This is a damn fine mystery which doesn't cheat the audience with a final reveal that comes out of left field. It's quite the opposite, actually, as screenwriters Gianfranco Clerici (THE HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK - 1979), Vincenzo Mannino (THE KILLER IS ON THE PHONE - 1972) and Roberto Gianviti (DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING - 1972) have crafted a finely-tuned mystery that's quite hard to solve, but all the clues are there if you watch the film a second time, which is what I did (Clerici and Mannino also wrote the screenplay to Lucio Fulci's mean-spirited THE NEW YORK RIPPER [1982], borrowing a few pages from this film). When Alba tells Giorgio that she is pregnant and the baby is his, not knowing he is sterile, you will start thinking that his sterility is a fabrication, because Alba doesn't seem like a woman who would lie. I love films that play with your expectations and this film plays with them expertly. You will not know what to believe. The final fifteen minutes of this film rivals anything by Dario Argento or Sergio Martino, as the killer (at least one of them) chases Alba and the baby with an axe through the house until Giorgio arrives and unmasks the killer. The Commissioner then arrives and reveals the identity of the second killer, the final line of dialogue in the film being, "You filthy whore!" The freeform jazz music soundtrack, by The Giorgio Gaslini Quartet (NIGHT OF THE DEVILS - 1972), also injects some class into the proceedings. I kept finding myself digging the music and almost ignoring the plot, it's that good. It's one of the best giallo soundtracks I have heard in a long, long time, but the biggest surprise is the solid direction by Stelvio Massi. I found most of the films he directed to be exploitative, but bland and uneventful (granted, I haven't seen many), but this film changed my opinion about him greatly. This film is filled with little camera tricks, such as when we see the Commissioner talking to the Medical Examiner through a set of magnified fingerprints hanging on a lightbox. Little things like that go unnoticed by most people, but not by me. It shows me that some thought and care was put into making this film. So you can now consider me a fan of Stelvio Massi and I look forward to reviewing more of his films in the near future.
     Shot as 5 DONNE PER L'ASSASSINO (a literal translation of the review title) and also known as DAY-KILLER, this film is so rare, that it never had a theatrical of home video release in the United States in any format. I couldn't even find it being offered by any gray market site, which is very unusual. The only place you can watch it is on YouTube, where channel "Film&Clips" offer it in a nice anamorphic widescreen print, in Italian with English subtitles. Believe me, this film is worth your time and effort. Also featuring Lia Bresciani, Ennia Rossetto, Torquato Tessarini and cameo queen Carla Mancini (FLAVIA THE HERETIC - 1974). Not Rated, due to the gory killings of pregnant women (Thankfully, none of the women have baby bumps, as all of them have just discovered they are pregnant) and the frequent full-frontal female nudity.

THE FLOWER WITH THE DEADLY STING (1973) - Interesting giallo film about a doctor, who has many lovers, accidentally killing one of them and then disposing her body in a rather graphic way, but he doesn't realize that someone was watching him.
     Dr. Adrian Valenti (Gianni Garko; NIGHT OF THE DEVILS - 1972) is a meticulous and well-respected surgeon who likes things done his way (He fires a nurse assisting him on an operation for not being quick enough to obey his commands). Meanwhile, two women, Evelyne Graffi (Carroll Baker; BABA YAGA - 1973) and her sister Daniela (Paola Senatore; WOMEN IN CELL BLOCK 7 - 1973), are in a hotel room (Daniela is nude) waiting for a phone call. It is obvious that they are up to something, but we are not clued-in as to what it is. When Evelyne takes a shower (a rare nude shot of Baker), the phone rings and Daniela picks it up, arguing with the person on the other end. When Evelyne steps out of the shower, she asks her sister who called, Daniela telling her it was a wrong number (Daniela doesn't know that Evelyne overheard the entire conversation). They then leave the hotel room, both going their separate ways. Dr. Valenti drives home, noticing a familiar car parked in his lot. When he walks into his house, he sees that one of his lovers is still there (Even though we never see the woman's face, we can't help but believe that it is Daniela. Once you watch this scene you will know what I mean.). He tells her it is over, he is "sick" of her and wants her to leave his house immediately, but she says nothing, which just pisses him off. He starts screaming at her, but she still says nothing, so Adrian gives her a shove and walks away. Realizing that he may have been too rough on her, he apologizes, but she still says nothing. He then finds out why. When he gave her a shove, she fell to the floor, knocking over a heavy metal sculpture of a flower, one of its sharp metal petals impaling her body, killing her. Adrian doesn't know what to do, so he turns out the lights and looks out his window to make sure no one saw what he did. He then comes up with a plan to dispose of his lover's body. He drags her to the bathroom and places her naked body in the bathtub, where he cuts her body into pieces, using scalpels and a bone saw (we see him cutting up the body in quick flashes, some of them purposely out of focus), placing the pieces (and his bloody clothes) in plastic bags and a suitcase (When he realizes what he has just done, seeing all the blood and viscera in the bathtub, he pukes into his toilet!). He then puts the plastic bags and suitcase in the trunk of his car, driving to a building with a rather large grinder. He then turns on the grinder, tosses the plastic bags and suitcase into it and watches as the grinder turns everything into dust, obliterating all the evidence into nothingness.
     The next morning, Adrian is awakened by his doorbell. It's Evelyne and she demands to see Daniela, Adrian telling her that she is not here. She looks around his home, stopping to take a long look at the flower sculpture and then asks him where Daniela went. Adrian is adamant, telling Evelyne that he hasn't seen her sister in quite a while. "So why is her car here?" asks Evelyne and by the look on Adrian's face, you can see the guilt, but he asks Evelyne if she is sure it is her sister's car. "Look for a better excuse, Adrian. You're going to need it.", replies Evelyne, as she walks out the door, adding, "You better pray nothing has happened to her!" Adrian then goes to the hospital and does his daily rounds, acting as if nothing has happened. Nurse Lena (Pilar Velázquez; NAKED GIRL KILLED IN THE PARK - 1972), another one of Adrian's lovers, tells him that she tried to call last night, but he tells her he disconnected the phone because he didn't want to be disturbed. When Adrian goes to his office, Police Inspector Garrano (Ivano Staccioli; THE DEVIL WITH SEVEN FACES - 1971) is there, wanting to have a short talk with him. He tells the doctor that Evelyne contacted him to report her sister missing, so it is his duty to investigate, apologizing to the doctor for taking up his valuable time. It seems Evelyne told the Inspector about Daniela's sexual relationship with Adrian and the Inspector asks him if the relationship was serious, Adrian saying no, it was just a fling (Telling the Inspector, "Not important, I would say."). We then discover that Daniela is Evelyne's stepsister, Adrian telling the Inspector that Evelyne and Daniela haven't been getting along as of late, diverting suspicion to Evelyne, but when the Inspector leaves his office, he asks Adrian why Daniela's car is parked by his house. Adrian says he doesn't know, the Inspector telling him not to worry, he'll get to the bottom of it.
     When Adrian gets home, he finds Evelyne in his house waiting for him. He asks her how she got in and she shows him the key, saying her sister gave it to her. She once again demands to know where Daniela is and Adrian says that this has nothing to do with her sister, she is jealous, as they were once lovers, too. Evelyne tries to slap Adrian, but he grabs her arm, almost breaking it and throws he onto his bed. He then sees some strange footprints on his rug that come from his bathroom and lead outside his living room's double glass doors to his backyard. He then kisses Evelyne and she kisses him back. He tells her that if she wants a relationship with him, she will have to drop the investigation. Evelyne walks out of the house in a huff and Adrian follows the footprints outside. They seemingly lead to a window across an alleyway that looks directly into his house. Could whoever was at that window have seen Adrian kill Daniela?
     When Adrian is about to go to work, the Inspector shows up and tells him there is something important he needs to know, but he must come to his office. When Adrian gets there, Evelyne is also in the office. The Inspector asks him about the phone call he made to Daniela the day she disappeared and what the phone call was about. Adrian tells him it was nothing important, but Evelyne interrupts and says that isn't so, she overheard the phone call and it was quite contentious. Adrian was cursing at her and then he invited her to his house. When the Inspector mentions the word "murder", Adrian goes on the defensive, telling the Inspector that he feels he is being illegally detained, saying his lawyer should be present, as he storms out of the Inspector's office. He couldn't look more guilty if he tried.
     We then see Evelyne enter the building across the alleyway from Adrian's house, by ringing a buzzer. We then see Adrian sneaking into the very same building. It doesn't take a genius to know why Adrian is there, but why is Evelyne there? Adrian discovers nothing about the window, except it is in a room full of creepy broken dolls (it is quite the sight!). When Adrian gets home, Lena is waiting for him, wondering why he hasn't reconnected his phone, because she has been calling him for days. They then make love and when Adrian is done, his doorbell rings. It's a neighbor, who has a package for him. When Adrian asks her who it is from, she says she doesn't know, it was a young man who handed her the package. Adrian then opens the package and inside it is a wooden box. Inside the box is a single metal petal, the same exact kind found on his sculpture. His phone then rings. It is a man, who says, "Do you think you got rid of me?" Adrian asks who this is, the man replying, "You know me very well. I don't want to see you with anyone else" and then hangs up. Adrian hears something on the phone (it's a broken doll saying "Mama! Mama!") that makes him go back to the room with the creepy dolls. When Adrian gets there, he finds Daniela's corpse hanging on a wall, all her removed appendages crudely sewn back on her body. How can this be when Adrian ground up her body into bloody dust? The film then cleverly juxtaposes the image of a rotating grinder turning into a child's merry-go-round in a park, where we see Evelyne talking to the Inspector, telling him she is sure Adrian killed her sister, saying ever since Daniela has been seeing Adrian, "he changed her". The Inspector tells her he has no evidence to arrest Adrian, so Evelyne hands him a document, telling him that Adrian is being protected by "influential" people. The Inspector reads the document and by the look on his face, this is all the evidence that he needs. Just what is in that document to make him change his mind so fast?
     The Inspector then goes to an insane asylum, where he (and we) watch all the patients act crazy, but he is only interested in one woman. A psychiatrist (Umberto Raho; SO DARLING, SO DEADLY - 1966) tells him that this woman was committed here after losing her virginity to her newlywed husband. That husband would be Adrian and the woman is the daughter of a rich deceased industrialist. It seems Adrian married her so he could then have her committed, thereby making him the sole beneficiary of her father's vast fortune (Nice guy, huh?). The doctor tells the Inspector that his job is getting in the way and influencing his opinion of Adrian and the Inspector shoots back, asking the psychiatrist if he really believes that every patient committed to this asylum is actually crazy (He makes a good point). The psychiatrist says it is all moot anyway, as Adrian's wife has been recently released and she is free. So where is Adrian's wife?
     Adrian is at the hospital when Lena tells him he has a phone call, but when he picks up the receiver, no one is there. We then see it was Evelyne, as she puts down the phone and continues having dinner with the Inspector at a restaurant. Are they in a relationship? Adrian can't figure out how Daniela's body ended up in that room, his memory taking him back to the grinder and Evelyne showing him Daniela's key back at his house. Is there a connection between those two memories? We then see Adrian pick up a briefcase full of cash at a lawyer's office and when he leaves, the lawyer calls the Inspector. We also see Lena and Evelyne in the backseat of a taxi. Are they working together? OK, I have given you all the clues you need to figure it out, so light your pipe, grab your magnifying glass and start doing some detecting!
     I found it hard to believe that this rarely seen giallo film actually had a U.S. theatrical release, as I have never heard of it before, but I found an ad mat to prove it (thanks Temple Of Schlock!). This has a fairly involving mystery and some shocking scenes (the sight of Daniela's stitched-together corpse being one of them and the unbelievable underwater reveal during the finale being another one). The film opens with a scuba diver swimming at the bottom of the ocean and I wondered what that had to do with the rest of the film, but it is answered, rather titillatingly, close to the end of the film, where one character from the film removes their wetsuit, swimming completely naked (nothing is left to the imagination) with one of their lovers. I will say no more, because it will ruin the finale. All I will say is, just when it looks like they are going to get away with it, the police (and the Inspector) show up to ruin their plans. Director/co-screenwriter Gianfranco Piccioli (THE HOKEY POKEY GANG! - 1976), along with co-scripter Gianni Martucci (director/writer of BLAZING FLOWERS - 1978 and THE RED MONKS - 1988), have fashioned a very complex plot that makes perfect sense, but you really have to WATCH the film to pick up some of the finer nuances, otherwise you will be hopelessly lost. If you like using your brain to enjoy a film, look no further than this film. It's a feast for both the brain and the eyes.
     Shot as IL FIORE DAI PETALI D'ACCIAIO ("The Flower With The Petals Of Steel") and as I have mentioned previously, this film obtained a U.S. Theatrical release, but I have no idea who distributed it (IMDb doesn't list it as having a U.S theatrical release). This film never did have a legitimate U.S. home video release in any format, but several gray market sites offer it on DVD-R (Rogue Video being one of them). I saw it on YouTube in a fairly sharp widescreen print in Italian with English subtitles (But I am sure it does have an English track somewhere, since it had a U.S. theatrical release). One thing I particularly enjoyed about this film is that we get a quick glimpse of Carroll Baker in the nude. Baker, who was no stranger to Italian cinema, especially her many giallo flicks (THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH - 1968; PARANOIA - 1969; A QUIET PLACE TO KILL - 1970; THE FOURTH VICTIM - 1971 and KNIFE OF ICE - 1972, just being a few of them), usually leaves the nudity to the other actresses (at least in the films I have seen her in), but when she takes a shower early in this film, we do get a peek. Most of the other actresses in this film go much further in the nudity department, much, much further. If your taste for Italian genre films runs towards gialli, this film comes highly recommended. Also starring Eleonora Morana (AUTOPSY - 1973), Angelo Bassi, Giuseppe "Pino" Mattei (WEREWOLF WOMAN - 1976); Alessandro Perrella (GIRL IN ROOM 2A - 1973) and Alba Maiolini (SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS - 1972). While the theatrical version was Rated R, I get the feeling that the version I watched was uncut and is probably Unrated.

FORCED ENTRY (1975) - Nasty and unpleasant R-rated remake of the 1972 X-rated rape porn flick of the same name (this was made in 1975, but not released until 1981). The plot is nearly identical, although I believe that this remake is more misogynistic in tone than the original, even if there are no hardcore porn scenes on view (although there is still much nudity, but none of it is the least bit titillating unless you are a sick, sadistic bastard). Woman-hating garage mechanic Carl (Ron Max; HEATED VENGEANCE - 1984) tinkers with the cars of young women who stop at the gas station he works at and he then follows them until their cars break down. He then rapes and kills them, as the viewers listen to his innermost thoughts, which are basically incomprehensible rants against women. When young wife and mother Nancy Ulman (Tanya Roberts; SHEENA - 1984) stops by the gas station to drop off her car for repairs, owner Charlie (Billy Longo) has Carl dive Nancy home. Serious mistake. Carl becomes infatuated and obsessed with Nancy and once he discovers that Nancy's husband will be away for the weekend on a business trip, he plans for a long weekend of rape and degradation, all at Nancy's expense. But first, Carl gets beaten to a pulp by a pimp who discovers him peeping on his hooker girlfriend in the Ladies Room at the gas station. Carl works out his frustrations by raping and killing a young woman who stops at the station to put some air in her bicycle tire (Vaginal rape by beer bottle is explicitly implied, followed by shots of a bloody wrench swinging up and down). Carl then picks up a hitchhiker (a cameo by Nancy Allen; DRESSED TO KILL - 1980), ties her up, rapes her and then drops her lifeless body in a field. He then goes to Nancy's house, where he breaks in, ties Nancy up and slowly begins to systematically rape and torture her. After slapping her around and forcing her to sleep with him in the same bed she shares with her husband, Nancy tries to escape while Carl is sleeping, but he recaptures her and then murders a nosy delivery boy. Carl (who wears a "Camp Weedawong" tee shirt during this sequence) is eventually killed by Nancy, who grabs a butcher knife and repeatedly stabs him to death, just as her kids are walking through the front door.  Relentlessly repellant and hard to watch, one begins to wonder why director Jim Sotos (SWEET SIXTEEN - 1982; HOT MOVES - 1985) chose to remake an equally repellant porno film (the first film directed by Shaun Costello, using the pseudonym "Helmuth Richler") as his first directorial effort. There's not much point to this film except to show one man's total hatred and disregard for the female of the species. Screenwriter Henry Scarpelli (who co-produced this with Sotos) seems to imply that impotence leads to murder, as Carl can't seem to close the deal (if you know what I mean) with his rape victims, so he gets off degrading his victims, usually by tying their hands behind their backs, screaming out obscenities and penetrating their bodies with foreign objects before killing them, all of which Sotos is glad to show us, usually in super slow-motion. Carl also stutters when faced with talking to women under normal circumstances and only loses the stutter when he has complete control of his victims' lives. Since we are never given any clear information on Carl's background (until the obviously tacked-on ending), most of Carl's actions ring hollow and unnecessary, especially all the hate-filled diatribes that we hear as Carl's thoughts. There's nothing remotely enjoyable about this film because it serves no other purpose than to show a sick man's hatred for women. It doesn't have the same significance of other films like BLOODRAGE: NEVER PICK UP A STRANGER (1980) or HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986), even though it shares their low-budget griminess, because the subject that is the focus here is too one-dimensional. FORCED ENTRY wallows in rape and torture imagery for the sake of rape and torture and no other reason. Skip it for all the right reasons. Also known as THE LAST VICTIM. Also starring Vasco Valladeres, Robin Leslie, Michael Tucci, Beth Carlton, Frank Verroca, Michele Miles, Glenn Scarpelli and Amy Levitan. Originally released on VHS by Harmony Vision. Code Red had announced a DVD release in 2008, but as of this writing it has failed to materialize. Rated R. UPDATE: Now available on Blu-Ray from Code Red sublabel Dark Force Entertainment under THE LAST VICTIM title.

THE FOURTH VICTIM (1971) - I had high hopes for this giallo flick since it came from the man who directed HORROR EXPRESS (1972), but, truth be told, I was bitterly disappointed, because it plays more like an episode of COLUMBO than it does a giallo film. This Italy/Spain co-production opens with Arthur Anderson (Michael Craig; INN OF THE DAMNED - 1974) finding his wife Gladys dead in their pool, floating face down. He carries her body to their bedroom, where he dries her off, changes her clothes and brushes her hair, making it look like she died in her sleep. As Arthur and his houskeeper, Felicity (Miranda Campa; THE GIANT OF MARATHON - 1959), watch, a doctor signs his wife's death certificate. We then discover why Arthur was trying to be deceptive. Gladys was his third wife and all of them died under mysterious circumstances. This "coincidence" doesn't escape the attention of Police Superintendant Dunphy (José Luis López Vázquez), who charges Arthur with Gladys' murder, since she had a rather large life insurance policy that he was going to collect. Arthur is brought to trial and as it looks like the evidence is about to convict him, Felicity takes the stand and her impassioned testimony frees Arthur, as a jury finds him not guilty. Was Felicity truthful on the stand or was she lying?
     Superintendant Dunphy is not happy with the verdict, so he dogs Arthur's every move. Arthur catches him watching him and tells the Superintendant that he can't be tried twice for the same crime, because double jeopardy comes into play. The Superintendant tells him he knows that, he is following Arthur to see if he does the same thing to the fourth Mrs. Anderson, who Arthur hasn't met yet! So what really happened to Gladys? Did she commit suicide, as Felicity testified on the stand?
     A few weeks later, Arthur catches new neighbor Julie Spencer (Carroll Baker; THE DEVIL WITH SEVEN FACES - 1971; BABA YAGA - 1973) swimming in his pool. He is suspicious of her and turned on at the same time. We then discover that Julie is squatting illegally in the house next door (she has newspaper articles on Arthur's trial hanging on one of the walls), as she phones someone and says, "I just met him." Julie makes sure that her path always crosses Arthur's and it is not long before they become an item. Just who is Julie and what is her angle?
     Julie gets the feeling that she is being followed and she's right. A mysterious blonde woman (Marina Malfatti; THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE - 1971), who is dressed as if she is going to a Halloween party, confronts Julie, asking her how long has she lived in the house and if she lives alone. Julie is taken aback and asks the woman if they have met before, the woman saying nothing and walking away quickly. Arthur and Julie get married and Julie takes a £50,000 life insurance policy on herself to show Arthur she trusts him. Arthur catches Julie searching his attic, which is full of his three dead wives' belongings. They get into a fight, Arthur slapping her and Julie runs away and disappears. Arthur goes searching for her, finding Julie's car next to some steep cliffs. Arthur believes Julie jumped off a cliff, committing suicide and reports it to the police. One officer is surprised to hear that Arthur married Julie Spencer, because, three years ago, she was accused of killing her husband and was committed to an insane asylum. Arthur then talks to Julie's psychiatrist, Dr. Shepherd (Manuel Gallardo), who tells Arthur that Julie was released from the asylum and not to mention to her anything about her first husband's death, because it will upset her and to play along with her, which Arthur agrees to do. When Julie comes home, Arthur pretends he doesn't know the truth, but, as we know, there are three sides to every story: His, Hers and the Truth's, Just who ios playing who?
     Arthur catches Julie calling that someone and telling them that she can't go on with the deception, she's falling in love with Arthur and she wants out. Out of what? Meanwhile, Superintendant Dunphy is still keeping a close eye on Arthur, even breaking into his house when he doesn't answer the doorbell fast enough! he refuses to believe that Arthur is in love with Julie and heard that she has fainting spells. Julie, who just had one of those spells, is passed out on their bed, so Arthur takes the Superintendant and another officer (the one he talked to previously) to the bedroom to prove to them that Julie is fine. When the officer looks at her, he says, "That's not Julie Spencer. I know Julie Spencer!" So who exactly is this fake Julie Spencer and what are her plans? Will she become Arthur's fourth victim?
     Unfortunately, this film fails as a giallo flick, as the mystery is so easy to solve, a three year-old could figure it out. Director Eugenio Martin (IT HAPPENED AT NIGHTMARE INN - 1973 and the aforementioned HORROR EXPRESS - 1972), working with a script written by himself, Sabatino Ciuffini (SUPER FUZZ - 1980), Santiago Moncada (SWAMP OF THE RAVENS - 1974) & Vicente Coello, telegraphs the surprises well before they are revealed. While this would make a perfectly acceptable episode of any '70s TV detective series, it just doesn't cut it as a giallo film. There are far too few red herrings, leaving us not wondering who did it, but when they are going to do it. Add to that no nudity and very little violence and, as a giallo fan, I was bitterly disappointed. Don't get me wrong, both Michael Craig and Carroll Baker are good here (Baker appearing in many good giallo films, including THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH - 1968; PARANOIA - 1969; SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE - 1969; A QUIET PLACE TO KILL - 1970; KNIFE OF ICE - 1972 and THE FLOWER WITH THE DEADLY STING - 1973), but the material they are given offers them no chance to shine. Only José Luis López Vázquez as the bumbling Superintendant Dunphy makes an impression here, reminding me of Gastone Mochin in WEEKEND MURDERS (1970). Shot as LA ULTIMA SENORA ANDERSON ("The Last Mrs. Anderson") and also known as DEATH AT THE DEEP END OF THE SWIMMING POOL, this film never has a U.S. theatrical release or any legitimate home video release in any format, including VHS or disc. Gray market site Rogue Video offers this film on DVD-R, but it's condition is unknown. This review is based on a DVD-R boot of a fullscreen Greek VHS tape on the Master Home Video label, which is highly watchable, but just because it is hard to find doesn't mean it should be found. Also starring Enzo Garinei (FRENZY - 1972), Lone Fleming (TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD - 1972), Maria Gustafsson (THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED - 1969), Phillip Ross, Alberto Fernández, Guy Standeven and Alberto Gonzales Espinosa. Not Rated.

THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS (1972) - This mystery thriller, narrated by French Police Inspector Pontaine (Humphrey Bogart lookalike Robert Sacchi), opens with the Inspector and his men chasing an unknown figure up the Eiffel Tower. When the figure falls off the top of the tower, the Inspector flashes-back to how it all began. Thief Antoine Gottvalles (Peter Martell) is in love with prostitute Francine (Barbara Bouchet) and will do anything to be with her, including robbing mansions of expensive jewelry to finance his visits to see her at the high-class brothel run by Madame Coletta (Anita Ekberg). When Francine is brutally murdered at the brothel, the Inspector thinks Antoine is the guilty party because he was Fancine's last customer before she died (We see Antoine slap her around and call her a "whore" when she goes to meet her next customer, but we don't see him kill her). The Inspector catches Antoine rather easily, he is brought to trial, found guilty and sentenced to death by guillotine. Antoine swears his innocence and curses all those in attendance at his trial, including the judge, Madame Colette, ex-wife Marianne (Rosalba Neri), forensics expert Professor Waldemar (Howard Vernon), writer Randall (Renato Romano) and other prostitutes that testified against him. Antoine escapes from custody when being transferred to prison and steals a motorcycle, but he is beheaded in a freak accident while evading the police. Why then are the people he lashed-out against in court being murdered? Inspector Pontaine now believes that Antoine was set-up and intends to find out who did it. The Professor pulls some strings and obtains Antoine's severed head and orders his assistant, Roget (William Alexander), who is having a secret affair with the Professor's mysterious daughter Elenora (Evelyn Kraft of THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN - 1977), to remove the right eye from Antoine's head. As Roget is doing so, he swears that he saw the pupil of the eye contract, which is a medical impossibility. Madame Colette is brutally murdered with a lamp by an unknown gloved assailant. The next to die is the judge. His throat is cut while his cheating wife is screwing her lover in the next room. When some of the prostitutes and Marianne are murdered next, the Inspector finds a clue in Randall's writings that proves that one of the women still alive use to be a prostitute in Madame Colette's brothel. As the Inspector and his men race to warn Randall that he may be next, they are too late (they find Marianne beheaded and another girl with her eyes cut out). Randall has been run-through with a sword, but he has scrawled an "M" on the floor in his own blood. After a short investigation, the Inspector realizes that Randall actually wrote a "W" on the floor, which leads to the real killer and the chase to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the beginning of the film.  This early 70's French/Itallian giallo, directed by Ferdinando Merrighi (who was also First Assistant Director on CRY OF A PROSTITUTE - 1974), using the pseudonym "F.L. Morris", contains enough red herrings to satisfy the appetite of an overweight seal. While it's quite obvious who the killer is (at least to me), the film has enough eye-popping nudity and gross-out moments, including an uncomfortable dissection on what looks to be a real eye (hopefully, it's a cow's or some other animal's eye and not an actual human eyeball), to keep the viewer entertained. The casting of Bogart doppelganger Robert Sacchi (THE MAN WITH BOGART'S FACE - 1980) as the police inspector also holds some novelty value (this was also released under the title THE BOGEYMAN AND THE FRENCH MURDERS to cash-in on Sacchi's uncanny likeness). The character name of the sleazy writer Randall was a little in-joke in reference to the late Dick Randall (PIECES - 1982), who was one of the producers (with Marius Mattei) here. As with a lot of European genre films of the 70's, incest plays a key role in the plot. This is an enjoyable and violent (including two beheadings) murder mystery that should satisfy fans of giallo as well as fans of nudity. Barbara Bouchet (MILANO CALIBRO 9 - 1972), Rosalba Neri (THE GIRL IN ROOM 2A - 1973) and Evelyn Kraft (THE DEADLY ANGELS - 1977) all doff their clothing and give us an eyefull. Edited by future Italian exploitation master Bruno Mattei (CAGED WOMEN - 1982; CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST: THE BEGINNING - 2003), who sadly passed away in 2007. Carlo Rambaldi (credited here as "Carlo Ranaldi") handled the bloody special effects and Gordon Mitchell (SFX RETALIATOR - 1987) puts in an uncredited appearance as a drunk who gets beaten to a pulp in a nightclub. Also known as THE PARIS SEX MURDERS and MURDER IN PARIS. Also starring Rolf Eden, Eva Astor, Piera Viotta and Alessandro Perrella. A Mondo Macabro DVD Release, which restores some footage not found in English language prints (this footage is shown in the original Italian with English subtitles). UPDATE: Now available on Blu-Ray as part of Vinegar Syndrome's FORGOTTEN GIALLI VOLUME 2 Box Set. Not Rated.

GENTLE SAVAGE (1973) - With the success of BILLY JACK (1971), low-budget filmmakers started using loner Native American Indians as anti-heroes in their exploitation films. Titles like JOHNNY FIRECLOUD (1975), ANGRY JOE BASS (1976) and this one (also known as CAMPER JOHN) were foisted onto a willing audience to show that the White Man's treatment of Indians hasn't changed much since the days of Plymouth Rock and, if we wait long enough, we will see the Indian exact his special brand of revenge. Camper John Allen (William Smith; INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS - 1973) is an Indian who works part time cleaning auto parts at a garage and toilets at the local bar for white bosses who won't even smile at him, but he has a loving young son named Danny and a beautiful squaw girlfriend named Gayle (Barbara Luna; THE CONCRETE JUNGLE - 1982) that he comes home to every night ("Home" is a series of ramshackle shacks that he shares with other members of his tribe on the outskirts of town). Since Camper John is a redskin, he likes to hoist a few at Beeker's Bar, run by the crusty Rupert Beeker (R.G. Armstrong; RACE WITH THE DEVIL - 1975), but John is usually short on cash, so he steals a beer from white girl Betty Schaeffer (C.J. Hincks), telling her, "Women don't drink when buck have thirst!" A drunk Betty offers Camper John $4.00 ("A day's pay.") for a lift home on the back of his motorcycle. He stupidly agrees, rides her home and, once they get there, Camper John asks, "Where's my money?", but Betty offers her body instead and begins to strip. Before anything can happen, Betty's father, Ken (Kevin Hagen), catches them together, swears he's gonna kill Camper John and beats the crap out of Betty. The next morning, Sheriff McVaney (Gene Evans; JACK THE RIPPER GOES WEST - 1974) and Deputy Moody (Joe Flynn; MCHALE'S NAVY [1962-1966]) show up at Camper John's home to arrest him, but John leads them on a chase with his motorcycle before he is caught and brought to the police station, where Ken and a battered Betty accuse him of rape. The town's entire white population wants to hang Camper John, with Ken egging them on and they nearly kill John's deaf brother Richard (Ned Romero) at Beeker's Bar (They step on his head and grind his face on some broken glass). The townspeople also beat-up a few teenage Indians just for walking on their streets. While Camper John is being escorted to county jail, some Indian friends, including Gayle, rescue him, drive to the desert and let Sheriff McVaney and Deputy Moody go free, only they are handcuffed to each other (in a very unusual manner) and stripped to their underwear. Things really get bad when the easily-manipulated townspeople destroy the Indian village (they drive their pickup trucks through all the shacks) and Ken kills Richard by shotgunning him in the back and then hanging him. Now it's Camper John's turn to get revenge, but at what cost?  As directed and co-written by Sean MacGregor (NIGHTMARE COUNTY - 1971; DEVIL TIMES FIVE - 1974), GENTLE SAVAGE is much too slowly paced to register with exploitation fans. The film has a hard time deciding whether it is going to be a revenge thriller, a comedy (you're guaranteed a comical moment whenever Joe Flynn, who died a year later, is on-screen) or some Indian mysticism bullshit (the screenplay was co-written by someone named "Jaguar Long Dancer". Yeah, and my Indian name is "Running With Shingles"!), The violence is rather tame considering the subject matter and includes a few gunshots, explosions and vehicle destruction. For all the talk of rape, there is not one instance of female nudity, although it is implied that Ken has sexually assaulted Betty in the past (it is not until late in the film that we discover Betty is actually Ken's stepdaughter, so it tempers the incest angle somewhat). The entire film lacks the proper edge that makes a movie a good revenge thriller. All the characters are thinly-drawn (William Smith's Camper John has no backstory at all) and the actions scenes are rather anemic. There's not much here to recommend except a cast of seasoned character actors given very little to do. That's the shame of GENTLE SAVAGE. He's way too gentile (oy, vey!) for the film's own good. Produced by Peter Brown, who co-starred with William Smith in PIRANHA PIRANHA a year earlier. Also starring Gayle Hemingway, Arch Johnson, Henry Brandon, Darlene Conley, Owen Orr, Robert Tessier (STARCRASH - 1978), Cody Bearpaw (PISTOL-PACKIN' LEROY - 1974) and Betty Ann Carr, who sings the film's theme song, "Once Upon A Tribe". Originally released on VHS by U.S.A. Home Video and not available on DVD. Not Rated.

GIRL IN ROOM 2A (1973) - This film opens with a girl named Edie being kidnapped, injected with drugs and waking up tied-up and naked in a room while a long spike (coming out of a hole in the wall) punctures her chest and stomach several times. Then someone wearing red gloves cuts her loose, impales her through the back with a blade (until the blade protrudes between her breasts) and throws her body over a cliff to make it look like a suicide (It's all very fragmented and looks to be heavily edited). We are then introduced to Margaret (Daniela Giordano). She has just been released from a women's prison and rents a room (#2A) in a nearby boardinghouse run by Mrs. Grant (Giovanna Galetti). As soon as she settles in her room, she notices a huge bloodstain on the floor that she can't seem to wash away. That night she has a dream that someone dressed in a red stocking mask, cape and gloves (the same person who killed Edie) invades her room and looms over her bed. Was it a dream? Could it have something to do with Mr. Dreese (Raf Vallone), the leader of some strange cult who resorts to murder to keep his secret? Margaret strikes up a friendship with Mrs. Grant's son, Frank (Angelo Infanti), but things sour quickly when Frank doesn't believe her when she says that she was unjustly sent to prison. Margaret wants to move out of the boardinghouse (that damn bloodstain keeps reappearing every time she scrubs it away), but her lack of a job and her parole officer (Rosalba Neri) make it impossible for her to do so. Margaret meets Edie's brother, Jack (John Scanlon), who doesn't believe his sister committed suicide. Jack talks to Edie's former boyfriend Charlie (Brad Harris) and learns that Edie also spent a short time in the same prison as Margaret did. What is the connection between the prison, Mrs. Grant's boardinghouse and the mysterious Mr. Dreese? And who is the mysterious masked killer in red we see killing people with a cane equipped with a spring-loaded blade? As both Margaret and Jack get closer to the truth, we also learn that the death of Frank's father years earlier plays into this mystery. A trip to an insane asylum, where one of the previous female tenants of Room 2A was committed, gives Margaret and Jack further evidence of the dastardly goings-on at the boardinghouse, but before they can do anything about it, Margaret is drugged and kidnapped from Room 2A that night. Is she to suffer the same fate as Edie or can Jack save her in time?  This early 70's gaillo, directed/produced/scripted by William L. Rose (who also scripted FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS - 1973) is not much of a mystery (maybe I've just seen too many of these films), but it does have it's share of tense moments and bloody set-pieces (although it looks like some of the more violent and sexual bits were trimmed to achieve an R-rating). You'll witness naked women being whipped, a woman getting decapitated (mostly off-screen, but we do get to see the bloody head), a man being forced to put his hand on a red-hot fireplace grate and various stabbings. The final twenty minutes, where the mystery is revealed and how the bloodstain on the floor of Room 2A keeps reappearing (it's the film's most ingenious moment) is kind of a letdown. The cult turns out to be nothing but a bunch of crazy fanatics (including Mrs. Grant, who is getting retribution for her husband's hit-and-run death years earlier) who get off on punishing naughty girls released from prison and they use someone dressed like the Crimson Executioner from THE BLOODY PIT OF HORROR (1965) to carry out the deeds. You'll groan when you discover who's really behind the mask. Raf Vallone (SUMMERTIME KILLER - 1972; THE "HUMAN" FACTOR - 1975) is wasted in a do-nothing role, as are Brad Harris (THE MAD BUTCHER - 1972; THE FREAKMAKER - 1973) and European genre actresses Karin Shubert (a brief topless scene) and Rosalba Neri (sadly, her clothes stay on). Theatrical distribution was handled by Joseph Brenner Associates, who gave North America it's fair share of Italian genre product, including MAN FROM DEEP RIVER (1972), AUTOPSY (1973), CRY OF A PROSTITUTE (1974), ALMOST HUMAN (1974), EYEBALL (1975) and many others, usually with lurid and deceptive ad campaigns. Also starring Frank Latimore, Nuccia Cardinale, Salvatore Billa, Dada Gallotti and Marian Fulop. A Prism Entertainment Home Video Release. UPDATE: Now available on Blu-Ray as part of Vinegar Syndrome's FORGOTTEN GIALLI VOLUME 2 Box Set.  Rated R.

HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN (1973) - Penniless drifter Gilles (Paul Naschy), who has nightmares about strangling a woman, is picked up hitch-hiking by Claude (Diana Lorys), a woman with a hideously burned arm and a prosthetic hand. She hires him to be the handyman at the house she shares with her two sisters. Arriving at the house, Gilles meets the other two sisters: The sexy Nicole (Eva Leon) and the wheelchair-bound Ivette (Maria Perschy). Nicole begins hitting on Gilles immediately, feeling his muscles while chopping wood shirtless and later coming to his bedroom to make love. Claude spies on them doing the nasty, becomes jealous and voices her displeasure to Gilles the next morning (while cutting a chicken with a cleaver). A new nurse, Michelle (Ines Morales), arrives at the house to take care of Ivette (we do not know why she is in the wheelchair, only that the doctor thinks it's psychosomatic), but she may be there for more nefarious reasons. Gilles is attacked outside by the former handyman Jean and a knife fight ensues. Gilles gets slashed on the side (Jean is stabbed in the stomach, but runs away) and the police are called, where we learn that Ivette's old nurse was found strangled on the side of the road. While Gilles is recuperating in bed, Claude visits and they make love. Another woman in town is found stabbed to death with her eyes missing. The police suspect Gilles (he is the only new person in town and he is having those nightmares), but it is apparent after a while that he is just but one of a town full of red herrings, as more women turn up brutally murdered with their eyes removed. How does this all tie in with Claude's prothetic hand and Ivette in the wheelchair? Why are only blond women with blue eyes being murdered? You'll just have to see for yourself.  Originally titled BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL (which really gives away too much of the film's punch line), Sam Sherman's Independent International Pictures picked this up for distribution in 1975, edited some of the murders and nudity so it could obtain an R rating and retitled it with this more exploitative title. Director Carlos Aured (who also made HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB [1972] with Naschy) co-wrote this with Naschy (who uses his real name, Jacinto Molina, for screenwriting credit) and gives HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN a nice giallo feel. The unseen killer (the hands are all that's seen) begins murdering the female cast with various weapons, using meat cleavers, knives, a garden claw and other utensils and then removing their eyes and carrying them carefully in black-gloved hands before depositing them in glass jars. Barrel-chested Paul Naschy dies a particularly nasty death in this one as his foot is caught in a bear trap while police (who mistakenly think he is the killer) pump a dozen bullets and shotgun shells into him in slow motion. The mystery element in this is quite good (although the killer is obvious, or is it?) and the music soundtrack, which switches from breezy jazz to a sinister version of "Frere Jacque", keeps the film suspenseful without being pretentious. The revelation in the final minute is really a gruesome sight. Worthwhile viewing for fans of Spanish horror.  Also starring Eduardo Calvo, Antonio Pica and Luis Ciges (WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? - 1975). Originally released on VHS by Super Video who then licensed it to VidAmerica for their "World's Worst Video" line (they were wrong putting this film into that category). Rated R.

HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK (1979) - This is nothing but an exercise in humiliation and human depravity disguised as entertainment. David Hess (LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT - 1972; HITCH-HIKE - 1978) stars as human scumbag Alex, whom we see driving the streets of New York City (the Twin Towers are in the background). We then watch him run young Susan (Karoline Mardeck) off the road in Central Park. He then rapes and strangles her because, well, he can. He has no conscience.
     A year later, mechanic Alex and his slightly retarded friend Rickey (Giovanni Lombardo Radice; CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD - 1980) need something to do (Rickey says, "I'm ready to boogie!"), so when a young couple, Lisa (Annie Belle; MONSTER HUNTER - 1981) & Tom (Christian Borromeo; MURDER ROCK: DANCING DEATH - 1984), stop by Alex's garage with car trouble, Alex and Ricky now have someplace to go. Lisa tells Alex that they are on their way to a party and smooth-talking Alex finagles an invite to said party, as we see Alex and Ricky in the back seat.
     They arrive at the party and meet Gloria (Lorraine De Selle; CANNIBAL FEROX - 1981), Howard (Gabriele Di Giulio) and bald black model Glenda (Marie Claude Joseph). It's plain to see that these people are just as bad as Alex, if not worse. They see that Ricky is a little light in the head and talk him into doing a striptease to some disco music. Alex is none too pleased that they are making a fool out of Ricky, but Ricky tells him he is enjoying himself. Lisa then puts the moves on Alex but she is nothing but a giant cocktease. She strips naked and takes a shower in front of Alex, asking him to wash her back and join her. But when Alex strips naked and gets into the shower, she jumps out and says, "Rinse your brains out, King Kong!" Alex then catches Tom cheating a poker, making Ricky lose all his money. A fight breaks out where Alex puts his strait razor to Tom's throat and he makes them play poker his way, where Ricky just says he has a royal straight without showing them his cards. Alex then says, "We're going to have fun with these cunts!" and has Ricky pick out a girl to fuck in front of them. Ricky picks Gloria, but when he puts the moves on her, Tom And Howard rush Alex and try to take the strait razor from him. They fail, as Alex cuts Tom's face and throws Howard into the pool (Alex then pisses on Howard and into the pool). Alex locks all the doors and then the "fun" begins, if your idea of fun is total human debasement. The problem is, we don't know who is being debased.
     Alex rapes Lisa, but the more she fights him off, the more turned-on she becomes. Alex bashes Tom's face into a table over-and-over, but he never makes a sound (in fact, he smiles). Alex makes Lisa and Glenda make love to each other, but they are into it. Everything changes when next door neighbor Cindy (Brigitte Petronio; THE CYNIC, THE RAT AND THE FIST - 1977) pays a visit. Gloria escapes, with Ricky chasing her ("Don't act like this! I don't want to harm you!"). While Alex is raping Cindy (this part is very hard to watch because Cindy has the body of a young teenage girl), Gloria and Ricky are making love in the garden (the most unnerving part of this sequence is when Alex sings a topless Cindy a made-up song while he runs his strait razor across her breasts and down her pants). Do you think you know how this is going to end? Do you think I care?
     The fact is, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK, directed by Ruggero Deodato (RAIDERS OF ATLANTIS - 1983; CUT AND RUN - 1985) and written by Gianfranco Clerici (Deodato's PHANTOM OF DEATH - 1987) & Vincenzo Mannino (THE TEMPTER - 1974), is a completely boring affair. Since everyone in this film are unredeemable jerks, it's hard to root for anyone. When Alex slices open Ricky's stomach with his strait razor for mentioning the girl he raped and killed in Central Park a year earlier, we are supposed to feel pity. We don't. When Tom pulls out a pistol and kills Alex (he lets out the longest scream in film history!), Tom revealing to a dying Alex that the girl he raped and killed was his sister and this whole thing was a setup, we are supposed to feel surprised. We don't. When Howard turns the gun on Ricky, but Gloria stops him, we are supposed to feel relief. We don't. This film fails on nearly every level.
     There are plenty of extras on the Blu-Ray to get your mind off this film, the most importand being the 30-minute interview with David Hess, who died just a few months after recording this. He talks openly about this film (making it seem more important than it is), but refuses to answer if the girl he raped in the park (Karoline Mardeck) was his wife in real life (all he says is, "I'll let her answer that!") and, sure enough, another extra on the disc is an interview with Mardeck, where she gives an answer to that question (buy the Blu-Ray if you want the answer!). Otherwise Hess is open and honest about every question thrown at him (He says that he and Annie Bell actually made love during her rape scene! He goes on to say it is not as uncommon as we think!). Hess also said he only took this role if he could get a percentage of the profits from the film's American rights. Smart man who left us far too soon. Hess also starred in Deodato's BODY COUNT (1986). There are also interviews with Ruggero Deodato and Giovanni Lombardo Radice (a.k.a. "John Morghen"), as well as the international theatrical trailer (which lists the title as "THE HOUSE OF THE PARK ON THE EDGE"!).
     Originally released uncut theatrically in 1985 by Bedford Entertainment, with a fullscreen VHS release shortly thereafter from Vestron Video (also uncut). A widescreen DVD followed in the early New Millennium from Shriek Show (long OOP). It was also available in edited form on several Public Domain DVD compilations like BCI's TALES OF TERROR COLLECTION. The Blu-Ray, from Code Red, is the preferred way to watch this, if you must. It looks better than it has any right to. (NOTE: I could swear that there is a scene missing from all the home video versions that I thought I saw in the theatrical version. It is when Alex tries to debase one of the women and he finds a tampon in her hoo-hah and pulls it out. Since no one else seems to remember it, I'll just chalk it up to a vivid, twisted imagination!). If I have one positive thing to say about this film, it is that the theme song, titled "Softly" (sung by Diana Corsini), is an earworm that won't leave you brain for several weeks. It is simply haunting in its simplicity. Otherwise, this film is a dog. Not Rated.

HUMAN COBRAS (1971) - Criminal Tony Garden (Giorgio "George" Ardisson; THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH - 1964) is driving down a road when he comes upon a human body blocking his way. He gets out of his car to investigate, only for the man to attack him while brandishing a knife. Tony manages to knock out the man and drive away, later telling his nameless girlfriend that he thinks "they" have finally located him after all these years. Tony then gets a telegram from someone telling him to go to New York City. His girlfriend tells him not to go because he will surely be killed if he does, but Tony says the reason he has to go is more important than his life and it's better to end it now than to keep looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life. As Tony is on a plane to New York, flashbacks show us how he got into this mess and what it is all about.
     We see Tony falling in love with the beautiful Leslie (Erika Blanc; THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE - 1971), immediately followed by him dodging machine gun fire. An unseen voice yells out, "Stop right there, Tony. You crossed the line this time. You shouldn't have crossed their path. I got a contract out on you! But I can't do it. Get the hell out of here! Don't ever come back to the States. Beat it!" We then see Leslie begging Tony not to leave without her, but he walks away, not wanting her to live a life with a man who has a target on his back.
     Back on the plane, Tony lands at Kennedy Airport in New York City, makes a phone call (no answer) and hails a cab. He notices that someone is following him, so he jumps out of the cab and loses his tail in the busy subway system. He makes another unanswered phone call and then goes to an apartment and knocks on the door. The door is already open, so he lets himself in, finding the inside of the apartment ransacked. The phone then rings and no one is on the other end. After almost killing the apartment building's janitor (who enters the apartment after finding the door open), the phone rings again and it is Leslie. This is Leslie's apartment and Tony asks her if she knows her place was broken into. Leslie tells him he shouldn't be there, it's too dangerous and begs Tony to come get her; she is at a friend's place in Brooklyn. Tony takes a taxi to the address, not noticing that there's a creepy looking man watching the building, as he enters the apartment building. We then learn why Tony is back in the States after being warned never to return. Tony asks Leslie how his brother, Johnny, died. Leslie tells him that she and his brother were at a football game last Sunday (Leslie calls it "rugby", but no one has ever played that professionally in NYC!), as a flashback shows us what happened to Johnny. As Leslie and Johnny are sitting in the stadium, an unseen assassin's bullet rips through Johnny's skull, killing him instantly. Johnny falls to the ground while everyone is cheering a touchdown and Leslie cradles him, getting his blood on her hands. Leslie tells Tony that the police told her that Johnny was killed by a high-powered rifle, the assassin firing the deadly bullet from a far distance. Tony thinks his brother's murder was a vendetta against him, but Leslie tells him that Johnny was doing business with crook George MacGreves (Alberto de Mendoza; A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN - 1971) in Kenya and his murder may have something to do with that. Johnny traveled back and forth from Kenya to NYC, also doing business with a man called Terence Mortimer (Luciano Pigozzi; TORNADO - 1983) in this city, which is why he was in NYC last Sunday. Tony knows who Mortimer is, as a look of anger appears on his face. Just what was his brother doing that would get himself killed in cold blood? Tony aims to find out and he isn't taking any prisoners.
     Mortimer was a member of Tony's old gang and he tells Leslie that he knows someone who can tell him where to find this "shady guy." Leslie begs him not to go because he'll get himself killed, but Tony tells her, "I gotta find out who did it!" Tony goes looking for old gang member Maxie (Gilberto Galimberti, as "Gill Rolland"; MANHUNT - 1972) at his place of work, only to be told that Maxie hasn't worked there for three years, but he lives nearby and everyone on Foster Street knows him. Tony finds out where Maxie lives by talking to people on the street and when he knocks on his door, Maxie is quite surprised (and scared) to see Tony, telling him he hasn't been in the "racket" since Tony left the States three years ago. Tony is not convinced, grabbing Maxie by the collar and demanding to know where Mortimer is, so Maxie tells him to talk to Manuel (Miguel del Castillo; THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH - 1971) at the Pamplona Restaurant in Flatbush. Tony then talks to Manuel at the restaurant, asking him where Mortimer is, when two hoods walk into the restaurant and tell Manuel to lock the front door. One hood tells Tony that he has a message to deliver and since the mailmen are on strike, he and his hood friend are here to deliver it personally. A fight breaks out and Tony beats the snot out of the two hoods and then leaves the restaurant. Tony knows who sent the two hoods to rough him up, the same man who spared him three years ago, telling him to never return to the States.
     His name is Mr. Humphrey (Luis Induni; THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI - 1975), a New York crime kingpin, and when Tony meets him, Humphrey tells him he was not supposed to come back here. Tony tells him he came back because of Johnny's murder and asks where Mortimer is. Humphrey tells him he never knew Johnny and, as for Mortimer, he has no idea where he is; Mortimer hasn't worked for him for three years. Humphrey does give Tony Mortimer's current address, but gives Tony this warning: "We don't cross your path unless you don't cross ours. Got it?" (The person who supplied the English subtitles has a tenuous grasp of English sentence structure, but it's not hard to decipher the true meaning of the warning and other badly worded dialogue). Tony then walks to Mortimer's address (he should have rented a car!), breaking down the door to his apartment, but a profusely sweating Mortimer holds Tony at bay with a pistol. Tony knocks the gun out of his hands and asks Mortimer if he killed Johnny, but Mortimer denies it, telling Tony this story: "I wasn't scoring well...Johnny had been living in Kenya for a year...One day he came to see me. He told me that down there grass is cheap. Here the price is more than doubled! I needed some serious dough and he helped me out. Things were going pretty well, but they put a bullet in his brain. Why did they take off just him and spare me? So I locked myself here. Our little business must have upset someone. So they went for the guns. They were going to kill you, too, isn't it?" (See what I mean about sentence structure?) Tony is sure there is more to the story and tells Mortimer if he can think of anything else, to contact him at his hotel, then he leaves. When Tony and Leslie get to the hotel, there is a message waiting for him from Mortimer, who remembered something important Tony needs to know. Unfortunately, Tony will never get to hear it, as the creepy man who was watching Leslie's apartment building cuts Mortimer's throat with a straight razor. Are the reasons for Johnny's murder personal or is there more to the story? And just who ordered Johnny and Mortimer's murders? Tony aims to find out and it will take him all the way to Nairobi, Kenya. There will be more deaths (including one by elephant!), poisonous cobra milking, a safari and lots of treachery ahead for Tony, as he tries to get retribution for his brother's death. It will lead to him killing an innocent man, not knowing that someone very close to him is actually the guilty party. Still need a hint as to who the killer is? Pay close attention to the names on a plane manifest that a Nairobi cop (Percy Hogan; TOUGH TO KILL - 1978) shows Tony; the last flight that Johnny took when he returned to New York City.
     It's hard to pigeonhole what genre this Italy/Spain/US/Sweden co-production belongs in. Directed by Bitto Albertini (WAR DEVILS - 1969; ZAMBO, KING OF THE JUNGLE - 1972; THE RETURN OF SHANGHAI JOE - 1975; ESCAPE FROM GALAXY 3 - 1981), who uses his "Albert J. Walker" pseudonym, and written by giallo veterans Ernesto Gastaldi (DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT - 1972), Eduardo Manzanos Brochero (MATALO! -1970) & Luciano Martino (THE MURDER CLINIC - 1966), it's one part giallo (Who killed Johnny and why is everyone Tony talks to ending up dead?) and one part Eurocrime thriller, but it is just unusual enough to make it worth at least one viewing. The on-location filming on the streets of New York City in the early-'70s will bring a rush of nostalgia over anyone who lived or visited there during that time period (as I did) and the sequences filmed in Nairobi make it stand out from most Italian genre films, even though Giorgio Ardisson makes for a pretty bland hero and the mystery is not that hard to solve (There is a nifty surprise during the last five minutes, though). But this is a film chock-full of actors well versed in both genres, including Erika Blanc, Alberto de Mendoza, Luciano Pigozzi (who doesn't use his "Alan Collins" pseudonym here, a rarity) and the recently deceased Janine Reynaud (CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL - 1971) as a femme fatale named Clara. She shows up at a gambling parlor in Kenya and is key to solving Johnny's murder, since she was his girlfriend when he was in Kenya, before she ends up dead by the assassin's straight razor. The music soundtrack, by Stelvio Cipriani, is one of his weakest efforts and is not memorable at all, unlike his many other music compositions. There's plenty of nudity (but for some reason, Erika Blanc wears a bikini when she takes a shower in the Kenya wild during a safari!), some of it very voyeuristic (you'll know it when you see it) and plenty of graphic violence (including one of the cast getting their head squashed by a wounded elephant!) to take your mind off the generic plot, making this film one of Albertini's best, at least for me. So leave your brain at the door and your eyes on the screen and you should have some fun with this hybrid film.
     Shot as L'UOMO PIU VELENOSO DEL COBRA ("The Man More Venomous Than The Cobra") and also known as TARGET: MURDER, this film never received a theatrical or VHS release in the United States, making its first appearance here as a widescreen DVD from Mya Communications in 2009 (long OOP). There have been no updated discs since then, but an open-matte fullscreen print, subtitled in English, can be found streaming on YouTube from user "Film&Clips". Also featuring Aurora de Alba (THE HANGING WOMAN - 1973), Fernando Hilbeck (DEMON WITCH CHILD - 1974), Gianni Pulone (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - 1972) and Fabian Conde (RINGS OF FEAR - 1978). Not Rated.

THE "HUMAN" FACTOR (1975) - Barrel-chested George Kennedy (JUST BEFORE DAWN - 1980; DEMONWARP - 1989) gets a rare leading role in this British revenge thriller with an international cast. Kennedy portrays John Kinsdale, a computer scientist and "electronics wiz" who works at a well-guarded military base in Naples, Italy. On his way home to celebrate his son's birthday, he discovers ambulances and police cars surrounding his house and shockingly finds out that his wife and three children have been viciously murdered. After contemplating suicide (it doesn't last long) and being questioned by police forensics expert Dr. Enrico Lupo (Raf Vallone; THE SUMMERTIME KILLER - 1972), John sets out on his own to get justice. He enlists the help of work partner (and fellow scientist) Mike McAllister (John Mills; DR. STRANGE - 1978) in creating a computer program to help him discover the identities of those involved in his family's murders, while trying to avoid the probing eyes of his boss, General Fuller (Arthur Franz; THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE - 1959). Working with nothing but a single strand of red hair found at the crime scene, John and Mike are able to determine that the killer spends most of their time in New York, so John taps into the airlines' computer databases looking for the names of any red-haired person who has recently arrived in Naples from New York. When another American family is found slaughtered in the same manner as John's family, John discovers from drunken American Embassy official George Edmunds (Barry Sullivan; EARTHQUAKE - 1974, also starring Kennedy) that a terrorist group containing members Alexander Taylor (co-scripter Tom Hunter) and Paul Kamal (producer Frank Avianca) sent a letter to the President of the United States threatening to kill one American family in the Mediterranean area every three days unless their demands for the release of certain political prisoners and payment of ten million dollars are met. As you can imagine, this information upsets John, as the U.S. Government seems to be covering-up this tidbit of information, so John uses his extensive computer knowledge to tap into top-secret government databases to pull-up information on Taylor and Kamal. John plots his revenge while trying to avoid Dr. Lupo and some CIA agents out to stop him. After saving another American family from a terrorist attack, John must then, in the film's bloody finale, free a bunch of American shoppers being held hostage at a NATO supermarket by the same people responsible for killing his family.  This rather dry thriller, directed by Edward Dmytryk (BLUEBEARD - 1972) and written by Hunter and Peter Powell, spends way too much time on the procedural aspects (it's like a 70's version of CSI, only with rotary phone modems and dot matrix printers) and not enough on the actual revenge. While there are some eerie parallels to what we are going through in the New Millennium (Terrorists targeting Americans; the computer program John and Mike are working on in the military base is goose-bumpingly called the "9-11 Project"), the film fails to generate much suspense thanks to the snail-like pacing and the awkward performance by George Kennedy. Hey, I'm a huge fan of Mr. Kennedy, but he's miscast in this vehicle and it's plain to see that he's out of his comfort zone because some of his line readings are dreadful. It's also hard to accept him as a computer expert of any kind, nevermind a leading expert in his field. By the time Kennedy gets to do an action scene (which is somewhere past the one hour mark), most viewers will have fallen asleep or turned it off. Those with more patience will finally see Mr. Kennedy get into a gunfight; run over a terrorist with a Volkswagen Beetle; get smacked with a shovel and then kill the same terrorist with a chain neck tourniquet; and then finally facing-down the killers of his family in the fairly bloody supermarket finale. In the end, THE "HUMAN" FACTOR (the quotation marks are part of the on-screen title) hardly seems worth all the trouble, but the music score, by Italian maestro Ennio Morricone (SPASMO - 1974; and my favorite music score of all time, A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE [a.k.a. DUCK, YOU SUCKER - 1971]), is one of the film's saving graces (along with some good location photography). Also starring Rita Tushingham, Shane Rimmer, Haydee Politoff and Fiamma Verges. Released theatrically by Bryanston Films (a known Mob-owned business) and released originally on VHS by U.S.A. Home Video as part of their "Sybil Danning's Adventure Video" line of action and adventure films. Available on widescreen DVD from Dark Sky Films, the preferable way to watch this. Rated R.

HUNTING HUMANS (2002) - Absorbing low-budget film about how a serial killer operates. Aric Blue (Rick Ganz, who looks like a thicker and more muscular Brad Pitt) is a Nietzche-spouting serial killer that picks his victims at random so he doesn't have a pattern for the police to pick up on. He picks his victims because they do have patterns, which make it easier for him to kill. He has murdered over 100 people without getting caught. He begins to stalk a theater projectionist to find out his patterns. When he goes to kill him, Aric find his dead body with a note attached that says, "I know your pattern". Arik is now being stalked by another serial killer. Not knowing who this person is (his phone calls only identify him as "Dark"), Aric hires a private detective to keep an eye on his house. The private detective tells Aric that another private detective was hired to follow him, thereby giving Dark information on his moves. Aric goes to Dark's hired private detective's house and steals information off his computer. This information leads Aric to the identity of Dark and the cat-and-mouse game is on.  After double and triple crosses, we finally find out who the better serial killer is. This taut thriller is told strictly from Aric's point of view. We hear his innermost thoughts (through voiceover narration) and his true disdain for the human race. You would think that it would be hard to root for Aric and what he was going through since he such a cold-hearted murderer. The surprise is that it's not, thanks to director Kevin Kangas' literate screenplay which doesn't insult the viewer with pat explanations on why a serial killer kills. The finale is definitely a doozy with many twists. Ganz (who also produced) is excellent, even if the other actors come up short.  If you like straightforward thrillers that don't go for the cheap scare, I'm sure that this film will make you happy. Kangis and Ganz would later go on to make the horror film FEAR OF CLOWNS (2004). Also starring Bubby Lewis, Lisa Michele, Trent, Jeff Kipers and Joe Ripple (who directed the abysmal HARVESTERS in 2001) as a cop who Aric dislikes. He dislikes him so much that he puts a dead body in his trunk! Filmed in 1999. An MTI Video/Redrum Release. Rated R.

INN OF THE DAMNED (1974) - Unusual thriller, set in 1896 Australia, that combines western and slice and dice themes. A crazy old German innkeeper (Dame Judith Anderson) and her husband murder people who stay at their place in various ways because their children were savagely butchered by an escaped loonie years before. An American lawman (Alex Cord) shoots a prostitute murderer he has been tracking in self defense, but the Australian authorities don't believe him. The trooper that witnessed the shooting went to the inn to follow up on a missing persons report and has not  returned. The American lawman decides to investigate his disappearance to clear his name. Overlong (nearly 2 hours) and slowly paced it could be trimmed by 30 minutes and be a more interesting film. As it stands this is a good film to look at (the scenery is magnificent.) but dreadfully boring in spots. Spurts of nudity and violence (including a killer canopy bed ala 13 GHOSTS - 1960) do not justify the long running time. Nice try but no cigar. Directed and written by Terry Bourke (LADY STAY DEAD - 1981). Also Starring Michael Craig (THE FOURTH VICTIM - 1971), Joseph Fürst, Tony Bonner and John Meillon. A Paragon Video Release (which lists the wrong running time as 92 minutes). Released on Australian DVD by Umbrella Entertainment and American DVD by Code Red with Bourke's nearly dialogue-free NIGHT OF FEAR (1972) Rated R.

INSANITY (1973) - Loner Mark (Christopher Augustine) walks into a café and hits on a hippy chick sitting by herself. Quicker than you can say, "Oops, my panties fell off!", she takes Mark home, where they light some candles, smoke a joint and she strips completely naked. Oddly, though, Mark doesn't remove a stitch of his clothing (Maybe the Janis Joplin poster on her wall stopped him from getting an erection? Man, she was ugly!) and we soon find out why: He strangles her with one hand, sobs a little and then has flashbacks to his childhood (shown as a series of still photographs during the opening credits), which shows Mark as one of two male members of a large family of females (in nearly all the flashback photos, young Mark is shown separated from the rest of the family, depicting alienation and loneliness) and he may be responsible for the death his younger brother by pushing his stroller in front of an oncoming car. Mark now works as a cinematographer, shooting porn loops for sleazy overweight producer/director Jobal (Dick Glass), who barks out orders to Mark and the female performers while he sits on his perch overlooking the porn action. While shooting an S&M loop (involving a guy in a black hood whipping two girls in bondage), Mark meets new performer Michele (Jeanette Dilger) and gives her a ride home. They seemingly hit it off, talking about their hopes and dreams, but Mark becomes intrigued with Michele when she refuses to go any further than a kiss (He says, "You're different and you're worth it."), even when he finds out that she's a kept woman. Mark works out his sexual frustrations by going to a peep show located in the back of an adult bookstore (that blares religious programming on a radio!), only to discover it's one of his own loops. Mark wants to become a legitimate cameraman, but he's stuck in a catch-22 situation because potential employers want to see examples of his previous work, something he is too embarrassed to do. Mark picks up a young female hitchhiker and they rent a boat and take a cruise out on the ocean, where he strangles her and tosses her overboard after she begins talking about her brother. When Mark receives a "Dear John" audiotape from Michele, he rushes over to her house and they make passionate love. Mark wakes up the next morning to discover that he has strangled Michele, so he decides to end it all by filming his own suicide at the Hollywood Sign. Too bad he can't show that footage to potential new employers!  This relic from the early 70's, which was shot as HOLLYWOOD 90028 and was then retitled THE HOLLYWOOD HILLSIDE STRANGLER (it played as part of a double bill under this title with the 1971 horror flick THE TOUCH OF SATAN under the title NIGHT OF THE DEMON, leading many people to mistakenly believe that it was the infamous 1979 Bigfoot gore film of the same name), barely qualifies as a horror film. It's actually a talky psychodrama (with a pro-feminist slant) about a man who wants to make a better life for himself, but occurrences from his past keep dredging themselves up whenever he starts getting tingly in his pants or anyone mentions they have a brother. Director/producer Christine Hornisher and screenwriter Craig Hansen (the only feature film credit for both) have created a film that really has nothing much to say (If this film has anything to say, it's this: It's probably best not to work in porn if you have severe emotional issues, but I really doubt we needed a film to tell us that, right? Right?). Mark is portrayed as a sympathetic character, but it's hard to muster sympathy for someone who strangles innocent women just because they want to have sex or love their family, two things that Mark clearly can't do without someone suffering dire consequences. It also doesn't help that Mark's motivations are exposed during the opening credits, which ruins any chance for the viewer of uncovering for themselves as the film progresses. While there is plenty of nudity, the violence level is nearly non-existent (only two on-screen stranglings) and those looking for blood and gore will be severely disappointed. The film's most effective scene is the final shot, where Mark hangs himself on the "Y" on the world-famous Hollywood Sign and the camera pulls back in a single take until the sign is nothing but a small speck on the screen. Too bad you have to suffer through 74 monotonous, talky, arty minutes to get there. Also known as TWISTED THROATS. Also starring Gayle Davis, Ralph Campbell, Kia Cameron and Dianna Huntress. I don't believe this got a legitimate U.S. home video release under any title. The version I viewed was sourced from the British VHS tape on the Go Video label. Rated R.

IN THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE (1971) - It is quite obvious to the viewer that there are severe marriage difficulties between Ruth (Analía Gadé; HOUSE OF INSANE WOMEN - 1971) and her husband Michel (Tony Kendall; THE LORELEY'S GRASP - 1973). After making love (consider it a mercy fuck), Ruth tells Michel that she has filed for divorce, saying that she met someone two months ago and they love each other. That someone is Paul (Jean Sorel; SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS - 1971), a handsome young man who picks up Ruth at her home in front of Michel. Ruth tells Michel that she and Paul will be spending the summer at her seaside country estate (she's quite wealthy) and Michel tells her to be careful, two months is not a lot of time to get to know someone (He also tells Ruth: "Deep down, you need me.").
     A month later, we see Paul and Ruth frolicking at her country estate, Paul performing what is now known as a "SPIDER-MAN kiss"; hanging upside down from a tree and kissing Ruth for an uncomfortably long time. As Paul is kissing her, he pulls off Ruth's top and won't give it back, making her run into her house topless. She finds a swan in her bathtub (if this is some sort of symbolism, it has gone over my head!) and is very happy that Paul did that for her (Why???). The swan is then transplanted to the estate's rather large water fountain. What this has to do with the remainder of the film is beyond me.
     Ruth and Paul then go shopping, where Ruth meets mysterious woman Danielle (Rosanna Yanni; CROSS CURRENT - 1971) in a clothing store, snatching away a big floppy hat Danielle was about to try on, making her angry. Ruth also meets Paul's best friend Roland (Maurizio Bonuglia; THE FIFTH CORD - 1971), who opens his restaurant at night so Paul and Ruth can have a romantic dinner alone. Paul seems too good to be true and since this is a giallo film, that can only mean one thing: trouble. Deadly trouble.
     While Paul is waiting for an important phone call, he tells Ruth that she will have to go shopping by herself. As she is driving down the twisty mountain road, full of hairpin turns, Ruth discovers that the brakes aren't working. She nearly drives off the road several times, which would have meant certain death down steep cliffs to the ocean below, until she manages to stop the car by driving it into a pile of loose dirt. A mechanic examines the car and tells Ruth and Paul that the brake line was cut and it's a miracle no one was killed. Paul then says to Ruth, "Wherever we go from now on, darling, we go together." Paul is also an experienced scuba diver, as we watch him go hunting for octopus (octopi?) with a speargun in the ocean. He comes to the surface holding a big piece of white coral, gives it to Ruth and tells her he knows where an octopus is for Ruth to catch. Ruth suits-up, jumps into the ocean from her boat and goes looking for the octopus, following Paul's exact directions, but before she can find it, her tank runs out of oxygen, much quicker than it should have. Ruth barely makes it to the surface, Paul jumping in to save her from drowning. Ruth now believes Michel is trying to murder Paul so she will come back to him, but it is obvious to the viewer that Ruth was the intended victim both times. But why? It doesn't take a genius to come up with the right answer, but there's still a lot of film to watch!
     While Paul and Ruth are making love, Paul reaches into an end table drawer looking for a cigarette (Kent are his and Ruth's brand of smoke), but instead he finds a small silver pistol. Ruth tells him the pistol is hers; Michel bought it for her for all the times she spent alone in this house. The next morning, Michel pays Ruth a visit, while Paul and Roland use Ruth's pistol for target practice, shooting tennis balls off a fence!  Michel professes his love for Ruth, but she says she doesn't love him any more snd tells him to leave the next morning. Michel, still angry about what Ruth just said, asks Paul to shoot a picture of a model on the front page of a magazine while he holds it, just to see if Paul is the crack shot he says he is. A gunshot rings out, showing that Paul put a bullet hole directly between the model's eyes. I guess that answers Michel's question!
     Ruth and Paul have a minor arguement, so Paul leaves her bedroom, telling Ruth that he will leave her alone for the night. Ruth has a change of heart a short time later and goes to Paul's bedroom, but he's not there. She hears footsteps coming into the bedroom and thinking it is Paul, she hides to surprise him. Only it is not Paul, it is Michel, and he blurts out, "She should be asleep by now", before realizing Paul is not in the room, so he leaves. Ruth follows Michel to the estate's bungalow, where she hears and sees Michel, Paul and Danielle, who is Paul's girlfriend (!), plotting Ruth's murder. Michel wants to inherit Ruth's vast fortune before the divorce is final and plans on sharing that fortune with Paul and Danielle (whom he has hired to kill Ruth, but he wants it to look like an accident so the police don't get involved). It is at this point that Ruth comes up with a devious plan to get revenge on her husband, Paul and Danielle, but what Ruth doesn't know is that Roland saw her spying on the trio.  Will he tell Paul and ruin Ruth's plan to get even or will he keep his mouth shut? I'm afraid you are going to have to watch the film to get the answer, but here's a few more things that go on in the film: 1.) Michel is found dead in his car, which is found crashed off the mountain road. He apparently died shortly after he left Ruth's country estate. 2.) Paul finds his dog, Bernard, dead, shortly after licking ice cubes that Ruth put in Michel's drink. 3.) Paul and Danielle, thinking they got the goods on Ruth for Michel's murder, invade Ruth's home and physically and mentally torture her (Danielle prances around in the floppy hat Ruth "stole" from her, proving how petty Danielle actually is), but Ruth's plan for revenge is so well thought-out, neither Paul or Danielle are ready for what happens next. 4.) But what about Roland? Will he come to Paul's rescue or will he remain silent? I'll leave that for you to discover, as well as Ruth's complex plan for revenge (It's quite unique).
     This Spain/Italy co-production is a pretty lackluster giallo film, thanks to a plot that has been done countless time before, even if Ruth's plan for revenge is very well done. It's really the only surprising bit in the film, as everything else can be guessed correctly by people with low IQs. Yes, it's the old "let's murder the wife so the husband can inherit her fortune" scenario and director José María Forqué (whose only other film of note seems to be the David Hemmings-starrer BEYOND EROTICA - 1974), who co-wrote the screenplay with Rafael Azcona (the previously mentioned CROSS CURRENT - 1971) and Mario di Nardo (DEATH KNOCKS TWICE - 1969), just lets the film skate on this thin ice of a plot until Ruth decides to get revenge. Roland does give Ruth a knowing explanation (in a long bit of dialogue) of why his chest is scarred (it was done by a lion), which influences Ruth in her plan for revenge. If only the rest of the film was as well as thought-out as Ruth's plan, this would be a top-notch giallo flick, but as it stands, it's a cliched plot whose only positive is the gorgeous cinematography (by Alejandro Ulloa; THE FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION - 1970). Both Analía Gadé and Rosanna Yanni are beautiful in and out of their clothes, which others may also find a positive, but the violence level is very low, as we don't see any blood or gore (Even Michel's death is not shown; it's only talked about). The music soundtrack, by Piero Piccioni (THE 10TH VICTIM - 1965; SEVEN MURDERS FOR SCOTLAND YARD - 1971), is also rather sedate and not memorable at all; just some lounge music to rock you to sleep. All in all, this thriller is only worth viewing if you have to watch every giallo film ever made. That's my excuse, what is yours?
     Shot in Spain as EL OJO DEL HURACAN (a literal translation of the review title) and known in Italy as LA VOLPE DALLA CODA DI VELLUTO ("The Fox With A Velvet Tail") and also known as SUSPICION and LUSTY LOVERS, this film never received a theatrical or VHS release in the United States, making it's first appearance in the States in 2017 as a Blu-Ray from Mondo Macabro under THE FOX WITH A VELVET TAIL title. Those who just want to watch the film without purchasing it can find it streaming on YouTube on channel "Film&Clips", who offer a nice anamorphic widescreen print dubbed in English. Also featuring José Félix Montoya (THE APARTMENT ON THE 13TH FLOOR - 1972), Julio Peña (THE FEAST OF SATAN - 1971) and Mario Morales (PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES - 1965) as the druggist, the only person who can make Ruth's plan for revenge come to fruition, even though he has no idea he is doing it! Not Rated.

IT HAPPENED AT NIGHTMARE INN (1973) - First a word of warning: If you want to see this film in any type of comprehensible form, do not watch the version in any of Brentwood Communications' DVD movie compilations, such as their 10 movie comp. titled CURSE OF THE DEAD. It's only 69 minutes long (don't be fooled by the 102-minute label on the comp's packaging, because it's a lie) and looks to be a TV edit to fit in a 90 minute slot. It's an abortion. That said, let's get on to the movie. Laura (Judy Geeson) flies to Spain to spend some quality time with her sister but, when she arrives at the hotel run by sisters Marta and Veronica, she is told that her sister has left and won't be coming back. It's apparent that one, or maybe both, of the sisters is a cold-blooded killer and Laura's sister is long dead. Marta (Aurora Bautista), the dominant sister, is sexually repressed and her sexual frustrations (which includes spying on young boys bathing nude in a nearby lake) forces her to murder all the young women (and some men) who stay at the hotel and "flaunt" their sexuality. Veronica (Esperanza Roy), the timid sister, goes along with whatever Marta does because, frankly, she's one scary bitch. Laura (who is not a loose woman, so she's fairly safe here, at least for a while) becomes more and more suspicious as the young ladies who check in begin disappearing in the middle of the night, the sisters telling her that they have checked out. Since there isn't much of a police force in town, Laura brings her concerns to the mayor, who tells her that Marta once had a lover who disappeared after he dumped her and took up with a younger, more "modern" woman. When Norma (Blanca Estrada), an unwed mother (or so we're told), checks into the hotel, Laura begins to look after her, fearing for her and the baby's life. Marta and Veronica plot to kill Norma and raise the baby as their own. Norma catches on, but it's too late. Marta plants a cleaver in her back and puts her in a barrel of wine in the cellar, where she put all the previous victims. As more young tourists arrive at the hotel, Laura must find a way to stop the sisters and save the baby. Director Eugenio Martin (THE FOURTH VICTIM - 1971; HORROR EXPRESS - 1972), who also co-wrote the script with Antonio Fos, gives us a thinly-disguised parable about politics in Spain. The young tourists represent the post-Franco regime, when everything loosened-up and much more sexual freedom and openess was permitted. The two sisters represent the strict Franco rule, where freedoms of all kinds were repressed and outlawed. Refusing to change with the times, the sisters are forced to kill anyone that doesn't adhere to their strict Catholic upbringing. Things begin to get messy when the sisters serve tainted wine (spoiled by the rotting bodies stuffed in the barrels) with dinner, some of the guests become sick and one guest finds a women's eye in his glass, which he turns over to the local authorities. This leads to a final showdown in which the townpeople storm the hotel and save Laura in the nick of time from the clutches of the sisters. Insert your own political allegory here. Director Martin has the camera linger lovingly on close-ups of raw meat, knives, cleavers and other kitchen utensils that will eventually be used as weapons. There's also copious nudity from the young cast, but you'll see none of the blood or skin in the 69 minute version. You will need to find copies of this film titled A CANDLE FOR THE DEVIL or NIGHTMARE HOTEL to see all the carnage and nudity. Depending on your tolerance for politics draped as horror, you'll either like it or be bored to death. Also starring Victor Alcazar (a.k.a. "Vic Winner"), Carlos Pineiro, Loretta Tovar and Montserrat Julió (THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE - 1972). Originally available on DVD-R from Midnight Video and Luminous Video. Available as A CANDLE FOR THE DEVIL from Scorpion Releasing in its most complete version on DVD & Blu-Ray. Not Rated.

JOHNNY FIRECLOUD (1975) - Another low-budget revenge thriller brought on by the success of BILLY JACK (1971 - see reviews of GENTLE SAVAGE [1973] and ANGRY JOE BASS [1976] for more "injun done wrong" goodness), but this one actually has a message buried within its' revenge motifs. Johnny Firecloud (Victor Mohica; THE GHOST DANCE - 1980) has recently returned home after serving a stint in the Army and he is constantly hassled by the town's sheriff, Jesse (David Canary; THE DAIN CURSE - 1978), and his deputy, J.B. (Jason Ledger; BLOODY FRIDAY - 1973), who both are following orders from Colby (Ralph Meeker; MY BOYS ARE GOOD BOYS - 1977), the town's iron-fisted patriarch who can't stand Indians. It seems the entire white population in town aren't too fond of redskins, as we watch rednecks Wade (Casting Director George "Buck" Flower; LADY COCOA - 1975) and Newt (John Goff; PISTOL-PACKIN' LEROY - 1973) force a drunk Chief White Eagle (Frank DeKova; CAT IN THE CAGE - 1978) to do a war dance for a beer mug full of J&B whiskey. When Ned (Richard Kennedy; FANGS - 1974) asks Colby if White Eagle ia a good dancer, Colby retorts, "He's an Indian, ain't he?" ("Yes, sir.") "He's alive, ain't he?" ("Yes, sir.") "Then he's no good!" When Wade applies "war paint" on White Eagle with a tube of red lipstick, Johnny (who is White Eagle's grandson) intervenes and a bar fight breaks out, with Jesse saving Johnny's life when Ned tries to stab him with a broken bottle (Ned to Jesse: "One of these days, you and me is goin' to tangle assholes!"), You can plainly see that Jesse is tired of being under Colby's thumb, but there's not much he can do about it (more on that later) and Johnny isn't making his life any easier (Jesse half-heartedly says to J.B., "One of these days I'm going to kill that Indian."). Johnny is a man without a home, because he refuses to live on the reservation (He can't understand why college educated Nenya [Sacheen Littlefeather; THE TRIAL OF BILLY JACK - 1974] would return to the reservation as a teacher) and he's not welcome in town, so he spends most of his free time walking in the desert. We learn why Colby hates Indians so much: Johnny was dating his daughter, June (Christina Hart; WOMEN AND BLOODY TERROR - 1970) before he joined the Army and between now and then she became a hopeless alcoholic. When June tempts Johnny an offer for a job at her Daddy's ranch (How stupid can you be?) and then gets caught by Colby, Wade and Newt making love to her in a barn (Really, how stupid can you be?), they string Johnny up and whip him to an inch of his life before Jesse intervenes once again and saves his life. Johnny is thrown in jail, where Jesse tells him that June was pregnant with Johnny's child when he joined the Army (Johnny didn't know, because Colby intercepted all incoming and outgoing mail), but the baby was "born dead", which is why June now drinks like a fish (Johnny: "Colby is not God!" Jesse: "Around here he is!" Johnny: "You have the balls of a mouse!"). Colby brings Johnny up on rape charges, but when a drunk White Eagle dresses in full Chief regalia (complete with feathered headdress), asks Colby "Chief-to-Chief" for Johnny's release (Colby: "That's mighty white of you!") and gets hung for his trouble (A concerned J.B. tries to break it up, but he actually makes it worse), Johnny breaks out of jail and goes on a bloody revenge spree. God help the rednecks that gets in Johnny's way.  Helped tremendously by a cast of seasoned pros, some tight direction by William Allen Castleman (BUMMER! - 1973) and a literate screenplay by Wilton Denmark (CAIN'S CUTTHROATS - 1971), JOHNNY FIRECLOUD is crowd-pleasing entertainment for fans of revenge thrillers. All the ingredients are here: Degradation (Nenya's gang-rape and death at the hands of Ned, Wade, Newt and other rednecks is graphic and disturbing); Humiliation (White Eagle's war dance in the bar); Nudity (both Christina Hart and Sacheen Littlefeather go topless and beyond); and bloody revenge (makeup effects by Joe Blasco; ILSA SHE WOLF OF THE SS - 1975). Ned is scalped; Wade is tied to a fence post and has a sack put over his head with a live rattlesnake inside; a redneck gets a tomahawk thrown into his forehead; another redneck is blown-up with dynamite (attached to his belt) inside a motor home; Newt has his eyes plucked-out and is buried up to his neck in the desert for the vultures to pick at; and Colby is hung by his neck, whipped with a rope and punched in the balls, before one of his ranch hands saves him (Surprisingly, he doesn't die in this film). Although this is basically a tale about an Indian's revenge against the White Man who did him and his tribe wrong, it is actually David Canary who gets most of the audience's sympathy. He's basically between a rock and a hard place. When he tells Johnny that he was drummed out of the Army for being a homosexual and Colby is holding that bit of information over his head, you actually feel for him (In one part of the film, Jesse tells Colby that he understands how Jane feels and Colby callously retorts, "Women understand each other, huh? They relate, huh?"). Jesse always tries to do the right thing in a wrong situation, but neither side, Colby or Johnny, seem to appreciate it (Well, Johnny finally does sees his pain in the finale and gets Jesse to do the right thing). Jesse is the lynchpin of the film. Without him, the film wouldn't work nearly as well as it does. It's just too bad for us that David Canary didn't appear in more films, as he has spent the majority of his career acting on TV soap operas. In short, you can do a lot worse than JOHNNY FIRECLOUD. It is bloody, nasty and entertaining as hell. There's also a human element missing in most films of this type (Chief White Eagle refusing to bow to the White Man, even with a rope around his neck, is one of the film's most affecting scenes). The legendary David F. Friedman (SHE FREAK - 1967) was one of the Producers. Also starring Wayne Storm and Elliott Lindsey. Originally available on VHS by Prism Entertainment sub-label A.N.E. Home Video and released on DVD as part of a double feature (with Castleman's BUMMER!) by Something Weird Video/Image Entertainment. Rated R.

KIDNAP SYNDICATE (1975) - A brazen kidnapping in front of a schoolyard nets the kidnappers the son of crooked rich bigshot Mr. Filippini (James Mason) and the son of regular joe motorcycle mechanic Mario Colella (Luc Merenda), a widower with very little money. A visibly annoyed Commissioner Magrini (Vittorio Caprioli), who was just about to take a holiday on the Riviera, is assigned to the case and interviews the two fathers together. Mr. Filippini assures Mario that since their sons are best friends, he will do everything in his power to make sure that they are released together. That couldn't be further from the truth. At a press conference the next day, Mr. Filippini tells the reporters that he is penniless, but he is secretly working with the kidnappers to get the money to release his son only. Mario is left hanging in the wind, waiting for Mr. Filippini to pay a ransom that will never be paid and listening to Commissioner Magrini tell him that kidnapping in Italy is a "profitable business". Meanwhile, Mario's son, Fabrizio (Marco Leofredi), proves to be a cunning kidnapping victim. He manages to avoid the drugged food that the kidnappers feed him and Mr. Filippini's son, Antonio (Francesco Impeciati), and is a thorn in the side to the kidnappers, even telling his father to "waste them" in a tape recorded message sent with the ransom demand. Twelve days pass and Mario has had enough. He is tired of Mr. Filippini's deceitful lies and double-dealings. The kidnappers are apparently tired of it, too. After having enough of Mr. Filippini's delaying tactics, we see one of the kidnappers shoot and kill one of the sons (we don't see who it is since they are wrapped in a blanket). Commissioner Magrini calls both fathers to the morgue to identify the body. When the corpse turns out to be Fabrizio, Mario blames Filippini for stalling and vows revenge against him and the kidnappers. Mario stakes out Filippini's house and follows the ransom money, uncovering treachery and danger along the way. When one of the kidnappers tries to run him over, Mario uses his motorcycle skills to give chase, which leads him to the location where his son was being held. After killing two of the kidnappers, Mario gets his hands on the ransom money and uses it to exact revenge on those who ordered the murder of his son. It takes him to surprising destinations and concludes with a machinegun slaughter in a corporate boardroom and then Mario shooting the triggerman responsible for killing his son. As Mario shoots him in the kneecaps and elbows, the triggerman screams out for a quicker death. Will Mario give it to him?  This intense Italian thriller takes a while to get cooking, but once it does, it's a white-knuckle ride. Director Fernando Di Leo is an old hand at making these violent thrillers, having previously directing the excellent MANHUNT (1972), MILANO CALIBRO 9 (1972) and scripting Ruggero Deodato's LIVE LIKE A COP DIE LIKE A MAN in 1976. Di Leo lets you get to know the characters (he co-wrote the script with Ernesto Gastaldi and Cesare Manzani), from James Mason's (MANDINGO - 1975; SALEM'S LOT - 1979) Mr. Filippini, who cares more about making deals and money than his own child's life, to Luc Merenda's (THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS - 1973; TORSO - 1973) Mario, a low-income everyman who, at first, just wants his son back but, later, just wants revenge. There's a telling scene at the press conference, when one of the reporters questions Mario's parenting skills when Mario mentions that the only worker he has on his payroll is his twelve year-old son. When the reporter sarcastically reminds him that Fabrizio is too young to be working, Mario replies, "I'm teaching him a trade so he doesn't grow up to be a reporter." That's my favorite line in the film because it's as relevant today as it was back then. Kidnapping in Italy was reaching epidemic proportions when this film was lensed. Di Leo was pretty much on the mark describing the kidnappers' motivations. This was nothing personal, just a way for some scumbags and business types to make a hefty payday. The Italian criminal system finally instituted a law that blocked the bank accounts of targeted families, which prevented them from paying. Kidnappings dropped drastically after that. Those expecting an action-packed Italian crime film here will be disappointed, but those that like well-plotted thrillers will find much to enjoy. The characters are spot-on and you actually care what happens to these people. The only way to truly appreciate the performances are in the original Italian language, as the English-dubbed track is horrible. Fortunately, Raro Video offers a beautiful widescreen Italian language print (with English subtitles) on DVD, so you can throw away all those terrible English-dubbed fullscreen VHS tapes. Also starring Irina Maleeva, Marino Mase, Daniele Dublino, Valentina Cortese, Max Dorian and Salvatore Billa. A Raro Video Release. Also available as part of Raro Video's FERNANDO DI LEO ITALIAN CRIME COLLECTION VOLUME 2 DVD Box Set. Not Rated.

THE KILLER IS ON THE PHONE (1972) - Stage actress Eleanor (Anne Heywood: RING OF DARKNESS - 1977/1979) arrives in Belgium via ferry and discovers that the last five years are missing from her memory. Her house is no longer where it was supposed to be (it's an abandoned lot), the love of her life, Peter Vervoort (Roger Van Hool; AS ABOVE, SO BELOW - 2014), is dead and she is married to a man named George (Giorgio Piazza; EXECUTION SQUAD - 1972), whom she doesn't recognize. To make matters worse, as soon as she steps off the ferry, she sees a mysterious man named Ranko Drasovic (Telly Savalas; VIOLENT CITY - 1970; LISA AND THE DEVIL - 1973) and passes out. All we really know about Eleanor is what Dr. Chandler (Antonio Guida; YOUNG, VIOLENT, DANGEROUS - 1976) tells her. Three years ago, while she was on stage performing in a play, she had some sort of "accident" and she was lucky that he was in the audience to treat her. Another thing we know about Eleanor is that Ranko is following her. He is a hired assassin who has a pistol hidden in a false bottom of his briefcase. Eleanor refuses to believe anything anyone is telling her, believing that they are all actors playing a nasty practical joke on her. But why? What kind of "accident" was she in and why does Ranko want to kill her?
     So begins this twisty Italian mystery. I can't call it a giallo film because we know who the killer is, but we don't know why he wants her dead and who hired him. And the more we learn about Eleanor, we discover that she may not be crazy at all, she may remember things perfectly (She is also very annoying, doing stupid things at the worst possible times. I hoped Ranko would kill her early in the film, so we wouldn't have to put up with her bullshit. But it wouldn't be much of a film, would it?). Dr. Chandler tells Eleanor's "friends", including Peter's sister Dorothy (Willeke van Ammelrooy; THE LIFT - 1983), husband George and fellow actor Thomas Braun (Osvaldo Ruggieri; WEREWOLF WOMAN - 1976), that he wants to give Eleanor a shot of sodium pentothal, truth serum, in hopes it will unlock her mind and free her subconscious, asking them if anyone is afraid of learning the truth. After giving each other dirty looks, George says of course not, give her the injection. Thomas then tries to leave the room, but Dr. Chandler stops him, saying it is best if they all stayed together. Just what in the hell is going on?
     Dr. Chandler gives Eleanor the shot and she has a flashback, showing her and Peter making love on the grounds of his mansion, but then Peter morphs into Ranko and she tries to run away, only to be grabbed by the black glove wearing Ranko and he won't let go of her. She is then tied spread-eagle in a doorway, while Ranko traces his switchblade over her body (Eleanor says, "Peter...help me...he has a knife! He wants to kill me! The knife!). Ranko then tears her clothes off and rape is implied (although we do not see the deed). We then find out from Dorothy that Peter died in a terrible car accident and Eleanor suffered a major trauma. Dr. Chandler explains that when Peter died five years ago, he was the love of Eleanor's life, so she wiped his death from her memory and by doing this, she also wiped everything else from her memory from the last five years of her life. Now, I don't know about you, but at this time I am asking myself what Eleanor was doing on a ferry all by herself and also where was she before she got on the ferry? George tells Dr. Chandler that Eleanor went to London last Thursday to appear on a TV show and she was perfectly normal then. He also phoned her while she was in London and she seemed perfectly fine. Dr. Chandler tells George that Eleanor is in a state of chronic anxiety verging on paranoia, but her fear of being murdered may also have a basis in reality. It is possible someone wants to kill her, explains Dr. Chandler to George. So what happened to Eleanor in the past five days? Enquiring minds need to know!
     Now is the time to drop a major clue: Dr. Chandler tells George that he didn't know Peter, but he treated his mother, Eleanor. He was called to treat her, before she died. George says, "It's weird...and strange to think...that if Eleanor married Peter, she would have been the second Eleanor Vervoort." Let that sink in for a couple of minutes. I'll wait...
     Okay, ready? When Dr. Chandler goes to check up on Eleanor, he discovers she is not in her room and has left the clinic. She shows up at a rehearsal of "Lady Godiva", a play she is to star in, surprising Dorothy and Thomas (who are lovers), but she acts as if nothing is wrong. Even catching sight of Ranko at the theater doesn't faze her at all. So, is losing her memory only a trick that has some unknown purpose? Peter's older sister, Margaret (Rossella Falk; BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA - 1971), who is financing the play, thinks so, telling Thomas, Dorothy and George over dinner that she thinks Eleanor is faking. Apparently not, for when Eleanor walks out of the theater, she sees a dwarf dressed as a jester and his face keeps changing from Peter to Ranko to Midget, over and over again (a well done scene).
     Yes, it turns out Eleanor is not faking it at all, remembering bits and pieces from the last five years, such as she and Thomas were having an affair behind George's back. In the film's best "gotcha!" sequence, we see Eleanor getting stabbed in the stomach by Thomas and just before she dies, she shoots Thomas in the head, only then we see it's the final act of a play they both appeared in previously. Another "gotcha" scene finds Ranko sneaking into Eleanor's dressing room and stabbing her to death with his switchblade, only to discover that he killed Eleanor's understudy instead. Just when you think you know how it's going to end (the person who hired Ranko is so obvious, even a blind man could see it), the film throws in a final twist you'll never see coming. It's nasty, but well worth staying until the end for (there is actually a double twist ending!).
     This film use to air on TV during the '70s & early-'80s under the title SCENES FROM A MURDER, but missing all the copious nudity and graphic violence. Director Alberto De Martino (THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER - 1963; STRANGE SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM - 1976; FORMULA FOR A MURDER - 1985), who co-wrote the screenplay with first-and-only-timer Lorenzo Manning, Renato Izzo (NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS - 1974), Adriano Bolzoni (De Martino's COUNSELOR AT CRIME - 1973) and Vincenzo Mannino (De Martino's MIAMI HORROR - 1985), keeps the audience guessing, which films like this are supposed to do (but the person who hired Ranko is very obvious). Like I said previously, this is not technically a giallo film, even though it contains some giallo elements, such as a black-gloved killer, lots of the killer's POV shots, seeing only the killer's shoes as he stalks his prey, lots of nudity and some graphic violence, so much so that many reference books (such as BLOOD & BLACK LACE) list this as a giallo flick, but let's not nitpick, this is still a decent mystery. If I have complaints about this film, it would be that Anne Heywood's Eleanor is an aggravating person who would get on the nerves on even the most patient viewer, as she does some very stupid things in this film. Another complaint would be is that Telly Savalas doesn't dub his own voice, which is distracting (especially in the Italian language version, which is how I viewed it), but truth be told, he doesn't have very many lines of dialogue to begin with. He is just there to look imposing (even in his underwear!). His "final curtain" death (an alternate title for this film is THE FINAL CURTAIN, so take it both figuratively and literally) is a highlight of the film, and closes the film, but hold on, that's not all! There's a final denouement from the person who hired Ranko that must be heard to be believed. Now I know why I was so confused when I first saw this film on TV. The denouement was totally excised from the film because it didn't adhere to the censor's standard and practices during the time, but nowadays it is hardly an eye-opener. Just think about that: Airing a film without its proper ending! And what Eleanor and the person who did the hiring do next defies description (but it is fitting). The late Stelvio Cipriani offers a spooky music score to go along with proceedings, so if you want to see a mystery film with more positives than negatives, by all means watch this film.
     Shat as L'ASSASSINO...E AL TELEFONO (a literal translation of the review title), this film received a U.S. theatrical release (under the SCENES title) from Cinema Shares International, missing over 8 minutes of footage. The same R-Rated print showed up on VHS from Lightning Video (only fullscreen). No legitimate disc release in the States (at the time of this review), but many gray market sellers offer it on DVD-R (Make sure you are getting the full 98-minute version and not the shortened TV edit). Amazon Prime offers the full version streaming in a very nice anamorphic widescreen print (showing off Aristide Massaccesi's [a.k.a. "Joe D'Amato"] beautiful Belgium cinematography) in Italian with English subtitles. Also featuring Alessandro Perrella (GIRL IN ROOM 2A - 1973), Ada Pometti (ESCAPE FROM WOMEN'S PRISON - 1978) and Leonardo Scavino (KEOMA - 1976).  Not Rated.

KILLER'S DELIGHT (1977) - Someone in a yellow Ford van is picking up female hitchhikers, raping them, breaking their arms and legs (until the bones protrude out of the skin) and dumping their nude corpses in and around San Francisco in this loose (very loose) adaptation of the Ted Bundy story. Police detective Vince De Carlo (James Luisi; LETHAL WOMAN - 1988) and partner Mike (Martin Speer) are assigned to the case and, as the naked bodies begin to pile-up, Vince's life begins to fall apart. Vince is married with a beautiful teenage daughter, but he also has a mistress on the side, college professor Carol (Susan Sullivan). It becomes apparent that the killer, Danny (John Karlen; HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS [1970]; DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS - 1971; TV's CAGNEY & LACEY [1982 - 1988]), is toying with Vince, first by killing Annie (Hilarie Thompson), a young woman Vince had just questioned, and dumping her body for Vince to easily find. Vince nearly captures Danny at the community swimming pool where Annie worked, but Danny escapes by nearly running Vince over with his van. Danny is also a master of disguise, sometimes pretending to be a long-haired hippy in a floppy hat and other times sporting an afro and fake moustache, which makes discovering Danny's true identity very hard for Vince. Danny then kidnaps, rapes and kills two young girls (he graphically snaps one of the girl's finger and arm, which gives him a sexual thrill) and dumps their clothes, along with a cryptic note, on Vince's front lawn, which his daughter finds. The cat-and-mouse game then begins, as Vince goes to a hypnotist to remember the license plate number of Danny's van. With that knowledge, Vince discovers where Danny lives and illegally breaks into his home to rummage around for evidence. He finds a garage door opener, but finds that strange because Danny doesn't have a garage at his home (he does have a padlocked shed, though). Vince drives down every street in San Francisco clicking the door opener until he finds the garage it belongs to (He's the luckiest SOB in the entire world!). Inside the garage, Vince discovers Danny's van (which has recently been painted green), along with a box containing his disguises and some pictures of his mother. Since Vince discovered all this evidence without a warrant, his boss gives him one week to build a case that will stick in a court of law. Unbelievably, Vince easily talks mistress Carol into helping him capture Danny in the act by pretending to be a lounge singer (!) in Danny's favorite bar, letting him pick her up. Danny is smarter than he looks and quickly sees through the charade almost immediately, which leads to a downbeat ending where both Mike and Carol end up dead by Danny's hands and Vince ends up taking the law into his own hands. So much for a fair trial!  This relatively obscure thriller, also known as THE DARK RIDE and THE SPORT KILLER (I'm still trying to figure that title out, since the closest thing to a sport here are people swimming in a pool), plays and looks just like a 70's TV movie, except with some bursts of graphic violence and nudity. The flat photography (except for a well-done aerial shot of the camera following Danny's van as it crosses the Golden Gate Bridge in the beginning of the film), acting and especially the music scream out 70's Movie Of The Week. Director Jeremy Hoenack (This is his only directorial effort, but he is a well-respected Sound Editor with over 240 films to his credit) really doesn't offer much to the audience, as Marilyn Thoma's screenplay is a bland concoction of serial killer clichés (A serial killer with mother issues? Who would of thunk it?), half-baked police procedurals (yet it takes a hypnotist to break the case wide open) and unresolved family drama. The characters are so broadly written, it's hard to give a damn what happens to them and the closing on-screen scrawl is so maddening and unnecessary (I won't give it away here), that you'll want to slap your DVD player in disgust. This is a very minor serial killer flick, so proceed at your own risk. The late George "Buck" Flower turns up in a cameo in the beginning of the film as a toothless witness named Luke (The end credits mistakenly list his name as "Pete"). Also starring Al Dunlap, Sharon DuBord, Carol Bilger, Eddie Benton and Sandy Serrano. Originally released on VHS by Media Home Entertainment (as THE DARK RIDE) and available on DVD (as KILLER'S DELIGHT, but the title on the actual print is THE SPORT KILLER) from Code Red/Shriek Show. Rated R.

THE KILLER WITH A THOUSAND EYES (1973) - When British Interpol Agent Alistair McAndrew is killed in his car (strangled by someone wearing an evil clown rubber mask, who was hiding in the back seat) after chasing a drug dealer in Lisbon, Portugal (and losing him as he escapes on a motorcycle), his colleague and friend, Interpol Investigator Michael Lawrence (Anthony Steffan; THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE - 1971), is sent to Lisbon to escort his friend's body back to London. Arriving at the Lisbon airport, Michael is greeted by Susan Merideth (Carmen Yazalde, as "Britt Nichols"; TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD - 1972), an employee at the British Embassy, to escort Michael to the Central Hospital, where other Interpol agents from around the world are waiting for him. On the drive to the hospital, Michael wastes no time hitting on Susan, asking her to be his tour guide when he has time to do a little sight-seeing. Susan wastes no time by accepting his offer. At the hospital, Michael meets all the agents, including Canadian Agent DuValliere (Julián Ugarte; ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - 1972), Venezuela Agent Olalia (Raf Baldassarre; GET MEAN - 1975) and an agent each from France, Germany and Afghanistan. Lisbon Police Inspector Albert (Antonio Pica; DJANGO KILL! [IF YOU LIVE SHOOT!] - 1967) then escorts everyone to the morgue, where they look at Agent McAndrew's body, where Michael identifies the corpse as his friend Alistair and signs some papers to release the body for burial in London. Inspector Albert is anxious to get rid of Michael, asking him when he is going to leave Lisbon. Michael says he plans on leaving tomorrow if the documents are ready, but something tells me he is not going to leave Lisbon as early as he expects.
     Michael asks the other agents what Alistair was working on, saying whatever it was, he must have gotten too close and it killed him. All he is able to get from the other agents is Alistair was working on a major drug case and Michael says, "I'm sorry I have to go back to London like an undertaker. I'd much rather stay behind and find the bastard who killed Alistair." Michael doesn't know it, but he is about to get his wish. The agents tell Michael they were all close to Alistair and none of them are going to drop the case until the killer is caught. Michael then gets a call from his Chief in London, wondering  when he is coming back. Michael tells him in about a week, saying a week is all he will need to solve Alistair's murder. What Michael doesn't know is someone in the hotel's phone operator room is listening to his conversation . Michael tells the Chief he has all of Alistair's personal effects and one name stands out in his little black address book. The last entry in the book is a female named Diana Marquess (Romy; VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES - 1973), so that is where he will start his investigation. The Chief tells Michael not to get involved, hanging up the phone after telling Michael he expects to see him in London tomorrow afternoon. Someone then slides a note under Michael's hotel room door, so he quickly runs out the door to catch the person who did it, only to meet an elderly woman who says someone robbed her of all her castor oil and fed it to her dog and he is making a "mess" everywhere he goes. Could this be a clue or it it just the ramblings of a senile old woman? Michael then opens the note, which reads, "I'm waiting at the hotel bar - A Friend" That "friend" turns out to be French Interpol Agent Jacques Danielle (Luis Gaspar; WEREWOLF SHADOW - 1970), who says, "I felt it was my duty to give you a warning. You're liable to be killed. I found out something about McAndrew's death that might interest you. You must delay your departure to London. If you do that, I will give you the name of the man who killed him." When Michael insists he tell him the name of the killer immediately, Jacques says he  will tell him tomorrow and that he will meet Michael outside the airport near the fence  at the south end of the runway. Jacques implores Michael to take him at his word and to pretend to board the airplane, as it is necessary that Inspector Albert thinks he is no longer in Lisbon (I think we all know what that means: Jacques isn't going to live long enough to give Michael the killer's name.). When Jacques leaves the bar, Michael ask the bartender for the bill, only to be told a gentleman already has paid it. When Michael ask the bartender if it was the gentleman he was just with, the bartender says no, it was a client of the hotel and he has never seen him before. The plot thickens...
     The next day, we see Alistair's coffin being loaded on the plane and Michael saying goodbye to Inspector Albert and a few of the Interpol agents, pretending to board the plane to London. As the plane takes off, Michael runs to the south end of the runway to meet Jacques and sees a blue car approaching him. Michael asks Jacques for the killer's name, but Jacques tells Michael to quickly get in the car because it is far too dangerous here. We then see a sniper gun down Jacques (Surprise!) and then try to kill Michael, but Michael jumps into the car and begins driving away (using his hands instead of his feet on the gas and brake pedals), while the sniper fires bullet after bullet into the car, which crashes into a ditch and rolls over into a river. The sniper fires one last bullet into the car, causing it to explode. Is this the end of Inspector  Michael Lawrence? Don't count on it!
     At the morgue, it is revealed that Jacques was killed by a single bullet to his heart (his body was burned nearly beyond recognition by the car explosion), but Agent Olalia tells the other agents he was sure Jacques wasn't alone when he was shot. At that exact moment Michael appears and says he was with Jacques, but he was able to jump out of the car before it rolled into the river and exploded. He tells the agents that someone wanted to get rid of Jacques and him because Jacques had the name of Alistair's killer, but he was killed before he could tell him the name. Michael also tells the agents he has an advantage over the killer. As far as the killer is concerned, Michael is dead, but what if the killer is one of the Interpol agents? Maybe Michael should have kept his fake death a secret?
     Michael takes a room in the cheap and sleazy Pensione Hotel on a tip, where the obviously gay hotel manager takes a liking to Michael ("You seem like a nice sort  and you're so...tall!"). Michael asks the manager if he knows Diana Marquess and he suddenly gets very nervous and goes to leave, but Michael stops him, saying he knows she has a room here. The manager says he threw her out of the hotel  for using her room for prostitution, telling Michael this is not a place for such illegal things (Sure!). The manager says Diana is a tramp ("I know one when I see one."). Michael shows the manager a photo of Alistair and asks if he ever saw this man with Diana. The manager says no, he would remember such a "beautiful" man if he ever saw him, since he looks like Paul Newman! The manager then asks to see the photo again, saying, yes, he saw this man in the newspaper and he is dead, almost fainting. The manager then tells Michael that Diana will be at the Casone Del' Mosambique and Michael says that their conversation is strictly between them and not to tell anyone else. When the manager leaves Michael's room, he is grabbed from behind by a man dressed in black and wearing (what else?) black gloves, threatening him with a switchblade and saying he will use it if he doesn't tell him every detail of the conversation he had with Michael.
     Michael goes to the Casone Del' Mosambique, an even sleazier hotel than he is staying in. he knocks on Diana's door  and she says it will cost thirty bucks for sex. Michael agrees and enters her room, where the photo of a man is on her mirror (it's the drug dealer Alistair was chasing) and a rubber clown mask is lying on her end table (it's the same mask the killer of Alistair was wearing). Diana makes Michael for a cop, but Michael says he will pay her double if she will answer one simple question: Does she know Alistair McAndrew? Diana begins to act nervous, telling Michael to leave her room or she will scream. Michael grabs her violently and again asks if she knew Alistair. Diana says she never met him, but her boyfriend did. Diana also says that she heard her boyfriend  and Alistair talking about money, but what the conversation was about she doesn't know. When Michael asks Diana  where he can find her boyfriend, Diana begins to cry, saying he has disappeared and she hasn't seen him for a couple of days, telling Michael that even if she had the Plague, it wouldn't stop her boyfriend from seeing her because they are madly in love. She fears that he may be dead. She also tells Michael that her boyfriend has changed recently, saying, "All he thinks about is money, money, money!" Michael tries to pay her the money he promised, but she doesn't want it, telling him to get out, so he takes the boyfriend's photo, walks out the door and says, "Thanks sweetheart." Diana goes to pack her bags and leave, but she is grabbed by the same person who threatened the manager and he says, "I like the way you handled that ad to show my gratitude, here, take it, you earned it", handing her a packet of cocaine. Diana looks at it like a junkie would look at their next overdue fix and kisses the man's hand.
     Michael returns to his hotel room, only to find it ransacked. Agent DuValliere offers Michael the use of his bachelor pad, so Michael takes him up on his offer. Michael makes himself a a fried egg sandwich (it's the only thing he knows how to cook!) and goes on the terrace to enjoy the night. Someone sneaks into the bachelor pad, but Michael manages to knock their lights out with a single punch. Michael discovers he has knocked out Mrs. Danielle (Susana Taber; GREEN INFERNO - 1972), the wife of the late Jacques Danielle. When she comes to, she tells Michael that someone is threatening her life, so she came here to get Agent DuValliere's help. Michael tells her they are both in the same boat and maybe they can help each other. Mrs. Danielle tells Michael that her husband never talked about his work and says lately their relationship wasn't what it should have been. Michael gives Mrs. Danielle the bedroom while he sleeps on the sofa. We then see the man in black walking up the fire exit with a sniper rifle, across the street from DuValliere's bachelor pad. He shoots at a shadow he sees through the curtains of the pad, killing Mrs. Danielle with a single bullet to her back. Two thugs then break down the door, but Michael gets the upper hand, knocking them both to the floor and running outside, which turns into a small footchase. Michael is saved by Agent Olalia, who pulls up in his fancy sports car, telling Michael to get in. Michael tells him he can identify the two men who kicked in the door, but Agent Olalia says they are probably already out of town and other goons will replace them, telling Michael he is in extreme danger. He also tells Michael that word on the street is three million dollars of drugs has just arrived in Lisbon and the murders of Alistair and Jacques may be tied to it. He then tells Michael that the drugs haven't left for their intended destination yet (probably the U.S.) and a rival crime organization may have gotten their hands on it, Michael asks for a name, any name, that will get him close to the shipment. Agent Olalia tells Michael that Mr. Costa (Eduardo Fajardo; EVIL EYE - 1975) might know, but he can't be trusted since he is also a notorious criminal kingpin. He's a Brazilian who has his hands in every criminal enterprise in Lisbon and if he doen't know the location of the drugs, then no one does. Agent Olalia tells Michael that Costa is throwing a party tonight and he has an invitation, giving it to Michael and wishing him good luck.
     Both Michael and Olalia visit Mr. Costa's party at his villa (The first time we see Costa, he is wearing black gloves while he is handling a huge hawk!) and Michael discovers he is a collector of rare species of birds. Michael pretends he is "Professor Lawrence", a professor of mathematics (!), which Mr. Costa knows is a lie. The party turns out to be a cockfight (!) for the rich clients, where Costa's girlfriend, Sarah (Maria Kosti; DEMON WITCH CHILD), bets on the losing bird and loses big (she's enjoying herself a little too much, as she loves the bloody carnage). At the party, Agent DuValliere tells Michael he is onto something very important and he needs to see him later in the garden by the zoo (Another giallo trope. It amazes me that no one tells anyone the important information without getting killed before spilling the beans!). Michael and Mr. Costa play a game of Chess and he tells Michael he knows he is not a professor of mathematics, he's actually a British undercover agent (a blind man could have seen through that disguise!). Michael fesses up and tells Costa he wants to talk about the drug shipment, but before Costa can say anything, Sarah appears and tells Costa to drive her home. Michael then tells Costa that they will "play another game of Chess" tomorrow. Michael then goes to meet Agent DuValliere in the garden, but we see someone murdering DuValliere by snaring him in a rope trap and gutting him while he hangs upside down. When Michael enters the garden, he is attacked by the same two thugs earlier in the day, forcing Michael to jump in the pond when Sarah joins the two thugs and begin shooting at him.
     The next day, Michael goes to Agent Olalia's house and sees him with Sarah. When Sarah leaves, Olalia tells Michael that Sarah owns a beauty parlor, swearing to Michael that Sarah is clean of any criminal activity. Michael doesn't believe it, so he kidnaps Sarah from her beauty parlor and brings her to a seaside park, where a little boy hands Michael a note and runs away. The note reads, "Call me 76 0667. Will inform you about drug shipment and assassination." The note is unsigned, but the bigger question remains this: Who would know Michael was bringing Sarah to the park? Michael tells Sarah to stay put while he looks for the little boy. While Michael is looking for the kid, the man in black tosses Sarah off the park's steep cliffs and she falls on the rock below, dead as a doornail (What the fuck is a doornail and why did I mention it?). Okay, I think you know what time it is. It's time to read this review again to discover the identity of the killer. All the clues are here, so it is time to discover how smart ypu are. Do you have what it takes to unmask the killer? I know you do, so to help you, I'll tell you this: After finding Sarah dead, the two thugs get into a car chase with Michael, firing their guns at him while driving across a bridge. Michael finds a machinegun on the backseat of the car he has stolen and shoots a tire out on the thug's car, causing the car to veer off the bridge and explode on the ground below. Inspector Albert arrests Michael for the murder of Sarah and the two thugs, but lets him escape when the car stops at a red light (Michael also steals his gun). Michael is able to get a trace on the phone number on the note and goes to the location, only to end up in a car, with a voice telling him, via police radio, to drive into the back of a panel truck if he wants to know the truth.  Michael becomes trapped inside the back of the moving  panel truck. When the truck arrives at its destination (a warehouse), Michael comes face-to-face with the guilty party(s), resulting in a shoot-out where Michael captures the mastermind and makes him take him to the location of the drugs. That's all I'm going to tell you, so all you giallo/mystery fans put on your thinking caps and start deducing!
     Warts and all, this is a damn fine giallo film, an Italy/Spain co-production, from director Juan Bosch, who also gave us the minor giallo flick THE KILLER WORE GLOVES (1974) and the Paul Naschy-starrer EXORCISM (1975), as well as a few Spaghetti Westerns from the early-'70s, such as AND THE CROWS WILL DIG YOUR GRAVE (1971) and MY HORSE, MY GUN, YOUR WIDOW (1972).  The screenplay, co-written by Bosch (who also co-wrote  the screenplay to the hard-to-find BLOODY SECT - 1982), Alberto De Stefanis (Unit Manager on SABATA - 1969), Ángel G. Gauna (Assistant Director on THE KILLER OF DOLLS - 1975) and star Anthony Steffen (using his real name "Antonio De Teffè") is really involving, even if it is fairly easy  to spot the killer's identity, tossing in explosions, bloody bullet hits, car chases and other carnage. There's also plenty of female eye candy to keep you watching, even though Britt Nicols' role as Susan Merideth ends rather quickly, as we were expecting her to be a love interest for Michael, but it turns out to be nothing but a cameo. Still, this film offers enough bloody excitement to keep the viewer involved and it won't disappoint giallo fanatics, such as myself. It may not be top-tier giallo, but it is still good nonetheless.
     Shot as LOS MIL OJOS DELL ASESINO (a literal translation of the review title), this film never obtained a theatrical release in the United States, but did get a VHS release by Mogul Communications under the title ON THE EDGE. There are no legitimate DVD or Blu-Ray releases of this title in the U.S., but gray market company Rogue Video offers this on DVD-R.  It is available streaming on Amazon Prime in a widescreen print dubbed in English (which is how I viewed it). It is also available streaming on YouTube on channel "Eurocrime Realm", but be aware that it is a fullscreen VHS rip from a Greek tape with Greek subtitles. Hey, if you aren't a member of Prime and don't want to purchase the DVD-R (some people are "purists' and believe that DVD-R is inferior to DVD, but that is nothing but a bunch of bullshit!), beggars can't be choosers, can they? Also featuring Víctor Vilanova (SEVEN MURDERS FOR SCOTLAND YARD - 1971), Ángel Lombarte (THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE - 1972), John Bartha (EYEBALL - 1975) and Alfonso de la Vega (THE VAMPIRES NIGHT ORGY - 1972). Not Rated.

KNIFE OF ICE (1972) - "Fear is a knife of ice wich (sic) penetrates the senses down to the depths of conscience." - Edgar Allan Poe This is my least favorite of director Umberto Lenzi's giallo films, which includes PARANOIA (1969), A QUIET PLACE TO KILL (1970), OASIS OF FEAR (1971), SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS (1972), SPASMO (1974) and EYEBALL (1975), just to name a few. It is my least favorite for many reasons, the main one being that the killer is so obvious, you would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to know who it is (and even if you are all three, you probably could still pick the killer out!). Lenzi also tries to get the audience to believe that the supernatural is somehow involved in the plot, but when the final denouement is revealed, you'll groan louder than a man who was just kicked directly in the balls. With that being said, this film is still somewhat enjoyable despite itself, thanks to a cast of capable actors well versed in giallo theatrics. So let's get to the film itself.
     After watching a bloody bullfight (where the bull is repeatedly stabbed in the back with spears by a bullfighter and it dies), Martha Caldwell (Carroll Baker; BABA YAGA - 1973) goes to a train station, which is odd, since fifteen years earlier she saw her father and mother killed in a train disaster, which not only made her deathly afraid of trains, it also struck her dumb and she hasn't spoken a word since then. Martha then calls her physician, Dr. Laurent (Alan Scott), and taps on the receiver with a coin to communicate, letting him know she is at a train station. Dr. Laurent is delighted, telling Martha she is indeed getting better. Martha is at the train station with her driver Marcos (Eduardo Fajardo; EVIL EYE - 1975) to pick up her cousin Jenny Ascot (Evelyn Stewart; THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY - 1971), a popular singer with the voice of an angel, who has just come back from a concert in Brazil. Marcos is a strange imposing man, who drives the pair in the thick fog while wearing sunglasses. He stops the car next to a fog-shrouded cemetery, telling the pair that the engine is overheating and if he keeps driving, the engine will explode (!). He gets out of the car to find some help and a few seconds later, someone peeps in the window, scaring the crap out of Martha and Jenny. A few moments later, Marcos gets back in the car, saying he couldn't find anyone to help him. Jenny asks him to take off his sunglasses, which he does, revealing a huge scar under his left eye. He puts his sunglasses back on and drives the car away, saying to the pair, "The fog can play tricks with the imagination."
     When they get home (apparently the car didn't overheat again), the housekeeper, Mrs. Annie Britton (Silvia Monelli; HOLY WATER JOE - 1971), introduces herself to Jenny and Martha and Jenny's Uncle Ralph (George Rigaud; ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - 1972), who has a heart condition, is delighted to see Jenny, saying, "Here we are all together. Just the way it use to be!" Jenny has brought Uncle Ralph a present from Brazil, an assortment of books on his favorite subjects, zombies, voodoo, demons and Afro-Cuban witches (Jenny says, "There's enough here to rob you of a month's sleep!). Jenny has also brought Martha a gift: a reel-to-reel tape recording of Martha reciting the Alice In Wonderland "Mouse's Tale" when she was thirteen years old. Jenny listens to it for a few seconds and then turns it off, a look of panic on her face.
     At a welcome home party for Jenny, we learn that Martha was on the train that killed her parents and her father threw Martha out of the compartment window just before the disaster happened, saving her life but striking her dumb. Dr. Laurent arrives at the party and congratulates Martha on taking an important first step on her road to recovery. Uncle Ralph introduces the doctor to Jenny (they apparently have never met before) and suddenly the lights go out. Martha then has a flashback to when she saw her parents perish, but it turns out Mrs. Britton turned the lights out to celebrate the birthday of young girl Christina (Rosa M. Rodriguez; THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE - 1972). She is the niece of local priest Father Martin (Jose Marco; DR. JECKYL AND THE WOLFMAN - 1971), telling Jenny that the girl's parents moved back to America and made him her guardian, but he thanks the Lord for Martha, because she spends a lot of time with Christina ("I really couldn't cope without her" says Father Martin about Martha). Somehow, a Snoopy key chain plays an important part in Christina and Martha's relationship, as Martha is supposed to always keep it with her, no matter where she goes (We also see a Donald Duck wind-up toy, the same kind we saw in Lucio Fulci's DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING [1972], but in that film it served a purpose. Not so much here.).
     When everyone goes home from the party, Jenny is in her bedroom when she hears the sound of glass breaking. She leaves her room to investigate and finds a broken vase on the main floor. She hears more noises in the garage and when she gets there, someone wearing black gloves (what else?) and holding a large knife kills Jenny. The next morning, Mrs. Britton asks Martha if she has seen Jenny, as she knocked on her bedroom door but there was no answer. Martha signs, telling Mrs. Britton that Jenny is probably tired from her trip, but we can see Jenny is dead under the car in the garage, which Marcos has just unlocked. Christina's new kitten runs into the garage and under the car, stepping in a pool of Jenny's blood. When Martha finds blood on the kitten's paws, she knows something is wrong. She finds Jenny's body in the garage and tries to scream, but the silence is deafening. Martha uses the car's horn to alert everyone and we then see police Inspector Duran (Franco Fantasia; Lenzi's GANG WAR IN MILAN - 1973) at the house questioning everyone inside, including the guests from the party the night before. Marcos tells the Inspector that he doesn't know what time he parked the car in the garage, but it was late and he immediately went to sleep in the servant's quarters downstairs. He also tells the Inspector that he locked the garage door so no one outside could get in, as only he has the key (implying that someone inside the house killed Jenny). Marcos also says that he saw Dr. Laurent's car parked outside next to the garage in the middle of the night. Dr. Laurent explains that he left his medical bag in the house after the party, but when he came back to the house to retrieve it, all the lights in the house were out, so he drove home. The Inspector says his medical bag should still be in the house and sends his assistant with the doctor to find it. When Dr. Laurent leaves the room, Marcos tells the Inspector that all the lights in the house weren't out, the lights in Mrs. Britton's room were still on and he saw Dr. Laurent looking directly at her window, implying that the doctor and Mrs. Britton are having an affair. It seems Mrs. Britton and the doctor are having regular nocturnal visits, which Mrs. Britton flatly denies. It turns out Dr. Laurent was telling the truth, the Inspector's assistant telling him that the doctor's medical bag was where he said he left it. The Inspector then tells the group that Jenny's death was apparently the work of a "sex maniac", because last night another young woman was murdered and her body was thrown in a ditch.
     At Jenny's funeral, Martha sees someone peeping at her from behind a bush, the same person she and Jenny saw peeping at them through their car window by the cemetery. She alerts the Inspector and he goes to investigate, but all he finds is a strange medallion with the image of a satanic goat's head engraved on one side. The Inspector fears for Martha's life since the other two women were young and fair-haired, just like Martha. Uncle Ralph takes a look at the medallion and says that whoever owned it is obviously a Devil worshipper ("Sometimes evil explodes in unrestrained manifestations." Huh???). As Uncle Ralph is saying this, Martha looks out the window and sees that Christina's kitten is lying dead on the front lawn, its throat cut.
     Jenny's luggage from her trip back from Brazil arrives at the train station and when Martha checks the contents, she finds a framed photo of her and Jenny when she was a pre-teen. It triggers a memory (flashback) when she and Jenny were at a bullfight (the one we saw at the beginning of the film). Martha wanted to leave, but Jenny looks like she is enjoying the bloody show, maybe a little too much. This seems to bother Martha in the present, as she runs out of the train station into the foggy streets (it seems to be foggy all the time!) and ends up in a church, where Christina is sitting alone, telling Martha that her kitten has run away. Dr. Laurent enters the church, telling Martha something the Inspector said didn't seem right to him. The doctor then implies that someone inside the house is the killer.
     The Inspector finds an abandoned building where it looks like a Black Mass was held, as the walls are painted with satanic symbols (including a goat's head) and there looks to be an altar. He calls Uncle Ralph to come to the building for his expertise on the subject. Ralph finds a black wafer and says that a Black Mass was held there, but only one person was there to perform it. The Inspector tells Ralph to keep a close eye on Martha because he thinks she is in danger. So who is the sex maniac? Could it be loner Woody Mason (Mario Pardo), the man who has been peeping on Martha and admits he's a Devil worshipper ("Worshipping the Devil is not a crime!")? Could it be the Mayor (Consalvo Dell'Arti; KILLERS ARE CHALLENGED - 1966)? Or Dr. Laurent? How about Uncle Ralph (he is an expert on Black masses after all)? Or could it be Father Martin (a life of celibacy does have its drawbacks)? Is it Marcos? It's highly obvious that all these people are nothing but red herrings (Lenzi has the habit of doing extreme close-ups and camera zooms of their faces to make them look guilty). So who could it be?
     Mrs. Britton is then murdered, the only clue at the crime scene is a satanic goat's head painted on a tree with Mrs. Britton's blood. At Mrs. Britton's funeral, Marcos begins to act weird, which doesn't go unnoticed by the Inspector. Dr. Laurent thinks it is best if he and Martha leave town as soon as possible, but he has to delay the trip by a day because he has to treat a patient. That night, Dr. Laurent is attacked by Woody Mason, but before he can do any harm to the doctor, the police show up, scaring Woody away. Uncle Ralph starts having chest pains, so Martha decides to stay to nurse him back to health. And then Christina is murdered. Think you know who the sex maniac is? I have given you all the clues you need to figure it out on your own.  Hint: It's not Uncle Ralph. His heart gives out (Or did it? Hmmmm...). The denouement in the film is bound to make you throw your remote at the TV screen, so be prepared for a moment of extreme disappointment. It's not a surprise, but you'll be madder than a sex maniac for staying with the film until the end, as it wasted 88 minutes of your time.
     As you can read, this is a less-than-satisfying giallo film from director Umberto Lenzi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Luis G. de Blain (screenwriter of the excellent giallo Spaghetti Western KILL THE POKER PLAYER - 1972). He has definitely done better in this genre (as I mentioned in the beginning of this review), as this isn't much of a mystery at all, a child could figure it out (Maybe I have just seen too many giallo films, but is that even possible? I think not.). If it weren't for the good, silent performance by Carroll Baker, an old hand at the giallo genre, appearing THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH (1968), SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE (1969), THE FOURTH VICTIM (1971) and THE FLOWER WITH THE DEADLY STING (1973) as well as some of Lenzi's films previously mentioned in this review, this would have been an insufferable 88 minutes. Light on both nudity and graphic violence, two things we depend on in this genre, this film paints every male member, with the exception of Inspector Duran, as the sex maniac, but it is obvious to the viewer that they are all red herrings. Making Woody a Devil worshipper goes nowhere and even when Christina is killed (by an overdose of heroin!), we can see that Lenzi is throwing everything he can at the screen to see what sticks and none of it does. The plot is drier than a burnt piece of toast and the lack of exploitable elements would try the patience of a saint. I have certainly seen worse giallo films, but I expected more from Lenzi, especially since most of his films from this period are so entertaining. Not so with this film. Oh well, not everyone can be on their game 100% of the time. Just go in knowing that you are going to be disappointed with the ending and you may have a good time here. No guarantees, though.
    Shot as IL COLTELLO DI GHIACCIO ("The Ice Knife") and also known as THE DAGGER OF ICE, THE ICE PICK and SILENT HORROR, this film had neither a theatrical or legitimate VHS release in the United States, making its first appearance on these shores as a DVD from Wham! USA (long OOP). There have been no updated discs since then. I saw a rather nice widescreen print on YouTube, dubbed in English. Also featuring Dada Gallotti (GIRL IN ROOM 2A - 1973), Luca Sportelli (THE MAD BUTCHER - 1972), Olga Gherardi and prolific cameo queen Carla Mancini (DEATH SMILES ON A MURDERER - 1973) as a bookshop clerk. Not Rated, but there's nothing in this film that I would call explicit, which is a major downer. UPDATE: Now available on Blu-Ray as part of Severin Films' 4-movie, 4-disc LENZI/BAKER GIALLO COLLECTION BOX SET. Grab this as soon as you can because it is sure to sell out fast!

LABORATORY OF THE DEVIL (1992) - This gory and repugnant sequel to the infamous MEN BEHIND THE SUN is now available uncut and letterboxed on legitimate video. That’s the good news. The bad news is that all this film contains is scene after scene of extreme, brutal torture with barely a smidgen of plot. During the waning days of World War II, the Japanese run an experimental camp called Unit 731, where they use captured Chinese, Korean and Mongolian prisoners of war for sadistic experiments to further the cause of Japanese supremecy. Prisoners are hacked-up, injected with deadly viruses, operated on while still alive and subjected to every perversity imaginable. One female prisoner has her hands frozen with liquid nitrogen and has the skin stripped away exposing the skeleton (a very well-done, if repellent, effect). That’s just the tip of the iceberg (excuse the pun) as much worse is on display here. It all plays like an ILSA film without the pubic hair and with much better effects. If watching people getting their bodies tortured and maimed is your cup of tea (I know you’re out there, you sick sons of  bitches), you’ll probably squeal with glee at this one. It just turned my stomach. Starring Wang Gang (snicker), Zhu Decheng, Andrew Yu and Hsu Gou. Directed by Godfrey Ho (this is a huge departure from all his cut-and-paste ninja films of the 80's, such as NINJA TERMINATOR - 1986). Also known as MEN BEHIND THE SUN 2 and followed by MEN BEHIND THE SUN 3 (1994), also directed by Ho. From Dead Alive Home Video. Dubbed into English and Not Rated for obvious reasons.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE BEACH (1978) - This Italian LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) clone heaps on the sleaze, but offers very little else. Three bank robbers, Aldo (Ray Lovelock), Walter (Flavio Andreini) and Nino (Stefano Cedrati), look for a place to hide out when their car conks out after pulling their latest job. They come upon the secluded titled house and burst in, taking Sister Cristina (Florinda Bolkan) and her five young female charges prisoner (As the trio break through the door and make their entrance, Sister Cristina says, "What is this?" To which Nino replies, "This is a gun and it shoots bullets."). Walter kills the maid with a steam iron for no reason (he's a sadist) and Nino gets stabbed in the leg with a comb when he tries to rape one of the girls in the bathroom. Walter makes all the girls put on their bathing suits and they go to the beach. When one of the girls tries to flag down a passing boat, Walter threatens to push another girl's face into a board full of protruding nails. A short time later, Walter rips off all of Sister Cristina's clothes and makes her do a reverse striptease, forcing her to put on her nun's clothing while dancing to music. Walter and Aldo then rape her in the kitchen. After forcing the girls to watch some strange porno film on TV (a naked white chick dancing around a fully dressed black man), Walter (who, for some reason, is wearing women's makeup on his face) and Nino rape a girl in the living room while Aldo makes Sister Cristina watch (He says to her, "Listen, she's better off losing her cherry than being a dead virgin."). When a mailman delivers a telegram to Sister Cristina, she slips him a "Help Us" note in his tip. Sister Cristina agrees to tend to Nino's infected leg after Aldo agrees to keep his friends off the girls (a promise he doesn't intend to keep). Aldo tells one of the girls that he is not violent and was only the getaway driver, but a flashback proves the opposite. When one of the girls escapes to get help (and discovers the mailman's dead body, his throat cut from ear-to-ear), Aldo gives chase and catches her at the beach trying to swim away. Aldo brings her back to the house and Nino does something undescribable, killing her. Sister Cristina sees her bloody body and says enough's enough. It's "an eye for an eye" time. She gives Nino a hot shot, pumps three bullets into Walter's head (with Nino's gun) and plays a short game of cat-and-mouse with Aldo. He tries to sweet-talk his way out, but the girls gang-up on him, beating him to death with garden tools (after he takes a shotgun blast to the gut), while Sister Cristina watches in horror. Which just proves: Turning the other cheek will just get you raped and beaten. The only true redemption is to act just as bad as your aggressors. Similar in tone to NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS (1974) and THE HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK (1979), BEACH, directed by Francesco "Franco" Prosperi (RIPPED OFF - 1972; GUNAN, KING OF THE BARBARIANS - 1982), is nothing but a series of physical and mental debasements committed against the women until a breaking point is reached and revenge is taken. I don't know about you, but a little rape goes a long way and this film just seems to wallow in it. There's plenty of nudity present, but none of it is the least bit titillating, because most of the time one type of violence or another is being performed against the women when they are naked. This ultra-misongynistic film has the three men continuously threatening women with guns, punching and kicking them, ripping off their clothes and forcing sex upon them. The nadir comes when Walter rips-off one girl's panties, shoves his fingers between her legs and then declares that she is a virgin. Nino then takes his homemade cane (it's nothing but a big tree branch) and thrusts it up her vagina. This is not entertainment to me, it's filmed torture. It makes no difference if the men get their comeuppance in the end, it's still 85 minutes of female depravity followed by a few final minutes of the men getting what they deserve. I've never been a fan of films of this type (I'm not crazy about LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT or I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978), either). I derive no pleasure in watching women repeatedly being abused, no matter what the outcome is. Much like what's happening on-screen, this film was sheer torture for me to sit through. Fans of the Rape/Revenge genre will probably disagree. Ray Lovelock (who sings in this) has appeared in much better films, including ALMOST HUMAN and LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (both 1974). He passed away in 2017. Florinda Bolkan was, of course, FLAVIA THE HERETIC (1974). Also starring Sherry Buchanan, Laura Tanziani, Karine Verlier, Annalisa Pesce and Laura Trotter (CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD - 1980). Also known as TERROR. Released on Japanese DVD by Media Suits. Also available on a deluxe two disc edition by Sazuma Productions (Region 2 PAL, there is a hidden English language track that can only be accessed by the Audio button on your DVD player's remote control). The second disc is a soundtrack CD that contains Lovelock's song ("Place For The Landing"). Not Rated.

THE LOVE THRILL MURDERS (1971) - Troy Donahue (in a role he would rather forget) portrays Moon, the leader of a religious sect who preaches a steady diet of sex and drugs, in this very loose adaptation of the Manson massacre. After endless scenes of doing drugs, wild orgies and warped interpretations of the Bible, Moon and his followers graduate to the big time. They score some guns and knives and go on a murder spree (triggered by Moon's nightmares of being abused as a child by his father), killing a group of people having a (what else?) drug and sex party. They stab a starlet after Moon makes her suck on the barrel of a revolver. A lesbian is stuck in the stomach with a meat fork. A flaming homosexual is carved up with a dagger. A movie director has his throat cut. Finally, a pregnant actress is stabbed repeatedly in a swimming pool. Unlike Manson and his followers, Moon and his disciples get away with their crimes. In true antiestablishment fashion, Moon gives the middle finger to the American flag to close the show. Originally titled SWEET SAVIOUR, this film is so saturated in drug use I was getting high off the fumes. Most of the actors (excluding Donahue) are nude through the majority of the film, having pretty graphic simulated sex for a film made in the early 70's. There's also some 70's fashion and dialog to keep you amused up until the gory (but phony looking) finale. Director Bob Roberts (PATTY - 1975) must have had a good time making this film. With all the drug use permeating this film, he probably doesn't remember making it today. If viewed as a counterculture artifact, this film will keep you amused. If you view this film in hope of finding some social redeeming value, you'll be disappointed. Also known as FRENETIC PARTY. Also starring Francine Middleton, Matt Greene, Talie Cochrane and Lee Terri. A Troma Team Video Release, originally released on VHS by Vestron Video. Rated R.

MADNESS (1994) - This late-in-the-game giallo flick, a mash-up of Dario Argento's TENEBRE (1982) and Umberto Lenzi's EYEBALL (1975), was directed by Bruno Mattei (as "Herik Montgomery"), a man who never saw a bandwagon he thought didn't needed copying, giving us the PREDATOR (1987)/ROBOCOP (1987) rip-off ROBOWAR (1988), the TERMINATOR (1984)/ALIENS (1986) clone SHOCKING DARK (1989) and the JAWS (1975) copy CRUEL JAWS (1994). Even though this film was made with very little money and contains acting that can politely be described as amateurish, it is still highly watchable for reasons I can't put my finger on. It's got gory effects, most of them dealing with eye removal, but we all know that gory effects do not make a good film. It could be because the film has a distinct '80s look and feel to it, its downright nasty tone or the ridiculous costume the killer wears, but I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.
     The plot deals with a female fumetti (comic book) artist named Giovanna Dei (Monica Carpanese, as "Carol Farres"), who writes and  illustrates the violent comic book "Doctor Dark". Someone is copying Doctor Dark's killings directly from the pages of the comic book, as if Doctor Dark (who I will refer to as "DD" in the rest of the review) has come to life.
     The film opens at a go-cart racetrack, where a group of people are watching the races. A babysitter then notices that her charge, young girl Irma, is missing, so she goes looking for her. She finds Irma's toy raygun on the floor of a garage, but when she picks it up, she is assaulted by someone dressed as DD. The killer pulls out a two-pronged weapon and uses it to remove the babysitter's eyes (shown in extreme close-up). DD then breaks a bottle and shoves two shards of glass into the babysitter's empty eye sockets and poses her body for all to see.
     We then see Giovanna at a press conference, explaining to the audience that the fictional DD is a character with a split personality. By day he is a professor of Pagan religion and by night he is a bloodthirsty serial killer. She then says that the theme of split personalities dates back to the time of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and that her comic book follows that line. A female member of the audience stands up and asks Giovanna how she replies to accusations that her comic book has a negative effect on its readers (Does this sound familiar?). Giovanna says that kids really like DD and it sells very well (Not the best answer to give a room full of reporters!). She also says that those who accuse it of unnecessary violence forget that the real violence is dealt out to us every day on TV (Okay, now she's being insulting to her audience, passing the blame to television). A male reporter in the audience, Lorenzo Calligari (Fausto Lombardi; TERROR EXPRESS - 1979), stands up and says to Giovanna that there's a maniac out there killing babysitters using the same methods described in her comic book. He says DD is not only a negative influence, but her comic book is dangerous. Giovanna slaps her hands on the table and says it has not been proven that the murders emulate her comic book and it's nothing but a case of "Press hype". Lorenzo says her comic book emulates the fantasies of certain sick individuals and the audience applauds loudly. Nico Vannelli (Gabriele Gori; THE BRONX EXECUTIONER - 1989), a co-writer of the comic book who is sitting next to Giovanna, stands up and defends Giovanna, telling the audience that sick individuals existed long before he and Giovanna created DD. Lorenzo says if it were up to him, he would burn all this "violent sub-cultural trash" and the audience roars in agreement (If a real-life reporter ever said this in a Press conference, he would lose his job and not be able to find a new one. At least that is how it use to be before 2016, but that will be my only political statement!). Another man sitting on the opposite side of Giovanna, Marzio Mannino (Achille Brugnini, as "Anthony Berner"; THE ARK OF THE SUN GOD - 1983), tells the audience to please quiet down. He is the publisher of DD and he called this Press conference to discuss the crimes. He tells the audience that he is deeply saddened and hopes the killer is caught as soon as possible, but he has no plans of discontinuing DD and it will continue to be published on its normal schedule. He warns the audience not to be too hasty incriminating the mass media or we all run the risk of "moral lynching." (Something that has become so popular in our society today, it scares me). After the Press conference is over, Marzio asks secretary Amy (Emy Valentino; PHANTOM OF DEATH - 1987) to arrange a meeting with Lorenzo Calligari, because he wants to get him on "our side". Amy says it won't be easy because he is the type of person who can turn the Press against them, but Marzio doesn't listen, kissing Amy on the forehead, telling her that her perfume is driving him crazy and that he needs to see her tonight, but Amy tells him she's busy tonight and every other night. Even though everyone in the audience cheered Lorenzo, there is a line of people waiting for Giovanna to sign their copies of DD! One such person is Amedeo Callistrati (Antonio Zequila; VIOLENT SHIT: THE MOVIE - 2015), who tells Giovanna that the signed copy is not for him, it's for his fifteen-year-old nephew, who loves the comic book. He tells Giovanna that he wants to have a word with her, but she tells him the conference is over. He then shows her his badge, revealing that he is a police detective and Giovanna says to him sarcastically, "Did you come to arrest me or did you come for the murderer's address?" He says he just wants to ask her a couple of questions about "her" DD and she says, "If they killed someone with an electric drill do you take it out on Black & Decker?" (Totally ripping off Anthony Franciosa's "Smith & Wesson" remark in TENEBRE!). Detective Calligari looks at Giovanna, not amused, and tells her she will be hearing from him shortly. We have met all the major players in this film, except for one, and any one of them could be the killer, but the question still remains: Why does DD only kill babysitters? Was it a childhood trauma or another more recent reason?
     Nico wants DD to die because he heard a rumor that Marzio is going to discontinue the comic book, but Giovanna says no way, it is her baby and she is not going to kill him off. When Giovanna gets back to her office, there is a message on her answering machine from Marzio, telling her the Press conference was great publicity, so hurry up and finish her illustrations for the next issue, because he wants to publish it while the iron is hot. The next message on her machine is from the killer, who makes nonsensical remarks about eyes and then hangs up. Giovanna thinks it is Nico playing a trick on her, that is until she goes to get something to eat and finds two human eyeballs pinned to one of her illustrations. They are the eyes belonging to the babysitter at the racetrack, the cadaver of whom Detective Callistrati is examining at the morgue with the coroner. The Detective looks at the eyeless body and says, "Oh, my God!", turning his head away. The coroner says he thought the detective would be use to seeing such things, Callistrati telling him, "In the movies, doctor, that happens only in the movies." The coroner notices that the babysitter's body is missing a pinky finger on her left hand, but it is not a recent wound, rather something that happened a long time ago. The coroner also discovers that after the killer removed the babysitter's eyes, the DD copycat then shoved a stiletto up her nose and into her brain, just like the ancient Egyptians once did before they mummified bodies. Detective Callistrati pulls Giovanna and Nico into his office, telling them that it is no longer a case of "Press hype" because DD did the same exact thing to his victim in the latest issue. The comic even goes as far to show the victim missing a pinky finger on her left hand and it's too unusual and brutal to call it a coincidence. He tells Giovanna that she has to cooperate now; the killer may have sent her the eyes of the latest victim because he/she wants to make contact directly with her. Maybe the killer is a fan, Detective Callistrati asking Giovanna if she can remember anyone she came in contact with at a book signing that struck her as odd; even the most insignificant of things could break the case. Giovanna says no, she can't think of anyone, but last night there was a car parked in front of her building and she got the feeling that someone was spying on her. She did not see what kind of car it was or write down the plates because it was dark, telling the Detective it looked like a van. Nico interrupts and says the best thing for Giovanna is to get away for a while, saying that it is not safe for her to be around and he can give the detective all the information he needs. Detective Callistrati says that's a terrible idea, it was Giovanna who created DD, therefore she and Nico are on call, telling them that's all for now.
     Giovanna goes back to her office and the doorbell rings. Thinking that it is Amy, she yells out that the door is open and to come in, only it isn't Amy, it's Lorenzo. He is holding a bouquet of flowers, which he gives to Giovanna, and he apologizes for his behavior at the Press conference, saying, "That's just the way I am when I get really enthusiastic about something." Even though he detests her comic book. He's really fascinated with the symbolism of the comic, describing DD as "the obscure side of the human being." Giovanna asks him how he knew where she lived and he tells her Marzio told him. He wants to interview her and she says no, she is going away for a while. Amy appears and, against Detective Callistrati's orders, takes Giovanna to a country villa in the middle of nowhere. A perfect place for DD to stalk her, as we see someone in a van watching Giovanna entering her new getaway.
     DD is too busy at the moment, as we see the copycat kill a young babysitter in the same town as Giovanna's country villa, as DD injects her in the neck with something. We don't see DD kill the young girl, but Giovanna gets another phone call from the killer letting her know he/she knows where she lives. It turns out DD was in her country villa, leaving the latest victim's eyes in a dish for Giovanna to find. Right after she finds the eyes, Giovanna sees DD in the house, so she runs into the bedroom and locks the door. Nico shows up and gets into a fight with DD and when it looks like Nico will be stabbed in the chest with a knife, a shot rings out and DD falls to the ground. It was Detective Callistrati who fired the shot and he pulls the mask off DD, revealing it to be Lorenzo Calligari, who says, "I loved them all! They were all so beautiful. They're all mine!" (in some of the worst acting you'll ever lay eyes or ears on!). The Detective and his partner search Lorenzo's home (Why do they kick down the door down with weapons drawn when Lorenzo is already in custody?) and find a hidden room containing a doll that looks like it was charred in a fire. When the Detective picks the doll up, it begins to talk gibberish and he looks at his partner like they just found an important clue (Maybe they heard something I didn't?). Detective Calligari goes on TV and says this about Lorenzo Calligari: "We could be dealing with a crank and not a killer." (Maybe that doll did tell him something!).
     After getting drunk on champagne while celebrating on Marzio's yacht, Giovanna meets Nico's friend, Massimo (Carlo Granchi, as "Carl Graham"), the yacht's skipper, and she and Nico go back to the country villa to make love. Giovanna has a nightmare that DD kills her in bed and she wakes up screaming (Whoops! I was wrong. This is the worst acting you will ever see!). Nico tries to comfort her and gets up to get her some warm milk, but he finds something written on a Post-It note that gets his attention. Detective Callistrati reads Lorenzo's statement and sees something that catches his eye. Marzio calls Giovanna and all he gets is her answering machine, but why does he have DD's two-pronged weapon on his desk? Detective Callistrati goes to talk to Lorenzo, only to discover from his doctor that Lorenzo is in a state of deep catatonia, something he will never recover from, his condition being irreversible. He then talks to Giovanna, telling her that he thinks Lorenzo wasn't DD, he's only a crank. Nico sets up Giovanna with a new temporary home, a place Massimo owns and rents out. Marzio phones Amy and tells her to stay in the office because they are going to pull an all-nighter and he'll be right there. A short time later, Amy hears the front door open, only it's not Marzio, it's DD. Amy pulls the mask off DD and gives a surprised look (we don't see who it is). DD gives Amy a heroin hotshot and makes it look like she is DD; typing a confession letter and making it seem like she committed suicide (Amy is such a tiny woman, you would have to be braindead to believe she is DD!).
     By this time, it's not too hard to figure out who is really Doctor Dark. At this point in the film, it's so obvious, it's ridiculous. It's not so much of a whodunit, but a whyhe/shedidit. Monica Carpanese is such a bad actress (especially during her frequent crying and screaming jags), it's hard to care whether she lives or dies. Even when she's nude and making love to Nico, she's a terrible actress! It also doesn't help that the English dubbing is especially rote, as the dubbers talk in halting, monotone sentences, even when Giovanna has one of her crying jags. And let's talk about Doctor Dark's look for a moment. He is dressed all in black, complete with a black fedora, but it's the mask that's highly unusual. Instead of zipping up in the back, it has a long zipper in the front, going straight up the middle of the face of the person wearing it! It not only looks uncomfortable, but it must be extremely painful should anyone pull it off his or her face, which happens twice in this film. But somehow, all these negative aspects gel together and makes for an entertaining 83 minutes. The generic slasher screenplay, by Lorenzo De Luca (JONATHAN OF THE BEARS - 1994), steals directly from the films I mentioned in the beginning of this review, as well as many others, and we should be insulted, but for reason I still can't explain, it didn't bother me in the least. Bruno Mattei was one of the very few Italian genre film directors that worked constantly throughout the '80s, '90s & the New Millennium, right up to his death in 2007, giving us such "classic" films as HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980), VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON (1982), RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR (1983), SCALPS (1987), STRIKE COMMANDO (1987) and his classic sleaze epic THE JAIL: THE WOMEN'S HELL (2006). There will never be anyone like him again.
     Shot as OCCHI SENZA VOLTO ("Eyes Without A Face"), this film didn't receive a theatrical or Home video release in any format in the United States. It can be found streaming on YouTube from user "Giallo Realm", who offers a fullscreen print dubbed in English. Not Rated. Oh yeah, in case you haven't guessed by now, Giovanna was Doctor Dark. Her babysitter always locked her in a closet when she was a young girl and told her if she cried, screamed or told anyone, the "Man In The Dark" would get her. (Yeah, I know.)

THE MANIAC RESPONSIBLE (1975) - Underage schoolgirl Fiorella Ricardi (Adrianna Falco) has secret plans one night, so she has one of her female friends cover for her while she does whatever she does, but when she doesn't return home, her over-protective father, Professor Ricardi (Gabriele Ferzetti), uses his considerable influence to get the police immediately involved in looking for her. Police detective Fernando Soni (Antonio Sabato) and his female partner, Giovanna Nunzianti (Luciana Paluzzi), are assigned to the case and after interviewing the Professor and his wife, Emila (Bedy Moratti), and searching Fiorella's bedroom, they are certain of two things: 1) The Professor has plenty of "dirty money" he is hiding from his wife. 2) Fiorella is hiding a lot of her activities from her parents. Since Fiorella left that night on her motor scooter and scooters need gas, Detective Soni has his men check all the gas stations. They find out that Fiorella stopped at a couple of stations and was making a long trip out of town. But where would a sixteen year-old girl be going with no money and a bathing suit (two clues that Detective Nunzianti discovered when searching Fiorella's bedroom)? Detective Soni has a severe distrust for people like the Professor, who is a surgeon (Soni hates doctors ever since he and his wife were in a bad automobile accident and had to wait four hours for a doctor, which resulted in his wife's death), but he still starts an earnest search for Fiorella, using police dogs at a lake near the route that Fiorella was traveling on her scooter. The dogs find evidence that Fiorella was there, including blood, hashish and tire tracks from a car. When they drag the lake, they find Fiorella's body tied to the motor scooter, a bullet in the back of her neck. An autopsy reveals that she was three months pregnant and Detective Soni immediately becomes suspicious of the Professor's clinic, which seems to dole out substandard care while the Professor and his partners get rich off the profits. Detective Soni is hampered in his investigation by a political system that would rather see this case swept under the rug, but Soni continues on his quest to find the truth. It will lead him to opposition at every clue he finds (even from his own Chief, who is being pressured to whitewash the case). He discovers an underage prostitution/blackmail ring, a bunch of unsavory characters and corruption that leads up to the top rung of the Italian political ladder. When Soni gets too close to discovering the truth of Fiorella's murder, someone begins murdering all those that could help him solve the case. That doesn't stop him, though, as Soni catches the murderer. The reason why he he killed Fiorella? Simple. In the murderer's own words: "It was her fault. She was a slut!"  This murder mystery/police procedural, directed by Mario Caiano (EYE IN THE LABRYNTH - 1972; NAZI LOVE CAMP 27 - 1977), paints a dim view of the Italian political system, doctors and health care. What's most interesting about this film is that for all the pressure put on detectives Sona and Nunziante to fail in their investigation, they both soldier-on in their quest to find out the truth, thanks to Soni's severe disgust of doctors (he views this case as a way to avenge his wife's death) and Nunziante's unwavering devotion to her partner. Antonio Sabato (GANG WAR IN MILAN - 1973; WAR OF THE ROBOTS - 1978) is terrific as Detective Soni, who seethes every time he has to deal with the privileged in society, knowing that their money and influence can buy them the kind of justice and attention that his wife was denied. His intensity and fury shines bright in every scene he's in, even in this dupey, third-generation copy that I viewed. While the violence is minimal, there are shocking scenes of full frontal nudity, especially Fiorella's body laying naked on a morgue slab, an illegal abortion being performed in the Professor's clinic and the murder of an underage prostitute while she is taking a bath. Since this film was made before the advent of DNA testing, the police procedural portions use blood evidence and spended bullets to crack the case. It may seem dated, but that's how it was done back then. The final third of the film turns into a mini-giallo, as some unknown killer (POV shots) begins dispatching people (scapel to the throat, strangulations, etc.) to stop them from talking to Soni. It's a strange hybrid of a film, but the performance of Antonio Sabato elevates this from the unusual to the must-see. Politics, prostitution and murder were never more entertaining. Shot as ...A TUTTE LE AUTO DELLA POLIZIA... ("Calling All Police Cars"). Also starring Marino Mase, Enrico Maria Salerno, Elio Zamuto, Ettore Manni and Ilona Staller. Never legally available on home video in the U.S. until Mya Communications released it on DVD under the title WITHOUT TRACE in 2009 (long OOP), the version I viewed came from a blurry widescreen VHS tape in Italian with English subtitles from Video Search of Miami. Not Rated.

THE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW (2014) - First of all, I am appalled about how many torrent sites have this movie to download for free (it is only available on streaming services and not available on U.S. DVD yet and is available on British DVD under the title THEATRE OF FEAR). I got to see it streaming for free because I am a member of Amazon Prime, but all the free downloads by these underhanded, sleazy torrent sites guarantee it will not be available on U.S. DVD. And there's the shame. There's an underground sensation in South Wales called The Midnight Horror Show that precious few people get invited to (and there's a reason for that). It's like a circus with a little something evil added. It is run and performed by the Moreau family. The Master of Ceremonies is Dr. Deimos Moreau (Jared Morgan) and his son Janus (Lee Bane) is a ventriloquist, son Apollo (Sam Harding) is a magician, son Trinculo (Nathan Head) is a creepy clown and daughter Venus (Shireen Ashton) is a stripper. They put performances on in little out-of-the-way theaters and the show is killer. Literally. Apollo picks audience member Angela (Sarah Louise Madison) to be part of a magic trick where she is locked in a box and he thrusts several bladed weapons through it. The audience gasps, but when Apollo opens the box, Angela is not there. She is actually backstage tied to a table next to a variety of sharp medical instruments. Deimos is running a scalpel over her body, asking her, "Do you believe in God?" Angela replies, "No!" and Deimos says a bunch of biblical things, ending with "Vengeance is mine!", picks up a bone saw and we hear Angela scream. Angela's boyfriend Kevin (Scott Suter) searches the theater's backstage when she doesn't answer her cellphone and he discovers Angela all cut to pieces and screams. The Moreau family is already gone, taking their trailer caravan on the road and finding a place to park for the night. Deimos is arguing with his son Apollo for saying the word "fuck". Deimos is very religious and won't accept bad language or blasphemy from anyone living in his caravan. Janus is quite mad and imagines that his dummy talks back to him, so he locks the dummy in a trunk every night. Trinculo is covered in burns from head to toe when he was in a bar, someone hit him over the head with a full bottle of whiskey and someone else lit a match. He uses the clown makeup to cover his scars. Venus is obviously Deimos' favorite sibling, as he tries to educate her how long it takes a body to start to decompose (4 to 6 days, if you are interested). Deimos loves to pick on Apollo because he seems to be the most independent member of the group. Deimos has Apollo and Venus carry plastic bags of Angela's body parts (they seem to be cannibals) to the local river and throw them in, but when Apollo throws a briefcase in the river, Deimos makes him jump in and get it because their mother gave it to him (Both Deimos and Venus laugh as Apollo is in the water). Yes, the Moreau family is extremely screwed-up. An entertainment agent called Milton Katzenberg (Victor Ptak) taps Janus on the shoulder and tells him he saw him at the last show (at midnight, naturally) and thinks he has enough talent to make it big, but he's going to have to leave his family. He gives Janus his business card and tells him to call soon; the offer has an expiration date. At breakfast, Deimos tells his family how Hitler loved to go to the circus and would always send flowers to the women backstage. Janus' dummy tells him how his entire family is dragging him down and it is time to cut the cord, so he calls Mr. Katzenberg and signs a contract behind his family's back. Trinculo is walking in a park (in white makeup) when he sees a couple arguing and watches in horror as the man Vincent (Kristen Richards) hits the woman Jenny (Tiffany Ceri). He walks up to Vincent and knocks his lights out when he makes a balloon animal joke. Jenny leaves with Trinculo and he tells her that she's too good for him. Trinculo and Jenny make a coffee date for the next day. Katzenberg gets Janus an audition with talent scouts faster than he thought he could and the dummy purposely sabotages the audition by making pedophilia jokes and other things that shouldn't be said out loud, so Katzenberg drops him as a client. The next day at the coffee shop, Jenny asks Trinculo how he got his burns and he tells her the whole sordid story. Jenny doesn't seem to mind the way he looks, which is probably the first time since the "accident" that a woman has pays any attention to him. After the audition, the dummy wants Janus to kill Katzenberg and make it bloody. If he doesn't do it, the dummy swears he will. Janus locks the dummy in his box. A man named Mr. Goldberg (Nigel Streeter) hires hitman Duke (Kevin Horsham) and tells him how his daughter ended up missing after attending one of The Midnight Horror Shows. He not only wants Duke to find out who is responsible, he wants them dead. We then see Janus kill Katzenberg with a rope around his neck and gets to kill his wife (Linda Bailey), too, when she comes to investigate the noise. Duke gets the goods on the Moreau family (they all have police records) and finds the location of the next show. Trinculo goes to Jenny's apartment to ask her out on a date, but she sees him kiss Vincent at the door, so he follows Vincent back to his apartment and kills him. Janus is cutting up the Katzenbergs in the bathtub with a saw (The dummy sings, "Janus, Janus. He loves to take it up the anus!"). Janus then goes home and now has the voice of the dummy permanently. Trinculo waits in Jenny's apartment and when he turns the lights on, he is wearing the skinned face of Vincent. Jenny goes to call the police, but Trinculo knocks it out of her hands. He hands her a knife and tells her to kill him; that everyone has a murderer deep inside them, but Jenny refuses and Trinculo kills her. Janus shows his father his true colors and he likes it. Duke hires Gunner (Kenton Hall) and The Reaper (Gypsy Lee Pistolero) to help him kill the Moreaus. Duke will take care of Deimos and Venus, while they can have the other three to do with as they please, as long as they end up dead. Duke now has Venus tied up in the trunk of his car and hammers nails into Diemos' hands into a wooden chair. One of two of Duke's associates has some fun with Janus and Trinculo with some good old-fashioned whipping as they are tied to their stomachs on tables. The other associate has Apollo padlocked to a table and begins drowning him in a Tupperware bowl full of water, but pulls his head up before he passes out. The two associates go outside for a smoke break. Big mistake. When they come back, Apollo has picked the padlock (he is a magician, after all) and kills Duke's associate. Apollo then stabs to death Duke's other associate and saves his brothers. Apollo cuts Venus free and they go to save their father. Duke has a gun to Deimos's head, but I guess he forgot that Venus was an expert knife thrower. She throws a knife and hits Duke in the upper chest. The kids remove the nails from their father's hands, but Duke isn't quite dead yet and shoots Deimos in the back, killing him. Apollo viciously stabs Duke over and over with the knife. On Deimos' dying breath, he says there is nothing more important than family. We are then at The Midnight Horror Show and new Master of Ceremonies Apollo introduces the show to the small audience. The show must go on!  The first thing you will notice after watching this movie is that director/producer/screenwriter Andrew Jones (THE AMITYVILLE ASYLUM - 2013; THE LAST HOUSE ON CEMETERY LANE - 2015; ROBERT [THE DOLL] - 2015) shows precious little of the actual Midnight Horror Show, just part of Apollo's magic act. Those expecting a gore-a-thon are bound to be disappointed (although there are scenes that go way past what we consider good taste). Jones is more interested in showing the Moreaus as a family unit, even though they are all murderers. Even murderers have families and some of them act better than normal families (if you ignore the murders, that is). Everyone wants to be accepted and we actually feel sorry for Trinculo when we see Jenny kiss Vincent or when the dummy makes fun of Janus (although it is funny sometimes). Apollo seems to be the most picked-on by his family, but it is him who comes through in the end. Why? Because they are family. We are also shown that some "normal" people can act worse than the murderers, such as Duke and his two associates, who seem to get off on inflicting pain and are monsters of their own choosing. Go into this film with an open mind (it's more a psychological thriller than a horror film) and this may hit your sweet spot. A lot of good DTV films are coming from across the pond because they think differently (we also think somewhat the same, but would never consider making a film like this without there being a ton of gore and less family values). I recommend this film whole-heartedly because this is not your typical genre film. It actually has something to say. The creepy opening and closing song was sung by Bobby Cole (who composes most of the music for Andrew Jones' films). I'm going to watch Jones' other films to see if they are as good as this one. Also starring Ritchie Bessart, Shane Price, Kevin Foster and Robert Graham. No U.S. DVD or Blu-Ray distributor at the time of this review. Not Rated.

MILANO CALIBRO 9 (1972) - This violent Italian crime thriller opens with sadistic criminal Rocco Musco (Mario Adorf) blowing up three people he thinks were involved in a theft of $300,000 belonging to mob kingpin "The Mikado" (Lionel Stander).  Rocco, after beating them up (one is a woman and another guy has his face cut-up with a razor), ties the trio together, puts sticks of dynamite between their bodies, lights the fuse and blows their bodies to bits in a ravine located somewhere in the mountains. Four years pass and Ugo Piazza (Gastone Moschin) is released from prison. Ugo, who is a small-time crook, is picked-up by Rocco and worked over pretty good by Rocco's goons. Rocco believes Ugo is involved in the $300,000 theft and had himself intentionally thrown in prison on a trumped-up charge to hide out until the heat died down. The only problem is, the Mikado never forgets and he has Rocco repeatedly harass and abuse Ugo, even though he denies having anything to do with the theft. Complicating matters for Ugo are the Police Commissioner (Frank Wolff) and his right-hand man Fonzino (Luigi Pistilli), who want Ugo to help them put the Mikado in prison. Ugo is a man of honor and refuses to help them, even though Rocco makes his life miserable on a daily basis. Ugo goes to Kino (Philippe Leroy), his old partner in crime, to help him get the Mikado off his back and Kino tells him to go see the Mikado in person and try to work things out (During Ugo's meeting with Kino, Rocco breaks into the apartment and Kino and Ugo beat the crap out of Rocco, shaming him in front of his men). Ugo goes to talk to the Mikado and, even though doesn't believe Ugo wasn't involved in the theft of his money, he gives him a job as one of Rocco's muscle (He tells Ugo that Rocco can decide at any time whether he lives or dies). Ugo visits old girlfriend Nellie (Barbara Bouchet) and they pick up where they left off before he was sent to prison (She still believes he stole the Mikado's money). When the Mikado and Rocco try to blow-up Ugo in a phony package pick-up (the package is a bomb), Ugo gets wise and joins forces with Kino when the Mikado has their blind friend, Don Vincenzo (Ivo Garrani), killed. Ugo plays the Mikado against Rocco when he gets the Mikado to believe a story that Rocco may have stolen the $300,000 himself. As tensions between the Mikado and Rocco develop, Kino does a one-man raid on the Mikado's compound, which results in the death of the Mikado and many of his men, but Kino loses his life in the process. The finale is a tense, well-structured face-off between Ugo and Rocco at a police station as we find out who actually stole the $300,000, but the final shots (at Nellie's place) reveal a whole other unexpected side of several characters, leading to death and a surprising bit of final dialogue.  Director Fernando Di Leo (SLAUGHTER HOTEL - 1971; KIDNAP SYNDICATE - 1975) keeps the viewer on the edge of their seats, thanks to frequent nudity, bloody violence and because we really want to find out who actually stole the $300,000. Everyone in this film believes Ugo is responsible and the viewer doesn't know what to believe since we have no prior background on Ugo, so we really have no idea what type of man he really is and have to rely on tidbits of information that the script (also by Di Leo) gives us as the film progresses. While Gastone Moschin (MAGNUM COP - 1978) is pretty one-note and expressionless as Ugo (he spends most of the film brooding and chain-smoking cigarettes), Mario Adorf is the stand-out here as the sadistic Rocco. Doing a complete reversal of his role as the good-hearted pimp Luca Canali in Di Leo's MANHUNT (made the same year as this), Adorf is simply wonderful as a man without a conscience, equally happy slapping women around as he is killing everyone he perceives as his enemies. His actions at the end of the film, including a particular line of dialogue, will surprise even the staunchest crime thriller fan. There is actually an honor to his code of conduct. There's some funny dubbing (although Lionel Stander dubs his own voice) and the goofiest bit of dialogue comes when Fonzino yells at Ugo for taking up with Nellie again. He says, "Playing gigilo to a belly dancer! Go on and get the hell out of here and go play with her dangling dingleberries!" Priceless. The beautiful Barbara Bouchet (CRY OF A PROSTITUTE - 1974) is wasted here in a small role, although her character plays an important part in the finale. Speaking of the finale, it is one of the most fatalistic in recent memory, but it seems to fit like a hand in a glove. This is not a typical Italian crime thriller. There are no good guys or bad guys. Just people doing what they think is right or what they are told to do. Also known as CALIBER 9 and THE MIKADO KILLERS. Also starring Mario Novelli, Giuseppe Castellano and Salvatore Arico. A Raro Video DVD Release. Also available as part of Raro Video's FERNANDO DI LEO CRIME COLLECTION VOL. 1 Box Set. Not Rated.

MURDERLUST (1986) - Steve Belmont (Eli Rich) is a soft spoken sunday school teacher who likes to pick up prostitutes. Steve is also a serial killer who strangles his pick-ups and buries them in a mass grave in the desert. The press label him the "Mojave Murderer" after nine bodies are found by police in the desert. Steve is unjustly accused of fondling a girl in his class. The girl dislikes Steve immensely and tries to get him dismissed. No one at the church believes the charges because he is such a "sensitive and caring" person. The girl's father apologizes to Steve. He gets fired from his weekday job as a gate security guard for assaulting a female employee. He picks up a schoolgirl and kills her while she gives him a handjob (perhaps in retribution for the trumped-up charge at church). He is appointed head of the Adolescent Crisis Center by his church. As you can see, Steve has a severe case of Jekyll and Hyde syndrome. By day he is a mild mannered, smooth-talking, church going man who helps kids and by night he is a pathological, quick-thinking psycho killer who strangles women and then pisses on their shared grave. His inadequacies as a man (he's impotent) compel him to commit his acts and also gives him trouble in consummating a love affair with his high school secret admirer (Rochelle Taylor). While not as intense as HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986), it is similar in many ways. It is decently acted and has a cheesy, low-rent look which actually adds to the realism. While it is relatively bloodless, some of the action and situations are goosebump inducing. Unlike HENRY, Steve meets a fitting demise. The tech and acting credits consist of unknowns but do a fine job of acquitting themselves in this minor gem. Recommended for those who like psychological horror. Directed competently by Donald M. Jones (DEADLY SUNDAY - 1982; PROJECT NIGHTMARE - 1985; HOUSEWIFE FROM HELL - 1993). A Prism Entertainment Release. Unrated.

THE MURDER MANSION (1972) - In my never-ending quest to review films I saw in theaters or on TV during my childhood, this film, known under a myriad of alternate titles, is my next victim. This Italy/Spain co-production was one of the initial films in the 1975 Avco Embassy's Nightmare Theater package for TV, which was the way many people got their first taste of European genre fare, but I saw this film before then, as part of the theatrical "Orgy Of The Living Dead" triple feature, under the title REVENGE OF THE LIVING DEAD (CURSE OF THE LIVING DEAD was Mario Bava's KILL, BABY...KILL! [1966] and FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD was MALENKA, THE VAMPIRE [1969]).
     The film opens with Mr. Porter (Franco Fantasia; EATEN ALIVE! - 1980) driving recklessly up a narrow road in his muscle car, not letting a motorcyclist, Fred (Andrés Resino; SEVEN MURDERS FOR SCOTLAND YARD - 1975), pass him. After barely making a hairpin turn, Mr. Porter cuts off a white VW Beetle driven by Mr. Tremont (Eduardo Fajardo; CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD - 1980), whose wife (Yelena Samarina) is constantly complaining about his driving. Porter stops to pick up female hitch-hiker Laura (Anna Lisa Nardi; ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - 1972), but when he gets too handy with her (putting his hand on her inner thigh), she tells him to stop, which he does. Laura goes to a bar, where she meets Fred and accepts a ride from him. Porter warns Fred and Laura that they are making a big mistake. What does he mean?
     The further everyone travels up the road, the foggier it gets, making it almost impossible to see anything. Elsa (Analia Gade; IN THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE - 1971) crashes her car into a cemetery and is chased by two shadowy figures, one of them wearing what looks like a chauffeur uniform. Mr. & Mrs. Tremont get into an accident, but it doesn't look like it was an accident at all. Fred and Laura ask a man carrying a scythe (Saturno Cerra), who is walking on the side of the road (making him look like the Grim Reaper), for directions, but his answer is more mysterious than he is. Fred eventually crashes his motorcycle and he and Laura begin walking, running into Elsa, who tells them about the two shadowy figures chasing her. The threesome look for someone to help them and they notice the village is completely empty. While walking near the cemetery, they come upon a creepy hotel and knock on the door. Mr. Porter answers it, gun in hand. Also in the hotel are Mr. & Mrs. Tremont, Ernest (Alberto Dalbes; CUT-THROATS NINE - 1971) and his creepy wife Martha Clinton ("Evelyn Stewart", a.k.a. Ida Galli; THE NIGHT CHILD - 1975). Martha owns the hotel, which has been in her family for generations, and she tells this group of strangers about the Clinton Family Curse, which is somehow connected to the cemetery (It involves ghosts and vampires, but I was not able to make any sense of it). Mr. Porter also tells the group that someone tried to break into the hotel before Fred, Laura and Elsa arrived, which is why he had the gun (sure!).
     We soon learn that nearly everyone at the hotel has a secret they would rather no one knew about and one-by-one they are getting picked-off by the shadowy figure dressed as a chauffeur. Is this figure a ghost, a vampire or both? Or could it be more down-to-earth? Is one of these secrets so deadly that a member of the group is willing to kill for it?
     This film, shot under the title QUANDO MARTA URLO DALLA TOMBA ("When Marta Screams From The Tomb"), is very atmospheric, as fog fills every frame. Unfortunately, the story (screenplay by Luis G. de Blain [Umberto Lenzi's KNIFE OF ICE - 1972] & Antonio Troiso [BEYOND THE DOOR - 1974]) makes very little sense, throwing all types of supernatural events into the film, as well as secret passageways in the hotel, none of it amounting to anything. Director Francisco Lara Polop (Producer of COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE - 1972 and Director of THE MONK - 1990) tries to keep our minds off the plot by tossing-in many jump scares, some of them quite good (Such as Martha not lifting a finger to help Mr. Porter when he is killed by the Chauffeur. Quite the opposite, she laughs! Fred and Laura discover his body pinned to a gravestone in the creepy cemetery), but when the film was over, I wanted to write a review of the plot, but damned if I could figure it out! There is a massacre at the hotel in the end, where the real culprit guns-down the remainder of the cast, but I sure as hell couldn't figure out why. It has something to do with a will (this whole film plays out like a "reading of the will" murder mystery, much like A BAY OF BLOOD [1971], but without the bloody gore or nudity). It could be because this film was butchered by Europix when they released it as part of their "Orgy Of The Dead" triple feature in order to get a PG Rating. According to the book "Blood & Black Lace" (an essential part of my library), this film was originally 105 minutes long and was shorn of over 20 minutes to get the PG rating, cutting out not just the nudity and some of the extreme violence, but also exposition needed to have this film make any sense. It is this edit that fell into the Public Domain and is easily available on many DVD compilations, like the DRIVE IN MOVIE CLASSICS 50-film compilation from Mill Creek Entertainment (which is how I viewed it). This version was also released on VHS from both Unicorn Video and Charter Entertainment. When this film is released in its original form on DVD or Blu-Ray (None at the time of this review), I will be the first to purchase it, just to see what is missing. Also starring Jorge Rigaud (EYEBALL - 1975), Ingrid Garbo, Felix Jose Montoya (THE APARTMENT ON THE 13TH FLOOR - 1972), Magoya Montenegro and Jose Louis Velasco as the Chauffeur. Also known as EXORCISM MANSION. NOTE: The IMDb lists this film having an alternate title of MANIAC MANSION, but that is simply not true. This is an alternate title for AMUCK (1971) and Group 1 (the film's distributor) even uses the same artwork! I contacted IMDb to change this listing, but they are taking their sweet time. Rated PG. ADDENDUM: Ignore the first paragraph and parts of this paragraph of this review. This film was never part of the "Orgy Of The Living Dead" triple feature. That film would be THE MURDER CLINIC (1966), which was known under the title REVENGE OF THE LIVING DEAD. This just proves that even the best intentions can be wrong. I'm not changing the review just to remind myself to do my homework better than I did here!

MURDER OBSESSION (1981) - This was the last directorial effort by Riccardo Freda (who sometimes used the pseudonym "Robert Hampton"), who had many of his horror films shown on TV in the 70's, including CALTIKI THE IMMORTAL MONSTER (1959), MACISTE IN HELL (1962) and THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK (1962) and also made such sexual horror films like TRAGIC CEREMONY (1972), which could never be shown on TV, not even today, without extensive cuts. The same could be said about this Italian/French co-production, which is a sexy mix of horror and giallo genres. If all the nudity and gory violence were to be edited from this film so it could be shown on non-pay cable stations, it would only be 30 minutes long. And a word of warning: Since this is the complete Italian version of the film (all the U.S. VHS releases were severely edited, but more on that later), the portions of the film that never made it into the English-dubbed versions of this film are shown in Italian with English subtitles. If you believe that "Books are for readin' and films are for watchin'" (and you probably poop in your Depends because you are too lazy to get off the couch to go to the bathroom), you may want to skip this rather involving and suspenseful film. The film opens with a quote from Hieronimus A. Steinback: "For centuries philosophers and poets have searched the universe for evidence of the existence of the Devil. However, it would have sufficed to look for it at the bottom of their souls." (Truer words have never been spoken, especially for this film.). We then see a woman being stripped topless in her apartment by an intruder dressed in black leather. He then throws her down on her bed, strips her naked and begins raping her, while choking her with his hands. It is then revealed that this was all a scene for a film that is being made, and the actor playing the intruder, Michael Stanford (Stefano Patrizi; ROME: ARMED TO THE TEETH - 1976), was getting a little too involved in his role and has to be pulled off actress Beryl (Laura Gemser; BLACK COBRA - 1976; and too many EMMANUELLE films to mention) by the film crew. Michael takes a big swig of J&B Scotch (a staple in Italian films) while the film's director, Hans Schwartz (Henri Garcin; SOMEONE BEHIND THE DOOR - 1971), congratulates him on a "very effective scene" and goes on to say "It looked like you really wanted to murder her!" (anything for a shot!). While at his home, Michael relaxes by playing guitar and singing a sappy love song (that doesn't match his lip movements), when a gust of wind blows open a window. This somehow give him the idea of looking at some old childhood photos, which triggers a flashback where a young Michael runs into his loving mother's arms in a beautiful backyard. For some reason, Michael hasn't talked to his mother in over 15 years, so he calls her and says that he and his girlfriend Deborah Jordan (Silvia Dionisio; TERROR EXPRESS - 1979) are coming to spend a few days with her at her country estate and he has invited three more friends to join them later. Michael has always had frequent flashbacks about him and his mother Glenda (Anita Strindberg; WHO SAW HER DIE? - 1972) and how, as a young boy, he stabbed his father (a famous orchestra conductor) to death when he saw him beating up his mother (he was found holding the bloody knife). Michael was committed to an institution as a child and has partial amnesia about the event, only remembering bits and pieces about it. When Michael and Deborah arrive at his mother's country estate, Glenda's longtime personal assistant (i.e. butler) Oliver (John Richardson; EYEBALL - 1975) stares at Michael and says his resemblance to the "Maestro" is uncanny. Michael swears he heard some music coming from the house when he pulled up, but Oliver says that no music has played in that house since the Maestro died. Oliver also tells Michael that his mother is very sick and not to tell her he told him (one of the first things Michael does when he meets his her!) and that the electricity is out because the wiring in the house is old and even a gust of wind knocks it out. Oliver gives Michael his father's old bedroom to sleep in, while he escorts Deborah to her bedroom, which is clear across the huge mansion. Deborah is pissed-off at Michael for introducing her to his mother as his secretary (there's a good reason for that) and it is apparent as soon as his mother locks eyes on Michael after such a long period of time, that she has incestual feelings for him (It could be because he looks like his father or his mother is just into incest). It could also be that Michael feels the same (It would be one reason whey he introduced Deborah as his secretary). Glenda also shows Michael a portrait of her father and how much he looks like him (In his head, Michael hears his father say, "Michael, why did you do this to me?"). Is it no wonder Michael hasn't visited his mother for so many years? To prove his non-incestual masculinity, a totally nude Michael and Deborah make love on the couch. The next day, Michael's three other friends show up at the house: Director and avid photographer Hans (When Hans tries to take a photo of Oliver, he shields his face with his arms); Actress Beryl (who has still remained friends with Michael even after almost killing her on the movie set); and Assistant Director Shirley (Martine Brochard; THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS - 1973), who has brought her tiny pet dog with her. When Hans asks Oliver why he didn't want his picture taken, Beryl interjects and says, "They say when you photograph someone, you take away a small part of his soul. It can make him very ill...or even kill him." Beryl says her birthplace on the Island of Martinique believes in such customs (Which begs the question: Why did Beryl become a film actress?). A short time later, they all get into a discussion about the occult, where Glenda says that even if it is not real, if you believe in it strong enough, it can still kill you (This is one of the many scenes that is not in the English language version, yet it really is important to the story). When everyone goes to sleep Glenda and Hans have a private conversation on how Michael was sent to a mental institution after he killed his father and was surprised how such a "gentle soul" could commit such a heinous crime (Hans' mind goes back to when Michael was choking Beryl on the movie set just a few days ago). She begs Hans not to tell Michael what she just told him and he agrees (Believe me, all this long-windedness really is an important part of the plot). They also talk about reincarnation, which reveals a lot about Glenda and Hans' personalities. In a strange scene, we see and invisible person leaving wet footprints on the ground as it walks into Shirley's bedroom and she screams. Beryl sees a shadow holding a crossbow and Shirley denies to Beryl that she ever screamed. Beryl decides to take a bath and then the lights go out, someone wearing black gloves trying to drown her in the tub. Shirley's dog saves the day, barking at the intruder and chasing him away, saving Beryl from a certain death. Michael begins acting like his father and when Deborah notices a strange ritualistic icon in a painting, she has a strange dream (?) where a zombie-faced monk makes her go to the basement of the mansion (her breasts are always popping-out of her nightgown), but she finds a door that leads to outside which she thinks will be safe, but she runs directly into a giant spider web, complete with a big-assed black spider hanging from the web. She escapes, only to find herself attacked by bats in a windy tunnel. Next, she finds herself in the thick brush of the woods, where she loses the top half of her nightgown and scratches her upper torso and breasts while a bunch of human skulls above her bleed from their mouths and eyes sockets all over her. Finally, she is tied to the wall of the basement while a giant crucifix on the wall opposite her is burning. Classical music plays (Franz Liszt's "From the Cradle to the Grave") and a nun rips off all of Deborah's clothes, while snakes slither at her feet and a deformed nun makes her drink the blood of a chicken she just decapitated. Then the large spider approaches her and grabs her legs, only to discover that the huge spider has black hands for legs. And you thought Michael was having problems? (Be aware that most of this sequence also doesn't appear in the English language version of the film, but, it too, plays an important part of the plot). Michael take all his friends to his childhood "private kingdom": a beautiful river with a really nice waterfall, where everyone discuss with each other all the strange things they dreamed or happened the night before. It's not long before most of these people will never make it out of the estate alive. Michael tells everyone he was in a trance last night, something his overpriced psychiatrist calls "disassociation" and "psychosomatic". Hans mentions he saw Oliver walking around in a trance last night and Michael says that ever since he was a child, he saw Oliver sleepwalking all the time, and admits to everyone that he did kill his father for beating up his mother. Michael cheats on Deborah and makes love to Beryl on the banks of the river, but when he wakes up, he discovers Beryl dead, her torso cut from her breasts down to her vagina and Michael is holding the bloody knife (just like when he killed his father). Hans, who we learn saw the whole thing happen, writes a note saying that he is going to the police, but as he is walking through his bedroom door, someone splits his skull in two with an axe and splatters his brains all over the place. The bloody black-gloved killer then destroys the note and drives Hans' car off to make it look as if Hans is leaving by himself. As Shirley sees Hans' car drive away, she notices that he has left his precious camera behind, something that Hans would never do if he were leaving. She begins to develop the negatives and notices something interesting on one of them, but before she can tell anyone, she has her head nearly cut off with a chainsaw (the same chainsaw we saw Oliver using to make logs for the fireplace), while Deborah notices black leather gloves in Glenda's bedroom. When Oliver serves dinner, only Glenda and Deborah attend and Deborah notices that Glenda is wearing the same ritualistic icon around her neck that triggered her nightmare earlier. Or was it a nightmare at all? I'll never tell. I'll leave it up to you to discover who the killer is (the clues are in this review and, no. it's not Shirley's dog!). Like most giallo films, nearly everyone is hiding a secret from their past that they are trying to keep hidden. I will tell you this because you probably already guessed it: Michael did not kill his father. He was an easy patsy to blame since he was so young. It looks like years of psychotherapy have done him more harm than good. A tape recording left behind explains it all, but there's an unexpected supernatural angle at the finale tied to Deborah's dreams which make the killings all the more sinister. That's all I'll say, except if you are expecting a happy ending, you will be bitterly disappointed.  Director Riccardo Freda (who passed away in 1999 at the age of 90) keeps you guessing from beginning to end. When you think you have it all figured out, the screenplay, by Freda, Antonio Cesare Corti (CITY OF THE WAKLING DEAD - 1980) and Fabio Piccione (QUEEN KONG - 1976), gives you another piece of information which tosses your ideas into the garbage. While there are extreme bits of gore (some of the effects are done by Italian effects master Sergio Stivaletti, this being his first film), the film doesn't dwell on them. It's basically hit and run, which is best displayed in Hans' death by axe, It's just a quick hit, some brain matter flying in the air and on to the next scene. If it plays for more than two seconds, you are lucky. Too bad we can't say the same thing about the giant spider. It is shown way too long and looks as realistic as a Sharknado. The film (made under the title FOLLIA OMICIDA) was originally released on VHS in the U.S. by Wizard Video under the title FEAR, missing over ten minutes of footage. The British VHS tapes, released under the titles THE WAILING and SATAN'S ALTAR, are missing nearly twenty minutes of footage. Thankfully, Raro Video has released the fully uncut 95 minute version on DVD, so you won't be left scratching your heads wondering what the hell is going on in the abridged versions. The pristine widescreen DVD also contains some cut scenes and an interview with Sergio Stivaletti. If you want to watch this film the way it was originally meant to be seen, go for the DVD. Also starring Fabrizio Moroni. A Raro Video DVD Release. Not Rated.

NAKED GIRL KILLED IN THE PARK (1972) - I'm well aware that the films of Alfonso Brescia (a.k.a "Al Bradley") are pedestrian at best, deadly boring at worst. I consider Brescia the Italian equivalent of our Al Adamson and with titles as BATTLE OF THE AMAZONS (1973), STAR ODYSSEY (1978) and IRON WARRIOR (1987), it is easy to bypass his other nearly 50 films but, just like Adamson, I am willing to give Brescia another chance, which is why I am reviewing this film, a giallo flick that is quite enjoyable and twisty (if not outstanding). Yes, I love to torture myself!
     An old man is found dead as he exits the Tunnel of Horror ride in Luna Park. His name was Johannes Wallenberger, a millionaire who made his fortune in South America, and he purchased a million dollar life insurance policy just a couple of hours before his death. He also reportedly had a bag of cash on him which was not found on or near his body. Since the policy on his life was so large, insurance investigator Chris Buyer (Robert Hoffmann; SPASMO - 1974) is assigned to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Wallenberger's death. This includes getting close to his family. He "meets" Johannes' daughter Catherine (Pilar Velázquez; THE FLOWER WITH THE DEADLY STING - 1973) at a party. He tells her that he is a newspaper reporter and they quickly fall in love (Earlier in the film, we witness Catherine getting a phone call from someone who tells her he knows who killed her father, but she tells him to leave her alone and she hangs up.). Will Chris be able to separate his job from his emotions?
     Catherine continues to get a series of phone calls, no one on the other end except for heavy breathing. Then someone tries to break into her apartment, but when she tries to call the police, the phone is dead. A person wearing a black hood and black gloves (a giallo staple) enters her bedroom window, holding a piece of rope as if he is going to strangle her. Catherine screams and passes out, waking up the next morning to a phone call from Chris. What happened last night? Is someone trying to drive Catherine crazy?
     Chris then takes Catherine to Luna Park for amusement park rides (You gotta be kidding me!) and then to dinner and dancing. Catherine notices a man staring at her intensely, so she grabs Chris and makes a hasty exit. Who is this man? Chris then makes love to Catherine (nudity alert!) and, later that day. he tells his boss (Tomás Blanco) that Johannes' death was simply a case of robbery turned murder, but fellow insurance investigator Martin (Philippe Leroy; MILANO CALIBRO 9 - 1972) tells Chris that he is getting a little too close to the major suspect. Is he, or is it all an act?
     Catherine takes Chris to her palatial family mansion to meet her mother, Magda (Irina Demick; TRAGIC CEREMONY - 1972), and sister, Barbara (Patrizia Adiutori; TORSO - 1973), who, almost immediately, puts the moves on Chris. He also meets deaf mute groundskeeper Gunther (Howard Ross; WEREWOLF WOMAN - 1976), butler Bruno (Franco Ressel; PANIC - 1982) and maid Sybil (María Vico; VIOLENT BLOOD BATH - 1973), all none-too-pleased that a stranger has come for a visit. Catherine tells Chris that her mother hasn't been the same since her father was killed and, at dinner, Barbara accuses Catherine of murdering their father, causing Magda to slap Barbara and Catherine passing out (again). Magda begins to act crazy, talking to her dead husband, saying Catherine couldn't have possibly killed him. Is Mom going bonkers or is this all an act?
     That night, Chris does some investigating on his own, spying Gunther making love to Sybil in the barn (more nudity!). The following morning the Wallenberg household is paid a visit by police Inspector Huber (Adolfo Celi; MANHUNT - 1972), who theorizes that Johannes was being blackmailed, which was why he was carrying a bag of money on him the night he was murdered. The Inspector not-so-politely points the finger at Magda, who exits the room in a huff. The house is then visited by Catherine's doctor, who tells Chris he should "forget about" Catherine because any "emotional upheaval" could be detrimental to her "serious condition". When Chris asks what is wrong with her, the doctor says it is something Catherine has had since she was a child, but he will not elaborate (We do know it causes her to pass out).
     Chris then pays less attention to Catherine, falling for the charms of Barbara, making love to her, but when her dead, naked body is found sprawled on the family property by Catherine, Inspector Huber begins to look at Chris as a suspect. Luckily, Barbara is holding a button in her clenched rigored fist, a button which Chris identifies as coming from Gunther's jacket. At the same time, Catherine notices the same strange man spying on her from a car, so she and Chris take off in his car to try and follow him, but are unsuccessful. When they get home, they find Magda dancing wildly while she holds a conversation with the imaginary Johannes. The electricity goes out in the house and someone murders Sybil, cutting her throat. Gunther tries to kill Chris, but Chris knocks him out. The Inspector charges Gunther with Sybil's murder  but he still thinks Magda, Catherine or even Barbara (or all three) were responsible for Johannes' murder, killing him for his life insurance policy and then turning on each other (Magda tells Chris that Catherine is destined to die the same way her father did). Just who is the killer of Johannes and Barbara? Is the Inspector correct or is the man following Catherine responsible? All will be answered in the film's finale. I have given you the clues, now deduce!
     While not as smart or involving as most of the good giallo films, director Alfonso Brescia does populate it with a bunch of seasoned pros, all who have appeared in many other films in this genre. The screenplay, by Peter Skerl (director/writer of the bad taste beastiality film DOG LAY AFTERNOON - 1976) & G. A. Martucci (director/writer of THE RED MONKS - 1988), based on a story by Antonio Fos (screenwriter of THE VAMPIRES NIGHT ORGY and CANNIBAL MAN [both 1972]), is light on blood and violence, but the unexpected death of a major character and the reveal of the killer in the finale does come as a surprise. It also explains why Johannes bought a life insurance policy, why he was killed (What significance did South America have in films and books during the '70s?) and exactly who the woman was in the restaurant and other places during the run of the film (She meets a fitting demise in Luna Park courtesy of a moving rollercoaster as she is trying to escape from the police). This is much more enjoyable than Brescia's other films. I know that's not saying much, but it is worth a viewing.
     Filmed as RAGAZZA TUTTA NUDA ASSASSINATA NEL PARCO (literal translation: "Naked Girl All Murdered In The Park"), this film, an Italy/Spain co-production, neither received a theatrical or home video release in any form in the United States. You can buy a fullscreen DVD-R from Amazon from questional distributor Desert Island Classics, but I believe it is the same version that I bought off a gray market seller: A port of a fullscreen British VHS tape (The actual onscreen title is "Naked Girl Killed In Park..."). As with most Italian genre films the dubbing is atrocious and the fullscreen print is framed dead-center, cutting off conversations (making it look like people are talking to themselves) and visual information on the sides of the screen. Still, I can't be too picky because it is a rare look at a giallo film from one of Italy's less desirable directors (as least he is not as bad as Mario Gariazzo [a.k.a. "Roy Garrett"; BROTHER FROM SPACE - 1984]!) I love being pleasantly surprised, as I was here. Also featuring Agustín Bescos and Teresa Gimpera (THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK - 1975) as the mystery woman. UPDATE: Available on widescreen DVD & Blu-Ray from Full Moon Features (of all people!) under the title NAKED GIRL MURDERED IN THE PARK. Not Rated.

NAKED VENGEANCE (1985) - Now don't get me wrong here: I find most of director Cirio H. Santiago's films to be average (and slightly above-average) at best, but he must have been taking halucinogens here because he has turned out a perfectly crazy rip-off of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978), maybe even outdoing it in sheer sleaze factor alone. Carla, a commercial actress (Deborah Tranelli of DALLAS [1978 - 1991] fame), watches as her husband is gunned down by a creep he tried to stop from raping a girl. She leaves New York City for her home town in the country and is savagely raped by five townies in her parents house. When her parents come home and see what is happening to their daughter, they are shotgunned by the gang and then kill the local retard, making it look like the retard did the killings. Thinking that Carla is dead, they leave the house and go to a bar and get drunk. Of course Carla is not dead, just in a catatonic state and she is brought to the hospital. The local sheriff (Bill McLaughlin, who walks around with an expression on his face like he was sucking on a lemon all day), doesn't quite believe the story and wants to question Carla on what really happened. Her doctor refuses as Carla fakes amnesia while picking off her attackers one-by-one. She lops off the dick one one of them with a knife and, just to make sure he suffers more, attaches a grappling hook to his chest an has his boat drag him out to the middle of the lake to bleed to death. Another one has a car dropped on his body as she steps on the gas and has the tire rim cut off his legs. The leader of the raping pack, Fletch (Kaz Garaz, who played a sheriff in the 1996 remake of HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP), who is the town's butcher, knows who is doing the killings and decides to form a posse (the whole town seems to be full of torch-weilding hicks) and trap Carla in a house and burn it down. Thinking Carla died in the fire (she didn't), Fletch goes about his business in his butcher shop only to be surprised by Carla, who cuts off his fingers with a meat slicer, plants a meat cleaver in his back and then blows his head off with a shotgun. The sheriff declares that Carla is dead and the killings are over. The next time we see Carla is back in New York City, getting even with the punk who killed her husband. This is grand sleaze which never slacks off its premise, which is highly unusual for a Cirio H. Santiago film (FUTURE HUNTERS [1986] anyone?). The film moves at a brisk pace and is never boring. It was released in both R-rated and Unrated editions, the Unrated edition showing more of the gang rape and lingers more on the bloody violence. Guess which version you should track down? (NOTE: It seems that 35mm elements of the Unrated Version seem to be lost since the only place on the entire planet where the Unrated Version was available was the United States. Every other country got the R-Rated version on VHS.). Mr. Santiago has directed over 100 features (many for Roger Corman) and is highly-regarded in his homeland of the Philippines. I consider NAKED VENGEANCE to be his crowning achievement. A Lightning Video Release which has been long OOP. This is another film crying out for a DVD release (If Unrated elements are ever found). Also starring Ed Crick, Nick Nicholson, Terrence O'Hara, Henry Strzalkowski, Joseph Zucchero, Don Gordon Bell and a cameo appeareance by Carmen Argenziano (HELLRAISER: INFERNO - 2000 and TV's STARGATE SG1 [1997 - 2007]). Also known as SATIN VENGEANCE, but I've never seen it released under this title. Unrated.

THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE (1971) - I remember when this film was released to U.S. theaters (by Phase One Films) and being totally blown away by its poster and newspaper ads, which were very graphic for the early-'70s (or any time period, even today). This film fell into Public Domain and reportedly has nine different edits for the English language version alone, some edited so haphazardly, they make no sense, especially the TV edit titled "Evelyn Raises The Dead". I held off on reviewing this film until I could locate an uncut widescreen version. Imagine my surprise when I found it for free on Amazon Prime, in its original Italian language with English subtitles. It looks beautiful and if you have only seen the PD fullscreen DVD versions floating around (from Alpha Video and many of those Mill Creek and Brentwood DVD compilations), you are going to be in for a pleasant surprise.
     Lord Alan Cunningham (Anthony Steffen; CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT - 1972) escapes from an insane asylum (by tying his sheets together) run by Dr. Richard Timberlane (Giacomo Rossi Stuart; WEEKEND MURDERS - 1970), but when he tries to climb over the asylum's front gate, he is captured by the interns. We then experience a long flashback which explains why Alan was committed to the asylum. Alan is in a car with hooker Polly (M. Teresa Toffano) and pays her £500 for sex and they go to Alan's family castle. He tells Polly that he usually doesn't come to the castle because it is full of bad memories. When Polly asks Alan about the painting of his dead wife Evelyn, he takes her to his medieval torture room (it is quite the sight), begins whipping her  and then ties her up. He thinks Polly is his dead wife and he begs her to forgive him (he then has a flashback-within-a-flashback where he and his red-haired dead wife are prancing naked outside in the castle yard). He snaps back to reality, killing Polly and burning her clothes, Evelyn's brother, Albert (Roberto Maldera; NIGHT OF THE DEVILS - 1972), who is on Alan's payroll (he is the caretaker of Alan's wild foxes), watches all this happen. Alan is then visited by Richard, who is worried Alan is having "attacks" again because he is thinking too much about Evelyn. Alan tells Richard that everything is fine; he is going to a seance tomorrow to try and contact Evelyn. Richard leaves, telling Alan that he thinks it is not a good idea.
     We are then with Alan at the seance, joined by good friend Farley (Umberto Raho; THE EERIE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW - 1974), Cousin George Harriman ("Rod Murdock" a.k.a. Enzo Tarascio; THE DEAD ARE ALIVE - 1972), the wheelchair-bound Aunt Agatha (Joan C. Davies) and medium Miranda (Paola Natale; SEX OF THE DEVIL - 1971), as they try to contact the spirit of Evelyn. Just as Evelyn is about to enter Miranda's body, Albert comes into the room, shotgun in hand. He tells Alan that since Evelyn was his sister, he has the right to be here and sits next to Alan. The seance then continues and the ghost of Evelyn hoovers above the seance table, calling Alan's name. Alan faints and then Richard appears, worried about Alan's mental state. Miranda tells the doctor if Alan didn't faint, he would have been able to talk to his dead wife. Alan decides to leave the country family castle and live in the city for good, but how long will that last? Not very long. Alan tells George not to worry, he will not marry again and soon the Cunningham estate will be all his. George says he is not worried about that, he's more worried about Alan's mental state. Is he really?
     We then see what we think is a funeral, as we see people carrying a coffin and placing it on a table. It turns out to be stripper Susan's (Erika Blanc; A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE - 1973) nightclub routine, as we watch her rise out of the coffin and remove her clothes. Alan is in the audience and is very interested in Susan (Uh, oh!). Alan buys Susan a drink (He pulls on her natural red hair thinking it is a wig. Alan has an aversion to women with red hair, as we find out later in the film.) and asks her to spend a weekend with him. Yes, they are back at the castle and the murderous rage takes over Alan. Susan does a striptease in front of Alan, so he takes her to his torture chamber, whips her and then chokes her until she passes out. He prepares a hypodermic needle, but Susan wakes up and tries to escape the castle...topless. She hides in the castle's creepy garden crypt, where Alan's ancestors are buried, but Alan injects her with something and then passes out. When he wakes up, Susan's body is gone. Albert, who was once again watching Alan the night before, makes a remark to Alan about how his wild foxes were not hungry this morning. Did Albert feed Susan's body to the foxes or did Alan?  Alan pays Albert £100 and he walks away.
     Alan tells Farley to restore the castle to its former glory, money is of no consequence, but he is adamant that Farley doesn't touch the garden crypt. He even suggests to Farley to wall-up the crypt so strangers cannot break in. He gives Farley one month to restore the castle. Alan then finds Susan's heart-shaped cigarette lighter on his coffee table. How did it get there?
     At the party of the unveiling of the restored castle, Alan spots a blonde-haired young woman that catches his eye (Double Uh, Oh!). Her name is Gladys (Marina Malfatti; A BLACK RIBBON FOR DEBORAH - 1974) and that night he asks Gladys to marry him (When she asks why, he says because he wants to go to bed with her. She replies, "If I married every man who wanted to go to bed with me, I'd never leave the church!"). He drives her home and they make love. Once again, Alan asks her to marry him and she says yes. Alan phones George and tells him that he is getting married to a woman he met three hours earlier. George is not surprised, since his cousin is quick to make snap decisions and wishes Alan well. They get married and hold the reception at the castle, where George is happy for them, but both Albert and Farley seem upset. Albert tells Alan that he shouldn't have gotten married and blames his sister's death on Alan, saying she died while trying to give him an heir (Evelyn died during childbirth. So did the baby.). Alan says he is happy and Albert shouldn't worry, he will still get his monthly check (He says, "I can buy your conscience at any time!"). Alan and Gladys seem truly happy, but Gladys wonders why he keeps a portrait of Evelyn in their bedroom. Then some weird shit happens in the castle, destroying the newlywed couple's happiness. Gladys tells Alan that she saw a red-haired maid in the kitchen, but Alan made sure he didn't hire a maid with red hair. As a matter of fact, all the maids in the castle look exactly alike (they all wear white wigs!), so none of them will remind Alan of Evelyn. Alan then hears his dead wife calling to him. Richard explains to Gladys how much Evelyn meant to Alan and Albert warns her to get away before it is too late. Someone wearing work gloves and carrying a deadly poisonous snake has it bite Albert on the neck, paralyzing him, then dragging his body to a freshly dug grave and burying him alive. Gladys has the cemetery custodian open Evelyn's tomb, but it is empty, Evelyn's body missing. Aunt Agatha discovers all the priceless silverware, which has been part of the Cunningham family for over three centuries, has been stolen. Someone then kills Aunt Agatha in her wheelchair as she is following Gladys, who is searching the Cunningham family crypt. What is she looking for? (and, no, it's not for Richie Cunningham's brother! [an old joke]) When Alan discovers what she is doing, he slaps the shit out of Gladys, but George stops him. At the same time, someone dumps Aunt Agatha's dead body in the fox cage, the little creatures turning her into a tasty meal.
   The police are called in and Richard shows up at the castle to calm Alan down. Is Alan involved in these murders or is something more sinister at work?  If you have read any of my other giallo film reviews, you know I never give away the killer's identity, but I have given you more than enough clues for you to figure out on your own.
    This is actually a horror film with giallo genre overtones. If all you have ever seen were the washed-out fullscreen P.D. prints (including a VHS tape from VCI Home Video), you are doing yourself a total disservice because you should view the uncut, widescreen version, available on DVD from NoShame Films (as part of "The Emilio Miraglia Killer Queen Box Set", which is long OOP), Blu-Ray from Arrow Video or streaming on Amazon Prime (which is how I viewed it). It's like watching a different film, especially Alan's failed escape from the asylum, which takes full advantage of the widescreen process. Director/co-screenwriter Emilio P. Miraglia (THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES - 1972) uses the castle's exteriors and interiors to his advantage, filling the entire screen with vital information, giving the castle a presence all its own. While the reveal of the killer(s) is hardly a revelation, the film is beautiful to look at and the surprise finale is just that, a surprise. Filled with full-frontal male and female nudity (edited out of the R-rated theatrical print, as were the coffin striptease and much of the torture dungeon footage) and bursts of gory violence (especially the shots of the foxes feasting on Aunt Agatha's body). Shot Under the title LA NOTTE CHE EVELYN USCI DALLA TOMBA (a literal translation of the review title), this is a great way to spend 103 minutes. The wild screenplay is by Miraglia, Massimo Felisatti (STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER - 1975) & Fabio Pittorru (WHEN WOMEN PLAYED DING DONG - 1971). Also starring Montinaro Brizio and Ettore Bevilacqua as the Cemetery Custodian. Not Rated.

THE NIGHT GOD SCREAMED (1971) - A Manson-like cult of hippie religious fanatics, led by Billy Joe (Who says to God: "I made them see that using dope was a way to turn-on to you!"), kill an "unbeliever" by having "The Atoner" (a faceless figure in a monk's robe who uses a giant crucifix as a cane) drown her in the middle of a pond, where Billy Joe is performing baptisms. A disillusioned Fanny Pierce (Jeanne Crain), the wife of a preacher (Alex Nicol), helps her husband run his "evangelizing" business, but can't help thinking to herself that "everything is ugly...and old!" While driving in their pickup to the next town for their revival meeting, Fanny and her husband have a run-in with Billy Joe and one of his disciples (Billy Joe lies down on the huge wooden cross the reverend has in the back of his truck, imitating Christ, while his disciple makes lewd sexual remarks to Fanny). Billy Joe turns up in the audience at the revival meeting and, later that night, Billy Joe and some of his disciples (including The Atoner) steal all the money from the night's take and crucify the reverend on the wooden cross, killing him. Fanny witnesses the atrocity and Billy Joe is arrested, brought to trial, found guilty of murder and sentenced to death (Billy Joe yells to the judge, "You dumb son of a bitch, you're making me a martyr!"). Billy Joe looks at Fanny as he is led away and says, "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord!" and members of his flock surround her outside the courthouse, where Fanny hears them say, "Die! Die! Die!", but their lips don't move. It's not long thereafter that Fanny starts being terrorized by thugs on motorcycles, she starts hearing voices and almost loses her life on several occasions (or does she?). Fanny agrees to babysit Judge Coogan's (Stewart Bradley) four overage (and unhappy to to have a babysitter) kids for a weekend for $50 (She says, "That's a lot of money!"). When she arrives at the house, she begins to get a series of phone calls from a heavy breather who says, "Vengeance is mine!" The phone line eventually goes dead and the kids spot a strange figure in the backyard, so Fanny goes outside to chase him away, only to discover a dummy with a note attached to it that says simply, "Vengeance". Fanny has the kids lock all the windows and doors and turns on all the lights. One of the kids, Peter (Daniel Spelling), blames the intruders on Fanny and the trial and wants her to leave before they all get killed. Peter sends brother Jimmy (Gary Morgan) outside to get help, but Fanny watches him get stabbed to death by The Atoner. The Atoner breaks into the house and the kids disappear one-by-one (only bloodstains are left) until Fanny is left alone to defend herself from the hooded knife-weilding intruders. When Fanny fights one of the intruders with a butcher knife, she falls down the stairs and dies and the real intruders are revealed. Little do they know that they have intruders of their own to deal with.  This tight little thriller is rather bloodless, but is suspenseful and tension-filled. It's apparent that Fanny has some personal issues (we are given clues throughout the film), but the full extent of her problems are not revealed until the film's surprising double-whammy conclusion. Director Lee Madden (THE MANHANDLERS - 1973; NIGHT CREATURE - 1978; GHOST FEVER - 1986), working with a script by co-producer Gil Lasky (producer and scripter of 1970's BLOOD AND LACE, one of the bloodiest PG-rated films ever made), has fashioned a psychological picture puzzle where the viewer must decide what is real and what is fantasy and you'll be surprised just how many times you'll be wrong. Those looking for blood and gore will be disappointed (there's very little of either) but, if you like your films in the vein of LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (made the same year), you'll probably dig this "is she or isn't she" flick. Jeanne Crain (HOT RODS TO HELL - 1966) is quite good as Fanny and co-star Alex Nicol directed the sleazy thriller POINT OF TERROR the same year (as well as the 1958 horror film THE SCREAMING SKULL). THE NIGHT GOD SCREAMED was one of those films I saw in nearly every video store I frequented in the 80's but never rented, probably because of it's PG rating and the fact that my tastes back then tended to lean toward blood-soaked gorefests. Now that I'm older and wiser (shut up!) and my horizons have been broadened, I can appreciate these little thriller films that could have only been made during the 70's. Also starring James B. Sikking, Barbara Hancock, Dawn Cleary, Miller Petitt, Jack Donner and Michael Sugich as "Billy Joe". A Trans World Entertainment Home Video Release. Rated PG.

NOON SUNDAY (1971) - Special Agent Jason Cootes (Mark Lenard) is sent to the small Asian island of Kapalu to destroy the future site of a missile base, that will be used by the power-mad junta to threaten the freedom of the world. Colonel Oong (Keye Luke), on oders from his superiors, begins killing and torturing all those he thinks are against the new military rule, including a Catholic priest and three Caucasian freedom fighters (one who recently lost his leg in battle), who are forced to dig their own graves before being murdered by firing squad. Unbeknownst to Cootes, the government has also sent aging spy Darmody (John Russell) to the island to carry out a separate mission: Destroy the island's electrical power plant. Both men must avoid Colonel Oong's soldiers (they are both quite bad at it) while they try to achieve their goals, which has to happen exactly at Noon this Sunday (no explanation is ever given why it has to happen at that exact moment). That's basically the whole film, folks, except it takes an excruciatingly-long 94 minutes for the film to finally end (not 104 minutes as it's erroneously reported on the back of the VHS box, thank God!). Needless to say, a busted eardrum is less painful than sitting through this entire film, because you'll need to pierce your eyelids with toothpicks to stay awake.  After a promising start (including watching a guy being riddled with machinegun fire and the firing squad scene), this thriller, filmed on the American island of Guam, quickly degenerates into a series of "hide and seek" sequences where Mark Lenard (better known for portraying Mr. Spock's father, Sarek, on STAR TREK) and John Russell (BLOOD LEGACY - 1971) must stay out of reach of Keye Luke (a terrific character actor [TV's KUNG FU; "Mr. Wing" in the two GREMLINS films; and Charlie Chan's "Number One Son" in the series of 1930's films] who is wasted here) and his men, while they try to reach their objectives. This looks and plays like an extended episode of TV's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, with scenes of bloody violence and some nudity added. Most of the time it's just talk, talk, talk, as we listen to the villagers complain about Oong's treatment of their people, everyone says the words "saboteur" and "sabotage" a lot and, for some reason, the Catholic Church takes a verbal and physical beating. There's not much to recommend here, as there are long stretches where nothing at all happens, followed by short bursts of violence. The only scene that registers any pulse was when village girl Kalin (Linda Avery) shows her tits to Cootes and they make love. During the middle of the nookie session, Kalin pulls out a big-ass knife and stabs Cootes in the back. He reciprocates by strangling her with his bare hands. When Cootes tells Kalin's brother, Kon (Bobby Canavarro), what he has done, Kon shoves his sister's corpse into a barrell and no one talks of it again. There's also a scene of a little girl being shot and killed by Darmody (she was asking for it, standing in the way between Darmody and the island's new General), but it's filmed in such a lackadaisical manner, it fails to register. If there's anyone to blame for this boring mess of a film, it has to lay squarely on the shoulders of Terry Bourke (NIGHT OF FEAR - 1972; INN OF THE DAMNED - 1974; LADY STAY DEAD - 1981), since he not only directed, he also produced and wrote the script. Don't waste your time. Besides a few bloody moments, NOON SUNDAY is a total washout. It should have been called 4:30AM TUESDAY because, after watching this, that's exactly what time you'll think it is (if you're still awake). Joseph Zucchero, a prolific Filipino actor, producer and writer (especially working in tandem with director Cirio H. Santiago), was Production Manager on this film. Ken Metcalfe, an American actor/writer who worked extensively in the Philippines, was this film's Sound Recordist. Also starring Kim Ramos, Gigo Tevzadze and Stacy Harris. This actually got a theatrical release courtesy of Crown International Pictures and was released on VHS in the mid-80's by Academy Home Entertainment. Not available on DVD. Rated R.

OPEN SEASON (1974) - Here's another rarely-seen thriller whose politics and storyline could have only come from the sleazy 70's. Three seemingly normal family men, Ken (Peter Fonda), Greg (John Phillip Law) and Art (Richard Lynch), divorce themselves from their families for one week a year and take a vacation together, where they lead a life of complete debauchery. They hunt, screw, kidnap, rape and kill (not necessarily in that order), all without any human conscience. For that one week, they live like laws don't exist for them and anything (and I mean anything) goes. This year, their hunting trip will end differently than their previous ones. After taking turns screwing a waitress in a hotel room, the trio kidnap unfaithful married bank manager Martin (Alberto de Mendoza) and his girlfriend Nancy (Cornelia Sharpe) by pulling their car over and pretending to be State Troopers. They bring the duo to the woods, but Martin breaks loose and tries to flee in a canoe. He is recaptured (Art shoots the canoe full of holes) and the trio bring him and Nancy to a secluded cabin (which they built themselves) on an island only accessible by boat. Nancy is chained to the cabin, where she is forced to cook and clean and, later, do much worse while Martin is forced to watch (and later participate) in the trio's week-long game of defeating of the wills. There's one problem in all this mess: Nancy begins to enjoy all the attention (or is it just survival instinct?), while Martin has to watch helplessly from the sidelines as he then becomes cook and maid to the foursome. As the week comes to a close, the trio send Nancy and Martin packing, although it's plain to see that it's about to become a human hunt, ala THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. Given a 30 minute head start ("Run, rabbit, run!"), Martin and Nancy split up and the hunt is on. Unfortunately, things don't end up too well for them, even though a mystery shooter is in the woods.  Director Peter Collinson (FRIGHT - 1971; INNOCENT BYSTANDERS - 1972) paints the three protagonists as souless animals who find pleasure in other people's misery. It's quite apparent that the trio have been getting away with this type of degradation since they were in college, as the film opens with a mother and her raped daughter sitting down in a district attorney's office wanting to press charges against the young trio, only to be told by the D.A. that no one would believe three boys of such high standing would be capable of doing such a thing. To show just how devoid of humanity they really are, they make Nancy watch as they shoot every small animal in sight in what turns into an orgy of quick-cutting scenes of rabbits, hawks, ducks and geese being blown away by rifle, shotgun and pistol. Truly disturbing. Sad to say that the film falls apart during the final 30 minutes, where it turns into your standard "hunters vs. prey vs. hunter" scenario and all logic is thrown out the window. Up until then, it's pretty good as Fonda, Law and Lynch chew up the scenery as men with no moral compass and a friendship, though demented, that is solid and unflappable. Only during the 70's would a friendship like this be viewed as entertainment, especially the nihilistic ending where a mystery shooter (William Holden in an extended cameo) shows up, not to save Martin and Nancy (he couldn't give a shit about them), but to get revenge on the trio for one of their past aggressions. Our politically correct culture today would not allow an ending like this to occur. And that's our loss. Also starring Helga Line, William Layton, Bianca Estrada and Didi Sherman. Simon Andreu is also listed in the credits as "Barman", but I'll be damned if I could spot him. OPEN SEASON is only available in the U.S. on VHS in a truly wretched print by DuraVision (as RECON GAME) and is also known as THE KILLING, the print I viewed on DVD-R comes from a soft, but watchable, dub from an unknown source. It also doesn't have the scene at the end that shows Holden's character giving himself up to the police after talking to his dead daughter's son (who was a result of the trio's rape a few years earlier). Originally released to theaters in the U.S. by Columbia Pictures. Rated R.

PARANOIA (a.k.a. ORGASMO - 1969) - Kathryn West (Carroll Baker; THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH - 1968) arrives in Italy from New York after the death of her extremely rich (and much older) husband. Her lawyer and good friend, Brian Sanders (Tino Carraro; WEREWOLF WOMAN - 1976), meets Kathryn at the airport and takes her to her new home, an extravagant villa miles away from the hustle and bustle of civilization. Housekeeper Teresa (Lilla Brignone; GANG WAR IN NAPLES - 1972) does not seem too happy to see Kathryn, even though they have never met. Kathryn is relying on Brian to liquidate all of her dead husband's assets and turn them into cold hard cash, but Brian tells her it will take some time because some of his assets (such as a petroleum company) won't be easy to sell. Kathryn settles in to her new home and is basically alone, except of Teresa, whom Kathryn verbally abuses when it suits her. Enter Peter Donovan (Lou Castel; THE KILLER NUN - 1978), a handsome young man whose car has broiken down at the villa's front gate. Peter asks Teresa for some tools to fix his car, but she tells him to go away. Kathryn then tells Teresa to get the young man what he needs. When Peter tells Kathryn he needs a part to get his car running, Kathryn gives him a glass of J&B Scotch and tells him to spend the night at the villa when he tells her he doesn't have enough money for the part and a hotel room. As you can guess, a romance develops, and pretty soon they are taking a shower together (What would a giallo film be without a naked shower scene?). Kathryn tries to keep her romance with Peter a secret from Teresa, sneaking outside in the middle of the night and secretly ushering Peter into her bedroom to do the horizontal mambo. Kathryn has to travel to London to settle some disagreements with her dead husband's family over his will, but she passes out in front of Brian when her husband's extremely elderly aunt accuses Kathryn of killing her nephew. From that point on, Kathryn's life becomes a waking nightmare.
     The first sign of trouble happens when Kathryn returns to Italy. In the middle of the night, Kathryn is sure someone other than Teresa is in the house. When Kathryn calls for Teresa and gets no answer, she grabs a pistol and finds her shower running, the hot water steaming up the bathroom. Someone locks her in a room, so she uses the pistol to shoot the lock open. Teresa then appears and tells Kathryn that she is imagining things. Then the phone keeps ringing, but every time Kathryn answers it, no one is on the other end. It is quite obvious someone is trying to drive Kathryn mad, but who? Kathryn goes to Peter's slovemly home and demands to know why he hasn't called her. They then make love and are interrupted mid-coitus by Peter's landlord (Calisto Calisti; FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET - 1971), who wants the back rent and payment for the gambling debts he has incurred (he's also a bookie). Kathryn pays-up in cash and invites Peter to spend a week with her, telling him there will be no more secrets from Teresa. As soon as Peter settles in, he is visited by Eva (Colette Descombes), whom Peter introduces to Kathryn as his sister. The threesome become great friends, Peter and Eva teaching Kathryn how to be "young", but, as we all know, no party lasts forever and it is obvious Peter and Eva are up to something dastardly. Are they even brother and sister?
     While all three are dancing at a disco to a live band, Eva tells Kathryn that one of Peter's quirks is that he always says the exact opposite of what he means (Love = Hate and vice versa). Eva gives Kathryn pills to make her stay awake, telling her that "young people" like to party into the early morning. She also tells Kathryn that making love to Peter shouldn't be hidden, it should be done out in the open for everyone to see. She keeps feeding Kathryn pills  until she doesn't know whether she is coming or going (it looks like Kathryn has cut and dyed her hair to look exactly like Eva, but it turns out to be a wig). Eva jokingly points a loaded pistol at Kathryn and Peter gets furious, pushing Eva across the room and telling Kathryn he loves playing jokes, but not when guns are involved. Kathryn yells at Peter, telling him his brutality against Eva is unacceptable, Peter shooting back with, "And you keep your voice down! All of Brooklyn comes out of you!" (Ouch!). Peter and Kathryn end up making love after Eva tells her Peter is sorry for saying such a hurtful thing (Peter is unable to say it himself). Kathryn tells Brian that having two young adults in her home has given her a whole new perspective on life and youth. She also tells Brian she has no intention of getting married again and Brian says he is not asking her to marry him. Kathryn says, "No, but you were about to until I stopped you." She tells Brian that he is her closest friend and Brian says he feels the same way. She then pops two pills in front of Brian and when he asks what they are for, she lies and says she has been having liver problems and the pills are medication for it. When Kathryn tells Brian she's begging off early tonight, she drives home and finds a note on the table that reads, "Welcome home, tramp!" She laughs and goes looking for Peter and Eva and finds them naked in her bed making love. Kathryn is shocked, but Peter and Eva smile at her as if they are doing nothing wrong. Kathryn runs away crying and takes a tumble down the stairs, knocking her unconscious.
     Kathryn wakes up on the couch with Peter holding her hand, Eva making her a drink and Teresa asking what happened. Kathryn tells Teresa that she tripped down the stairs and that is as far as the conversation goes. A short time later, Peter tells Kathryn that Eva is his half-sister, same mother, different fathers. Kathryn says it's disgusting, they both have deceived her. Eva asks Kathryn if she is jealous, but it is her who should be jealous, but jealousy doesn't exist for Eva (she has more quirks than Peter!). When Kathryn asks Eva why she has come here, Eva says, "I wanted to see who was stealing Peter fom me. And when I saw you, I realized he was right. And you made me fall in love with you, too." Eva tells Kathryn there are all kinds of love, kissing Kathryn passionately on the cheek, Peter egging them on. They then have a menage-a-trois on the bed (heavy on the lesbianism). The combination of alcohol and pills leads to a trippy experience for Kathryn and she wakes up the following morning with all three of them naked in the same bed.
     Now is when things take a decidedly dark turn. Peter and Eva talk Kathryn into firing Teresa, saying they don't need an old biddie spying on them. With Teresa gone, Peter and Eva start taking over the household, keeping Kathryn stoned or drunk and slapping her around when she has bouts of normalcy. When Kathryn has had enough of their abuse, she kicks them out of the house and tells them never to return. A few days later, Eva comes to the house and hands Kathryn an envelope. Inside it are naked photos of Kathryn and Eva together in bed. Kathryn asks Eva how much money does she and Peter want and Peter says to Eva, "How much does she think she's worth?" Eva says to Kathryn, "We don't want your money. We want you!" It turns out Peter and Eva want to run Kathryn's life down to the smallest detail (By keeping her a prisoner in her own home, slapping her in the face, whipping her with a belt and other forms of physical and mental torture. They even feed her a live frog for dinner!), but it is obvious a third person is actually running the show and it is not too much of a surprise to realize who is orchestrating all this, but rather than ruining the surprise and the reason this person is doing it, I will leave that for you to discover. I'll just say this: Don't look for a happy ending...for anyone.
     This was prolific director/screenwriter (co-written with Ugo Moretti and Marie Claire Solleville) Umberto Lenzi's first giallo film. He would follow this up with many more, including SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE (1969), A QUIET PLACE TO KILL - 1970, OASIS OF FEAR (a.k.a. AN IDEAL PLACE TO KILL - 1971), SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS (1972), KNIFE OF ICE (1972), SPASMO (1974) and EYEBALL (1975). While the mystery element in this film could be considered weak, there are many other reasons why it is a good bet for giallo fans. The number one reason is the nudity. This is the film that gave Carroll Baker's career a second wind, thanks to her plentiful nude scenes. This film became fairly popular all over the world because of her nude scenes, even getting a pictorial in Playboy, which led to increased admissions at the boxoffice. Ms. Baker was a frequent star in Italian genre films, thanks to this movie, giallo films in particular (THE FOURTH VICTIM - 1971; THE DEVIL WITH SEVEN FACES - 1971; THE FLOWER WITH THE DEADLY STING - 1973; and many others, including many of Lenzi's titles previously mentioned). The violence level is also rather subdued for a giallo film, but this isn't a film about violence, it's about control. Control of a person's money, life and happiness until they are nothing more than a slave. A slave with no reason to live. The final five minutes are very fatalistic and very surprising (much more surprising than the reveal of the third person), so much so, I let out an audible gasp during one scene (pertaining to Kathryn's fate). Breaking someone down to their basest element by the use of alcohol and drugs is nothing new in films, but in 1969 this was considered quite shocking and Carroll Baker does an excellent job portraying a person who wishes to be young again, but relies on the wrong two people, who wish to do her harm. Once you know that Peter says the exact opposite of what he means, you can figure out what his and Eva's intentions are. The film's mystery may be weak, but the film on the whole is very entertaining, thanks to the frequent nudity and Ms. Baker's on-the-nose acting talents. This is why Umberto Lenzi is one of my favorite Italian genre directors. No matter how bad some of his films are (such as BLACK DEMONS - 1991), he always manages to make them entertaining. This film is a great way to watch Lenzi get his giallo vibe going for the very first time. In other words, it's right up my alley and should be right up yours, too, if you are a giallo fanatic.
     Shot as ORGASMO ("Orgasm"), this film obtained a theatrical release in the United States from Commonwealth United, but, due to the frequent nudity, it was slapped with an X-Rating by the MPAA, even though no explicit sex or pubic hair is on view. It was released on VHS in the U.S. by little-known label Spotlight Video. I was going to complain that it wasn't available on disc, but as I was writing this review, Severin Films released it on Blu-Ray as part of a 4-movie, 4-disc LENZI/BAKER GIALLO COLLECTION BOX SET. You should grab it as soon as possible, because it's bound top sell out fast. It is also available streaming on YouTube, in an uncut anamorphic widescreen print, with no English dubbing or subtitles, by channel "Film&Clips", or in a slightly edited fullscreen print dubbed in English on channel "Eurotrash". I don't advise anyone to watch films on YouTube any more, as their new commercial policy inhibits your enjoyment of any movie (or shortform video), thanks to them inserting as many commercials as possible willy-nilly into the film, with no rhyme or reason as to where they insert them. I've given up on YouTube for good and so should you. Also featuring Franco Pesce (SHANGO - 1970), Tina Lattanzi (THE MINOTAUR: THE WILD BEAST OF CRETE - 1961), Jacques Stany (THE CAT O' NINE TAILS - 1971) and Gaetano Imbro (A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN - 1971). Even though it was Rated X when originally released in the U.S., it would probably garner an R-Rating today thanks to the plentiful nudity. CONFUSION DEPT.: When this film was released theatrically in the United States, its name was retitled PARANOIA. A year after directing this film, Umberto Lenzi made another giallo film titled PARANOIA (1970), so to avoid confusion in the U.S., its title was changed to A QUIET PLACE TO KILL. It also starred Carroll Baker and many times, right up till this day, the films get confused with each other (but not by me!).

PIGGY (2012) - Here's a film that tells the regular viewing public what law enforcement knew all along: Vigilantes are not born, they are created. This film may take the transformation of a "nobody" into a "person who kills people who need killing" a little too far, but there have been worse cases on real dockets in the court system. Joe (Martin Compston) narrates the opening of the film about how his friend "Piggy" (Paul Anderson), whom we first see stomping a man in the face, became Joe's savior. Joe says that "Piggy was an avenger", but in order to get to know him, we first have to get to know Joe. Joe is your typical English bloke that no one would take a second look at. He gets a job in the mail room of a big business, where he is constantly teased and verbally assaulted by his mailroom co-workers. Every day of his miserable life, it was "Go to work. Get numb (smoke pot). Go to sleep.". And then Joe's brother John (Neill Maskell) becomes involved in Joe's life and everything turns around for him. He is actually having fun in his life with John, playing video games, going to bars, meeting women and generally enjoying himself. An innocuous fight between John and another bloke in a bar at first seems like nothing, but then Joe's life takes a 180° turn, as he is robbed by a man with a knife (this is London, so guns are mostly out of the equation) and John is beaten up by the guy and his friends at the bar so badly while he is walking home, that Joe watches him die in the hospital. Everything good about Joe's life was taken away from him in one night. And then one night Piggy comes into Joe's life. He tells Joe that he was John's friend years ago (even having a photo to prove it and Joe says that he has faint memories of him). I know what you are thinking: Piggy is an imaginary person made up on Joe's mind like in FIGHT CLUB (1999), but you would be wrong. Piggy tells Joe that something should be done about John's death and they become close (You have to pay close attention to their relationship to get some important clues). Piggy becomes Joe's proxy vigilante, killing all those involved in John's death one-by-one, but before he kills them, he gets the name of the next victim. Piggy says he loved John and would kill for him (which he has proved), but is Joe's love for John just as strong? Piggy beats the crap out of one guy, but Joe runs away when Piggy grinds the guy's hand into the pavement with his foot. Piggy catches up with Joe and tells him what "acceptable injury" is and only the truly guilty should die. They come up with a plan to kidnap one of John's killers and wear pig noses as disguises, so they can get the full list of names of the killers. The film makes Piggy seem like an extension of Joe's psyche, especially when John's fiancee Claire (Louise Dylan) comes to Joe's apartment and Piggy hides from her in another room, but it has nothing to do with Joe's psyche. It has more to do with Piggy keeping his identity a secret. It's also apparent that Claire is starting to have romantic feelings for Joe, but it is too soon...for now. Joe and Piggy put their kidnap plan into effect (complete with pig noses, which will not elicit laughter in you, believe me), kidnap one of the men and bring him to a filthy mens room. Piggy tortures the guy and gets five names from him. Did Piggy just beat the crap out of this guy (like he told Joe) or kill him, as Joe is waiting outside because he's still is not ready to see such ultra-violence? Joe likes hanging out with Claire, but while they are walking down the street one night, Joe discovers the leader of John's killers, Anthony (John Herdman), walking with his girlfriend (Kate Korbel). Piggy and Joe kidnap Anthony that night, put a white hood over his head and Piggy draws a smiley face on it before he beats Anthony's head in until there is no white to be seen on the hood. Anthony screams out that Jamie (Ed Skrein) is actually the killer, but Piggy stomps on his head with his foot until he is dead. This time Joe stays and watches the whole bloody ordeal, but still ends up vomiting at the end. Joe is now a different person, who doesn't take any more shit from his fellow mailroom workers (they actually end up being scared of him). Joe and Piggy once again put their fake noses on and Joe watches as Piggy slits the throat of another bar member. Joe moves Claire into a new flat, while he and Piggy kidnap Jamie (who ends up shitting himself), who now says Danny (Tommy McDonnell) is the brains behind John's death. They hold him captive in the same dirty bathroom, when a drunk friend of Claire's walks into the bathroom and knocks Joe on his ass. It's clear by now that Claire wants a romantic relationship with Joe, but it's hard being the boyfriend of someone whose brother's killers he is disposing of. Piggy frantically tells Joe that their latest escapade has been caught on cameras, so they will have to kill Danny tonight or it will never happen. They end up killing Danny and then go quiet for a while. Joe is afraid that every knock on the door or phone call will be from the police and then Piggy shows up and says they can help other people  ("We aren't done yet! We aren't fucking done yet!"). Joe screams out "I don't even fucking know who you are!" Turns out that Joe is correct, because when he checks out Piggy's flat when he is not there, he discovers that the photo he showed of him and John was a mock-up and the drawers are full of newspaper articles on vigilante killings dating back a couple of decades. Piggy shows up and calls Joe a "self-made victim" (which he is) who needed a push in the right direction to balance out the world. It seems like Piggy has been doing this kind of thing for 20 years: Picking people he sees who have suffered an unjust tragedy in their lives and the bad guys end up getting away with it. Piggy turns them into vigilantes because the law is useless in cases like that. Is Piggy really a bad person? I guess it all depends on whether you think guilty people that get away with it need killing, but the justice system gets in the way, causing a need for them to get justice they deserve. Claire kisses Joe, but he tells her. "Please don't get involved with me." He tells Claire he is leaving for good, visits John's grave and becomes the next "avenger to the innocent". Yes, vigilantes are not born. They are created.  Director/screenwriter Kieron Hawkes (his first feature film) makes no apologies for the extreme violence on view because all violence is extreme. This really can't be classified as a thriller or a horror film, because it could actually be viewed as a documentary of how a mild-mannered picked-on person says enough is enough and, with some major help, turns his life around. I'm not saying I agree with the tactics shown in this film, but I have seen too many people plead their cases down to probation or get off on technicalities without regard for their victims or their family and loved ones. This is a film that shows one way it could be achieved, but to me, murder is still murder, even if the guy being killed is a murderer. It's a slippery slope and vigilantes are as old as people have been on this Earth, but it hardly makes a dent in crime statistics. Judges are usually very hard on vigilantes because they do the job judges wish they could do, but are hamstrung by the law, so they make the vigilantes the bad guys and give them stiff sentences. Real life doesn't end like DEATH WISH (1974). Still, this film is pretty good and you'll need a strong stomach for some of the violent scenes, but what is truly scary is that there may be vigilantes out there teaching other people how to be vigilantes. I believe that is what Kieron Hawkes was trying to convey here. A mousy little man could become a cold-blooded killer with just a little prying. That should scare everybody. Also starring Roland Manookian, Jumayne Hunter, Ryan Winsley, Sonny Muslim and Colin Burt Vidler. An Inception Media Group DVD Release. Not Rated.

PREY OF THE CHAMELEON (1991) - The idea of a film dealing with a female serial killer really intrigued me because of the rarity of its subject matter. Besides, I had been seeing the trailer for this film on nearly every Prism cassette I had rented for the past year and it looked interesting. The anticipation outweighed the end result as, unfortunately, this is a fairly routine suspenser with very little to recommend in its' favor besides the acting talents of the cast. J.D. (James Wilder) returns to his hometown after a four year absence to reconcile with the girl (Alexandra Paul) he left standing at the altar. She is now the town's deputy sheriff and even though she still harbors deep feelings for J.D., she has a problem with his leaving town again to take a job with an oil company. While driving to his job, J.D. picks up a girl (Daphne Zuniga) whose car has broken down and soon they are doing the hot and sweaty in a motel room. Little does J.D. know that she is an escaped mental patient who kills people and takes over their identity, burying her victims in the clothing of her previous identity. Soon she is mimicking the movements and dress style of J.D., even dying her hair to match his color. She knocks him out (she doesn't kill him because he is "different from everybody else") and locks him in the trunk of a car. She robs a bank in the guise of J.D. and kills the guard. The deputy sheriff teams up with an FBI agent (Don Harvey), who is in charge of capturing the serial killer, when she learns of J.D.'s involvment in the case. J.D. escapes from the trunk and returns to his hometown to explain his innocence to his jilted lawperson. He is followed by the psychotic killer (donning the disguise of the victim she pulled over to facilitate her bank robbery escape) and she targets the deputy sheriff as her next conquest. Beside the fleeting shots of nudity this more or less has the look of a TV movie. The subject matter should have been dealt with more graphically instead of the rather bloodless affair offered here. Stick with HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986) or SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1992) until a decent female serial killer film comes around. Directed and written by Fleming B. Fuller. A Prism Entertainment Release. Rated R.

THE PYJAMA GIRL CASE (1977) - When the body of a young woman is found on the beach, shot in the throat, her face burned to a crisp and dressed in yellow pyjamas, elderly Inspector Thompson (Ray Milland, in a winning role) steps out of retirement to investigate the murder (the first time we see Thompson, he, too, is dressed in pyjamas as he is tending to his orchids). Good thing, too, because the young inspector, Morris (Rod Mullinar), handling the case doesn't know his asshole from his elbow. We are then introduced to Professor Henry Douglas (Mel Ferrer) and Glenda Blythe (Dalila Di Lazzaro), who discuss a missing friend named Evelyn (Vanessa Vitale). After noticing that Professor Douglas keeps a pistol in the glovebox of his car, Glenda relates a story to the Professor about the last time she saw Evelyn (it involves yellow pyjamas and a lesbian encounter). Is it possible that the murdered girl on the beach is Evelyn? Not so fast. As Inspector Morris brings in all the perverts in the area for questioning, Inspector Thompson uses his years of experience and follows the clues, including identifying the bullet used in the murder (it came from an American military-issued weapon) and grains of rice found on the dead girl's body. Inspector Morris still believes that the dead young woman was murdered by sexual predators, since the autopsy shows she was raped by multiple persons before she was killed, but he begins to notice that Thompson's methods are getting results. Meanwhile, Glenda is falling in love with Italian waiter Antonio (Michele Placido). The only problem is, she forgot to tell her current boyfriend, Roy (Howard Ross). The police have preserved the dead girl in a glass enclosure and are displaying her body for the public to view (it's quite a sight), in hopes someone can identify her. Thompson gets closer to making her identification on his own, following clues to a Chinese restaurant and a laundry on the docks. Glenda marries Antonio, but still has sex with Roy on the side. Antonio grows suspicious and Professor Douglas says nasty things to Glenda. How are Glenda's story and Inspector Thompson's investigation tied together? You'll have to watch the film for yourself. Needless to say, it's surprising and unforgettable.  Based on a true story, a notorious 1934 murder in Australia that took police ten years to solve (or was it?), this mystery film (it's not a giallo as many people trumpet it, even though the victim was dressed in yellow) is a fantastic piece of storytelling and must have been considered daring for it's time. Not to give the surprise ending away, I will say this: It's apparent that the creators of the TV series LOST (2004 - 2010) owe a debt of gratitude to this film, as their story structures are very similar. Director/scripter Flavio Mogherini (who normally directed Italian comedies like LUNATICS AND LOVERS [1976]) has fashioned a film that seems to be telling two unrelated stories, but it all comes together in a satisfying brew of sex, infidelity and murder. This is one of Ray Milland's (THE THING WITH TWO HEADS - 1972; SURVIVAL RUN - 1978) best roles in the latter part of his career. Not only is he believable in his role as a retired police inspector who hates retirement, he throws himself into the character, coming across as both gruff and gentle and upstaging everyone else who happens to be in the frame with him. He runs-up against quite a few memorable characters, too, including a dwarf dry cleaner, a bearded hippie who like to masturbate, a disabled laundry worker with a busted steampipe and an elderly gay gentleman who bathes in front of him. What's even more shocking is that he's killed two-thirds of the way through the film by the killer. He knows when he goes out that fateful night that he may not come back alive, as he leaves a tape recorded message and various clues throughout his apartment for Inspector Morris to find. He's more than happy to go out that way because all Thompson wanted was one last case to work on before he dies and Milland is wonderful here displaying those emotions. The rest of THE PYJAMA GIRL CASE is equally enjoyable (and sometimes maddening in it's obliqueness), as Morgherini gives the film a colorful gloss (lots of gel lighting) and slowly unravels the mystery with some genuine surprises along the way. While light in the violence department (although there are some grisly sights on view), there is plenty of nudity and a satisfaction that you are watching something truly unusual. Once you hear the theme song, "Your Yellow Pyjama", sung by Amanda Lear (who sounds like Edith Piaf), you will never forget it. The music score by Riz Otorlini, which consists of harmonica, electronic and orchestral cues, also enhances the proceedings. The droning synthesizers add an air of urgency to some of the scenes, especially the finale, where Glenda does something unthinkable (but well within her character) to get the money she so desperately needs. The use of harmonica and "wah-wah" guitar in the closing scene, combined with an unusual visual palette (a massive seaside graveyard and a bus full of female majorettes in costume), hits all the right emotional notes for the viewer. It's an excellent mix of sight and sound. Also known as THE CASE OF THE GIRL IN THE YELLOW PYJAMAS. Filmed in New South Wales, Australia. Also starring Ramiro Oliveros, Giacomo Assandri, Eugene Walter, Monica Rey and Antonio Ferrandiz. Available on DVD in a very nice-looking widescreen print from Blue Underground. Also available as part of Midnight Movies SUSPENSE TRIPLE FEATURE 3-DVD set. Not Rated.

REAPER (1998) - Best-selling author Luke Sinclair (Chris Sarandon), whose novels deal with serial killers and graphic depictions of violence and sex, is going through a severe case of writer's block (he hasn't written a sentence in over eighteen months), so he decides to get away from it all and drives to the small Maine coastal town of Keeler's Point to clear his head and get away from the religious fanatics who protest his books and spray him with red paint. Luke, who is a recovering alcoholic and is supposed to be taking anti-depression meds (but isn't), takes a room in Keeler's Point's only motel and begins hitting the bottle for inspiration, only he begins to have visions of electroshock treatments and some mysterious person chasing a woman in the woods. When two hunters find the raped and murdered nude body of a young woman in the woods, Sheriff Norris (Vlasta Vrana; SCANNERS II: THE NEW ORDER - 1990) is forced to call in the State Police to investigate, since the small town never had a murder before. The State Police sends Detective Sonya Lehrman (Catherine Mary Stewart; NIGHTFLYERS - 1987) to investigate and Sheriff Norris is not happy at all, since he's already convinced that Luke is the murderer. It seems the killing is an exact re-enactment of one of the murders in Luke's most recent novel, titled "Reaper", and a page from the book describing the murder is found next to the body. Sonya is not too sure about Luke's guilt and, since she is staying in the same motel he is, she can keep close tabs on him. As more murders and bodies begin piling up, all of them taken directly from Luke's novel, Luke's visions begin getting more bizarre and he begins babbling about doppelgangers to Sonya, which makes him look all the more guilty in the Sheriff's eyes. Sonya, on the other hand, thinks "it's all to simple" and believes there is another explanation. Sonya's investigation dredges up some interesting bits of information, such as Luke's stay in a mental institution seven years earlier due to "alcohol abuse" and that the Sheriff was once a vice cop in Chicago who was forced to resign for planting evidence. So who is the killer? Sonya better figure it out soon before she becomes a victim herself. The sudden appearance of the TV news and Luke's mistrusting wife, Melanie (Gillian Ferrabee), who thinks he is having an affair with Sonya (he's not), only complicates matters. Sonya is forced to shoot a suspect (she's never killed anyone before), which drives her into the arms of an understanding Luke. It's not the best professional move, as you will find out in the film's conclusion, where the killer is unmasked and motives are revealed.  This Canadian-made thriller, directed by John Bradshaw (SPECIMEN - 1996; LETHAL TENDER - 1997) and written by Vincent Monton and Matt Dorff, is a decent whodunit with equal measures of police procedural and mystery elements that, unfortunately, collapses about sixty minutes in. At first, Chris Sarandon (THE SENTINEL - 1977; CHILD'S PLAY - 1988) comes across as a little too aloof and self-centered, but as the film progresses, it becomes obvious that his character is highly flawed, as more information is revealed about his background. The citizens of Keeler's Point don't come across as the nicest people in the world, either, especially Wilma (Joanna Noyes), the motel proprietor who keeps her ear to the wall and reports all of Luke's goings-on to the Sheriff. It's really disappointing when the film falls apart two-thirds of the way through, with the appearance of a previously unseen red herring made to look like the killer, but it's obvious to those even with only a third grade education that he's not. What happens after that throws the balance of the film way off track, ruining the logic of what came before it. The violence and nudity are fairly restrained for an R-rated production; just a couple of quick shots of nude bodies with objects in frame hiding the naughty bits and hardly any blood at all (just a couple of bloody bullet squibs). The only reason I can explain the R-rating is the foul language. Take away the swearing and this film could play on TV uncut. That's the film's biggest flaw, because it could have used an injection of full-fledged nudity and a bit of the ultra-violence to make it stand out from basic cable TV dreck. There are the makings of a good film here, but REAPER fails to succeed due to a lack of exploitable elements fans of this genre demand. Oh, and a lazy final third. Also starring Rob Pinnock, James Bradford, Isabelle Cyr, Doug Sutherland, John Moore and Stephen Morgan. Available on budget DVD from Platinum Disc Corporation. Rated R.

RED (2008) - Film is a very subjective medium and can affect people in totally different ways. RED will either hit you like a painful punch to the gut or leave you bewildered, as we follow Avery Ludlow (the excellent Brian Cox; TRICK 'R TREAT - 2007) on his odyssey of retribution. Is he a madman or would you do the same thing? Either answer is acceptable, yet if you are a true animal lover (as I am; animals are capable of unconditional love, something which most humans are incapable of understanding); the type of person who puts the same importance on their pets as they put on any family member, then this film will resonate and play with your emotions. Even though this film had a troubled production history (Director Lucky McKee [MAY - 2002; co-director of ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE - 2013] was mysteriously fired after a few weeks of shooting and was replaced by producer Trygve Allister Diesen), it does not distract that this is a beautifully acted and highly emotional piece of cinema. Avery Ludlow and his 14 year-old dog Red do everything together. One day, while fishing in the creek, Avery and Red are confronted by three teens; the cruel Danny (Noel Fisher; FINAL DESTINATION 2 - 2003), Danny's yes-man Pete (Shiloh Fernandez; DEAD GIRL - 2008) and the not-really bad Harold (Kyle Gallner; JENNIFER'S BODY - 2009), who happens to be Danny's brother. Danny, who is carrying a shotgun, robs Avery and when he discovers that Avery has only twenty dollars on his possession, shoots Red point-blank, killing him (Danny callously says to Avery, "He's red now!"). Harold can't believe what Danny has done, but Avery is in such a state of shock, he doesn't even turn around to look at the teens' faces, so he can't identify them. Instead, Avery puts Red's corpse into his pickup truck and drives home, burying Red in the backyard. Avery sets out to find where the teens live, so he goes to the local gun store (he can identify the shotgun), to find out Danny's address. The sympathetic gun store owner, also a dog owner, gives Avery Danny's address, so Avery travels to Danny's house and confronts Danny and Harold's extremely rich father, Mr. McCormack (Tom Sizemore; BOTTOM FEEDER - 2006), where Danny and a nervous Harold flatly deny having anything to do with Red's death. Sensing that he is not going to get any cooperation from Mr. McCormack, Avery goes to lawyer friend Sam (Richard Riehle; HATCHET - 2007), who tells him that all that can be done legally to the teen amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist, since Red was just an animal. Avery, who is a widower and got Red as a present from his dead wife for his 50th birthday, tries everything within his power legally to get satisfaction, even talking to Pete's white trash parents (played by Robert Englund [HEARTSTOPPER - 2006] and Amanda Plummer [SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER - 2004]) and appealing to their common sense of decency (with no luck). Sam puts Avery in touch with local TV reporter Carrie (Kim Dickens; HBO's DEADWOOD and TREME), who does a story on Red's death and Avery's life, which touches Avery deeply when he watches it on TV, but someone throws a rock through Avery's window with a threatening note attached while he and Carrie are watching the report. Avery and Carrie become good (non-romantic) friends, but Carrie is pulled-off the story by her editor. Avery (who is a Vietnam War hero and has a mentally unstable son in prison who killed Avery's wife and younger son by burning them to death with kerosene) finally has had enough of trying to get satisfaction legally and begins following the teens around, learning their habits and making their lives miserable (Danny becomes so agitated, he comes at Avery with a baseball bat, but gets it turned on him instead). When Avery's general store burns down, he finally loses control and turns Mr. McCormack's control over the town to his advantage. When all is said and done, everyone suffers devastating losses, but it is Avery who finds true redemption, not with violence (although there is some), but with an act of kindness by Carrie.  Masterfully acted by Brian Cox (the scene where he describes to Kim Dickens what his psychotic son did to his family is Oscar-worthy stuff, that is if the Academy Awards cared about films like this), with a good dialogue-heavy screenplay by Stephen Susco (THE GRUDGE - 2004) that is based on a novel by Jack Ketchum (who appears here as a bartender using his real name, "Dallas Mayr"), RED is a slow-burn of a tale that will either make you praise Avery's level-headedness throughout most of the film or make you angry that he didn't lose control earlier, while non-animal lovers will wonder what all the fuss is about (and, unfortunately, I know a few people who fit that description). When Avery exhumes Red's corpse, brings it to the McCormack residence and lays it on their front doorstep, it sets off a sequence of events which will soon not be forgotten, where a man's love for his dog proves to be greater than a father's love for his sons. To say any more would destroy first-time viewers' enjoyment, if "enjoyment" is the right word. While this film doesn't intentionally tug at the heartstrings the same way MARLEY AND ME (2008; and worth viewing) does, RED perfectly portrays the emotional devastation some people feel when they lose a beloved pet (it's just as gut-wrenching as losing a family member). Also starring Ashley Laurence (HELLRAISER - 1987) as Tom Sizemore's abused wife and Marcia Barnett (Lucky McKee's THE WOODS - 2006) as Emma, the proprietor of Avery's general store. Not to be confused with the 2010 Bruce Willis actioner with the same name. A Magnolia Home Entertainment DVD Release. Rated R.

RESURRECTION (1999) - Due to the success of David Fincher's SE7EN (1995), a spate of imitations followed. This is one of the best, thanks to moody photography, a tight script (by Brad Mirman) and some really gory set-pieces. Transplanted New Orleans police detective John Prudhomme (Christopher Lambert), who is battling personal demons, is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a Chicago man whose right arm was removed at the shoulder while he was still alive. When Prudhomme and his new partner, the bad joke-telling Detective Andrew Hollinsworth (the always enjoyable Leland Orser [THE BONE COLLECTOR - 1999], who also had a small role in SE7EN), investigate the scene, they find "He's Coming" written in lamb's blood on the window of the victim's house. The killer has also carved Roman numerals on the victim's back and leaves a clue that leads Prudhomme and Hollinsworth to another victim, also missing an arm (the left one this time), who also has a different set of Roman numerals carved in his back. This leads to a domino effect, as the killer leaves another clue, which leads the detectives to another victim (missing his head), more Roman numerals, another clue and so on. Prudhomme determines that the killer is rebuilding the body of Christ, as the Roman numerals correspond to chapter and verses in the Bible dealing with the Apostles. All the victims were 33 years-old (the same age as Christ when he died) and Prudhomme theorizes that the killer is using the missing body parts to build a body of Christ in preparation for the Resurrection. Prudhomme himself is going through a personal crisis of faith because, six months earlier, he witnessed his young son getting run-over and killed by a car we he darted out onto the street while on his bike. Normally a very devout man, Prudhomme gave up on religion and hasn't been to church since his son's death. Prudhomme and Hollinsworth get some needed help when an FBI profiler named Agent Wingate (Robert Joy) appears on the scene and offers his expertise. The Press have dubbed the serial killer the "Numbers Killer" and pressure is put on Prudhomme and his partner to solve the case, so they accept his help. Prudhomme also gets help from his old parish priest, Father Rousell (genre director and part-time actor David Cronenberg), whom he hasn't seen or talked to since his son's death. Prudhomme and Hollinsworth just miss catching the killer murdering his latest victim (by removing his left leg, a scene which will leave some viewers gagging). Since the killer is pissed-off for nearly getting caught, he disables Hollinsworth with a stun gun, dresses him in the killer's clothes, tapes a gun to his hand, tapes-up his mouth and sends him out directly into the path of waiting police, who shoot Hollinsworth in the leg with a shotgun blast. Hollinsworth's left leg is amputated at the hospital, which is then promptly stolen by the killer! Prudhomme vows revenge and soon finds out that not everyone is who they say they are. He also makes a shocking discovery at the killer's home, a sight so ghastly that not everyone who views it will keep their lunch down. Prudhomme realizes that the killer's last victim will be a pregnant woman named Mary, who is about to give birth to a son (it's all in the Bible, folks!), so Prudhomme has all the hospitals staked-out until the right woman is found. The finale finds Prudhomme facing-off with the killer on the hospital's roof, a baby boy's life hanging in the balance. Will the memory of his son's death get in the way of Prudhomme stopping this maniac once and for all?  This is probably director Russell Mulcahy's (RAZORBACK - 1984; RICOCHET - 1991; THE SHADOW - 1994; RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION - 2007) best film since HIGHLANDER (1986), which, oddly enough, also starred Christopher Lambert. Mulcahy utilizes every camera trick in the book to tell the story, using weird camera angles, distorted lenses and sped-up and slowed-down camera cranking, most of it to good effect, although some sequences would have been better served with a more straight-forward approach. Mulcahy also desaturates most of the colors here, giving the film a gritty, nearly black and white nourish feel. In nearly every scene, the background is so smoky or dusty, you feel as if you would choke to death if you took a deep breath. Another common theme in Mulcahy's films is the use of water and, in this film, it's raining in nearly every scene. The script, by Brad Mirman (who also receives story credit along with star Lambert), does drag in spots (the film is a little long at 108 minutes), but it generally manages to shock the viewer on several occasions, such as the scene when Prudhomme believes the killer has murdered his wife Sara (Barbara Tyson), only to discover a short time later that the body is that of his wife's visiting sister. There are numerous gory set pieces, many more than usual in films of this type. Most of it deals with corpses missing body parts, but there are also some gushing blood scenes, especially the one where Prudhomme unsuccessfully tries to stem the flow of blood from the poor sap's missing leg wound. RESURRECTION is a good thriller that will have you engrossed from beginning to the unforgettable end, where we view the serial killer's rancid creation. It's hard to believe that this film was released directly to HBO and bypassed a theatrical release. It's one of Christopher Lambert's best performances of his career and a big improvement over most DTV crap. Paul Pompain, the star and producer of 1974's STREET GIRLS, was one of the Executive Producers and was also Second Unit Director of the Chicago-lensed sequences. Useless piece of trivia: Russell Mulcahy directed the music video for The Buggles' song "Video Killed The Radio Star", the first music video shown on MTV. Also starring Rick Fox, Jonathan Potts, Peter MacNeill and Philip Williams. Released on VHS and DVD by Columbia Tristar Home Video. Rated R.

ROAD GAMES (1981) - A witty and well-made thriller from late director Richard Franklin (he passed away in 2007), who was also responsible for directing such films as PATRICK (1978), PSYCHO II (1983; the best of the sequels, thanks to not taking itself too seriously), LINK (1986), FX2 (1991) and many others and a twisty screenplay by Everett De Roche (who based his script on Alfred Hitchcock's REAR WINDOW - 1954, only he set it in the wide-open rather than in an apartment complex), who did a few movies with Franklin, as well as writing the screenplays to such gems as LONG WEEKEND (1977), DARK FORCES (1983) and RAZORBACK (1984). This film finds truck driver Pat Quid (Stacy Keach; DEATH ROW - 2006) and his pet dingo Boswell (played by Killer) driving down a lonely stretch of Australian Outback highway trying to deliver a truckload of pork to a strike-ridden town, when he picks up a female hitch-hiker (Jamie Lee Curtis; TERROR TRAIN - 1980), who will only give her name as "Hitch" (It's Jamie Lee's tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, not because she's hitch-hiking.). Everyone in this film is playing one type of game or another, some innocent and some deadly, but we eventually find out her name is really "Pamela Rushworth", whose father is not only rich, he is famous and she needs to get away from him. After some clever back-and-forth between Pat and Hitch (one funny scene finds Pat complaining that Boswell never barks and Hitch tells him that Boswell is a dingo, not a dog and dingos don't bark), we find out that a Jack The Ripper-type serial killer, called "Smith or Jones" (who we eventually find out is played by Australian stuntman supreme Grant Page (STUNT ROCK - 1978), who is driving a van, is also traveling this stretch of highway and once he catches sight of Hitch, the game is one. You see, the serial killer likes to cut-up pretty young things and only buries parts of their bodies. What he does with the rest of the pieces is better left for you to find out during the finale. When the serial killer captures Hitch (there's a white-knuckle scene at a bathroom at a rest stop on the highway, occupied by the strangest group of people this side of a David Lynch film), the chase is on as Pat tries to save Hitch, while the police believe Pat is the serial killer. But just who is chasing whom? Tight dialogue (some of it very funny, especially between Pat and Boswell) and some really tense situations distinguish this film from most slasher films of the early 80's. For one, there's very little blood or violence, as director Richard Franklin makes you use your imagination during the kill scenes. And it works. There's also a funny/tense scene where Pat is chasing the killer down the streets of a town and the chase becomes slower and slower as the road becomes narrower, until both vehicles become stuck between two buildings. What happens next answers nearly all the film's unanswered questions, like does Boswell really bark and why does Pat's pork trailer weigh more than it did when he left the depot? Even though this film is Rated PG, it is definitely not for kids, as it is rather adult in nature and there are a lot of double-endentres that will have the kids asking, "Daddy, what does he mean by that?" I love Australian horror and thriller films (maybe it's the deserted locations, wide panoramas where we see nothing ahead except desert and dust and the sense of helplessness that goes along with it) and ROAD GAMES is no different. The Hitchcockian elements in this film must not have been lost on Hollywood executives, who hired Franklin to direct PSYCHO II (it was a good choice). Also starring Marion Edwards, Thaddeus Smith, Stephen Millichamp, Alan Hopgood, John Murphy, Bill Stacey and Robert Thompson. Originally released on VHS by Charter Entertainment and then on widescreen DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment (the only way to watch this film). Rated PG.

ROAD-KILL (1993) - A college-bound student named Josh (Sean Bridgers) hitchhikes cross-country to L.A. and gets picked up by Clint and Marla (Andrew Porter and Deanna Perry), a pair of serial killers on a cross-country killing spree. At first Josh doesn't realize what this psychotic couple is up to (Clint super-glues a motel clerk's mouth and nose shut and watches him suffocate!) and all three become genuine friends. At one point Clint saves Josh from certain doom, when Josh (who doesn't know he is wanted by the law as their accomplice) is snatched by a truck driver who spots his photo in a newspaper. Clint blows the trucker's guts out with a shotgun. Josh begins to suspect something is horribly wrong when he witnesses Clint and Marla murder Stupid the Clown (billed simply as "Himself" in a scene-stealing performance), a foul-mouthed performance artist they pick up on the road. When Josh refuses to participate in the killing, Clint and Marla tie him up and promise him a slow death. Marla dies (her head goes through a window) after unsuccessfully trying to seduce a bound and gagged Josh. When Clint spots Marla's body, he strings Josh up by the neck and shoots him in the knee. Interrupted by an ill-timed police visit, Josh breaks free and slits Clint's throat. The next time we see Josh, he is picking up a female hitchhiker. I guess he really wasn't much different than Clint and Marla after all. This gritty, low-budget drama packs an emotional wallop that will stay with you for quite a while. Well acted by a cast of relative unknowns, the dialogue is delivered in a true-to-life fashion that doesn't seem phony. This is a welcome addition to the recent spate of serial killer movies, including Oliver Stone's over-hyped (but still interesting) NATURAL BORN KILLERS (1994) and the mostly crappy DTV films on real-life serial killers that flooded shelves in the 00's (see my review of B.T.K. [2007]). Believe it or not, this is another good film to be released by Action International Home Video (see review of TRAPPED ALIVE). Director Tony Elwood (KILLER - 1989) elicits good performances and, most of all, makes good use of rural backgrounds, turning them into regions where anything and everything could happen. This film should be high on your rental list. Released as ROAD KILL U.S.A. on video. An A.I.P. Home Video Release. Not Rated.

THE SALTON SEA (2002) - I've read a lot of bad press about Val Kilmer: "He's difficult." "I'll never work with him again." "This guy's got an ego the size of Texas." Frankly, I don't give a shit. Watch him in this movie and you'll see one of the best actors of our generation. Even though this film had a limited theatrical release, nobody seemed interested at the time except a few critics, some who saw it for what it really was: A slam-bang thriller with a personal edge so sharp, that the viewer could get cut just for getting caught up in it. Kilmer portrays a man with a mission. At first he's Tom Van Allen, a musician who sees his wife (Chandra West) murdered by a pair of masked gunmen who rip-off a meth-amphetamine lab (run by musician/actor Meat Loaf), that they stop by when they get lost on the road. A single red hair recovered on her body makes Kilmer take on another identity, Danny Parker, a tweaker who hangs out with the dregs of society in hopes of finding the person who put a bullet in his wife's head. He teams up with a pair of corrupt cops (Anthony LaPaglia of WITHOUT A TRACE [2002 - 2009] and Doug Hutchinson of THE X-FILES [1993 - 2002]) and rats out some suppliers to them after they force him to do their bidding or go to jail. Parker wants to set up a big deal with Pooh-Bear (the always interesting Vincent D'Onofrio of LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT [2001 - 2011]), a man who lost his nose from sniffing so much "gak" that he had a plastic nose attached to his face. Parker knows who the killer is and goes about setting up the ultimate trap to get his revenge. It involves a Chinese cowboy (B.D. Wong of OZ [1997 - 2003]), $250,000 dollars in cash and a case of mistaken identity. There are so many double and triple crosses in this film that in the hand of a lesser director, this could be very confusing. Luckily, director D.J. Caruso (BLACK CAT RUN - 1998; he would later graduate to the big time with the films TAKING LIVES [2004]; DISTURBIA [2007] and EAGLE EYE [2008], the last two starring Shia LaBeauf) has a firm grasp on Tony Gayton's screenplay and never loses his grip, turning in one of the best thrillers of 2002. There's some welcome humor also present, including Adam Goldberg's plan of stealing Bob Hope's stool sample (!) and selling it on eBay. It doesn't turn out well (All This happens while an old guy [Tom Fitzpatrick] in a wheelchair sings "Take A Walk On The Wild Side") . It also presents the tweaker's life as one of the ugliest lifestyles, living in dirty flophouses filled with puking dopeheads and people who never stop talking. Other acting honors go out to Peter Sarsgaard as Parker's best "friend" Jimmy the Finn, who still stays his friend even when he finds out who Parker really is. It's a scene that would put a lump in anyone's throat who has a pulse. D'Onofrio is a hoot, one part scary bastard and one part sideshow freak (you'll do a double-take when you see him without his fake nose). He's always interesting to watch, going all the way back to his performance as Private Pyle in FULL METAL JACKET (1987). But the film belongs to Val Kilmer, who imbues his characters with a humanity rarely seen in films of this type. You can see that it's a struggle for him to remember his Tom Van Allen life, as he keeps everything that reminds him of that life neatly packed in a suitcase under his bed, occasionally opening it and putting on his suit and fedora and playing his horn to keep the memory of his dead wife alive. While the ending may seem a little pat (I was kind of glad it turned out the way it did, even if it should have ended differently), you'll be totally engrossed in the characters and what happens to them. I don't say this much, but as soon as the movie ended, I wanted to watch it again (I did!). It was even better the second time. Also starring Luis Guzman, Glenn Plummer, Deborah Kara Unger, Danny Trejo, R. Lee Ermey and a penis-hungry badger (Don't ask. Just watch the film.) Eriq La Salle (ER [1994 - 2009]) and Frank Darabont (THE GREEN MILE - 1999) are two of the producers. A Warner Home Video DVD Release. Rated R.

SCALPEL (1976) - One of the most overlooked thrillers of the 70's. I remember that when I first got HBO in the late 70's, this was one of the first films that I saw. It left an impression then and still leaves an impression today. When plastic surgeon Robert Lansing is caught killing his daughter's boyfriend by her, she leaves home and never returns. When Lansing's father passes away and leaves Lansing's daughter (Judith Chapman) five million dollars and the estate, Lansing comes up with a plan to take a beaten-to-a-pulp stripper and create her in his daughter's image. He succeeds and teaches her everything there is to know about his daughter and his family in exchange for half of the five million dollars. The only problem is that his real daughter was an accomplished pianist and his fake daughter can't play a lick. This one little tick turns Lansing's life upside down when his real daughter returns and begins her life back at home as if nothing has ever happened. Double and triple-crosses ensue, with a truly satisfying ending that puts all the missing pieces together. I really miss the late Robert Lansing. He always had this cool exterior which covered an even blacker interior. His first starring role was in the interesting horror film 4D MAN in 1959 (re-released as MASTER OF TERROR in 1965) and had a long and varied career in films and TV before succumbing to cancer in 1994. When his real daughter returns home, he looks really pleased even though we know that he has a lot of explaining to do. He answers every one of his daughter's questions with answers that sound so honest that we almost forgive him for everything that he's done. He even sets up killings with such pinache and bravado, that he almost seems non-human. Judith Chapman (DEAD SPACE - 1991) has a field day in her dual role as we never know which one is the more evil of the two. It turns out that they are both equals, both with plans of their own. Throw in some gory plastic surgery footage and enough sleazy action to keep your interest (incest is implied and, in the case of his fake daughter, carried out), toss in some very tricky plotting and what develops is a very satisfying film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and so should you. Also starring Arlen Dean Snyder as money-hungry Uncle Bradley (who only gets ownership the family dog at the reading of his father's will!), David Scarroll, Laura Whyte (BLOOD SALVAGE - 1989) and Bruce Atkins. Director/producer/screenwriter John Grissmer directed just one other film, the gory slasher flick BLOOD RAGE (1984 - a.k.a. NIGHTMARE AT SHADOW WOODS in a severely edited form). He also produced and co-wrote THE BRIDE (a.k.a. THE HOUSE THAT CRIED MURDER - 1973). Also known as FALSE FACE. A Charter Entertainment Home Video Release. Rated R.

SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS (1973) - Normal-looking Frank (Gary Kent; SATAN'S SADISTS - 1969) and his retarded brother John (John Stoglin) troll the highways in their old Packard looking for young women to kidnap and bring home, where they are locked in the basement and used as sexual playthings under the instructions of their strict mother (who keeps her face hidden under a shawl). Their latest victim is Sue (Merrie Lynn Ross; BOBBIE JO AND THE OUTLAW - 1976), who meets two other girls in the basement: Ginger (Suzanne Lund), who has been held captive for two weeks, and the sickly Stevie (T.R. Blackburn), who has been there for over two months. When Sue tries to escape by tricking simpleton John into playing a game of Hide and Seek, brother Frank kills her with a shotgun blast to her back. After playing a game of "doctor" with Ginger (that turns into a torture session), John brings her to the parlor (wearing a dog collar and a leash) to "play" with Frank, who strips her naked and tries to rape her, but he's sexually incapable of completing the act. Ginger asks, "Did you ever have a girl, Frank?" to which Frank responds, "Once, but Mother didn't approve." This triggers a flashback where Frank introduces his fiancée to his mother (Greta Gayland). Mother instantly disapproves (She fakes heart pains so Frank will massage her breasts) and when Frank is out of earshot, she tells his fiancée that she and Frank engage in incest on a regular basis and the fiancée runs away, never to be seen again. Mother tells Frank that "all women should be in cages" and from that moment on, that is the way Frank treats women. Back to the present, John wants a new girl to play with, so he and Frank kidnap college girl Bonnie (Cheryl Waters; MACON COUNTY LINE - 1974, here using the name "Leah Tate"). She is locked in the basement with Ginger and Stevie (who is now near death), but she holds out hope that her boyfriend, college professor Robert (Stafford Morgan; THE ALPHA INCIDENT - 1978, here using the pseudonym "Robert Matthews", the name of his character in this film) will find her. Robert finds a piece of evidence that will eventually lead him to Frank and John's home, but the question soon becomes: Will he get there in time before Frank and John ruin her as a woman? Bonnie briefly escapes and discovers the decaying corpse of Frank and John's mother in one of the bedrooms. So who is actually disguising themselves as dear, old Mom? When Robert rescues Bonnie, they both discover Frank has hanged himself and John is whimpering "Mama! Mama!" over-and-over beside his swinging corpse. This is not the ending most viewers of this type of entertainment have come to expect. Whether it is good or bad depends on your tolerance level. Me? I liked it.  This is the first directorial effort from Don Jones (he also produced and wrote the screenplay), who later gave us such enjoyable genre efforts as THE LOVE BUTCHER (1975), THE FOREST (1981) and MOLLY AND THE GHOST (1991). While SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS is slow-moving and relies a little too much on PSYCHO (1960) for plot devices, it does have an air of sleaziness that permeates every frame, starting with the creepy opening titles, which show a series of bizarre and ugly dolls while an even creepier song, titled "Triangles, Circles and Squares", plays in the background. There's also plenty of nudity (including full frontal by Ms. Lund), but very little blood or gore. It's the sleaze factor that really carries the film, though, and it's enhanced by a rare starring role from genre vet Gary Kent (also the Production Manager here), who recently wrote an autobiography ("Shadows & Light: Journeys With Outlaws in Revolutionary Hollywood" from Dalton Publishing) that should be read by every fan of B films (he's really led an interesting life). The rather abrupt ending is at least different for a film of this type and adds a human element to the two villains. Unusual enough for at least one viewing. Ron Garcia, who directed the exploitation oddities THE TOY BOX (1970) and SWINGERS MASSACRE (1975), was Director of Photography here. Also starring Russell Lane, Ervin Sanders and Herb Goldstein. Originally released on VHS by World Premiere Home Video under the title LET'S PLAY DEAD and available on DVD from Code Red under the title GIRLS IN CHAINS. Retail outlets (like Best Buy) made Code Red remove the word "SCHOOL" from the DVD cover art (the actual print retains the full title) because they considered it too "risqué" to be on their shelves. Once again, political correctness wins out over common sense. Also known as COME PLAY WITH US and ABDUCTED. Available on a double feature DVD from Code Red under its full title with the awful film TERROR CIRCUS (a.k.a. BARN OF THE NAKED DEAD - 1974). Rated R.

SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS (1972) - Here's an entertaining giallo film by one of Italy's best genre directors. Supposedly based on a story by Edgar Wallace, as well as Cornell Woolrich's novel "Rendezvous In Black", this film also has an unusually large cast of genre pros, so we have a huge amount of red herrings to choose from.
     A serial murderer, dubbed "The Half-Moon Killer" by the Press (based on the half-moon lockets he leaves on his victims), has warned the police that he will claim seven victims, but one woman has survived his slaughter. She could hold the key to unmasking the killer, but at what cost?
     We first see the black-gloved killer sneaking into a house, switchblade in hand. He enters a bedroom where a middle-aged woman is sleeping.  He viciously stabs the woman when she wakes up, looking at a photo of her daughter on the nightstand. He then drives to the daughter (Gabriella Giorgelli; WOMEN IN CELL BLOCK 7 - 1973), who is a prostitute waiting for a john at a local hooker walk. The killer picks her up in his classy car and drives her to a field on the bank of the Tiber River, where she strips topless. The killer then pummels her with a metal bar until her bloody body lies dead on the ground, leaving a half-moon locket in her hand. Police Inspector Vismara (Pier Paolo Capponi; THE CAT O'NINE TAILS - 1971) arrives at the scene the next morning and asks Lt. Palumbo (Aldo Barberito; ROME: ARMED TO THE TEETH - 1976) to find out the hooker's real name and to find out why she was called "La Toscana" on the street. Giulia Torresi (Uschi Glass; ANGELS OF TERROR - 1971), who is about to marry clothing designer Mario Gerosa (Antonio Sabato; THE MAN WITH ICY EYES - 1971), gets a phone call from the killer at the boutique she owns, but he hangs up. Mario spends his last day as a bachelor at an art gallery with a bunch of "abstract painters", where the killer calls the gallery and asks to speak to "Kathy Adams", but when the gallery owner says he will look for her, the killer hangs up the phone. We then see that the killer was calling from inside the gallery and he watches as Kathy Adams (Marina Malfatti; THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES - 1972) picks up the phone and discovers there is no one on the other end. What is the killer's game?
     We soon find out. Kathy leaves the gallery and goes home (to feed her cats). As she is getting ready for bed, she hears her cats moaning and goes to investigate, finding her three cats lying on the kitchen floor, poisoned by the milk she just fed them. The killer then stabs Kathy in the neck, leaving a half-moon locket on her dead, topless body. What is the connection between Kathy and "La Toscana"? The Inspector wants to know, too, as he hasn't identified "La Toscana" yet and orders Lt. Palumbo to dig up some info on her so he can have some idea who he is dealing with.
     The next time we see Giulia and Mario, they are married and traveling by train to have a quick honeymoon. When Mario leaves their compartment to go get a sandwich, the killer strikes, slicing away at Giulia with a straight razor, but the conductor hears the commotion and interrupts the killer before he can leave the half-moon locket. At Giulia's funeral, the police take photos of every male person that attended, thinking the the killer would be there. Mario is able to identify everyone in the photos, except for one (It's a photo of Lt. Renzi [Franco Fantasia; THE MURDER MANSION - 1972]; a trick perpetrated by Lt. Palumbo without the Inspector's knowledge). Mario tells the Inspector that he has known Giulia for three years, ever since her father died, and he doesn't believe she has any connection to the two other murdered women, but the Inspector is not so sure. It is at this time that we discover that Giulia is very much alive, her funeral a ploy to get the killer to expose himself. Is it possible that the killer is in the photos that Mario identified?
     Giulia is not able to identify Kathy because she didn't know her, but she is able to identify "La Toscana". Her name was Ines and she worked as a maid at a hotel her father once owned (She was called "La Toscana" because the hotel was in Tuscany). Giulia tells the Inspector that Ines was engaged to Giovanni Rau (Nello Pazzafini; CONTRABAND - 1980), an unpleasant man who took advantage of Ines' position and stole from the hotel. Giulia and Ines "denounced" Giovanni (whatever that means) and he swore to get even. The Inspector and Lt. Palumbo grill Giovanni (complete with a bright light shining on his face!), but they get nowhere, even though he confesses (but they don't believe him).
     Giulia and Mario then go on a trip, where he gives her a half-moon keychain and tells her it was a present from the Inspector (WTF?!?). Giulia looks at the keychain and tells Mario that she recognizes it. It looks exactly the same as a keychain left on a table at her father's hotel two years earlier. All she can remember about the man who left it was that he was American, tall, young, but his face escapes her. She knows he wasn't a client of the hotel, as he would only eat there every once in a while. Giulia also remembers he lived in a resident's hotel on the River Del Sole. Mario postpones their trip and they head to the resident's hotel, where Mario pretends to be a private investigator and grills the hotel manager. Mario gets nowhere, but Giulia gets an idea to check the hotel's registry books since, by law, they have to keep them for five years. She hopes seeing the American's name will trigger an identity in her mind (It's a good plan). Giulia remembers it was the end of the season, in September or October of 1969, but when she and Mario look at the books, the page for September 29, 1969 is missing. Is the killer that intelligent to get rid of any evidence that can identify him? Giulia and Mario are shocked to discover that Kathy Adams stayed at the hotel on September 28 & 30, so she must have been there on the 29th. Did she remove the page and, if she did, why? Giulia and Mario are able to deduce that seven women (including Giulia) were at the hotel that weekend in 1969 and two of them are dead (three if you count Giulia). Is it possible that the other four women, Anita Ferri, Elena Marchi, Concetta De Rosa and Anna Sartori, are next on the killer's list? A priest (Renato Romano; THE SECRET OF DORIAN GRAY - 1970) turns up every once in a while to supply Mario and Giulia with vital information, but why does it always sound like a warning?
     We discover that Elena Marchi (Rossella Falk; BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA - 1971) is in an insane asylum and believes the Devil wants to kill her. Anita Ferri died a year ago of natural causes. Concetta De Rosa (Petra Schürmann; SCHOOL OF FEAR - 1969) lives in Palermo and Anna Sartori (Marisa Mell; MARTA - 1971) married the wealthy Palmieri (Ivano Davoli) and are currently touring Australia. Mario deduces that Elena is the next person on the killer's list, so he and Giulia head for the asylum, but they are too late, as the killer has made his way into Elena's room and drowns her in the bathtub (an incredibly tense scene). The killer attacks Mario, stabbing him in the arm and Giulia sees the killer fleeing. The Inspector, who has two policemen stand guard over Giulia and Mario, goes to Palermo to talk to Concetta, who is a school teacher. Mario ditches the police and talks to Raffaele Ferri (Claudio Gora; MAD DOG - 1977), the widower of the deceased Anita, and comes up with a drawing of the American based on Raffaele's memory (He looks like Charlie Brown!). Mario begins showing the drawing on the streets, where a beggar notices him as a friend of Barrett (Bruno Corazzari; THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH - 1971), a man who throws sleazy sex parties. Mario finds Barrett at one of his sex parties and he tells Mario that the American's name is Frank Saunders, but he hasn't seen him since July of 1969, when Frank got "hung up on some chick" and then disappeared. Concetta goes to church for Confessional and when the Inspector realizes it was a trap set up by the killer, he races to the church (another incredibly tense scene), only to find Concetta dead in the confessional, strangled with a half-moon locket in her hand. Mario gets close to finding Frank and when he gets too close, the killer calls him on the phone and sets up a meeting. Mario discovers the grave marker of Frank Saunders in a cemetery, who died on September 30, 1969. Beneath the headstone lie seven orchids stained with red and Mario asks the cemetery custodian who left the orchids. He doesn't know, but he tells Mario this is the first time anyone has visited Frank's grave since he died. Mario discovers Frank died in a car accident just outside of Rome and the unknown woman driving the car that killed Frank left the scene, making his death a murder. Meanwhile, the Inspector meets Anna Sartori and her husband at the airport, as they have just returned from Australia.
     Think you know who the killer is? You better, because I am not going to give it away. Just as in all my giallo reviews, I have given you enough information for you to figure out on your own. Director/co-screenwriter Umberto Lenzi (OASIS OF FEAR - 1971; KNIFE OF ICE - 1972; SPASMO - 1974; EYEBALL - 1975) has crafted a twisty story with many unexpected reveals. While not overly violent, the mystery will have you riveted to your seat and the frequent nudity by a cast of beautiful actresses will have your eyes wide open. As a matter of fact, when Anna is murdered by the killer with a Black & Decker electric drill, it is the most brutal murder in the film and it took me by surprise because it was unlike any other killing before it. Particularly effective is the sequence where the killer stalks Giulia when he finds out she is still alive. My fingernails were never shorter, because I was biting them constantly (The death of the killer in Mario's huge underground swimming pool is a real nail-biter!). Above all, the mystery makes perfect sense, as the story (Screenplay by Lenzi & Roberto Gianviti [DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING - 1972]) doesn't take one false turn like many giallo flicks from this period.  This is one of the better early-'70s giallo films, worthy of being part of your film library.
     Filmed as SETTE ORCHIDEE MACCHIATE DI ROSSO ("Seven Orchids Stained In Red"), this never received a theatrical or legitimate VHS release in the United States, making its first appearance on these shores courtesy of a widescreen DVD from Shriek Show/Media Blasters, which is long OOP. My review is based on the excellent Blu-Ray from Code Red, which is available in its original Italian with English subtitles (my preferred way of watching foreign films) or English dubbed. The print is blemish-free and looks and sounds wonderful, especially Riz Ortolani's (HORROR CASTLE - 1963) effective and haunting music score, which adds greatly to the film's tension. Extras on the disc include one of Lenzi's final interviews (he passed away late in 2017), where he tells us he based this film on Cornell Woolrich's novel and not on a Edgar Wallace story as the German co-producers claimed. He and Roberto Gianviti sued the producers when they saw German posters claiming that it was a film based on an Edgar Wallace story and they won. Lenzi has nothing but good memories about making the film and says that Antonio Sabato tried to seduce every woman who appeared in the film. Who can blame him when all the women are beautiful? I sure can't. The disc also contains vintage interviews with Lenzi and actress Gabriella Giorgelli (ported over from the Shriek Show DVD) and running commentary from Troy Howarth. Look for an extremely young Camille Keaton (I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE - 1978) as a hippie chick sitting on a couch during Barrett's sex party. Also starring Linda Sini (WAR OF THE PLANETS - 1966), Enzo Andronico (SPECIAL COP IN ACTION - 1976), Fulvio Mingozzi (TRAGIC CEREMONY - 1972),  Tom Felleghy (FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET - 1971), Fulvio Pellegrino (THE DEVIL WITH SEVEN FACES - 1971), Ivana Novak (THE RED HEADED CORPSE - 1972) and the prolific Carla Mancini (FLAVIA THE HERETIC - 1974) as Anna's maid. Not Rated. UPDATE: Also available on a double-feature budget DVD from Alpha Video, with the film NAKED MASSACRE (1976), but both films are in fullscreen.

SEVEN MURDERS FOR SCOTLAND YARD (1971) - An unseen sexual psychopath walks the streets of modern-day London (where we see movie marquees for X-rated films like WILD WILLING AND SEXY [1969] and ALYSE AND CHLOE [1970]) and picks up a prostitute ("You wanna make it?"). The killer follows her home and then stabs her to death with a knife hidden in a cane. We are then introduced to Pedro (Paul Naschy), an ex-trapeze artist-turned-drunk when he blew out his knee during an act he performed with his wife at a circus. When his cheating wife is the next one killed by the gloved psycho, Pedro is questioned by Scotland Yard Commissioner Campbell (Renzo Marignano). The murdered women have had some vital organs surgically removed, which makes this case similar to the Jack The Ripper murders in the late 1800's. Just like in that unsolved series of murders, the killer begins sending Commissioner Campbell a series of taunting letters. As more women are killed and their organs removed, we are introduced to more characters, one who could be the killer, including Commissioner Campbell's best friend, Winston (Andres Resino), a school teacher, where one of his female students is killed in the school's gymnasium. Commissioner Campbell still believes Pedro is the culprit because his alibis are too good to be true and Pedro also has two years of medical training. The police get a phone call from "Jack The Ripper", who gives them an address to where his latest victim is located. When the police arrive, they find a drunk Pedro in bed with a murdered prostitute, her liver missing. Pedro manages to get away (using his trapeze training), but is shot and injured when he runs away. Commissioner Campbell (who was mysteriously missing during Pedro's near-arrest) professes his love to best friend Winston's wife, Sandy (Orchidea DeSantis), and then receives a package at his office that contains the head of the Ripper's latest victim, her eyes missing. The gloved killer then kidnaps Sandy and Commissioner Campbell questions Winston, who then confronts him about his impotency ("Life has played a dirty trick on you!"). Winston accuses Campbell of having an affair with Sandy, but he denies it. Pedro tries to find out who the real killer is, while various lowlifes try to kill him for a reward (He ends up stabbing a couple of them to death, which doesn't help his case). Campbell receives another body part in the mail and the killer claims that it belongs to Sandy. Is Sandy really dead and who is responsible for all these killings? Eagle-eyed viewers should have this figured out long before the film ends. This Spanish/Italian giallo, directed by Jose Luis Madrid (THE HORRIBLE SEXY VAMPIRE - 1970), here billed as "J.L. Makrik", is a lesser Paul Naschy film when compared to his other body of work at the time (WEREWOLF SHADOW - 1971; HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB - 1973; HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE - 1973). The murders aren't particularly gory (just a couple of close-ups of knife blades penetrating the skin) and the mystery is not very compelling or difficult to figure out. Although Naschy is top-billed, he really doesn't have much to do here besides drink heavily, get into a couple of fights and show off his barrel chest on several occasions. Besides some excellent on-location photography of swinging early-70's London and a few POV shots of the killer stabbing his victims, this film is a rather dry affair that cuts away just before any nudity is shown (which is strange, considering that many of the murders are committed on prostitutes, but this may be the Spanish cut and not the Continental version, which allowed more nudity to be shown). Although not a bad film, it's not as bloody or as sexy as we've come to expect from the films that Paul Naschy was involved in (he wrote the screenplay using his real name, Jacinto Molina, along with Madrid and Tito Carpi). Also known as JACK THE RIPPER OF LONDON and JACK THE MANGLER OF LONDON. Also starring Patricia Loran, Franco Borelli, Teresita Castizio, Carmen Roger, Irene Mir, Victor Vilanova and Maika. The widescreen print I viewed (on DVD from JEF Films, a company of questional repute) was in less than stellar condition, but watchable. Not Rated.

SHADOW OF DEATH (1969) - This Spain/Italy co-production is a pseudo-Giallo that's part thriller/part "let's drive hubby insane" and hardly any of it works, especially the finale, which is such a cheat on the audience, you'll want to find the writers of the screenplay and punch them in the face. But enough about that until the end of the review, let's get to the film itself.
     The film opens with Gert Muller (Giacomo Rossi Stuart, a.k.a. "Jack Stuart"; KILL, BABY...KILL! - 1966), an imposing man with a huge scar running down his right cheek, driving to a large Spanish coastal town, going into a pharmacy and asking the pharmacist for an aspirin. After making some small talk with him, Gert exits and then enters a side door that leads to the apartment above the pharmacy, rings the doorbell, enters the apartment and surprises Denise (Teresa Gimpera; CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD - 1973), who stares at his facial scar and gloved left hand, which is useless to him. Gert tells Denise that he threatened to come here if they didn't reach an agreement and by looking at all the expensive furniture and paintings in the apartment, it's obvious she is well off. Gert tells her he is not doing too well, saying, "I had an accident that changed me a little, as you can see." He tells Denise that she is still beautiful and has hardly changed in the four years since he last saw her. Denise tells him to get to the point and tell her what he wants. Gert says that during those four years his business has not worked very well for him, so he thought she could help him. Denise says under no circumstances will she help him, continuing with, "You don't have the right to demand anything from me." We then see that the pharmacist, John (Larry Ward; THE DEATHHEAD VIRGIN - 1974), is actually Denise's husband, as we watch him close up shop and head upstairs to the apartment. When John walks in, Denise tells him she isn't going to introduce him to Gert, as she spoke about him many times, telling John that she was once Gert's mistress and he has come here to blackmail her. Gert tells John that his wife is mistaken, he only came here to ask for help, but John is not buying it, telling Gert to get out and never come back. As Gert is walking out, he turns around and smiles at the couple, tipping his hat to the both of them (For some reason never explained, the camera is very interested in Gert's black fedora, especially the colorful feather tucked in the headband, which is actually the opening shot in the film). What is Gert up to and why did Denise tell her husband about him? Is there more here than meets the eye? Count on it!
     John wants to know what in the hell is going on (apparently, Denise was bluffing [i.e. lying] and never talked about Gert to her husband), so she tells John that she met Gert in Algeria when she was a dancer. Gert had several businesses, but his main business was trafficking in weapons. She was all alone in Algeria and one thing led to another, so they became lovers. John says to her that she should have told him about this before now, but Denise calmly says (almost too calmly), "Why should I have told you? It was an unimportant episode in my life." John asks her if there is anything important in her life, so Denise walks up to him, puts her arms around his neck and whispers, "Us." I get the feeling that Denise is not being truthful to her husband. If she were, the film would be over, as everything I described to you happens in the first nine minutes!
     As Gert is leaving town, he stops at a gas station to get some petrol and discovers John has an identical twin brother named Peter (also portrayed by Larry Ward) and, as we can see by the look on Gert's face, he has come up with a plan to take advantage of the situation. He begins following Peter around and both Gert (and us viewers) discover that Denise is having an affair with Peter. Denise tells Peter that whenever she is close to John she feels disgusted, Peter asking her why she married John and wondering since he and John look exactly alike if she is disgusted with him, too? Denise tells Peter he is different than John, he has something that is "special to her and the only reason she married John was because he gave her a bit of security, so she decided to "try" marriage (In other words, Denise is a filthy golddigger). Denise wants Peter to kill his brother and refuses to make love to him until he does. When Peter asks if Denise's body is a sufficient price tro commit murder, she says, "And I fear that you're not man enough for me" (Yeah, it's a real loving relationship). Just then the phone rings and a laughing Gert is on the other end, telling Peter he knows he is having an affair with Denise, giving him five days to pay him 200,000 pesetas, saying he will be at the ferry entrance for the next five days at 11:00PM and if he doesn't pay him the money, he will tell John about the affair. when Gert Hangs up the phone, Peter turns to Deniose and says, "I feared so. Your lies have been exposed." Denise says she is glad it happened, now Peter really has to kill his brother to get the money needed to pay Gert. Denise also tells Peter that he didn't study medicine and drug interactions for nothing, so he has to go through with their plan and she will deal with Gert. Something tells me that this isn't going to end well for anyone involved.
     Long story short, Peter and Denise inject John with insulin, putting him in a coma (They don't kill him. though, keeping him in a coma until their entire dastardly plan comes to fruition) and Peter takes John's identity by wearing his clothes and jewelry (such as his wedding ring). Their entire plan is straight out of the Corsican Brothers (You know what they say about twins, that they can see through each other's eyes and feel each other's pain plan, so everything Peter does with John's identity, John believes he actually did it. Pretty thin plan if you ask me.). The only difference between the twin brothers is that John is an epileptic prone to seizures. Peter, posing as John, has an affair with John's ex-girlfriend Annie (Silvana Venturelli; VERUSCHKA - PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN - 1971), making love to her and letting it be known that it is John doing the deed, sullying his name. Peter then goes to the ferry to hear Gert's terms and when Gert threatens to tell John about the affair, Peter puts on John's wedding ring and tells Gert he is actually John. Gert doesn't believe Peter, pulling a gun on him, but Peter manages to grab the gun away  and later shoots Gert point-blank, killing him (while Denise calmly watches). But is Gert actually dead? Things get really nasty when the lovebirds wake up John (by using electro-shock treatment on him!) and tell him that he killed a man and was seen making love to Annie. John initially believes them (he sees all the acts through Peter's eyes) and turns himself into the police, showing the Police Commissioner (Fernando Sánchez Polack; VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES - 1973) where he hid Gert's body. When they get there, Gert's corpse is not there, so the police think he is going insane. Someone then murders Annie and John thinks he is responsible, so he takes the Commissioner to Annie's apartment, but her body is also not there. Now the police believe he is certifiably bonkers and the only one to believe him is his old friend Dr. Hernandez (Javier de Rivera; THE DRACULA SAGA - 1973), who tries to prove John's innocence.
     The finale comes when John meets Gert on a train car and a fight ensues, John being tossed out of the train car and killed by an oncoming train. Gert then pays Denise a visit, but it is not Gert at all, but Peter wearing a rubber mask with a scar to look like Gert (Dr. Hernandez finds Gert's corpse in a hidden freezer). Yes this was the plan Peter and Denise cooked up, but, wait, it's not over yet. After Denise tells Peter that their plan worked like a charm, Peter has a seizure, proving he is not Peter at all, but John! John discovered that Peter was wearing a mask to look like Gert, so he pulled the mask off Peter, put it on himself and killed Peter by pushing him into the path of an oncoming train.  John grabs an escaping Denise by the ankle and won't let her leave, as police sirens get closer and closer. THE END.
     This ridiculous bit of fluff was directed by Javier Setó (as "Xavier Setó"), who had been making movies since the early 1950's, this one being his penultimate film, as he died in 1969 at the age of 43 (causes unknown). This seems to be his only semi-giallo film in his cannon, as most of his other productions seem to be Spanish comedies or romance dramas. The screeenplay is especially maddening, since it was co-written by such well-known names in giallo cinema, Santiago Moncada (THE FOURTH VICTIM - 1971; A BELL FROM HELL - 1971) and Gianfranco Clerici (DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING - 1972; FIVE WOMEN FOR THE KILLER - 1974), who were working in conjunction with Setó on the script. To say the conclusion of the film is a total cheat on the audience is a vast understatement, as it negates everything that came before it. Nothing gels here, like the scripters wrote themselves into a corner and pulled this solution out of their ass. While there is a little bit of nudity here, mainly quick glimpses of Silvana Venturelli's naked breasts as she is making love to Peter, there is no bloody violence at all, a major sin for a film of this type. If they were hoping the plot would make up for the lack of violence, they were sadly mistaken, as everything that came before the ridiculous finale was your standard plot that could be seen on any detective TV series at the time. In other words, nothing here is surprising or much of a mystery, as everything is exposed to viewers long before the stupid ending. This film actually spits on your expectations and I can't recommend it to any reader of this site. It's instantly forgettable and that's about the nicest thing I can say about it.
     Shot in Spain as VIAJE AL VACIO ("Journey Into The Void") and known in Italy as L'ASSASSINO FANTASMA ("The Invisible Assassin"), this film (also known as THE EMPTINESS ALL AROUND [Il Vuoto Intorno]) never obtained a theatrical release in the United States, but did have a U.S. VHS release from Mogul Communications under the title MACABRE. No disc releases in the United States, but it can be seen streaming on Amazon Prime (be aware that the English subtitles are off track, appearing nearly a minute after the Spanish dialogue is spoken!) or on the YouTube channel "Film&Clips", who offer a very nice Italian language widescreen print subtitled in English under the review title (They also offer the film under various other languages, including Italian, French and Spanish subtitles), which is the preferred way to watch it, if you must. I know someone out there must like this film, but for me it was nothing special at all, a total waste of 92 minutes. To each their own. Also featuring Eugenio Navarro and Jose Bastida. Not Rated, but nothing really disturbing or objectionable, damn it!

SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS (1971) - This is a very good giallo film from the director of the excellent WHO SAW HER DIE? (1972), the extremely nasty NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS (1974) and the downright goofy THE HUMANOID (1979). This film also borrows a plot device found in SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950), where a dead man narrates how he came to being dead, only this time he is not really dead.
     A park sweeper in Prague (filmed on location) finds the dead body of American Gregory Moore (Jean Sorel; LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN - 1971) and reports it to the police, who take his body to the morgue. Only, he's not really dead. His body may be dead , but his brain is very much alive, as he tries to remember how he ended up this way. The film then travels back in time, as his fragmented memory tries to unravel the mystery of why his girlfriend, Mira (Barbara Bach; BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA - 1971), disappeared without a trace. George is a newspaper reporter from the United States, who is doing a story on this country's corrupt government, which is being influenced by Russia. Mira arrives by train and Gregory want to be with her always, but Mira is in Prague on a temporary visa. They cavort in a cemetery, have dinner at a fancy expensive restaurant and then make love back at Gregory's apartment. Gregory wants to take her back to the United States, but her country won't let him. It's easy to see that they are very much in love. Mira even jokingly (?) says that she wishes Gregory would "smuggle" her to America. One night, Gregory gets the feeling that they are being watched (they are). We then discover that Mira is an amateur entomologist, her specialty butterflies, a collection of them hanging on a wall in Gregory's apartment (Remember, even the smallest of details may point to something big in giallo films).
     Every so often, we are back at the morgue, where Gregory's body is being stored in a freezer, the morgue attendants putting more bodies in there, as Gregory tries to talk to them to see if they are able to communicate with him, but they don't answer (it gets much more tense as the film progresses). Back in the past, Gregory brings Mira to a fancy black tie affair, where friends Jacques  (Mario Adorf; MANHUNT - 1972) and Ivan (Relja Basic) fawn over her, but prudish Jessica (Ingrid Thulin; SALON KITTY - 1976), who is in love with Gregory, wonders out loud why Gregory would bring this "bitch" to such a fancy party (she turns up her nose to "commoners"). After having drinks alone with Jacques, Gregory goes home, but Mira is not there. The bed has been slept in, yet all her clothes and her pocketbook, containing her passport, are still in his apartment. Gregory is worried, because no one walks around Prague without their passport, so Gregory goes to Jacques, Ivan and Jessica for some help. Jacques reports that no one resembling Mira is in the hospital or morgue, so Gregory reports her disappearance to the police, where Commishioner Kierkoff (Piero Vida; STAGEFRIGHT - 1987) takes over the investigation. He questions Gregory as if he were a suspect (he doesn't like "foreign" reporters) and Gregory tells him if he doesn't take this seriously, he'll write a story accusing the government and the police of murder (now I see why he doesn't like foreign reporters!). Jacques gets word of a young woman found naked and murdered by the river and George is relieved to see that it is not Mira when he goes to indentify the body.
     Meanwhile, the morgue attendants discover that Gregory's body is still warm, so a doctor (Daniele Dublino; KILLER NUN - 1978) tries to revive him, but fails. We then have to wonder if Gregory's investigation of the disappearance of Mira is related to his current condition. Was he drugged or poisoned with some unknown substance? Back in the past, Gregory's  investigation leads him to one of Mira's relatives, a skittish woman with numerous clocks hanging on her walls of her apartment, but before he can question her, a fat bald man appears and slams the door in Gregory's face. As Gregory gets deeper into his investigation, he discovers that many young women have disappeared and some of them were later found naked and murdered, like the young woman he saw previously. Pretty soon, his investigation becomes less about Mira and more about the string of disappearances and murders. The closer he gets to the reason why they disappeared, the more dangerous it becomes to Gregory. Everyone he talks to ends up dead, like Valinski (José Quaglio; THE EYE BEHIND THE WALL - 1977), who is tossed off a bridge into the path of an oncoming train.
     Back at the morgue, the doctor tries to revive Gregory by giving him a blood transfusion, but it, too, doesn't work. George still doesn't know how he ended up "dead", but he begins to have flashes of fragmented memory, some of them involving his neighbor Natassja (Semka Sokolovic). Will Gregory discover the truth before he really dies? What does the blind Professor Karting (Fabijan Sovagovic) have to do with it? (We see the dead naked body of Mira in one of his rooms, covered in flowers. Is it real or in the Professor's sightless mind?) Do Gregory's friends know more than they are saying?
     Like all good giallo films, the center of the mystery deals with something sexual and sordid. Director/screenwriter Aldo Lado (the person responsible for the films I mentioned in the beginning of this review) ladles on the suspense here, as the mystery gets more complex as the film progresses. Not only do we want to know the how and why of Mira's disappearance, we also want to know if Gregory survives his ordeal. At first, we feel sympathy for Gregory, as his investigation gets him into plenty of dangerous situations, but when he sleeps with Jessica, we don't quite feel the same for him as we do for Mira. Yes, it was a temporary indiscretion, but it is an unforgivable one, because Jessica only thinks about herself and even Gregory knows it. So why did he sleep with her? Director Lado also tosses in some unusual sights and sounds. There's the legless bum, who pushes himself through the streets of Prague on a cart. When he notices the body of Gregory in the park, he says to the park sweeper, "You don't think that I did it, do you?". There's also a lifelike doll that Jacques shows Gregory at the fancy party, who seemingly comes to life and hits on Gregory when he and Jacques are having drinks. But the most telling is a street singer (Jürgen Drews), who sings a song titled "Short Night Of The Butterflies" (an alternate title to this film) and if you listen very carefully to the lyrics, it will give you a major clue as to what is going on. All good giallo films are about the audience gathering clues to solve the mystery and this film is full of brain candy. Even Gregory's mysterious condition takes some brainpower to solve, which is why I love giallo films so much. They are a feast for the eyes and the mind if they are done right, such as this one. This film ranks in the upper 10% of excellent giallo films, especially when Gregory discovers why Mira disappeared. When you see why, you'll be knocked for a loop (lots of naked flesh is involved, of all ages). Like all good giallo films, the finale is not a happy one. The doctor is using Gregory's bady as a teaching tool for medical students, showing them the proper way to conduct an autopsy. When the scalpel reaches Gregory's chest, Jessica, who is in the audience, sees his hand move and she screams, the film ending with her scream. Did Gregory survive? That all depends on you. That's all I am going to say, because you should experience the mystery for yourself. I guarantee you will be entertained, giallo fan or not.
     Filmed as LA CORTA NOTTE DELLE BAMBOLE DI VETRO (a literal translation of the review title), this film had a U.S. theatrical release under the title PARALYZED, shorn of nearly five minutes of footage (cutting out an orgy sequence integral to the plot) and it is this edited version which made in onto VHS, from MPI Home Video. The unedited, anamorphic widescreen version made its appearance on these shores courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment, either as part of THE GIALLO COLLECTION 4-Film box set or as a stand-alone DVD, later available from Blue Underground as a stand-alone DVD or part of their MIDNIGHT MOVIES VOLUME 4: THRILLER TRIPLE FEATURE (Three discs; one per film; my review is based on this set.). Either Blue Underground DVD contains an informative interview  with director Aldo Lado as an extra, as well as a Lado filmography and the theatrical trailer. If you have an all region Blu-Ray player, British outfit 88 Films  offers a nice Blu-Ray of this title. Or you can watch it for free on Amazon Prime if you are a Prime member. Also starring Michaela Martin, Franca Sciutto (DEAF SMITH & JOHNNY EARS - 1972), Petar Dumicic, Sven Lasta and Luciano Catenacci (ALMOST HUMAN - 1974) & Sergio Serafini (THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS - 1973) as the inquisitive morgue attendants. Not Rated.

THE SISTER OF URSULA (1978) - Here's a giallo film that flirts on the edge of pornography (Some viewers may very well call it porn). Luckily, the women are beautiful, the mystery complex and the killer has a unique weapon (which I will not spoil in this review), but the intelligent reader will read between the lines and correctly guess what it is.
     Dagmar Beyne (Stefania D'Amario; CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD - 1980) and her sister, Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi; SUSPIRIA - 1977) check into a hotel and Dagmar requests a quiet room with twin beds. Ursula becomes enamored with a statue of a black woman in the hotel's lobby. It is quite obvious right from the start that Ursula is a strange bird, who doesn't want to be touched and will not let her sister open her suitcase. Once in their room, Dagmar strips completely naked in front of Ursula, but Ursula is not glad to be here. While Dagmar is having a drink in the hotel's picturesque patio (the view is to kill for), hotel manager Roberto Delleri (Vanni Materassi; THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER - 1963) introduces himself to Dagmar and asks her if she and her sister are enjoying their stay. Dagmar tells him that her sister needs "rest" and when he asks why, Dagmar changes the subject, asking Roberto where the music is coming from. He replies that it is coming from the hotel's nightclub, where Stella Shining (Yvonne Harlow) sings every night. Roberto keeps the nightclub open in the off-season just for Stella. He takes Dagmar and Ursula to the nightclub, where they watch Stella perform. Roberto introduces the sisters to the handsome Filippo Andrei (Marc Porel; DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING - 1972), but Ursula refuses to shake his hand. When Dagmar tells Filippo that she and her sister are Austrian, Ursula quickly cuts her off, snottily telling her sister that she didn't come here to talk to strangers about their family. Just why is Ursula here? Roberto introduces the sisters to Stella and Ursula not-so-politely leaves, telling everyone that she is tired and Dagmar reluctantly goes with her. What is Ursula's problem? Filippo tells Stella that he wants to sleep with her, but she begs off, telling him that she is tired. He accuses her of sleeping with someone else. What is Filippo's problem? Back at their hotel room, Ursula complains that she doesn't want to be here and mentions their father. She also accuses Dagmar of wanting to sleep with Filippo. Dagmar gives Ursula a sedative to make her sleep. Dagmar is not just Ursula's sister, she is also her nursemaid. But why?
     We then see a prostitute (Danila Trebbi) giving a young man oral pleasure in one of the hotel rooms. They then screw and we can see that they are not alone. Someone is hiding behind the curtains watching their every move. She pays the man for a job well done and he leaves (This is the first time I ever saw a hooker pay a john!). The peeper comes into the room (all we see are the peeper's eyes and black gloves) and we learn that the hooker knew he was there watching them. We then see a shadow on the wall where it looks like the peeper has an enormous penis, but we will learn later that it is something much more deadlier. The peeper kills the woman.
     Ursula screams, waking up her sister, as she has had a bad nightmare. The following morning, Roberto tells the sisters that something terrible has happened, as a prostitute was killed in her room last night. The story has already made the newspapers and when Ursula looks at a photo on the front page, where the hooker is naked and spread-eagle on the floor, she passes out (where can I subscribe to this newspaper?!?). Ursula wakes up in the office of a psychologist (Giancarlo Zanetti) and his assistant Vanessa (Anna Zinnemann; THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY - 1971). Ursula flinches when Vanessa goes to touch her and she tells Dagmar that they are leaving the hotel. Roberto assures her that there is no danger, as the police arrested the hooker's boyfriend in what he calls a crime of jealously ("The green-eyed monster, as Shakespeare put it"). Ursula doesn't want to hear it. She goes to her room and packs her bag, with Dagmar calling her "rude, unpleasant and hateful. And you're incredibly selfish" and wonders why she follows Ursula around. Ursula apologizes and tells Dagmar that she doesn't know why she can "see things in others that they'd rather not see"  and finds it impossible to like people. But why? Ursula once again accuses her sister of wanting to stay because she has a romantic interest in Filippo. Does she?
     We watch as Filippo follows a man around, stealing his datebook when he is not looking. Roberto tells Dagmar and Stella that Filippo left early this morning to check out some land for his company, but Dagmar tells Roberto that just can't be because she saw Filippo just a short time ago. What is Filippo up to? Ursula decides not to leave and she and Dagmar have a long talk, where we leard that their mother shipped them off to boarding school when they were very young. Ursula hasn't seen her mother since she was five years-old and their father was a womanizer. When he died, he left two women, Corrine Chauvet and Valeria Monetti, a paltry piece of his fortune ("Our father died all alone. All alone" says Ursula). When Dagmar asks her sister how she knew the names of the two women, Ursula says, "I just know things...even before they happen." Ursula then says that their mother is shacked-up with another man far away and their father must never find out. Is Ursula crazy or is she actually psychic?
     Ursula and Dagmar go to a rustic old church, where Ursula talks crazy to a faceless metal statue of Christ (She keeps mentioning the "eyes" and how everyone look through his eyes.). Stella then walks in on Filippo as he is about to inject his arm with some heroin and she walks away in disgust (Marc Porel was a real-life drug addict who died in 1983 at the age of 34). But how can Filippo be in two places at once since we just saw him entering a business with the datebook? (Think about it). Two young lovers enter the hotel to get a room, but when Roberto tells them that the hotel is booked-up, they refuse to leave. We watch them make love in the hotel's basement, when the black-gloved killer strikes again, slicing the young man's throat and killing the young woman with an unknown weapon (Again, a shadow on the wall makes it look like the killer has a big dick and the woman looks at it and screams).
     While Dagmar is walking with Filippo, Ursula, who is walking behind them, passes out, later telling Dagmar that she saw her father with two naked women. Why does seeing this make her pass out? And why does Filippo interrogate Roberto on if Stella has a man? We then learn it is Roberto who is screwing Stella and he is growing increasingly jealous when he discovers that Stella has a lesbian lover named Jenny (Antinisca Nemour; TEENAGE PROSTITUTION RACKET - 1975). What does this have to do with the rest of the film? Are the killer's murders random, as Roberto and the police believe? Is something supernatural happening to Ursula? All these questions and many others you may come up with are answered in this review, so put on your thinking caps and concentrate very hard. All the answers are within reach.
      Director/screenwriter Enzo Milioni (ESCAPE FROM DEATH - 1989) gives us plenty of graphic nudity and sex, pushing this film not-so-gently into X-Rated territory, such as the scene of Ursula masturbating with a large gold necklace. Be aware that there is just as much male full-frontal nudity as there is female (The young man killed in the basement is so skinny, his penis looks like a Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage link!). If I had one problem with this film, it is with Milioni's screenplay. It takes forever to get to the killings and when it is revealed what the killer's weapon of choice is, it's anti-climatic (Think of Anthony Perkins in director Ken Russell's CRIMES OF PASSION - 1984). The killer only strikes when the victims just got laid, which is a cheat on the audience. We never see the killer using the weapon of choice and when the killer is unmasked, I groaned loudly, because it wasn't much of a surprise, but maybe I am growing jaded from watching too many giallo films, even though it's a favorite genre of mine. The music, by Mimì Uva, is appropiately creepy and atmospheric (sax solos for the love scenes and violin-heavy orchestral tracks when the killer strikes). When the hotel psychologist (This hotel has a Psychologist? Wow!) explains the supernatural to Dagmar (it is quite ridiculous), you will either laugh or throw your hands up in frustration. Still, if it's nudity you want, look no further than this film. It is so much better than the similarly-themed PLAY MOTEL (1979) when it comes to pushing the sex boundary and it is not badly acted. I consider this film an interesting relic from the past.
     Filmed as LA SORELLA DI URSULA (a literal translation of the review title), this film was never released theatrically or on VHS in the United States. The DVD, from Severin Films, is uncut, in widescreen and it looks great (it's in Italian with English subtitles). I say it's uncut because that is what it says on the DVD sleeve, but I got the impression that some of the deaths were edited, as there is a noticeable jump in the music track. If there is a more complete version out there, I would be seriously interested in viewing it. As always, Severin supplies some interesting extras on the disc, including the Italian trailer (it is sex-heavy and contains some scenes that are not in the film) and a thirty minute interview with Enzo Milioni, who has some interesting stories to tell about the making of the film and the actors in it (do not watch this interview before viewing the film, as he gives away many of the film's spoilers). The producers (Armando & Francesco Bertuccioli; MAD DOG - 1977) inserted some hardcore footage into the film without Milioni's permission or knowledge. When he went to a theater to see this version, he said that it ruined the supernatural mystery of the film, as the hardcore footage was inserted at all the wrong moments and ran contrary to Ursula's visions. He made the producers remove the hardcore footage and those inserts are now considered lost. It was actually filmed at a real hotel but, for some reason, it never opened for business. Milioni tells us that it is a pizza joint now. He also tells a touching story about the tragic life and death of Marc Porel and how it affected Barbara Magnolfi, who was his girlfriend (they have a daughter together). You can tell by the look in Milioni's eyes how Porel's death affected him and ruined Magnolfi's career (she disappeared for quite some time and didn't take any acting roles until years later). Milioni still owns the killer's weapon and gladly shows it to us! A nice interview from a man who offers no apologies for the film (nor should he). Also starring Alice Gherardi & Roberto De Ruggeriis as the young couple killed in the basement. Once available as part of Severin Films' THE EURO-SLEAZE COLLECTION, a three-film, three-disc DVD Box Set (long OOP). Not Rated, but it would probably still get an NC-17 Rating today.

SKINHEADS: THE SECOND COMING OF HATE (1988) - This Greydon Clark-directed exercise in poor taste tells the delightful story of a group of shaven-headen neo-Nazis who wreak a path of destruction and murder while spouting such witticisms as, "Death to all niggers and spics" and "Keep the blood pure!". After robbing a grocery store and beating the Jewish owners (as well as a black child) they hightail it out of town and head to the mountains until the heat dies down. They stop at Barbara Bain's (SPACE: 1999 [1975 - 1977]) country inn and kill everyone except two who escape: A Berkeley college student (Jason "son of Robert" Culp) and a political aide (Elizabeth Sagal of TV's DOUBLE TROUBLE [1984 - 1985]). They are hunted in the woods by the bald bastards until our two heroes come upon a cabin resided in by a crusty old-timer (the late Chuck Connors of TOURIST TRAP - 1979). After Connors is shot down, our heroes decide to fight instead of run away. They take out the gang one by one until only the leader (Brian Brophy) is left. I think that one-man filmmaking threat Greydon Clark intended this to be a straight drama but it plays much better if you view it as a comedy.The group of skinheads play like a latter day version of the Bowery Boys, with their constant infighting and slapping each other around. The stupid one of the group, a hulk of a guy appropriately called Brains (Dennis Ott), takes a shit in the woods and then wipes his ass with poison ivy. He spends the rest of the film scratching his butt. As exploitation films go, this one is pretty dull. It has bad editing, dull acting and dreadful pacing. It also has a bear attack, a rattlesnake bite, a rape, numerous gunshot hits and stabbings, a crucifixion, a man's leg caught in a bear trap and Chuck Connors doing his patented "cocking the rifle twirl" that he used to do so well when he starred in TV's THE RIFLEMAN (1958 - 1963). SKINHEADS is one of those films that is so bad it's good. What else would you expect from the director of SATAN'S CHEERLEADERS (1977) and the film that ended the Lambada craze, THE FORBIDDEN DANCE (1990)? This is exactly what I expected. A New Star Home Video Release. Rated R.

SLAUGHTER HOTEL (1971) - I'm a huge fan of Italian genre films of the 70's & 80's, whether it be horror, giallo, crime, action, fantasy, science fiction and, yes, sex comedies. When they are done right, they can be memorable experiences that transcend normal film watching and even if they are bad, they were still better than their American counterparts. I have always believed those that attack Italian genre films of those two decades as being "rip-offs' or "carbon copies" of American films miss the point. They may have followed the blueprints, but these films always brought something unique to the table that most U.S. films didn't dare to show, whether it be wall-to-wall nudity, simulated sex that almost crossed into X-Rated territory, graphic gore that most American horror films would take nearly a decade to catch up with and leading characters that weren't always likable. That is why when these Italian films made it to U.S. theaters, they were cut to pieces (slaughtered to Hell, if it were), missing good healthy pieces of sex, nudity and gore which made these films special in the first place, just to obtain an R-Rating. SLAUGHTER HOTEL was one of those films. When it found a U.S. theatrical distributor in 1973, it was missing over 5 minutes of footage, and when it was re-released to theaters a few years later, it was missing 10 minutes (some VHS and budget DVD versions using the title ASYLUM EROTICA were the version missing 10 minutes of footage). When SLAUGHTER HOTEL was released to U.S. theaters in 1973, it was advertised as some sort of telling of the then-famous Richard Speck murders of eight innocent nurses, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.  Which is why it is such a joy to finally see these films in their original, uncut Italian versions, thanks to DVD & Blu-Ray, so we get the full meaning of the films. The film opens with a mysterious figure in black, complete with cape, hood and gloves (a giallo staple), as we watch him break into a castle-like female clinic (actually a mental institution), where he goes into a room full of medieval weapons (don't ask me why a mental institution has a medieval weapons room, but it does!) picks up a hand axe and heads up the velvet-roped stairs. He spies a totally nude Anne (Rosalba Neri; LADY FRANKENSTEIN - 1971) writhing in bed, as the camera lovingly gives us close-ups of Anne's vagina (while the frenetic editing of the killer's POV is shown in every direction possible, to convey his mentally off-balanced nature). Just as he is about to kill Anne, the morning alarm and lights go on, as nurses pushing trays of medication fill the hallways, forcing the unseen killer to retreat. We then witness Ruth (Gioia Desideri), who is unwillingly being driven to the "clinic" by her husband, who tells her that her doctors in Switzerland ordered her to stay a few weeks in this clinic for rest and relaxation because it has a very good recovery rate. Ruth calls it a "loony bin" and grabs the steering wheel, nearly driving her and her husband into oncoming traffic. Her husband gets control of the steering wheel in time and once they make it to the clinic, he angrily dumps her off and drives away, saying "I'll see you next week." When a male orderly tries to take her to her room, Ruth grabs a log and tries to hit him over the head, but this orderly has seen every trick imaginable and pulls the log out of her hand. Yes, Ruth has some major anger issues. As a matter of fact, every woman in this clinic, whether patient or nurse, have issues of their own. Patient Anne is a stark raving nymphomaniac (she has a long freak-out scene in the shower in the beginning of the film which leaves nothing to the imagination). Cheryl (Margaret Lee; DORIAN GRAY - 1970) tried to kill herself and her husband (Piero Nistri) wants her to be released immediately because she has power of attorney of a thriving business (My "fishiness alarm" just went off!). Mara (Jane Garret) has Daddy issues and has spent much of her young life at the clinic because her father travels all over the world. These women, and many more, are under the care of Professor Osterman (John Karlsen; THE CHURCH - 1989) and his assistant, Dr. Francis Clay (a restrained Klaus Kinski; SCHIZOID - 1980). It's also apparent that some of the nurses are lesbians and quite like their jobs, as they touch their female patients' naughty bits while giving them massages (the cameraman must really love his job because he spends an awful lot of time focusing on these naughty parts!). Things begin going into a downward spiral rather quickly when one of the nurses is beheaded by a scythe held by the black-clad killer, while nympho Anne strips naked in the greenhouse to have sex with the gardener (John Ely). He has to slap Anne several times to get her to leave because he doesn't want to lose his job (When the male orderlies find Anne, she tries to force herself on them!). We also find out that the married Cheryl may be having an affair with Dr. Clay. The killer sneaks into Ruth's bedroom, strangles, then stabs her with a medieval dagger, and cuts off her panties. The next to die is Professor Osterman's chauffeur Augusto (Fernando Cerillo; WATCH ME WHEN I KILL - 1977), who is pushed into a spiked iron maiden of Nuremberg in the Medieval Room, as his blood flows and collects at the bottom (don't worry, we'll see his impaled body later in the film). The killer then goes into Cheryl's room to murder her with a sword, but she's not there (she's with Dr. Clay), so he goes to Mara's room, but she is getting it on with dyke Nurse Helen (Monica Striebel) in some naughty bubble bath action. The frustrated killer then goes to Anne's room (where we just witnessed her doing an explicit masturbation scene that would have automatically slapped this film with an X-Rating if left intact), where he chops her graphically with the small hand axe (but not before she tries to hit on him!). After Nurse Helen and Mara dance to music from Mara's African ancestry, they get down to some girl-on-girl action in bed (another really explicit sexual scene which would have slapped the film with an X-Rating). After they are done, Mara looks out her window, only for a crossbow bolt to come flying through the window and impale her in the neck (the bolt protrudes out of the other side). Nurse Helen screams out in terror as Professor Osterman, Dr. Clay, the gardener and the rest of the staff rush to see what is going on. Professor Osterman recognizes the crossbow bolt as coming from the Medieval Room, so he, Dr. Clay and Cheryl head there, where they discover Augusto riddled with holes (including a large one in the back of his head). Osterman also notices blood on some of the other weapons and that one of the swords is missing. So just exactly who is the killer? Is it Professor Osterman? Or Dr. Clay (don't count him out because he disappeared for a short amount of time when he was alone with Cheryl)? The gardener? How about Cheryl? The police arrive and the Inspector (Ettore Geri) wants to use Cheryl as bait for the killer's next strike. Will the killer succeed or fail? What are his motivations? I'm not going to say, but this one is pretty easy to figure out if you read the entire review. Let me just go on to say that the killer briefly escapes police custody, kills two cops and viciously murders eight to nine female patients and nurses with a medieval mace as they are cowering in a room (very brutal and unexpected), before being gunned down with at least twenty shots by the police (shown in slow motion just before the film ends).  While not a great giallo film by anyone's standard, it is still a quite weird one. Director/screenwriter Fernando Di Leo (NAKED VIOLENCE - 1969; MANHUNT - 1972; MILANO CALIBRO 9 - 1972; THE BOSS - 1973; SHOOT FIRST, DIE LATER - 1974; KIDNAP SYNDICATE - 1975; THE VIOLENT BREED - 1984; KILLER VS. KILLERS - 1985), who passed away in 2003, makes some mighty strange choices in this film, which is why it is so memorable. For one, the nudity and sex goes way beyond what we here in the States would find tolerable in 1973 in a non-porn film and that is why almost all of it is missing in the R-Rated theatrical cut (The VHS, from Gorgon Video, was as close as you would get to seeing more nudity than you did in theaters, but it was still heavily edited), as cinematographer Franco Villa (MALABIMBA: THE MALICIOUS WHORE - 1979) does many close-ups of female masturbation where they actually open up their labias and expose the pink inside. That was a no-no, even in R-Rated films of the 70's. Di Leo also had esoteric choices in music (by Silvano Spadaccino), as part of the film sounds like muzak from an elevator and other times it is a cacophony of percussions and other loud sounds, followed by seconds of extreme silence and then loud sounds again (I first thought that there was something wrong with the pressing of my Blu-Ray, but learned quickly that it was intentional). Editor Amedeo Giomini (CROSS CURRENT - 1971) also spastically cuts the film in weird angles, as each woman seems to be having strange nightmares about things that happened at the clinic. If you pay close enough attention, you will spot the killer way before the police do (Di Leo uses Kinski as a red herring to good effect). If you like your films full of explicit sex, nudity and graphic violence, you can do no better than this film, which bears the original Italian title "La Bestia Uccide A Sangue Freddo" (translated as "The Beast Kills In Cold Blood"). The film is in English, but if you decide to watch it with optional English subtitles, you will notice some of the character's names change in the subtitles than what they actually say on-screen. Also known as COLD BLOODED BEAST. Totally worth buying for your library. Also starring Sandro Rossi, Giulio Baraghini, Lina Franchi and Carla Mancini. Available on uncut Blu-Ray from Raro Video in a beautiful 2.35:1 widescreen print, the only true way to watch it. This version is Not Rated for so many reasons.

SMALL KILL (1991) - Unusual low-budget crime thriller with definite horror overtones. Gary Burghoff (!) discards his Radar O’Reilly personna from his M*A*S*H (1972 - 1983) days to portray a psychopathic bisexual pedophile named Fleck who kidnaps young children for ransom. He even disguises himself as an old female fortune teller! When five children are found brutally murdered, two New York cops (Fred Carpenter, Donnie Kehr) are assigned to the case and discover that the killings may be tied to a drug case they are also investigating. When another child is kidnapped, one of the cops go undercover as the child’s father to deliver the ransom. Things go wrong (the stupid kid tells Fleck that the cop is not his father) and Fleck escapes, killing another cop in the process. Things come to a bloody end as we find out that Fleck is using the ransom money to finance his fledgling drug empire. Fleck disposes of anyone who gets in his way, slashing one of the hero cops and blowing away his drug associates. Fleck meets a fitting end, getting a knife thrown through his neck, pinning him to a wall. Although the acting is uneven, this Long Island-lensed feature has enough bloodshed (make-up effects by Bryant Holt) and tense situations to hold your attention. Heads and hands are blown off in graphic detail, there’s a scene where a man has his head crushed under the wheels of a moving vehicle and Burghoff’s performance (he directed all his own scenes) is excellent. He is chilling. He is the total antithesis of Radar. The New York Post stated that “Burghoff’s role makes Hannibal Lecter look like a Boy Scout.” They’re not far off. Jason Miller (THE EXORCIST - 1973), who looks bloated and haggard (like a bum on a two week bender), puts in a cameo appearance as an alcoholic stoolie. Directed and co-written by Robert M. Fresco (EVIL HAS A FACE - 1996). Also starring Rebecca Ferratti. I would give SMALL KILL an excellent rating if it weren’t for the indifferent acting talents of some of the cast. All-in-all, this is a good way to waste 86 minutes. A VCI Home Video Release. Rated R.

SMILE BEFORE DEATH (1972) -  This film gets a lot of positive reviews, but I don't get it. They also say it's a giallo film, but I don't see it. Since it has a limited cast, the giallo element just isn't there. It is more like a murder mystery where we know who dunnit. The mystery element is so obvious, I guessed the finale fifteen minutes into the film, but it does have a certain something that keeps your eyes on the screen.
      We see  the elderly Dorothy Emerson (Zora Gheorgieva) stumbling around in her bedroom, her throat cut. The police declare it a suicide (Who cuts their own neck???) since her bedroom door was locked from the inside and there is no window in the room. They couldn't be more wrong. Dorothy's young daughter from a previous marriage, Nancy Thompson (Luciana Della Robbia; a.k.a. "Jenny Tamburi"; WOMEN IN CELL BLOCK 7 - 1973), arrives unnannounced to her mother's house, throwing the lives of her stepfather Marco (Silvano Tranquilli; THE SLASHER...IS THE SEX MANIAC! - 1972) and his mistress, professional photographer Gianna (Rosalba Neri; SLAUGHTER HOTEL - 1971), into a state of turmoil. Gianna tells Nancy that she was her mother's best friend (Dorothy was married several times) and they become fast friends, but are they really? Gianna calls Marco and tells him that Nancy may be of age to inherit her mother's fortune. Marco is the executor of Dorothy's will and is also the executor in charge of Nancy's inheritance until she reaches the age of eighteen. Marco believes Nancy to be 13 or 14 years old, but Gianna believes she is older (Why don't they ask her?). Nancy soon becomes Gianna's photography model, because she has a face and body that are very photogenic. She dresses Nancy in adult clothing and wigs, applies makeup to her face and makes her look older. Is Gianna really her friend or is she up to something more sinister?
     Marco arrives home and sees a beautiful woman walking up a staircase and into his bedroom. When he opens the door, he discovers a stark naked Nancy. Marco smiles and closes the door. We soon find out that Marco and Dorothy's marriage was on the rocks, but her death "remedied" the situation. What situation? Marco treats Nancy as a daughter, including her in a bunch of fun activities, but when she goes sailing, she nearly drowns, Marco not lifting a finger to help her. Is he trying to kill her? And what about those phone calls to the house where no one is on the other end?
     Housekeeper Magda (Dana Ghia; THE NIGHT CHILD - 1975) tells Nancy what she knows about her mother's death and she doesn't believe it was a suicide. We witness a flashback to the night Dorothy died. There was a huge party at the house and when Marco enters a bedroom, he finds Dorothy in bed with much younger man Paolo (Hiram Keller; SEVEN DEATHS IN THE CAT'S EYES - 1973). This doesn't phase Marco in the least because they have an "open" marriage, but when he asks her for some financial help on a real estate deal, she refuses, telling him that she is sick and tired of supporting a "Roman" loser and she wants a divorce. Magda overheard the entire conversation.
     Back in the present, Marco becomes touchy-feely with Nancy, tickling her while she is sunning topless. This upsets Gianna, but Nancy likes it and may be falling in love with her stepfather (Gianna even takes photos of Nancy posing topless with Marco. But why, if she is so upset?). When Nancy tells Gianna that she loves her like the mother she never had (Dorothy shipped her off to boarding school and she never really knew her mother), Gianna begins to take nude photos of her (Just like a real mother!). One night when Marco come home, he finds Nancy all woozy and ready to pass out. She tells him that she always feels this way at night because Gianna makes her take drops of an unknown liquid before she goes to bed. Nancy asks Marco if he had a happy marriage with her mother and his answer is honest, saying, no, he never loved her. Nancy says she never loved her either because "she was a stranger to me." Marco and Nancy then make love and the next morning he tells her that he doesn't regret it (She asks Marco if Gianna is more of a woman than her and he tells her not to be silly. Nancy shoots back, "Excuse me, I'm young. I still haven't learned to be a hypocrite!").
     We then witness another flashback to that fateful night, where Dorothy asks Gianna if she is Marco's lover. She tells Dorothy that she has been his mistress for a long time, even before she married Marco. Dorothy throws a bottle of booze to the floor, breaking it. She orders Gianna to clean it up, while telling her how wonderful it is being Paolo's lover. Gianna then picks up a shard of glass and thrusts it into Dorothy's neck, killing her. She uses a piece of string to turn the key on the bedroom door, locking it from the inside and making it look like a suicide. Marco is well aware on what Gianna did  and may have had a hand in making her do it.
     Someone tries to kill Gianna by messing with a circuit breaker in her darkroom, almost electrocuting her. Was it Marco? He takes Nancy to the racetrack and sees her talking to a man, but can't make out his face. When he asks her who she was talking to, Nancy replies, "Typical Latin lover. Passionate and jealous!" Was she talking about Marco or the mystery man? It becomes very obvious that there is more to Nancy than meets the eye. She has been playing Marco and Gianna against each other, but why? Marco does a back-trace on the phone number of the hang-up caller and seems surprised on what her finds (he keeps it secret from Gianna). Nancy tells Gianna that her mother mailed a letter to her the day before she died which revealed who wanted killed her. When Nancy is out of the house, Marco and Gianna rifle through Nancy's room and find the letter. What is in the letter leads up to both of them killing Magda. Marco stabs Magda in the back and Gianna pummels her head in with a blunt object and then they turn on each other. We then find out that Nancy is not actually Nancy at all. She is actually Paolo's girlfriend. This was all a blackmail scam to extort money from Marco. "Nancy" played both sides off each other in order for Paolo to get a tape recording of them admitting to Dorothy's murder (Paolo says to Marco about Dorothy's murder, "I don't like my dish taken away while I'm eating!"). Paolo tells Marco that he will take the tape to the police unless he antes up with a hefty amount of money. Marco writes them a large check, but when Paolo and "Nancy" (we never find out her real name) take off on his motorcycle, laughing about how they got away with it and are now rich, they don't see a car heading towards them. The film ends with Paolo and fake Nancy dead on the pavement, while the car's driver (an innocent) hears the tape of Marco and Gianna admitting to murder. Everyone loses!
     This film, directed and co-written by Silvio Amadio (THE MINOTAUR - 1960; WHITE SLAVE SHIP - 1961; AMUCK - 1971; SO YOUNG, SO LOVELY, SO VICIOUS... - 1975) gets a lot of accolades in giallo film circles, but I fail to see why. There are far too few people to make this a serious giallo film and the mystery element is not that complex. I guessed the reveal about fifteen minutes into the film and most giallo diehards should also. For 90% of the film, it is basically a three-character play, so the appearance of Paolo at the end is kind of a cheat on the audience since we are never clued in on  Paolo's rage, besides the flashback where Dorothy exclaims on how good a lover he is. Otherwise, he is just someone in the background. If it weren't for the frequent nudity on view (I consider Rosalba Neri to be one of the most beautiful and talented women to appear in Italian genre films), this film would have been a complete washout, at least for me. The screenplay, by Amadio, Francesco Orazio Di Dio & Francesco Villa, taken from a story idea by Francesco Merli (Producer of the Italian horror films TERROR-CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE and BLOODY PIT OF HORROR [both 1965]), takes forever to get on point, the blood and violence is rather tame for a giallo film and it doesnt come until the final 20 minutes. The surprise reveal is actually no surprise at all, as attentive viewers should have guessed the outcome long before it happens (never plan a killing with a killer). Another major problem is that whomever dubbed Marco's voice did a terrible job, as he speaks in monotone, making Silvano Tranquilli's performance one-note. Oh well, not every Italian genre film can be a winner. Worthwhile for the nudity and Bob Deramont's organ-heavy earworm score. You'll be humming it long after the film is over.
     Filmed under the title IL SORRISO DELLA IENA ("The Smile Of The Hyena"), this film was never released legally on home video in the United States in any form, the print I viewed came from a DVD-R from a gray market seller, which was a port of a fullscreen Dutch VHS release. Thankfully, the Dutch subtitles are small, but the fullscreen version cuts off the credits and some scenes are missing important information off to the the sides. Hopefully, a company like Raro Video will release a widescreen version on DVD or Blu-Ray. Believe me when I say this: There are many films that I disliked when viewing them fullscreen that I loved when watching them in their proper OAR. I'm not saying that it will change my mind about this film, but I'm willing to give it a chance. Featuring Fabio Garriba and Luigi Antonio Guerra as the servant who finds Gianna's almost electrified body in her darkroom. Not Rated.

THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH (1971) - Here's an Italy/Spain giallo flick with copious amounts of nudity, graphic violence, plenty of red herrings and a very twisty plot. In other words, everything a demanding genre fan wants in a giallo film. It also doesn't hurt that this film is populated by a cast of genre pros and a director who knows what makes a giallo film work. This is the film many people believe jump-started the genre and it's easy to see why. All the elements here gel perfectly together to make a nice, tasty stew of mystery and murder.
 The film opens with this quote from Sigmund Freud: "The very emphasis of the commandment: 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'  makes it certain that we are descended from an endlessly long chain of generations of murderers, whose love of murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also in ours." I would also like to add this Freud quote because it pertains to this film: "If you wish life, prepare for death."
     Julie Wardh (Edwige Fenech; FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON - 1970) and her diplomat husband Neil (Alberto de Mendoza; LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN - 1971) return from an overseas trip and at the airport Neil is called away on business. Julie takes a taxi home and they are stopped at a roadblock by the police, who demand to see their papers. It seems there was a murder nearby, committed by a straight razor-wielding "sex maniac", who is terrorizing Barcelona's female population, raping them and then slicing their bodies with the razor. When Julie hears this, she has a flashback showing her making violent love to her former beau, Jean (Ivan Rassimov; SPASMO - 1974), who is a real scumbag. Once home, Julie takes a shower (yowza!) and hears a knock on her door. A deliveryman hands her a bouquet of flowers, but there is no card to tell her who they are from. Julie then goes to a party (and we see the female party goers get into a playful topless wrestling match!), where she meets Australian diplomat George Corro (George Hilton; THE KILLER MUST KILL AGAIN - 1973) and she sees Jean in the crowd, so she leaves. Outside, Jean grabs Julie and offers her a ride home, but she wants nothing to do with him, telling him that their love affair is over.  Neil pulls up in his car and sees Jean put hands on his wife, so he punches him in the face. All Jean does is laugh like some madman. Julie tells Neil to leave Jean alone because he is a "pervert maniac", but why does she still have violent sexual dreams about him?
     We then see a young woman come home from a date, strip naked and take a shower (double yowza!). The sex maniac enters her apartment and slashes her to death in the shower, her naked body collapsing into the bathtub. Julie and best friend Carol (Cristina Airoldi; THE "HUMAN" FACTOR - 1975) are driving down the street, where Julie tells her she married Neil only to get rid of Jean, who refuses to take no for an answer, telling Carol, "A wall is no use against Jean." They meet George at his apartment, where it is highly apparent that he wants to get into Julie's panties, but she is not interested because he is so abrupt and forward. All three of them go out for dinner, where George carves his initials in an apple and hands it to Julie, which she eats in front of him (George says, "Do you want to eat me Julie?"). Carol gets a call and has to leave, so after dinner is over, George gives Julie a ride home...on his motorcycle, but instead of driving her home, they take a long romantic ride in the country. Julie tells George she has changed her mind about him, he's actually a nice guy. But is he really? Julie and George become lovers and as they are walking hand-in-hand down a suburban street at night, Jean drives by and nearly hits Julie, scaring her half to death. But was it really Jean?
     While George and Julie are making love on a couch in his home, the killer watches them through a window, getting turned-on by all the naked thrusting. The next morning, Julie gets a bouquet of flowers delivered to her at George's house and once again the sender is anonymous. She then gets a phone call from the killer, who tells her a place and time to meet him, but Julie thinks it is Jean disguising his voice and tells him to get lost. The caller tells her she better show up. Julie tells Carol about George and the phone call and Carol and she tells Julie to go for it with George and she will take Julie's place with the caller, meeting at the time and place he mentioned. Thinking just like Julie that the caller is Jean, Carol wants to get the satisfaction of telling him to fuck off. Big mistake. Julie goes to the appointed place, a park maze made out of tall hedges (it's quite the sight), and walks around, the further she gets into the maze, the darker it gets. She spots the park caretaker, who tells her that the park is about to be closed and locked up for the night and, a short time later, Carol is viciously slashed to death, the caretaker finding her bloody body and calling the police. Julie tells the Police Commissioner (Carlo Alighiero; THE CAT O'NINE TAILS - 1971) that she believes Jean is the sex maniac, so he pulls Jean into his office, where he and Julie face-off.  The Commissioner tells Julie that Jean couldn't have possibly killed Carol because he has an airtight alibi and Jean goes as far to accuse Julie of being the killer, telling the Commissioner that she has a "blood fetish".
     George promises Julie that he will protect her, but he doesn't do such a good job, because when he drops Julie off at her apartment complex, she is nearly slashed to death by the killer in an underground parking lot. She escapes in an elevator by the skin of her teeth, falling into Neil's arms at their apartment front door. Neil, thinking that Jean is the killer, drives to his house with Julie to confront him, but they find the front door open, the electricity out and no one seemingly home. Using a cigarette lighter to illuminate their way, they search Jean's home, finding one of the rooms to be a zoo of live winged creatures (among them are a hawk and a bat). They then find Jean slashed to death in his own bathtub. Julie still has violent sexual dreams of Jean, only this time he is bloody and naked, slapping the shit out of her. If Jean is not the killer, who is?
     Neil gets a photo of the killer, taken by a security camera in the underground parking lot, but it is dark and blurry, yet Julie points to him as the man who tried to kill her. We finally get a good look at the killer's face (portrayed by Bruno Corazzari; THE KILLER WORE GLOVES - 1974) when he attacks a young woman in her apartment, but she stabs him in the heart with a butcher knife, killing him. Does that mean that Julie is finally safe? Don't count on it!
     If you likes lots of female nudity, you've come to the right place, as director Sergio Martino, who directed my favorite giallo film of all time, TORSO (1973), has the beautiful Edwige Fenech and other pretty women out of their clothes as much as possible. Martino, who also directed the giallo films YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY (1972) and ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK (1972), as well as the fantasy horror film SCREAMERS (1980) and the post apocalyptic AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK (1983), among many others, knows what makes this genre tick, mainly sex & violence and plenty of it. The screenplay, by Eduardo Manzanos (NIGHT OF THE DEVILS - 1972) and Ernesto Gastaldi (THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS - 1972), is full of twists and turns but, like most good giallo films, it doesn't surprise you with a "left field" denouement, where someone we never saw before is the real killer. This story makes perfect sense. When it is revealed that Julie actually has a blood fetish (blood turns her on, especially blood and violence mixed together), you'll be wondering if Julie is the killer. Is she? I'll never tell, but I have given you all the information you need to solve it on your own. One final hint: Death isn't always the end of the story.
     Filmed as LO STRANO VIZIO DELLA SIGNORA WARDH ("Mrs. Wardh's Strange Habit") and also known as BLADE OF THE RIPPER, THE NEXT VICTIM and NEXT!, the last two titles being the U.S. theatrical titles (from Gemini Releasing Corporation/Maron Films Limited). It had many VHS releases under the titles I mentioned, from labels such as Saturn Productions Inc., Video Gems and Regal Video, all severely edited, missing 17 or more minutes of footage. Sinister Cinema put out a nice widescreen (but not anamorphic), uncut DVD-R of this film using the Italian print, but the disc you should go for (if you can find it) is the OOP DVD from NoShame Films. It's uncut, in anamorphic widescreen and looks terrific. If you have an all region DVD or Blu-Ray player, Britain's Shameless Films offers this film in both formats, but be aware that it is slightly cut. This is one of those films that I can watch over and over and never grow tired of, especially the surprise ending, which will put a smile on your face. Not because it is funny, but because it is fitting. Make this a part of your film library ASAP! You won't regret it. Also starring Manuel Gil (URSUS - 1961), Miguel del Castillo (HUMAN COBRAS - 1971), Brizio Montinaro (THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE - 1971), Luis de Tejada, Marella Corbi and Pouchi as the unfortunate girl in the shower. The edited U.S. Theatrical release was Rated R, but this uncut version is Not Rated, and rightfully so.

STREETS OF DEATH (1987) - When it came to directing some of the worst films of the 80's, very few people could even come close to the awfulness that was Jeff Hathcock. With films such as VICTIMS! (1985), NIGHT RIPPER (1986) and FERTILIZE THE BLASPHEMING BOMBSHELL (1989) on Mr. Hathcock's resume, it's hard to believe that he could sink to any lower depths. Welcome to STREETS OF DEATH, a film so cheap and lowbrow, Satan himself would feel burned after viewing it. This cruddy SOV effort opens with a van (with only one working headlight) pulling in front of the camera, it's single headlight blinding the viewer for a good sixty seconds before we cut to a shot of a dead girl with her bloody arm dangling out of a trash bin and the title of the movie spelled out in red letters on the inside of the bin. We then watch a hooker getting dressed in sparkly spandex and walking the streets looking for a customer. She finds the unseen killer in the van (after walking under a ladder!), who tempts her with lots of money and the next time we see her, the killer is dumping her lifeless bloody body in a dumpster. After getting slapped around by her pimp for not making enough money, another hooker gets picked up by the van killer and her hanged and naked body is discovered by a wino in an abandoned building the next morning. Police Lieutenant Bernie Navarre (Simon DeSoto) and Detective Grant Jordan (Lawrence Scott) have found five bodies in the past three weeks and they are stumped, so when they see someone beating up a hooker on a street corner, they give chase, only to have the shit kicked out of them by the hooker's lesbian girlfriend, who is an expert martial artist (but not the killer). Another hooker exits a car (She says to her john, "It was a pleasure sitting on your face!") and gets picked up by the van killer. Before you know it, she is hog-tied and naked with the killer slowly advancing at her body with an electric drill. By the time Bernie and Grant view her corpse, she has had so many holes drilled in her, there's not an ounce of blood left in her body. Undercover officer Kelly Anderson (Susanne Smith) is assigned to work as a hooker to catch the killer, with Grant as her backup, but, at first, all she is able to attract is a car full of horny Chicanos and a dirty old man (who she picks up in front of a store called House of Bibles!) who is naked under his raincoat. Bernie is forced by the higher-ups to allow two filmmakers, Artie Benson (Larry Thomas, who later gained fame as the "Soup Nazi" on SEINFELD [1990 - 1998]) and Lenny Miller (Guy Ecker), to make a documentary on prostitutes in the city, not knowing that Artie and Lenny are actually the (homosexual) van killers and they now have a license to film their murders. They almost get caught while dumping a body, but Artie and Lenny kill the two eyewitnesses. Kelly and Grant eventually fall in love, but will she live long enough for them to find true love? Ex-cop Frank Phillips (a bloated and top-billed Tommy Kirk), who was kicked-off the force for being drunk when he killed a kid brandishing a toy knife, suddenly enters Bernie's office and begs him to let him work on the hooker murder case as a civilian (What?). Meanwhile, we learn that Artie and Lenny are making snuff films for profit and they need to film more hooker deaths to satisfy the demand for their product. Only Frank seems to know what they are up to, but can he convince his ex-boss before more hookers lose their lives? Does anyone really care? Hey, is that lump on my head a brain tumor?  Films (and I use that term loosely) don't come much worse than this; from Tommy Kirk's sweaty, whiney performance (I'd like to say this film killed his gin-soaked career, but he did that long before appearing in this, starring in such Larry Buchanan's turdfests like MARS NEEDS WOMEN [1967] and IT'S ALIVE [1969]) to Jeff Hathcock's turgid video direction and deadly dull screenplay. There's way too much talk and very little bloody action considering the subject matter (the camera always turns away just as things are about to get interesting) and the romance between Kelly and Grant takes up more screen time than it deserves. While there is a little blood and nudity shown, the flat video photography does it no favors (It's muddy as dishwater, like watching a film through a lace doily smeared in Vaseline) and the droning synthesizer score will give you a migraine long before the movie ends. This is the least-seen of Hathcock's 80's flicks, but there's a reason for that. It's about as exciting as watching your Aunt Doris trimming her toenails. Also starring Dave Kalmeyer, Kahlena Marie, Gil Revilla, Lonny Withers, Ray Williams and Amy Lyndon. An Argosy Video International VHS Release. Not available on DVD. Not Rated.

STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER (1975) - Sleazy Italian giallo film that opens with a doctor performing an abortion on a young woman. When she wakes up in the middle of the procedure and dies of a massive coronary, the doctor and assistant Carlo Bianchi (Nino Castelnuovo) take the woman's body to her house, place her in a bathtub full of water and make it look like she drowned in her bathtub of natural causes. The doctor then drives home like nothing wrong has happened, but is attacked and graphically stabbed to death by someone wearing a black leather outfit, complete with motorcycle helmet. The attacker then cuts off the doctor's testicles and leaves them next to his body. The next time we see Carlo, he is taking photos of the beautiful bikini-clad Lucia (Femi Benussi; THE KILLER MUST KILL AGAIN - 1973) and soon he has talked her into stripping nude in a sauna and they are making love. Carlo brings Lucia back to the modeling agency he works for, where we meet an odd assortment of characters: Magda (Edwige Fenech; YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM - 1972), a fellow photographer and wannabe model who has the hots for Carlo; Gisella Montani (played by the single-monikered Amanda), the iron-fisted owner of the modeling agency; Maurizio (Franco Diogene), Gisella's overweight husband who has a habit of hitting on the models; Patricia (Solvi Stubing), the agency's number one model who is now being hounded by Maurizio for some time in the sack and doesn't appreciate having Lucia as a new rival; and various other employees. When an obviously gay employee named Mario develops a photo that contains images of everyone in the agency (including the dead abortion girl, who we find out was named Evelyn), the black-clad killer follows him home, stabs him to death and steals the photo, but not before cutting off Mario's gonads and leaving them next to his body (It is also obvious Mario knew the killer, calling his attacker "darling", but since Mario was gay, the killer could be a man or a woman). A police inspector (Lucio Como) interrogates all of the agency's employees and tries to tie-in the doctor's murder with Mario's, since they are so similar. Gisella and Lucia begin a lesbian relationship and Gisella warns Lucia to stay away from Carlo if she knows what's good for her. Lucia is then graphically stabbed to death by the leather-clad killer immediately after Gisella leaves the apartment. An earring found next to Lucia's body offers an important clue to the killer's identity and when Maurizio is the next to suffer the fate of the killer's knife, all clues point to Gisella being the killer. But when Gisella is blackmailed for ten million lire by someone over the phone and Carlo takes photos of the killer murdering Gisella as she is delivering the blackmail money (she is stabbed and has both her ears cut off), it is apparent that Carlos is the blackmailer and the killer is someone close to him. The killer tries to run over Carlos with a car, sending him to the hospital. Magda must find Carlos' undelveloped roll of film to unmask the killer. When Magda is set-up to look like the killer, Carlo must unmask the real killer in the film's bloody climax. If you have been following this review closely, you should be able to figure out who the killer is.  This is a nasty, nudity-filled thriller that is sure to raise some eyebrows, due to both male and female full-frontal nudity and the manner of the killings. Director Andrea Bianchi, who also gave us the excellent crime thriller CRY OF A PROSTITUTE (1974), the zombie horror flick BURIAL GROUND (1980) and the slasher film MASSACRE (1989), and screenwriter Massimo Felisatti, give us enough red herrings to keep us guessing (although it is readily apparent that the overweight Maurizio could never fit into the killer's tight leather outfit), but even those not familiar with giallo conventions could unmask the killer more quickly than this film's police inspector. The stabbings are quite nasty (plenty of spurting blood) and the sight of the male victims' removed testicles (yes, you do see them on a couple of occasions!) is quite unnerving. This may not be a top-tier giallo film, but it has enough quirkiness (such as the reveal that Maurizio is a virgin and can only make love to a blow-up doll without prematurely ejaculating!), luscious nudity and graphic violence (including shots of dead male and female bodies with cut-off penises and breasts) to make it a worthwhile addition to any giallo fan's library. Original title: NUDE PER L'ASSASSINO. Also starring Erna Schurer, Gianni Airo, Silvana Depretto, Achille Grioni, Guiseppa Moschella, Filippo La Neve, Claudio Pelligrini, Wainer Verri and Rudolfo Zola. Blue Underground offers an excellent widescreen, English-dubbed DVD of this film and now they offer an even better Blu-Ray. Not Rated.

SURVIVAL RUN (1978) - A group of teens (including Vincent Van Patten, Marianne Sauvage, Cosi Costa, Susan Pratt O'Hanlon, Robbie Weaver and Randi Meryl) become stuck in the Arizona desert after their van breaks down. They run into a gang of narcotic and gun-running thugs, led by Peter Graves (THE CLONUS HORROR - 1979) and Ray Milland (FROGS - 1972), who proceed to rape and kill the teens. The teens fight back and the chase is on. There are motorcycle chases, gunfights, explosions, knifings and other standard "trapped in the desert" goings-on in this run-of-the-mill thriller. Both Graves and Milland look embarassed to be in junk like this, a Mexico/United States co-production directed by Larry Spiegel (EVIL TOWN - 1985). There's not much in the way of gore or nudity, so the question must be asked: "What's the bloody point?" The only plus this film has to offer are the slimy performances of Milland's henchmen, portrayed by Danny Ades and Gonzalo Vega. They ooze sleaze as they dance with the girls and gang rape O'Hanlon (offscreen) after killing her boyfriend. The minuses far outpace the plusses though, so stay away from SURVIVAL RUN unless you have nothing better to do (like trimming your nose hair with a dull pair of hedge clippers). Producer Lance Hool (STEEL DAWN - 1987) puts in an appearance as a narcotics officer early in the film. Also starring Pedro Armendariz Jr. (TREASURE OF THE AMAZON - 1985; ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO - 2003) as the only good guy in Grave's gang. A Media Home Entertainment Release. Rated R.

THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A MINOR (1975) - I am a huge fan of Italian Poliziotteschi films and this is a good one. It also throws-in some giallo elements, making it a good choice for genre addicts who want to be entertained.
     A young woman named Marisa (Patrizia Castaldi) is sitting at a table at a street fair waiting for someone to arrive. She is then handed a note written by that someone, telling her, "I can't come. Be careful." Paolo (Claudio Cassinelli; FLAVIA THE HERETIC - 1974), a total stranger, hits on Marisa, but she can't be bothered, that is until she sees someone (a man wearing mirrored sunglasses) in the crowd that frightens her. She asks Paolo to dance with her, then kiss her, as the other man searches for her through the crowd. She tells Paolo to get his hands off her ass and dance her to the exit, which he does. She ten runs away, breaking a lens on Paolo's eyeglasses in the process, while the other man chases after her. Marisa loses him on the street, enters a phone booth and calls a rich elderly gentleman called "Il Menga" (Franco Alpestre), but he tells his butler to tell her that he has flown to New York. Marisa then runs to a bus stop, where the man chasing her grabs her and tries to choke the life out of her, but she breaks free and escapes on a bus. She ends up in a walkup apartment building and knocks on a door, calling out the name "Raimondo", but no one answers. The door is unlocked, so Marisa lets herself in, but when she flicks the light switch on
     Police Inspector Teti (Gianfranco Barra; DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING - 1972) would like to know, too, as he arrives at the crime scene the next morning. A doctor tells him that whoever killed the young woman (they don't know her name yet) sliced her face so badly, that identifying her will be next to impossible. The apartment building's landlady (Fiammetta Barella; WHEN WOMEN LOST THEIR TAILS - 1972) tells the Inspector that the man who killed the young woman had the proper papers and told her that he was her father, but she can't remember his name. The Inspector ask the doctor if any "love Juice" (semen) is on or in the young woman's body and he says no, it doesn't look like a sex crime, but the work of a maniac, since there are multiple bruises on her breasts and abdomen. The Inspector tells District Attorney Listri (Aldo Massasso; CONTRABAND - 1980) that they will have to depend on the forensic evidence to identify the young woman and her killer, taking the D.A. to a coffee shop while they wait for the Forensics Department to call them (Marisa's identity card is a phony and her fingerprints are not on record, which tells the Inspector that she was not a criminal). Also at the coffee shop is Paolo, who overhears them talking about the case. Is Paolo involved in all this somehow or is it just dumb luck? As the Inspector is leaving the coffee shop, a young thief on a scooter steals his expensive gold lighter as he is lighting a cigarette (showing us that the streets of Milan are not even safe for the police).
     We then see Paolo, who is carrying a gun, sneak into the apartment of the landlady. He wraps a phone cord around the landlady's neck and demands to know what she told the Inspector. She tells him that she said nothing and then mentions a man named "Menga" and how he wasn't satisfied with the usual whores. He wanted more, so he started trafficking minors, but she didn't want any part of that "rotten business." She asks Paolo who he is and he tells her that he's her executioner if she doesn't tell him where Menga lives. Suddenly, her doorbell rings and it's the police, Paolo telling her to get rid of them and no tricks. The Inspector wants to see the murder scene again, so the landlady takes him there and Paolo then leaves her apartment, catching a thief (the same thief that stole the Inspector's gold lighter) trying to lift a portable radio from the front seat of his car. Instead of getting mad, Paolo makes the thief a deal. He offers to cut him in for 50% of a much bigger haul if he'll work for the "MYOFB". The young thief asks who they are and Paolo responds, "Mind Your Own Fucking Business." The thief agrees and they introduce themselves to each other. The thief's name is Giannino (Adolfo Caruso) and Paolo give him his real name, also telling him, "They call me Milingi." Paolo hops on Giannino's scooter and they go on a miniature crimewave, stealing the purses and jewelry of prostitutes as they pass them on the scooter. When they try to steal an obese prostitute's purse, her pimps appear and Paolo shows Giannino what a good fighter he is, beating up the pimps. What is Paolo's game?
     Giannino introduces Paolo to his mother and young brother, telling Paolo that he supports his family by stealing. Paolo and Giannino go through all the purses they stole, Paolo telling him that he can keep all the cash, all he wants are the prostitute's notebooks. Paolo and Giannino become fast friends and partners in crime (although it is strictly minor), but the question still remains: Why does Paolo want to find Menga? The notebooks lead them to a business called "The Syndicate Of Milanese Women Domestics", a front for an underage prostitution racket. Paolo tells Giannino to get lost when he asks him why he is so interested in Menga (He tells Giannino, "Didn't you agree to MYOFB?"), so Giannino leaves while Paolo enters the business and questions the man at the front desk, asking to speak with the director. The female director of the business introduces herself to Paolo and they dance around about hiring a "domestic" because she doesn't know if Paolo is a real customer or the police. When he gains her trust, she tells him that the only domestics they have are "students" and that they are very expensive. Two men then appear at the front desk and tell Paolo that this is a professional business and if he doesn't leave they will call the police. Paolo leaves and then one man turns to the other and says, "Call Raimondo." Where did we hear that name before?
     Paolo then picks up prostitute Carmela (Lia Tanzi; THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS - 1973) at her normal place on the street and she takes him back to her apartment, where he tries to impress her by paying her with fifty American dollars (She throws the money back at him, saying, "Dollars are not what they once use to be!"). Paolo pretends to be the limousine driver for a wealthy Arab sheik to further impress her in hopes that she will tell him where Menga lives. He tells her that his boss likes his women young and that she is too old for him. Carmela doesn't care and asks Paolo to introduce her to the rich Arab (she says, "For 500,000 lire, I'll find him a toddler!"). Paolo tells her that her will give her a telephone number and if the Arab doesn't answer, to ask for Paolo or Giannino. He then asks Carmela to give him his fifty-dollar's worth and when he rolls over on her bed, he breaks his eyeglasses even more (a running joke throughout the film). We then have to ask ourselves: Who is Paolo really? Why is he so desperate to find Menga?
     Milan is also going through a kidnap spree of young children, the latest victim is the son of a rich chocolate candy magnate. The kidnappers are demanding two million lire for the safe return of his son.  Is it possible that Menga is involved in these kidnappings? Carmela sends an underage hooker to the ritzy Parca Hotel, thinking she is sending her to rich Arab Prince Yousef, but the young hooker meets Paolo instead. He asks her who her pimp is but she is too scared to answer and leaves the room. At this point in time, we learn that Paolo is actually Police Detective Paolo Germi and he has Giannino (who still doesn't know that Paolo is a cop) follow the underage hooker, who has hopped in a taxi, hoping she will lead them to Menga. Giannino then follows he into a subway and leads Giannino and Paolo to her pimp. The pimp shoots and kills the young girl, thinking she has set him up. Giannino gets knocked-out in the ensuing skuffle and Paolo shoots and kills the pimp. Paolo tells Giannino to get lost and he searches the pimp's apartment, finding out that the pimp's first name is Milingi (Where did we hear that name before?). How is the rest of the film played out? There will be more dead bodies, as Paolo and Inspector Teti do their own separate investigations (The Inspector doesn't know Paolo is a cop) and both come to the same conclusion about Menga. Is he the real head of the underage hooker ring?
     While there are the prerequisite bloody violence and nudity we demand from a Poliziotteschi flick, director/co-screenwriter Sergio Martini (THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH - 1971; ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - 1972; SILENT ACTION - 1975; THE GREAT ALLIGATOR - 1979) also tosses something uncommon into this genre: a healthy dose of humor. Throughout the film, Paolo's eyeglasses take a beating and he drives what has to be the worst car in action film history. When he first meets Carmela on the street, she has to enter the car by climbing onto the roof and enter through the sunroof, as none of the doors or windows are able to open. Just like his eyeglasses, his car takes a beating as the film progresses, losing the two passenger side doors and, eventually, the hood in a car chase that could be best described as comically insane. It is Claudio Cassinelli who makes this film so special, as he takes all the lumps he gets in stride, never losing his sense of humor in even the most dire of circumstances. But he is not the only one who is humorous. Gianfranco Barra as Inspector Teti is also a delight, always trying to find a system to win the soccer lottery and always failing, yet he never gives up. Mel Ferrer (THE PYJAMA GIRL CASE - 1977) puts in an extended cameo as the Police Superintendent, both Paolo and Teti's boss, but he may be more involved in the case then the two of them are aware of.  But this is far and away Claudio Cassinelli's film, as he is superb in both his comedic and dramatic roles, sometimes at the same time. While I generally frown upon comedy mixed with action, Martino, working with a script written by himself and his longtime collaborator Ernesto Gastaldi (he has written or co-written the screenplays to Martino's YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM... - 1972; TORSO - 1973; and KIDNAP SYNDICATE - 1975, just to name a few), makes it work here because the comedy is not kitchen-sink style, it seems natural to the characters. The relationship between Giannino and Paolo could have been played broadly, but both Cassinelli and Adolfo Caruso play it realistically, giving their characters a true emotional core. The fact is, we care about them. As I mentioned earlier in this review, Martino adds some giallo elements into the film, as we always see the killer's POV, as murders people in his way. The killer also wears black leather gloves and the violence is bloody, which elevates this film a notch or two above most Poliziotteschi films. Very seldom has Sergio Martino failed me as a director and this film is no different. It has an involving story, marvelous performances and will elicit smiles. What more could you ask for?
     Shot as MORTE SOSPETTA DI UNA MINORENNE (A literal translation of the review title), this film never received a theatrical or legitimate VHS release in the United States. The Blu-Ray from Arrow Video looks fantastic and is a must-buy for fans of this genre. Also available streaming on Amazon Prime (free to Prime members) I gave the streaming version a quick look (it's in Italian with English subtitles and in its OAR) and it, too, looks gorgeous. So what are you waiting for? Does Paolo get his man? Yes, he does, but there's a price to be paid for it, though. And did I mention that there is a shootout on a moving rollercoaster? Also starring Jenny Tamburi (THE WOMEN IN CELL BLOCK 7 - 1973), Barbara Magnolfi (THE SISTER OF URSULA - 1978), Carlo Alighiero (THE CAT O'NINE TAILS - 1971), Franco Diogene (STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER - 1975) and Roberto Posse (THE EYE BEHIND THE WALL - 1977) as the mirrored sunglass-wearing killer. Not Rated.

TED BUNDY (2002) - Everyone knows the story of Ted Bundy. During the '70's he supposedly murdered over one hundred women, making him the worst serial killer in U.S. history and he alone changed the way the FBI would profile future serial killers. In this film, director Matthew Bright (FREEWAY - 1996) portrays Bundy (Michael Reilly Burke - CREATURE - 1998; OCTOPUS 2: RIVER OF FEAR - 2002) as the perennial loser: an illegitimate, shoplifting peeping tom who, even though he has an above-average IQ, has trouble relating to women on a personal level. He has a girlfriend (Boti Ann Bliss) who does anything to please his sexual desires, but he still feels the need to mutilate and sexually assault (including necrophelia) young women to satisfy his homicidal deviant ways. He leaves a trail of bodies from Seattle to Salt Lake City to Colorado Springs and, finally, to Florida. Picked up for questioning in a botched kidnapping in Salt Lake City, Bundy is interrogated by a detective (played by Tom Savini, who also supplies the gruesome special make-up effects) and is subsequently charged in the murder of a woman in Colorado. Bundy escapes from jail, not once, but twice, and hightails it to Florida where he takes a new identity but doesn't change his murderous ways. He kills and mutilates several more women before being caught after killing a 12 year old girl and sentenced to die in the electric chair (which he did in 1989). This is a sensationalistic retelling of Bundy's story; much different than the 1986 TV movie THE DELIBERATE STRANGER, where police procedural played an important role and Mark Harmon played Bundy. Here, the entire story is played through Bundy's eyes, from his first murder to his well-deserved demise. I hate to say it, since I like Matthew Bright's previous directorial efforts, but this is not a very good film. The main distraction is Burke's performance as Bundy. It's way too broad and seems to be played mainly for comical effect. Portraying America's worst sociopath with a wink towards the humorous is just plain wrong. Burke is basically a poodle in bulldog's clothing as we do not feel the gut-punch that we should when watching this character killing innocent women. Stephen Johnson, who co-wrote this film with Bright, did a much better job with the screenplay to ED GEIN (2000) mainly because he had a superior actor in Steve Railsback as Gein. Both films were produced by Tartan Films, who plan to make more films based on the lives of famous serial killers. TED BUNDY also stars Alexa Jago and longtime favorite coot actor Tracey Walter (REPO MAN - 1984) in a small role as a man who rents Bundy a room. If you're looking for blood, gore and nudity, you'll find it here. If you're looking for an intellectual film about what goes on in the mind of a serial killer, watch HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986) instead. A First Look Home Entertainment DVD Release, who also released the serial killer film DAHMER (2002), though it wasn't produced by Tartan Films. Other real-life serial killer films followed, including SPECK, NIGHTSTALKER (both 2002) and  GACY (2003).  Rated R.

TERROR EXPRESS (1979) - Tell me if you have heard this one before: A trio of sadistic brutes board a train and brutalize the passengers; torturing them psychologically, physically and sexually. No, this isn't THE NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS (1974), but it does bear striking similarities in that they are both Italian productions, contain story elements lifted from LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) and revel in sexual degradation. The story is very simple: We are introduced to a variety of very unlikable characters as they board a train in Rome bound for Germany, while three gentlemen with no morals whatsoever, led by David (Werner Pochath; COP GAME - 1988; here billed as "Paul Werner"), begin to terrorize them, using the victims' fears and deep-rooted secrets to their advantage. David and his two friends, Elio (Carlo De Mejo; CONTAMINATION - 1980) and Nico (Giancarlo Maestri), start their mischief in the train's dining car, being loud and obnoxious, playing their portable radio too loud and being asked to turn it down by a rich, elderly businessman and his assistant (who we see buying his boss a stack of porno magazines before they board the train). The only member in the dining car who seems to like them is rebellious teenager Elena (Fiammetta Flamini), who is one the train with her strict, but abhorrent, parents. When Italian cop Mike (Venantino Venantini) brings his handcuffed prisoner, Pierre (Gianluigi Chirizzi; BURIAL GROUND - 1980), to the dining car for something to eat (He's escorting Pierre to Germany to stand trial for some, as yet, unknown crime), it causes more of a moral stink with the passengers than David and his friends do (They have already humiliated the busboy), so Mike and Pierre are forced to go back to their compartment and eat dinner alone. Also on the train is high-priced callgirl Julia (Silvia Dionisio; ANDY WARHOL'S DRACULA - 1973), who has a session with the elderly rich businessman in her compartment, but there are quite a few other men on the train that would like to spend some time with her, including Elena's father, who wants Julia to wear Elena's nightgown while he makes love to her (it's a sick, pseudo-incestual sequence). The married, but unhappy, Anna (Zora Kerova; CANNIBAL FEROX - 1980) willingly has sex with Elio in one of the train's bathrooms, but soon Nico enters the bathroom to make Anna the meat in their rape sandwich. Before long, David knocks out Mike, steals his gun and he and his two friends take over the train car. Elio frees Pierre from his handcuffs, while David locks both exit doors to the railway car and disables the handbrake so they can torture and torment the passengers at their whim. David wants Julia to give up her goodies to him willingly, but she refuses, so he threatens to rape Elena instead. Elena's mother pleads with Julia to fuck David and his friends, so she relents and screws David and Elio. Elio also makes love to a willing Elena (another sexually graphic scene), Pierre and Julia form a friendship and everyone else bickers amongst themselves while the train approaches its first stop. David and his pals lock all the passengers in one compartment as the train makes its first regularly scheduled stop, but Pierre escapes out a window. Will he escape or will he return to save Julia and the other passengers before David and his friends go full-tilt Bozo?  A lot of review sites give TERROR EXPRESS high marks, but, to me, it's nothing but a film about a group of very unlikable people (I'm not just talking about David and his two pals, but also about nearly all of the passengers) being asinine pricks and getting the punishment they deserve. It's no coincidence that director Ferdinando Baldi (THE SICILIAN CONNECTION - 1972; COMIN' AT YA! - 1981; WAR BUS - 1985; JUST A DAMNED SOLDIER - 1988) and screenwriter Gastone Carsetti (based on a story by Luigi Montefiori, better known on these shores as "George Eastman" of THE GRIM REAPER [1980] fame) make prostitute Julia and prisoner Pierre the most sympathetic characters in the film, because all the other "normal" people (including the train's conductor [played by Gino Milli], who is nothing but a pimp in a uniform) are some of the most useless trash this side of a John Waters film (except for elderly couple Mary [who is dying] and husband Isaac, who never leave their compartment). Baldi wallows in the sleazier aspects of the film, including plenty of nudity, sex (especially an over-reliance on oral sex), rape and humiliation, which I guess is enough for some people, but not me. Werner Pochath is no David Hess and his antics as the leader of the trio (I guess naming him "David" was some sort of homage) pales in comparison to LAST HOUSE's Krug and company. The actual physical violence is rather restrained and bloodless (there are plenty of sexual assaults, though) until the finale, but by that time I had lost all interest. Not worth your time unless you like watching deserving people being degraded. Also starring Fausto Lombardi, Roberto Caporali and Antonino Maimone. Although there is no legitimate U.S. release of this film, German company Camera Obscura offers a nice widescreen print (under the title LA RAGAZZA DEL VAGONE LETTO/HORROR-SEX IM NACHTEXPRESS) in Italian or German languages with optional English subtitles. Not Rated.

TERROR FROM UNDER THE HOUSE (1971) - I have fond memories of watching this film on TV (under the title INN OF THE FRIGHTENED PEOPLE) during the 70's with my late mother. It was a favorite of hers, thanks to the psychological, rather than physical, violence as well the surprise ending and would soon become a favorite of mine, too (for the same reasons). The TV showings dried-up during the mid-80's and, besides a short-lived AIR Video VHS release (using the title BEHIND THE CELLAR DOOR), it disappeared from view. Imagine my surprise finding this tight little thriller on DVD. The story is simple: Jim and Carol Radford (James Booth, Joan Collins) lose one of their daughters (it's actually Carol's step-daughter) when she is raped and killed by a pedophile when leaving school. The police arrest a suspect named Seely (Kenneth Griffith), but have to release him when all the evidence in the case against him turns out to be circumstantial. A distraught Jim enlists the help of his teenage son Lee (Tom Marshall) and family friend Harry (Ray Barrett) to kidnap Seely and bring him to the Radford's cellar, which sits below a crowded pub that the Radford's own and run. After slugging Seely a few times (even Carol gets in a few licks), they tie him up and must decide what to do with him. As they try to keep their prisoner a secret from their other daughter Jill (Zuleika Robson), Lee's fiancee Rose (Sinead Cusack), who works as a waitress at the pub, and the pub's patrons, the Radfords and Harry begin fighting among each other (especially about who is actually going to kill him) and have many close calls with their new prisoner, including a couple of nosy beer deliverymen and an escape by Seely. When information comes to light that Seely may actually be innocent, it puts the Radfords into an even deeper quandary: Should they let him go and hope for the best or should they kill him to cover up their mistake? After all, haven't they all suffered enough? When Seely returns to the Radford's home on his own after the escape, that seems to resolve their problem, but the surprise ending (which I won't reveal here) is a doozy and fits in perfectly with the rest of this tension-filled film. It's a shocker.  This is an excellent little British thriller (originally filmed under the simple descriptive title REVENGE) that should be seen by those that like their films suspenseful and well-plotted. Unrelenting in tone, this film ponders the age-old questions: How far would you be willing to go to achieve justice, when all legal avenues have failed you? How far do you have to cross that invisible line in the sand before it's too late to turn back? Could you murder someone to satisfy that sense of justice? This film will make anyone think twice about committing vigilante justice, especially when they witness how it tears at the fabric of a tight-knit family. The acting here is top-notch, especially by both James Booth (AVENGING FORCE - 1986) and Joan Collins (those who know Collins only by her DYNASTY role, 80's TV movies and soap opera appearances are in for a surprise). They play decent, upstanding citizens who let their grief of losing their daughter get the best of them and their actions and guilt over what they do next will, unfortunately, do more damage to their lives and the lives of their remaining family members than the rape and murder of their daughter ever will. The look on Carol's face as she listens through the wall as her stepson Lee and Rose fight (Lee is unable to sexually perform due to his guilt of kidnapping Seely) says a lot, but when Lee rips off Carol's blouse and rapes her in front of Seely (after she tries to console him over what she has just heard), you know things are going to go downhill very quickly. Director Sidney Hayers, who also gave us the rape-themed IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN (1971; a.k.a. ASSAULT and THE CREEPERS) and the underrated thriller DEADLY STRANGERS (1974), keeps things moving briskly and the script (by John Kruse) is expertly paced and not condescending. There is a smattering of blood, but the film is not about violence, it's about the breakdown of a family due to violence. Carol's rape is only seen through Seely's shattered eyeglasses, wonderfully projecting the disintegration of the Radford family. Required viewing for thriller fans. Also known as AFTER JENNY DIED. Also starring Donald Morley, Barry Andrews, Artro Morris and Patrick McAlinney. A JEF Films DVD Release, which utilizes a fullscreen print that's full of emulsion scratches and blemishes. Also available on DVD in its original OAR from Scorpion Releasing under the title REVENGE! It's the only way to watch the film. Rated PG.

TRHAUMA (1979) - Two boys are running through the woods when one boy orders the other (he has a lazy left eye) to climb a tree to get him a birds nest. The other boy says no, it is too high and he's scared, but the first boy tells him if they want to remain friends, he will climb the tree. The other boy starts climbing and the first boy keeps telling him to climb higher. He slips and lands hard on the ground, knocked unconscious. The other boy walks up to him, points his finger and says, "You're so stupid!" and walks away. A disco tune plays on the soundtrack and the opening credits begin. We then see that boy with the lazy eye as an adult (Per Holgher; billed simply as "L'essere" which translates to "The Being") in a dark room, building a large cathedral (the last thing he saw before falling out of the tree) with Legos (!), as a small puppy whines by his feet. The being picks up a tire iron, knocks the puppy's head off (!), smiles and then continues building his cathedral (I wasn't sure what kind of animal it was until I viewed the sequence frame by frame and there it was, a puppy!). What does one sequence have to do with the other, you may ask? Don't worry, it will be explained as the film (and this review) progresses (although from this moment, I thought I knew where it was headed).
     We are then introduced to Lilly (Domitilla Cavazza, billed as "Dafne Price"), who is mad at her husband, Andrew (Gaetano Russo, billed as Ronny Russo"; THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS - 1974), for purchasing and trying to renovate the run-down villa that they are now living in., pissing away Lilly's inheritance in the process. Lilly has invited some friends over for the weekend, including model Olga (Anna Maria Chiante) and photographer Paul (Timothy Wood). Paul is a control freak, as we watch him taking nude photos of Olga, complaining that she is not following his instructions, as he snaps away with his camera in a field close to the villa. Olga grows tired of Paul's constant complaining, tells him to "fuck off" and walks back to the villa, buck-naked. She becomes aware of a presence following her and she begins walking faster, but she never makes it to the villa. We then see the Being rolling around in sheep shit, making love to Olga's bloody corpse! He is then attacked by one of the sheepdogs, but he snaps its neck and pulls its jaws apart, killing it (dogs don't like him). He then carries Olga's corpse to God knows where (maybe in the dark room with the Lego cathedral?).
     Also at the villa are Lilly's friend Silvia (Silvia Mauri; BLAZING FLOWERS - 1978), her fiancé Carlo (Roberto Posse; MACABRE - 1980), obese business associate Bitto (Franco Diogene; STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER - 1975) and his pretty "secretary" Helen (Gina Mancinelli). This is going to be a very interesting and deadly weekend, folks! At the afternoon barbecue (Where the fat Bitto is the cook, because all he does is talk about food), Lilly notices that Olga and Paul are nowhere to be found. We then discover that the Being (who walks with a limp, probably caused from falling out of the tree when he was a child) has a faceless friend, who hands him a couple of boxes of Legos in his dark room. That night, Paul pulls up to the villa in his Jeep, telling the group he has no idea where Olga is, as she left his photo shoot in the afternoon and he drove to town to take pictures of the buildings, so they form a search party, breaking up into teams of two and go looking for Olga in the middle of the night.  Lilly are Andrew are one team and they once again get into a fight over money, Paul leaving her alone in the middle of the forest (Divorce sure sounds like a good idea!). Lilly gets scared and starts running, calling Paul's name, but he doesn't answer. She runs into the arms of Carlo and they go back to the villa, the Being watching them as they walk away. Andrew makes it back to the villa on his own, but only Paul is there. He hits up Paul for $500, telling him he needs the money to bet on an important poker game tomorrow and it is a sure thing. Paul tells Andrew he is crazy if he thinks he is going to lend him any more money, as Andrew still owes him $2,500 for his last "sure thing". Andrew tells him he has three "suckers" lined up for this game and there is no way he is going to lose, also telling Paul that he feels lucky and will pay him back after the game. Paul then agrees to loan him the money, but he only has 48 hours to pay him back everything that he owes him. If he doesn't, Paul's "bosses" will come and break Andrew's legs (Divorce is really sounding good at this moment, as he doesn't even worry about Lilly).
     When everyone gets together back at the villa, finding that no one has found Olga, they come to the conclusion that Olga hitchhiked back to the city (I hope my friends would know better!), so they call it a night. Silvia, who is not satisfied with that explanation (Finally, a level-headed person!), leaves Carlo alone in their bedroom and goes looking for Olga on her own (I take back that "level-headed" remark!). Lilly has something to tell Carlo, but he tells her he's too busy (he's about to go looking for Silvia), so she turns around and walks away, saying she will tell him later (I hope she tells him she's getting a divorce!). Silvia is scared when she notices some shrubbery moving in an unnatural way, like someone invisible is walking through it, so she backs away slowly, only to discover that the Being is behind her. A short time later, Carlo and Paul find Silvia unconscious in the woods and carry her back to the villa. When she wakes up, she tells everyone that a madman attacked her. Helen wants to leave immediately, but Lilly tells her to calm down, it was probably thieves and "they're probably more scared than us." Bitto agrees, but He