Death Smiles On A Murderer [Blu-ray]

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This girl is, of course, Greta. Is she alive? Is she dead? What is clear is that she came like an angel of death. Her arrival will unleash a death carnival. Actress Ewa Aulin was well-known at the time, though has strangely fallen into obscurity. Klaus Kinski is still widely known today, though perhaps more for his madness and depravity than his acting. He became involved purely for the money and had no real opinion of the material one way or the other.

With five words I describe the overall plot, the scene writing, the acting, the sequencing, love scenes, violent scenes, special effects, music, and all else and everything in between. The halfway mark rolls around and whatever advancement there has been in the narrative up to that point has been not just minimal in the first place, but further feels flat, hollow, and flimsy in light of the film's craft from all angles. Meanwhile, Doctor Sturges is working in his underground laboratory. The medallion's symbols contain a formula for the creation of life. Just as Sturges succeeds in bringing one of his corpses to life, he is strangled by an unseen assailant, who also kills the corpse and the doctor's deaf lab assistant. Smiling on the Taboo: Sex, Death and Transgression in the horror films of Joe D'Amato, new video essay by critic Kat Ellinger preceding was really nothing more than a motion picture portfolio for cinematographer-turned-director Joe D'Amato gets a hard time for being a trashy director due to those porn films he made, but he often delved into other genres, and when he got them right, he often blew away the competition. This film, his official debut film (as he did a few Bava-style completion jobs for other directors) is a crazy mix of Gothic Horror and Giallo, and it's a beauty. Also, some people call it confusing, but it's not at all.D’Amato’s camera work is also great. Shots are framed beautifully, allowing the audience to see the full scope of the movie’s beauty. Even the typical mysterious killer point of view shots are done in a way that showcase how the movie looks. D’Amato does occasionally do more than what is needed. There are some rapid cutscenes that are more headache inducing than fear inspiring, but overall it is a good job of directing.

A very interesting Italian horror indeed which may baffle but which will certainly not bore, along with some fine special features – the Doc has to recommend this release from Arrow Video to all lovers of the bizarre and the creepy! Smiling on the Taboo: Sex, Death and Transgression in the Horror Films of Joe D Amato (21:34, HD) – A new video essay about D’Amato by critic, Diabolique Magazine contributor, and editor of Daughters of Darkness (pub: 2018), Kat Ellinger. Ellinger specifically explores the director’s work in horror and where his films fit in the larger context of Italian genre filmmaking, but also covers his earlier erotic work and, most importantly, cinematography. A man discovers an ancient Incan formula for raising the dead, and uses it for a series of revenge murders. Walter lies in his bed, falling asleep. The dark cat enters his room, and Walter suddenly notices Greta sitting near his bedside. As she crawls into bed and starts kissing him, her face turns rotten. Part horror film, part murder mystery, and wholly weird, Massaccesi’s film is an interesting amalgamation of literary gothic and gore. It’s not my favorite of Massaccesi’s films, but it does make for an interesting mish-mash of Eurohorror themes.All About Ewa (45:55, HD) – This in-depth interview featurette spans Swedish actress Ewa Aulin’s entire career. Her recollections are set against footage, trailers, and stills from a number of her films, including (but not limited to) Death Smiles on a Murderer, Tinto Brass’ Col cuore in gola (1967), Bud Yorkin’s Start the Revolution without Me (1970), Jorge Grau’s The Legend of Blood Castle (Spanish: Ceremonia sangrienta, 1973), and Giulio Questi’s utterly fantastic Death Laid an Egg (Italian: La morte ha fatto l'uovo, 1968), which really deserves a Blu-ray release this comprehensive.

This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. ( August 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)This is definitely more of a supernatural gothic horror than a giallo, in as much as it is a supernatural gothic horror film which happens to feature two kills early on in which we cannot see the killer's face. But, it's usually listed as part of the giallo cannon, so here we go. As an early feature for Massaccesi, the film shows glimmers of what was to come as the director doesn’t shy away from the blood. A cat shreds a man’s face, pulling his eyeball out, a coachman is disemboweled in graphic detail during an accident, someone is shot in the face while another character is repeatedly slashed by a razor blade, and Greta is just getting started. But while there is plenty of gore and grue, the effects are generally primitive enough to be unrealistic and generally inoffensive. A police inspector wonders if he'll ever add up the case, as he finds the corpse of Greta's brother near her empty grave. She's gone and he wonders what ever happened to her. The person he has been telling the story to? Greta.