An effectively murky and labyrinthine giallo yarn in which those crazy Italians get up to all sorts of tricks. First and foremost is the leading character of Jason Porter, a fairly unlikable anti-hero with a shady background, who gets blamed by the police for the murders and must discover the identity of the killer to prove his own innocence - if you think this set-up is familiar, you may have seen Jon Finch starring in Hitchcock's FRENZY or witnessed one of the many other "wronged man" thrillers made over the years. Director Armando Crispino's direction is efficient and sometimes stylish, and THE ETRUSCAN KILLS AGAIN offers up all the red herrings, twists, turns, suspects, and brutal moments that you could wish for in a giallo yarn.
However, this is not all this film offers. In an almost slapdash series of plot elements, we are given a screeching car chase (in which you can almost smell the burning rubber) to rival those of the Italian polizia movies; supernatural elements at the beginning of the film, which with the use of heavy, guttural breathing, and a shady presence hint at a zombie returning from the grave to wreak vengeance; a fantastic and surprising car crash stunt; gory scenes of people being beaten to bloody pulps; and finally, the ferocious fight which marks the film's close and is one of the best hero-vs-villain battles I've seen in an Italian flick - short, violent and extremely realistic. All of the above takes place whilst Verdi's Requiem plays intermittently over the soundtrack, deafeningly loud and stylish to boot.
In the end, THE ETRUSCAN KILLS AGAIN works due to some larger-than-life characters and a stronger cast than usual. Alex Cord's archaeologist may not be the most likable of screen leads but he gives his character a commanding presence which makes you unable to take your eyes off him. Samantha Eggar (THE BROOD) is still sufficiently attractive in her youth to provide a worthwhile woman-in-peril, whilst Horst Frank and Carlo De Mejo flesh out the minor characters of the story. However, the familiar-looking John Marley steals all of their thunder as a sadistic orchestra conductor (!) who frequently flies off the handle to good effect. Although it's sometimes muddled and too murky for its own good, THE ETRUSCAN KILLS AGAIN is a watchable giallo movie, and if it's no classic then at least it whiles away a quiet evening with its heady combination of essential plot ingredients.
However, this is not all this film offers. In an almost slapdash series of plot elements, we are given a screeching car chase (in which you can almost smell the burning rubber) to rival those of the Italian polizia movies; supernatural elements at the beginning of the film, which with the use of heavy, guttural breathing, and a shady presence hint at a zombie returning from the grave to wreak vengeance; a fantastic and surprising car crash stunt; gory scenes of people being beaten to bloody pulps; and finally, the ferocious fight which marks the film's close and is one of the best hero-vs-villain battles I've seen in an Italian flick - short, violent and extremely realistic. All of the above takes place whilst Verdi's Requiem plays intermittently over the soundtrack, deafeningly loud and stylish to boot.
In the end, THE ETRUSCAN KILLS AGAIN works due to some larger-than-life characters and a stronger cast than usual. Alex Cord's archaeologist may not be the most likable of screen leads but he gives his character a commanding presence which makes you unable to take your eyes off him. Samantha Eggar (THE BROOD) is still sufficiently attractive in her youth to provide a worthwhile woman-in-peril, whilst Horst Frank and Carlo De Mejo flesh out the minor characters of the story. However, the familiar-looking John Marley steals all of their thunder as a sadistic orchestra conductor (!) who frequently flies off the handle to good effect. Although it's sometimes muddled and too murky for its own good, THE ETRUSCAN KILLS AGAIN is a watchable giallo movie, and if it's no classic then at least it whiles away a quiet evening with its heady combination of essential plot ingredients.