Phantom Of Death

Phantom of Death

Genre: Giallo, Horror, Psychological Thriller

Original title: Un delitto poco comune

Director: Ruggero Deodato

Year: 1988

Police Comissioner Datti is investigating the murder of a female doctor whose murderer seems to be a thirty-fivish year old man. Soon another murder follows: Pianist Robert Dominici's girlfriend is found killed. The killer also challenges Datti on the phone and says he can't be caught since he has a secret which makes him invulnerable. In the meantime the clues seems to point in strange directions

As you can see from the plot summary, Phantom Of Death is a convoluted film with moves into different directions as it goes along. It stars Michael York (Logan's Run, Austin Powers) as Robert Dominici who's girlfriend is murdered early on. He is a suspect & for a while it feels like the classic Gialli setup of a man under suspicion who has to do the investigating himself to find out the killer. The film up this point is pretty gripping, however they make the mistake of moving into a new direction far too early as the killer is revealed and the film progresses into more of a psychological thriller.

Also starring is the queen of Gialli, Edwige Fenech. She plays a fashion designer who is having an affair with Michael York's character and becomes pregnant (even in her early 40s Edwige is still looking fantastic). Then there's Donald Pleasence who is typically (& unsurprisingly) playing the ageing inspector who's doing his best to hunt down the killer. A partner of his is killed later in the picture and he runs around the town center screaming "WHERE ARE YOU, I'LL KILL YOU BASTARD!" which was just classic Pleasence.

The killings are pretty damn gory which is no surprise considering it was directed by Ruggero Deodato who's films rarely ever shy away from the brutal nature of violence. Though make sure you get the version that was originally released in Europe as there's a TV version which removed any said bloodshed leaving the film a much tamer affair.

I think I'd of preferred Phantom Of Death to of remained a more "whodunnit" kind of giallo as the first 40 minutes are pretty gripping and felt like it could of been one of the better late entries to the genre. Once the reveal of the killer is made the film begins to have pacing issues & despite the talent involved, the film slowly fizzles out to an anti-climatic finish. A mixed overall, yet one which has just enough going for it that I'd recommend it cautiously.

Rating: ★★★

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh

Genre: Giallo, Erotic Thriller

Original Title: Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh

AKA: The Next Victim! / Blade of the Ripper

Director: Sergio Martino 

Year: 1971

An ambassador's wife discovers that one of the men in her life - either her husband, an ex-lover or her current lover - may be a vicious serial killer.

This Sergio Martino picture goes by many different names, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. Blade of the Ripper, Next! & The Next Victim. This is Martino's first Gialli & is fine first attempt that combines all the classic Gialli trademarks & pairs the King & queen of the genre, George Hilton & Edwige Fenech together. 

The director's camera flair is there, the exotic locations, the beautifully shot kills & Fenech's body is constantly on show. For some reason I prefer most of Martino's other Gialli to this, though this is definitely one I want to revisit as I feel a second viewing could benefit my enjoyment of the film.

Rating: ★★★½

The ever creepy Ivan Rassimov.

All The Colors Of The Dark

All The Colors Of The Dark
Original Title: Tutti i colori del buio
AKA: They're Coming to Get You / Day Of The Maniac / Demons of the Dead

Genre: Giallo

Director: Sergio Martino

Year: 1972

A woman recovering from a car accident in which she lost her unborn child finds herself pursued by a coven of devil worshipers.

Fenech X4, I'd give my left testical for just one of her.

They Are Coming To Get You, Day Of The Maniac, Demons of the Dead & All The Colors Of The Dark are just some of the titles of director Sergio Martino's third Giallo picture goes under. It has an impressive cast with leads from two of the genres most recognisable names in Edwige Fenech & George Hilton & a great supporting cast that includes Susan Scott & Ivan Rassimov. The plot borrows heavily from Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby & has a very confused & paranoid Edwige Fenech get mixed up with a devil worshipping cult. To make matters worse she has Ivan Rassimov (who here sports the bluest eyes you'll ever see) constantly stalking her. If anybody was born to play those type of creepy characters it was him.

Out of Martino's Gialli I'd say this was probably his most ambitious, it relies on the psychological drama instead of the gory kills & for the most part the film delivers. Visually it's a treat, making great use of its London setting. The camera angels used on the main apartment block really helped add a sense of paranoia to Fenech's character. Despite all this, the highlight without a doubt is the amazing Bruno Nicolai score. For my money it's one of the defining scores of the genre with its use of sitars, psychedelic rock, choirs & creepy moments, it really helps create a paranoid atmosphere to the picture & lets the films themes feel that more stronger.

A pretty much essential Giallo which for my money is Martino's second best Gialli just behind the wondeful The Case of the Scorpion's Tail .

 Rating: ★★★★ 

Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)

Original Title: Il tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave

AKA: Excite Me/Eye of the Black Cat/Gently Before She Dies
Genre: Giallo
Director: Sergio Martino
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069421/

Oliviero is a burned-out writer, living at his estate near Venice, his dead mother dominating his imagination. He is also a degenerate: sleeps with his maid and his ex-student, hosts Bacchanalia for local hippies, and humiliates his wife Irina in front of strangers. She lives in terror. When a young woman is murdered, police suspect Oliviero. 

Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key has a lot of positives going for it.

- First of all the title even by Giallo standards has to be one of the most ridiculous that the genre has to offer.
- It's directed by Sergio Martino who seems to always strike gold.
- A solid Bruno Nicolai score. For my money he is the king of the Giallo scores, yes even better than Ennio Morricone
- A cast that includes Edwige Fenech, Anita Strindberg, Luigi Pistilli & Ivan Rassimov
- & lastly but most important.. a cat called Satan.

With all these wonderful things in its favour I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. That's not to say that this isn't an entertaining Giallo that doesn't deliver because that's far from the case, I just feel with so many positives it should be up there with the very best yet it never quite reaches those levels, perhaps I was just upset with the fact Fenech sports a short hair-do in this film!. However it remains another very good Martino picture with some great characters (Pistilli is such a bastard here!) & a really fantastic payoff with the cat Satan at the very end.

Rating:  ★★★½

Luigi Pistilli, knows how to treat his women