MOVIE: Plot Of Fear (1976)

Plot Of Fear

aka E tanta paura, aka Bloody Peanuts

Directed by Paolo Cavara

Starring Michele Placido, Corinne Cléry, Eli Wallach, Tom Skerritt

Centro Produzioni Cinematografiche Città di Milano/G.P.E. Enterprises 1976

On the same night, a female prostitute strangles her client, while a woman is battered around the head with a spanner on a deserted bus. The only link: at the scene of both murders, illustrations from a children’s book called “Shockheaded Peter” have been left behind.

When more murders occur, again marked with illustrations from the same book, the victims are linked back to an elite group calling itself Wildlife’s Friends. Inspector Lomenzo (Placido) is assigned to investigate.

There’s a decent giallo struggling to get out of this one, a frustratingly laboured effort from the director who just five years earlier had given us the rather good Black Belly Of The Tarantula (1971). The dialogue scenes frequently fail to sparkle and the attempt to liven-up proceedings with soft-core sex is all too symptomatic of the original cycle’s death throes. Even the murder scenes don’t quite hit the mark as they should. Things do improve considerably towards the climax, but even by the genre’s standards the denouement will take a bit of work to get your head around.

On the credit side, Michele Placido makes for an engaging force of law and order (at least when he manages to keep his clothes on), while Eli Wallach (despite being dubbed in both Italian and English versions by someone who sounds nothing like Eli Wallach) adds some welcome gravitas, as the head of a video surveillance firm who may or may not be helping the police with their enquiries.

By contrast, Corinne Cléry (fresh from a notorious appearance in The Story Of O (1975)) is mainly required to add titillation value and get naked on occasion. Tom Skerrit has very little to do and is likely just there to add another recognisable name for English-speaking territories.

Ultimately, Plot Of Fear is not without interest: it at least piques curiosity as a halfway house between the giallo cycle and the cop thrillers which would supersede it as an Italian cinema staple, but also highlights just how much the form was losing its way by the latter part of the decade.

MOVIE: The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)

 

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times

aka La damma rossa uccide sette volte

Directed by Emilio Miraglia

Starring Barbara Bouchet, Ugo Pagliai, Marina Malfatti, Sybil Danning

Phoenix Cinematografica/Romano Film/Traian Boeru/Cineriz 1972

 

A prophecy (portrayed in a family painting) dictates that there is a curse on the Wildenbrücks: Every 100 years two sisters will grow to hate each other. One (depicted as the Black Queen), will kill the other (known as the Red Queen). The prophecy says that the Red Queen will then return, killing seven times to avenge her death.

For the current generation of the family, the prophecy seems to be working its spell as Kitty Wildenbrück accidentally kills sister Eveline during a fight. Older sibling Franziska helps to cover the death up, leading everyone to believe that Eveline has gone to the USA, but when grandfather Tobias dies of a fear-induced heart attack and a series of murders linked to Kitty occur, a police artist’s impression of the killer resembles none other than Eveline…

That’s a pretty hefty premise to kick off this giallo with German-shot exteriors. Director Miraglia was perhaps looking to capture the same lightning in a bottle that had made his 1971 effort, The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave such a success, recasting Marina Malfatti from that particular venture. However, this cracking little thriller more than holds its own against its predecessor. Indeed, I might even suggest it’s a better, more rounded film.

Considering that, it’s a great shame that Miraglia never directed another picture after this, but he rounded off his slim filmography with a most enjoyable outing full of the required twists, turns and red herrings. If not quite the peak of the giallo form, it’s certainly a superior entry in the cycle which will more than satisfy the form’s disciples. Horror fans, meanwhile, will find plenty to enjoy in the superbly mounted and executed stalk-and-slash moments, and a water-drenched finale has more than a touch of Poe about it.

A fantastic score from Bruno Nicolai tops things off nicely. Often overshadowed by his fellow countryman Ennio Morricone, his contribution to Italian cinema should never be underestimated.

Interesting aside: The striking imagery of a killer clad in red predates Don’t Look Now by a good year or so.

MOVIE: The Killer Reserved Nine Seats (L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone) (1974)

The Killer Reserved Nine Seats 

aka L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone

Cinenove/Overseas Film Company 1974

Directed by Giuseppe Bennati

Starring Rosanna Schiaffino, Chris Avram, Eva Czemerys, Lucretia Love, Paola Senatore

A wealthy socialite invites a group of acquaintances away from a party and back to his country villa, within the confines of which is a grand theatre. It soon becomes apparent that the theatre is not a safe place to be, as the guests are killed off one-by-one.

A film often tagged as a giallo, and there is certainly enough of that genre's ingredients here to keep fans occupied, but as things progress its premise (clearly indebted to Agatha Christie) takes a sharp turn into more supernatural territory.

It's an enjoyable enough effort, marred slightly by some sexual violence which adds nothing to proceedings, a curious addition since the film seems somewhat generally coy about depicting the actual murders in any detail. Additionally hampering things is a hamfistedly talky screenplay, and an overly stretched final act which aims for atmosphere but leaves the remaining cast effectively wading through treacle to get to the end.

For all that, the setting is very effective and fans of the "Ten Little Indians" style of thriller will find plenty to enjoy. Sure, characters act illogically throughout, but that's nothing unusual in a film of this ilk. Good soundtrack work adds to things considerably, and there's certainly enough good set pieces to make The Killer Reserved Nine Seats worth tracking down.