Bloody Iris...

This week we jump back into Giallo with:

The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972).

Directed by Giuliano Carnimeo and written by Ernesto Gastaldi, this slick movie takes place somewhere in a large Italian city, I don't think it is ever mentioned exactly where.

The movie begins with a woman being murdered in an elevator on her way up to see a client. Soon enough another woman dies in the same building. All we see of the killer are a black overcoat, a black mask and an equally monochrome hat. Unusually for a Giallo, the killer wears thick translucent rubber gloves instead of the normal black leather.

Anyway, we meet Jennifer (Edwige Fenech) and Marilyn (Paola Quattrini), both models who do risque shoots. By chance they meet architect Andrea (George Hilton) who becomes enamored with Jennifer. Thanks to his influence, the ladies manage to rent the apartment where the second woman was killed. Soon they are also stalked by the killer while the police bumble around, collect stamps and make fools of themselves.

The Case of the Bloody Iris has no shortage of suspects. First there is Jennifer's old lover who runs a sex cult and is furious that she left them and is willing to anything to get her back. Then there is Jennifer's neighbors; a strange old conservative lady who buys gory horror magazines and the taciturn music professor who lives with his elegant lesbian daughter. Of course there is also Andrea, the architect and Jennifer's lover. On the surface he isn't much of a suspect since he is afraid of blood, but in Giallo that means very little. After more death and frantic running around, the movie ends with a pretty satisfying wrap up.

The Case of the Bloody Iris is one of those movies that I like but I'm not sure why. Sure, it has great tension and the general atmosphere is great, but the police are pretty much comic relief which I usually dislike in Giallo. The cinematography is alright with a couple of great shots. Besides Fenech and Hilton, the actors are fine but not that remarkable. The sound is functional to good but not great. Nothing really stands out as noteworthy, but somehow they managed to pull off a better than average Giallo.

This isn't the kind of movie where you can follow the clues and deduce the killer, but I was down to two suspects and my theory of how it could be one of them turned out to be true. That is of course always satisfying, but I don't think that is why I like this movie. Overall there isn't anything really new here, but it is all nicely put together.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, I do. The Case of the Bloody Iris is definitely above average though not one of the great Gialli. Genre fans need to watch it, and thriller fans should like it. It is on the harder side of gruesome at times and there is a good bit of nudity so if that isn't your bag stay clear. Then again, if that isn't your thing, you should probably avoid the Giallo genre in general. The Case of the Bloody Iris is 94 minutes that just fly by.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!