Las trompetas del apocalipsis

This obscure film mixes two film types I am a sucker for - the giallo with counter-culture hippy antics! Needless to say, when I discovered this one, I had to check it out. It seems to be primarily a Spanish production but it is partially Italian and, like so many of gialli, its set in yet another location, in this case London of the swinging 60's variety. Given that this one came out in the 60's, it should be no surprise that this is an entry from the sub-genre which is low on violence. The appeal of it comes mainly from its psychedelic trappings. All the scenes involving the hippies were great fun and were scored with an entertaining psychedelic soundtrack by Gianni Ferrio.

The story is fairly half-hearted and involves a mystery involving a series of suicides, where the victims throw themselves to their deaths from windows. All this stuff has the usual gaggle of eccentric characters and sprinkling of red herrings. But its all sort of made worthwhile with a resolution which incorporates a truly - and pleasingly - crazy premise. Trumpets of the Apocalypse right enough! The female cast add a bit of class to proceedings as well, with the dependable Marilù Tolo in a central role and the gorgeous Romina Power appearing as a face-painted hippy chick.