I don't get the praise for this one at all. It is one of the first of these Italian horror thrillers ("giallo") I have watched and color me unimpressed. Antonio Sabato and Uschi Glas star as newlyweds caught in the middle of a psychopath's killing spree. Well actually she's caught in the middle and he's just deciding to spend his free time playing Sherlock Holmes since the cops on the case are incompetent. Glas' character, along with six other females, are the targets and the killer knows that one of these seven ladies was involved in a car accident that left a man dead. Since he cannot prove which lady was involved he decides to murder them all to get his revenge. This movie plays out like a bland made-for-TV thriller, with stale dialogue, unimaginative direction, a weakly written screenplay and a few supposed twists thrown in, but it's all rather mundane and formulaic. The identity of the killer is a huge disappointment also because all they do is make it one of those minor characters who has maybe one scene before he's is revealed to be the psycho. The person isn't sufficiently developed or menacing enough to build much interest, and everyone who appears in a major role is nondescript and dull. Most of the run time is uninteresting dialogue scenes that constantly make the film come to a screeching halt. It's not thrilling, scary or suspenseful at all. And that is a shame because I normally love Italian horrors and thrillers. Many are among the most beautifully made films I have seen with good casts, outstanding cinematography, creepy music scores and wonderful art direction and sets. Sadly, this very dull movie has no style to speak of and the well of imagination must have run dry.
Review of Seven Blood-Stained Orchids
