Mannaja (1977)

I was sold by the first few minutes of the spaghetti western, Mannaja (1977) aka A Man Called Blade, when a fugitive runs through a foggy, misty forrest and is attacked by a silhouetted bounty hunter – Blade (Maurizio Merli) – whose whole thing is that he uses hatchets as a weapon. However, I think […]

The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh (1971)

One can also giallo for Halloween! The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh (1971; also titled Blade Of The Ripper) has all the prototypical elements of the Italian giallo genre: a leather gloved killer, bloody violence, writhing sex, a convoluted plot, chic 70s style in the outfits and interior design, a gorgeous score and an iconic, […]

All The Colors Of The Dark (1972)

Further exploring the giallo thriller genre and loving the Bruno Nicolai soundtrack, I watched Lindsay Hallam’s recommendation, All The Colors Of The Dark (1972; Tutti i colori del buio). Edwige Fenech plays a woman, Jane, plagued by nightmares based on traumatic incidents in her past – her hunk husband (George Hinton) is unsure about her […]

Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key (1972)

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 […]