*spoilers attached*
I'm really surprised Lenzi didn't show any blood in this one, not after all those cannibal films he did, so I commend him for showing that kind of restraint, rarely shown in giallo films. Plus, if you can look past some of the unbelievable naiveté shown by some of the characters, then it's not a bad film.
Convoluted plot about a dead industrialist's son Christian (Robert Hoffman) who is slowly being driven insane by those around him. It turns out that it is all a complicated set-up by his brother Fritz (Ivan Rassimov) in order to have Christian declared insane. That way he can control all of his dead father's business for himself.
Instead Christian gets wise and kills the assailant Fritz hired, in a rock quarry by running him over with his BMW before sending his dead body over the quarry cliff into a flaming crash below.
It also turns out that the femme fatale, Suzy Kendall, was in on the plot but did not want to see Christian get killed. But as a plot twist, it turns out the Christian really is insane due to a heredity condition and kills women during blackouts.
We also find out that it is his brother Fritz who is leaving those latex mannequins lying around near the scene of every crime as a sort of calling. You see, Fritz is just as insane as his brother. It runs in the family.
In the end, Christian is shot dead by Kendall's estranged lover, right after Christian strangles Kendall. He falls dead on a beach.
The new Shriek Video doesn't have a lot of extras beyond a short interview with Lenzi along with trailers to other Shriek DVDs like SEVEN BLOOD STAINED ORCHIDS and EATEN ALIVE, along with some stills. It's taken from an excellent wide-screen, scratch-free print that looks like it's been carefully preserved for the past 25 years. I'm impressed with it. Shriek looks like it's following in the footsteps of good quality competitors like Anchor Bay and Synapse.
6 out of 10 for Lenzi deviating slightly from the norm.
I'm really surprised Lenzi didn't show any blood in this one, not after all those cannibal films he did, so I commend him for showing that kind of restraint, rarely shown in giallo films. Plus, if you can look past some of the unbelievable naiveté shown by some of the characters, then it's not a bad film.
Convoluted plot about a dead industrialist's son Christian (Robert Hoffman) who is slowly being driven insane by those around him. It turns out that it is all a complicated set-up by his brother Fritz (Ivan Rassimov) in order to have Christian declared insane. That way he can control all of his dead father's business for himself.
Instead Christian gets wise and kills the assailant Fritz hired, in a rock quarry by running him over with his BMW before sending his dead body over the quarry cliff into a flaming crash below.
It also turns out that the femme fatale, Suzy Kendall, was in on the plot but did not want to see Christian get killed. But as a plot twist, it turns out the Christian really is insane due to a heredity condition and kills women during blackouts.
We also find out that it is his brother Fritz who is leaving those latex mannequins lying around near the scene of every crime as a sort of calling. You see, Fritz is just as insane as his brother. It runs in the family.
In the end, Christian is shot dead by Kendall's estranged lover, right after Christian strangles Kendall. He falls dead on a beach.
The new Shriek Video doesn't have a lot of extras beyond a short interview with Lenzi along with trailers to other Shriek DVDs like SEVEN BLOOD STAINED ORCHIDS and EATEN ALIVE, along with some stills. It's taken from an excellent wide-screen, scratch-free print that looks like it's been carefully preserved for the past 25 years. I'm impressed with it. Shriek looks like it's following in the footsteps of good quality competitors like Anchor Bay and Synapse.
6 out of 10 for Lenzi deviating slightly from the norm.