Further exploring the giallo genre of Italian mystery thrillers, I watched Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key (1972). What a title! This is set in a countryside mansion and follows the crumbling marriage of a drunk, cheating author (Luigi Pistilli) and his harried, abused wife (Anita Strindberg). As people are being murdered by a gloved killer, and a judgemental cat is always around hissing at everything, the author’s niece (Edwige Fenech) complicates matters with her alluring ways. Directed by Sergio Martino (who made All The Colors Of The Dark), this is gory in its violence and filled with writhing 70s-style sex. What really makes it are the twists that occur across the second and third act, slowly building into a very satisfying narrative with an Edgar Allan Poe capper (it is based on his story, The Black Cat). Recommended – only if you’re into this kind of thing
VHS Tracking 