The Case of the Bloody Iris

Original title: Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?

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Giallo Psychological Thriller Slasher Horror Crime Horror Mystery Thriller

Having recently escaped the clutches of her ex-husband's sex cult, a beautiful model is stalked by a masked killer whose previous victims include the former occupants of her new apartment.Having recently escaped the clutches of her ex-husband's sex cult, a beautiful model is stalked by a masked killer whose previous victims include the former occupants of her new apartment.Having recently escaped the clutches of her ex-husband's sex cult, a beautiful model is stalked by a masked killer whose previous victims include the former occupants of her new apartment.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

3.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
This film belongs to the Italian film genre called "giallo", so named due to a series of popular Italian detective novels, published in 1929, all bound in yellow covers, "giallo" meaning "yellow" in Italian. Ultimately the term became generalized for all detective stories, in print or on film. While Mrs. Moss is waiting for the elevator, she drops a magazine called "Killer Man", with a cover design featuring the typical figure, immediately recognizable to giallo aficionados , of a shadowy silhouette, dressed in a fedora and raincoat, gloves, and, of course, carrying a knife. Though the covers are no longer yellow, little old lady Moss is a big fan of murder mysteries, "gialli" (plural) in Italian.

Goofs
Good thing they changed the film's English title to "Case of the Bloody Iris", since the Italian title translates as "Why the strange drops of blood on Jennifer's body?", but, though there are splatters of blood on most of the other women in the picture, and there are, indeed, drops of blood on an iris, apart from one little pin pricked finger, there are NO drops of blood, strange or otherwise, on Jennifer's body.

Quotes
Commissioner Enci: [to Sheila, of a letter she says she sent Jennifer as a joke] Say, how 'bout joking with a man? You might make out even better. You know, it's a shame to,see a girl like you wasting her talents. Try the opposite sex. That's what we're here for.

Connections
Referenced in Dressed to Kill (1980)

User reviews60

Review

Featured review

9/10

"Arrgh! I'm a ghost!" smack

Out of all the gialli I own, the Case of the Bloody Iris is the most fun to watch. It has a healthy dose of humour, great atmosphere, beautiful euro-babes, and a tight plot. It's also extremely funky and stylish. A winner all the way.

Edwige Fenech, one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous women ever to grace the screen, plays Jennifer, a model who moves into an apartment with her crazy model buddy. The problem is, someone in the building has a habit of killing models, and Jennifer and her pal are next up for a stabbing.

You've got the classic giallo list of suspects, most of which spend their time drooling over Edwige's body: the lesbian neighbour and her father, the old lady and her dark secret, the landlord and his fear of blood, Edwige's ex-husband the cult leader. Plenty of inappropriate sexual advances follow, sometimes under the craziest of circumstances.

Throw in a couple of bumbling cops, some topless wrestling involving the also-gorgeous Carla Berle (Torso, Bronx Warriors), and the dizziest sidekick ever to appear in a giallo, and you've got a great movie right there. Edwige, Carla and some other girls ain't too shy about showing off their assets either, if you know what I'm saying.

Top marks go to Edwige's roommate, who has the best dialogue throughout the entire movie. She's possible my favourite Giallo character ever, what with her non-chalant attitude to everything. At one point she recreates on of the murders with ditsy glee - jumping out of a bath in the scud and shouting "I'm a ghost!", which earns her a seventies slap in the gub.

Get it now - Academic, over serious, chin-strokers with no sense of irony need not apply.