Reviews

Yeah, well. This is one of the very few Swiss films that get financed in whole by private investors, and they tried to make a modern version of the story by Gottfried Keller that brings the young Swiss folks into the cinemas. But why set the story in the middle of the 19th century??? I guess it would have been wiser to shift the plot into the present time.

This film fails because it wants to be a romance, an adventure, a drama and a comedy at the same time. Although there are elements of all these genres, there is not enough of everything to make the film what it wants to be. In the last 10 minutes it becomes clear that this film marks the return of the so-called "Heimatfilm", so in the end the film is just a piece of new Swiss Folklore.

The main characters are played by amateur actors, the male lead Fabien Rohrer being one of the best Swiss snow boarders and the female lead Kisha being one of the more successful pop starlets of the country. In smaller roles, there are also TV hosts. And this is another problem: These people try very hard, but they are just no actors... Good luck that the comedian Erich Vock has also got an important role, so he saves the film's acting to a certain degree.

All in all a woefully banal, rather embarrassing movie, even for Swiss standards.

A scientist invents a hallucinatory drug. Interest of different dubious people in this new drug lead to betrayal and murder.

This rather underrated and lesser known Italian thriller certainly has its flaws, nonetheless it belongs to the most innovative films of its genre that was booming in the early 1970s. Thanks to its fresh ideas packed in a traditional Giallo plot, it really stands out of the bulk, even though 1972 is probably the most Giallo-intense year ever. The most remarkable moments include feverish dream sequences that are erotic and nightmarish at the same time. The dreams are induced by similarly feverish Haitian voodoo rituals that feature mondo-style animal killing (there is also a non-ritualistic animal killing shown in a slaughterhouse - traces of social comment, obviously).

The erotic moments are more frequent and sensual than in the average Giallo, and they are very well done (as already mentioned, especially the dreams). The body count is also above average, and in the second half, the movie boosts some murders as creative as they are brutal. It also delivers elements of the spy film genre - drugs can always be sold for big money. And the climax is not necessarily Giallo-typical.

The leading cast consists of genre regulars: Anthony Steffen plays the inventive scientist and Gabriele Tinti the "hero"; Anita Strindberg is Grace, the woman with the unnerving dreams. On the other hand, the two directors are barely known and none of them made another Giallo (Edoardo Mulargia shot a few Westerns and some Women-in-Prison stuff, but nothing really significant).

AL TROPICO DEL CANCRO is not a masterpiece, but it's a sleeper of the genre with enough original and surprising elements to make it highly recommendable to the fans of the genre.

This thriller by renowned Italian screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi is a very early Giallo - made just shortly after Mario Bava's first modern Italian thriller SEI DONNE PER L'ASSASSINO (1964) that is considered being the first real Giallo at all. But LIBIDO, shot in black and white, is not only one of the earliest Gialli. It is also one of the most accomplished - even though it was made in less than three weeks according to Gastaldi.

Christian (Giancarlo Giannini in his first movie) returns to the house by the sea where he grew up. He's accompanied by his fiancée and a befriended couple. As a child, he witnessed his father killing his mistress before jumping over a cliff. With the return, Christian should finally overcome his childhood trauma that emerged. As soon as he is back in his old home, though, Christian sees strange things that lead him to the assumption his father must still be alive.

Only one location (the house and the immediate environment), only four actors for most of the time - plus plenty of thrills and psychological terror make this one a winner. LIBIDO starts with a quote by Sigmund Freud. It can't get much more appropriate than that, because of all Gialli, this is the most Freudian one (and there are quite a bunch). Towards the climax, the plot twists pile up, of course, and they all do not only work, but are also clever and surprising (and try to do that with only a quartet of characters).

LIBIDO is a classic of its genre - essential viewing for Giallo fans and thus not to be missed.

A quartet of homicidal youth delinquents on motorbikes goes on a bloody rampage: After gunning down all the staff and customers of a small bar and taking two hostages, they intrude the home of an old lady and kill her too. Dying, she spells a curse on the murderous youths who continue their escape and reach an old, now desecrated church in the middle of nowhere. At this creepy place, strange things start to happen...

What a delightfully obscure and sleazy production! This strange, but thoroughly original film has to be seen to be believed. The actors are rather bad, the production values are very low, but the affair never ever becomes tedious - there are just too many stunning ideas thrown into the plot for good measure, and most of them work. One particularly insane sequence has the gang celebrating sort of a black mass in the church, during which one of the gang members proclaims crazy and stupid things while masturbating! Towards the climax, even the living dead have their appearance in the most chilling sequence of the film. And, of course, there's also some gore for splatter freaks (one scene being very splashy).

MAS ALLA DEL TERROR is unique in many ways. It's neither a masterpiece nor a technically remarkable movie, and the logic of the plot is often non-existent. But it's such an energetic bag of surprises and fun details that it makes a cool partytape for all lovers of exciting trash.

This violent crime film from Jürgen Roland is the definitive German mafia thriller - and together with Rolf Olsen's breathtaking and even more thrilling BLUTIGER FREITAG the best German crime movie of the Seventies (note that both films are in fact German-Italian co-productions, which I think explains a lot).

Herbert Fleischmann leads the cast as Hamburg business man Otto Westermann, who is also the boss of the organized crime in the city. His reign as godfather is in danger, though, as ambitious Sicilian mafioso Luca Messina enters the North German metropolis, coming directly from New York. Messina's goal is clear and simple: He wants to take over Hamburg. But Westermann isn't as easy to defeat as the Sicilian expects. And soon Hamburg is on the verge of a bloody mob war.

The ace of this movie is without a doubt Henry Silva in the role of Messina, who once more gives a frenetic performance as in most genre films of that time (two of many other examples are IL BOSS and QUELLI CHE CONTANO). But Herbert Fleischmann is also perfect in his role, and the two actors fight a great battle throughout the movie.

There are also some great action scenes, mainly the climactic speed boat chase sequence, preceding the similar chase in the fine Dutch thriller AMSTERDAMNED for 15 years. The final twist is magnificent, even though slightly predictable. The only negative point to make about the film is the unnecessary love story between Westermann's son and Messina's daughter, which diminishes the flow of the story considerably. Otherwise, ZINKSÄRGE FÜR DIE GOLDJUNGEN is an exciting crime movie and definitely not to be missed by aficionados of the genre.

Veteran sleazeball Bruno Mattei is at it again with this erotic thriller that clearly echoes Joel Schumacher's 8MM. But, as expected, Mattei does his movie on a minuscule budget - so that it already looks obscure when it's newly released.

After her daughter gets abducted, a mother enters the dark world of underground pornography, because the kidnappers belong to an international organization that direct snuff films as long as the exclusive clients pay well. The search for her daughter does not only lead the mother across Europe, but also into prostitution. She goes to bed with some guys to get her clues. When she finally reaches contact with the snuff organization lead by the mysterious Doctor Hades, she's getting into great danger herself.

There is not much good to say about this one, even though it starts promising. Problem is that the movie is by far not as sleazy or explicit as one might expect from the director who made films like BLADE VIOLENT. SNUFF TRAP (which was first released in Russia!) is neither gory enough nor does it contain the amount of nudity and sex to really keep the viewer's attention. The plot isn't that special either, except maybe for the surprisingly many different locations throughout Europe. The ending is hugely disappointing. The acting isn't really remarkable either, except for Anita Auer who plays Doctor Hades: She looks and acts extremely creepy. You don't want to meet her like this in a dark alley (or Your bedroom, for that matter).

All in all, SNUFF TRAP only appeals to collectors of Bruno Mattei's films. But it's good to see the man back on the helm again: It was his first thriller since 1994's giallo GLI OCCHI DENTRO.

Before becoming literally world famous for his series role of Oberinspektor Derrick of Munich police's homicide squad, Horst Tappert played the title role of Inspector Perrak of Hamburg vice squad. And this film has to be seen to be believed - it's like a prototype for the TV series that started four years later. The only real difference is that Perrak is intendedly funny at times and so becomes an extremely entertaining affair that delivers also many unintended gags.

Especially memorable is Tappert himself. He plays Perrak like a caricature of the forthcoming Derrick, and he does it great. The plot delivers the kinky moments that are typical for the early 1970s, with Perrak investigating the murder of a transvestite prostitute. His inquiry leads him to all kinds of red light establishments and adds to the entertainment. The case becomes personal for Perrak when his son Joschi gets kidnapped by thugs towards the end to guarantee an exciting climax.

A must see for friends of obscure German films of the Seventies. Besides Horst Tappert, the rest of the cast is also remarkable: Erika Pluhar and Judy Winters play the female leads, Werner Peters gives his penultimate performance in a theatrical movie, forthcoming "Derrick" and "Der Alte" regular Wolf Roth plays a young criminal in one of his earliest roles, and now well known comedian Jochen Busse appears as a contract killer! This movie has it all - but don't expect something else than trashy entertainment.

This Spanish-Italian co-produced Giallo belongs to the more obscure outings of the cult genre. Most people involved in the making were Spaniards, and it has never got a release in Italy, which is unique for a film of that kind.

In Milan, a killer slays drug addicts, prostitutes and other "immoral" people in nasty ways. Small dragonflies (made of wax or something like that) are left on the bodies of the victims. And the more people die, the more clues lead the investigating inspector to believe that the killer is a mutual friend of his wife and himself.

The film's premise is quite interesting, although not too original. The body count is surprisingly high, although they are not as graphic as in some other Gialli. Nevertheless, the murder scenes are quite nasty. Paul Naschy (who also starred in the probably best Spanish Giallo "Los Ojos Azules de la Muneca Rota" and in the Jack-the-Ripper-inspired "Sette Cadaveri per Scotland Yard") is casted against type as the investigating officer (in the afore mentioned two Gialli he was an innocent and rather tragic suspect), and Erika Blanc does a good job as the inspector's wife who knows the killer quite well - unknowingly, of course.

The problem of the film is that it becomes arbitrary after a good start. Especially the identity of the killer doesn't convince very much, his or her motive as arbitrary as the maniac's identity. Also, some scenes with the inspector investigating are merely brought in to include fight scenes or nude scenes instead of pushing the plot forward. And for good measure, there is also a gang of thugs wearing Nazi-style clothes! All in all, "Una Libelula Para cada Muerto" surely is funny and interesting for Giallo collectors, but don't expect to watch a genre movie above average.

This rare French-Italian coproduction tells the story of David (Ray Lovelock), a young hippie, who meets three mysterious, but beautiful young women in the woods by a lake. They take him under their spell, and when he finds out, it's too late.

Tonino Cervi's film is an atmospheric horror movie with erotic moments and some psychedelic sequences. Ray Lovelock boosts one of his earliest sympathetic performances in an Italian genre film, and the three seductive women of evil, among them Ewelyn (Ida Galli) Stewart, are convincing as well. Too bad that the movie has an awfully long time to take off, the first part gets boring as it proceeds. But the second part repays well, especially the final 20 minutes that culminate in a really harrowing climax that should satisfy every horror buff. Rating: 6 out of 10.

By the way: Ray Lovelock also features as composer and performer of the film's two songs, which are quite nice to listen to.

This extremely obscure Italian production tells the story of a modern day neo-Nazi youth gang that meets in a place decorated with swasticas and a poster of the "Führer". The members of this gang are all bored teenagers from rich families. One of the gang prefers playing pin pall to getting a girlfriend, because playing pin ball literally gets him off. The leader of the gang indulges in violent sexual fantasies, which ultimately leads to rape and murder. This inspires a teen gang from the streets, whose members are poor kids from the ghetto.

The story is quite interesting, especially the aspect of the impact the neo-Nazi gang has on the street gang in the end, although the gangs as such have nothing in common. Unfortunately, the film becomes extremely slow paced after a good first 20 minutes, and it never really returns to a faster pace. The interesting cast, unknown faces even for connoisseurs of obscure Italian films of the Seventies, does a good job throughout, which makes it even more sad that the movie as a whole is merely a disappointment. All in all, "I Ragazzi Della Roma Violenta" is a movie that could have been far better than it eventually turned out to be.

However, it's remarkable that the film precedes some of Larry Clark's issues in his films "Kids" and "Bully" for about two decades.

This film is certainly the most unusual of all the "Nazi exploitation" movies that were made in Italy after the success of Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Salo" and the notorious "Ilsa"-series. It tells the story of some Jewish activists that take revenge on their Nazi torturers more than three decades after the end of World War II.

This movie could have been an enormously interesting turn on the notorious sub-genre, but its almost inexistent production values, the uninspired actors (despite William Berger and Gordon Mitchell in small roles) and the incoherently structured, badly photographed and edited plot become almost unbearably painstaking towards the end of the modest running time of approximately 77 minutes.

The only thing remarkable is some real archive footage showing concentration camp victims during the opening credits. But this "remarkable thing" only makes the film more dubious. "Holocaust 2", which is NOT a sequel, is nothing more than sleazy no-budget-exploitation without any highlight whatsoever.

One year after his outstanding psychedelic Giallo "Un Bianco Vestito per Marialè" (aka "Spirits of Death"), Romano Scavolini directed this crime drama based on his own screenplay. It tells the story of Martin, an Englishman living in Palermo, earning just enough money to make a living. He's giving lessons to the paralyzed son of a Sicilian mafia boss, and the clan members decide that Martin is an ideal man to be turned into a contract killer: no relatives or real friends in Palermo. So they abduct him and take him on a secret place, where Martin submits and starts his "killer training". Soon after, he knows every gun and is able to distinguish bullet types just by their sound when they are fired. He starts doing his work, and proves that he's a really good killer. But his mind becomes tormented more and more by doubts about his ruthless new job.

This film bares a very good idea: While most contract killers in the Seventies seem to be Bronson-like macho archetypes without feelings, "Servo Suo" draws the picture of a tragic killer. And the personal issues of Martin is given enough space to be explored by the viewer. Sadly, those issues are dealt with in an enormously tedious way that one can be glad not to fall asleep or, even worse, lose interest. This slow-paced and talky development of the film also prevents one from feeling with the tragic killer character. Another mistake Scavolini made was to show Martin's numerous assassinations by gunning down his victims, but there is never any blood flowing: this plays down drastically the viciousness of Martin's job. It would have been important to show the blood, to show how dirty the job of a contract killer is. Whoever makes it through to the climax will be disappointed too, because it comes too easy and fast and doesn't really deliver the necessary payoff.

All in all a major disappointment, even more so considering the promising storyline: It could have been done so much more thrilling.

Fernando Di Leo's directorial debut tells the story of a bunch of allies who land in occupied Belgium during WWII. The allies have to team up with the Belgian resistance to get a top secret allied memorandum back that fell into the hands of the Nazis. But the whole operation doesn't go on as planned at all, because there is a traitor within the resistance. During the quest for the memorandum, allies as well as Belgian resistance fighters and German Nazis are dropping like flies.

Di Leo succeeded in creating a remarkable war drama with an excessive body count (though almost no blood is spilt, because they didn't use any squibs - had they done so, it would have been easily the goriest war movie of its time). Di Leo also manages to show the senselessness of war in general, and the surprise ending shows once more that war only spreads victims and should be avoided at all costs. Still, the movie also delivers good entertainment and never becomes boring or pathetic. And even though there is almost no blood, it has its unpleasantly violent moments that work especially well on an emotional level. Interesting note for Italian film buffs: This movie also marks one of the first credits for Aristide Massacesi aka Joe D'Amato. Rating: 7 out of 10.

This quite cheaply produced inheritance thriller delivers a hardly exciting Giallo plot, rather weak actors and far too much dialogue that doesn't really push the plot forward. The only thing that makes this film about dark plans of a ruthless killer to drive a wealthy young woman without any relatives crazy (to inherit her money, of course) extraordinary is the handful of gore effects: They are quite nasty and don't fit at all into the rest of the picture. Except for these FX, this film makes the impression of a boring sub-par thriller made for cable. All in all this movie hasn't really got anything remarkable in it and is quickly forgotten: 3 out of 10.

By the way: This is one of the five films legendary director Lucio Fulci supervised in 1989 to re-use some of the gory bits for his 1990 splatterfest "Nightmare Concert". The other four are the remarkable "The Snake House" (aka "Bloody Psycho"), the interesting but overtly cheaply made "Non Si Seviziano i Bambini" (aka "Hänsel e Gretel"), the sometimes gross "Non Avere Paura della Zia Marta" and sleazeball Andrea Bianchi's "Massacre" that is as tedious as "Luna di Sangue".

Inspiration to this film was the true case of Japanese Issei Sagawa who, while studying in Paris, in the early 1980s, killed a fellow Dutch student and ate of her flesh. But viewers who expect sort of a cannibal movie are in the wrong picture. Director Aldo Lado (who made three excellent films in the 1970s with "La corta notte delle bambole di vetro", "Chi l'ha visto morire" and "L'ultimo treno della notte") puts the love story between young Japanese Yuro who, in Berlin, falls in love with a young local dancer and vice versa. They become obsessed with each other, and the intensive love story doesn't reach a happy end (of course).

Although the film mostly looks like a typical erotic drama of the late 1980s, the unusual plot and quite philosophical dialogue keep it interesting for the viewer. There is also one nasty nightmare sequence (which, at least, could satisfy fans of cannibal movies) to deliver some shock value. There is also a quite disturbing sequence, in which Yuro takes some skin from the dancer (deliberatly: she wants him to do that) and eats it to taste her (and she wants to know "how do I taste")! The only tedious moments are the few scenes, in which the dancer does her job: The scenes look like a cheap rehash of "Flashdance".

All in all, "Rito d'amore" has the problem that it doesn't really fit into a genre. It's too slow paced and talky for horror fans, it is too erotic and nasty for a drama, and the plot is too dark, disturbing and not "sexy" enough for an erotic film. It's probably the most unusual erotic drama ever made, and thus quite unique. Undoubtedly worth checking out: 6 out of 10.

This Giallo by Argento collaborator Franco Ferrini (he co-wrote the screenplay for "Non ho sonno" for example) tells a story typical for the genre: A hooded killer slays prostitutes with a razor. But the film is still quite unique: It puts the prostitutes in the center of the story. The women huddle together and decide to investigate on their own because they don't trust the police. The identity of the killer is quite a surprise and one of the film's highlights.

Problem is that "Caramelle da uno sconosciuto" is overtly talky and sometimes almost becomes rather a social drama than a straightforward thriller with social issues. There are also some humorous moments, which are quite funny, but don't really fit into the film. The soundtrack has its moments, though, and there are a bunch of really stylish scenes in good old Giallo tradition.

To wrap it up, one could say that with a tighter script and more concentration on the thriller plot, this Giallo could have been a sleeper of its genre. But as it is, it's just a mediocre picture. Rating: 5 out of 10.

This Spanish-Italian co-production tells the story of a man who feels deep guilt for the death of his wife: He, an alcoholic, is convinced that he accidentally caused her lethal fall in their villa while he was drunk. He finds a new wife, but he's incapable of coping with his first wife's death. Moreover, the maid and his sister don't seem to accept the new woman in the household. After some time, suddenly bodies are piling up ... and the tomb of the man's first wife is empty!

The plot may sound interesting, but the whole film proceeds too slow: The first hour of the film (two thirds of the running time) is more relationship drama than Giallo horror. It's also tediously talky, and the only thing delivered in this first hour is some nudity. Then, suddenly, the film becomes a standard Giallo with a razor swinging gloved killer murdering almost everybody the tormented man has contact with. Is there a razor wielding ghost in the house? The solution to all this isn't very convincing either.

Even though the final 30 minutes make up for the first hour, it's still a rather boring film as a whole that doesn't really deliver. Interesting for Giallo and Italian horror completists only.

This rare film tells the story of two students that meet in a laundry, of four ruthless criminals and the hapless family of a jewelry store owner. The gangsters take the family, two parents and a 16 year old daughter, hostage at their home and force the dad, who owns the store, to lead them to his jewelry. Things don't work out as planned, and in the end of the coup, the whole family is dead. As the thugs flee, the young students accidentally run into them and are taken hostage. Because the female young student is the grand daughter of a senator, they want to force the senator to pay a large ransom for the two students. But again, things don't go as easy as planned, and soon, the two students are fugitive and hunted by the bad guys.

Even though this production must have been very low budget, it belongs to the most interesting revenge movies that spread in the 1970s after the success of films like "Deliverance" or "Last House on the Left": The plot is quite unique and well executed. The villains are real bad guys, talking foul mouthed, love to act violent against their hostages and sexually harass their attractive young female prey. The movie's scene at the jewelry store's family's house is very unpleasant to watch, as the one thug who stays alone with the bound and gagged mother and daughter, violates the daughter and stabs the mother to death as she tries to protect her offspring. "Scream for Vengeance", the film's international title, also includes some gory shoot outs. Unfortunately, some of them are not perfectly executed, but still effectively done. One particular highlight boosts even a pitchfork murder that could come right out of a horror movie! But the best thing of the film is that whenever it could become too lengthy or talky, something happens. So it never becomes boring (like some other revenge movies do after the first outbreak of violence) and always keeps on going.

All in all, "Scream for Vengeance" is a much too rare, vicious little revenge film that shouldn't be missed by moviegoers that like this sub genre. Rating: 7 out of 10.

This Spanish thriller from 1977 tells the story of a writer, who takes some days off to write his new novel. He's coming to a guesthouse at a lake in the midst of Spain's countryside. The owner of the guesthouse is an attractive woman with a problem: her sick husband that nobody is allowed to see except for her. Truth is that the husband doesn't exist (anymore), but she's schizophrenic. And while the author is spared, other guests fall victim to a gloved killer with a razor. Is it the schizophrenic owner or someone else?

Director Leon Klimovsky is best known for his low-budgeted straight horror films, so this solid thriller is quite an unusual work in his oeuvre, and also one of his less known efforts. Even though it's not very original and borrows heavily from films like Hitchcock's "Psycho" or even the cool Spanish horror thriller "Una Vela Para el Diablo" (1973), it's still quite thrilling and boosts some scary moments. The murder scenes are done in Italian Giallo-style and, even though simply done, quite gory. The unknown cast is not first rate, but also give solid performances. The end of the film is a bit irritating and a lowdown in a way. All in all, "Violación Fatal" is an interesting little thriller for aficionados of European horror and thriller films. Rating: 6 out of 10.

Eugenio Martin has made two of the most remarkable Spanish horror films of the Seventies: The Spanish-British co-production "Horror Express" (1972) starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, plus the astonishingly subversive "Una Vela Para el Diablo" (1973). "Aquella Casa en las Afueras" is also quite remarkable, if not as catching as the two aforementioned films.

The film tells the story of a pregnant young woman whose husband rent a beautiful house in the outskirts of Madrid for the time until she gives birth to the child. Unfortunately, the house was used as an illegal abortion clinic until a few years ago, and the now pregnant woman had an abortion there five years ago (she never told her husband), when she was 17 years old. Soon, she gets haunted by her memories. Worse still, the lover of the then aborting doctor still lives in the house - and she's schizophrenic.

Even though the movie is slow moving at times, it boosts a gloomy atmosphere and tells its story in a pleasantly Gothic way. There is not much gore in the film (not as one may expect from a Euro horror film from 1979), but there are some details in the film grisly enough even for today's standards. The plot itself undoubtedly is partly influenced by the cult-Giallo "Cosa Avete Fatto a Solange?", which also had abortion as a motive in its story. Alida Valli gives a tremendous performance as the schizophrenic, and her character sometimes reminds of Sheila Keith's frenzy portrayal of madness in Pete Walker's "Frightmare".

All in all, "Aquella Casa en las Fueras" is a dark Gothic thriller with some typical Seventies-style shocks and some subversive elements often found in European films of that decade. Rating: 7 out of 10.

This Italian-German TV-co-production tells the story of Doriana, a young lawyer, who moves to Rome, because a criminal she convicted has escaped prison and threatens to kill her. But the flat she takes in Rome doesn't bring her any luck either: In her new flat, unbeknownst to her, a call girl called Corinne has been stabbed to death almost a year ago, and the killer has never been caught. As soon as she lives there, she gets anonymous telephone calls and other hints to the murder. When she learns about the unsolved case, she starts to investigate by herself.

Veteran director Maurizio Lucidi, who also directed the mediocre Giallo "La Vittima Designata" in 1971, made a rather slow moving and talkative thriller, which doesn't really live up to its premise (the killing of Corinne in the opening scene, the rather uncanny atmosphere at the beginning of Doriana's time in Rome). There are some neat moments, but not enough of them. Too often, the characters lose themselves in overlong dialogue that doesn't really push the plot forward. Worst thing is, though, that the identity of the killer, which is revealed rather unmotivatedly after two thirds of the film, is more predictable as in most Gialli. For a TV-production, "La Casa Dove Abitava Corinne" at least has some above average eerie moments and three rather unpleasant (if not gory) knife killings. But compared to the average Giallo, it's just not thrilling enough. Rating: 4 out of 10.

This rarely seen mystery Giallo from Fabrizio Laurenti, better known as Martin Newlin of "La Casa 4" aka "Witchery" aka "Witchcraft" and "Contamination Point 7" aka "The Crawlers" (in)fame, is a very atmospheric film about a man on the search of his past.

The year is 1940: After 15 years, Martin returns from Chicago to his Iowa village where he grew up. He left the village after a triple murder had occurred and he had testified against the main suspect, which condemned the latter to the electric chair. Martin has problems remembering what he had exactly witnessed that long time ago. The facts that he hears strange noises from the room next door (which is used as a storage room) at the hotel where he is staying, and that almost everyone in the village is now convinced that the convicted was innocent, make Martin investigate to find out the buried truth.

Co-written by Laurenti and fellow director Pupi Avati, "La Stanza Accanto" has often been called as somewhat of an inofficial sequel to Avati's own brilliant "La Casa Dalle Finestre Che Ridono" (1976). There are, without a doubt, striking similarities, but Laurenti's film is still undeniably original and a movie with a thoroughly own spirit. Laurenti develops a constantly creepy atmosphere, in which also seemingly unimportant details can become threatening. The longer the film gets on, the more is the past catching up with its protagonist (another parallel to Avati's "La Casa..." and the also Avati scripted and highly recommended "Dove Comincia la Notte" by Maurizio Zaccaro), and melancholy starts to almost "consume" the main character.

Together with the two other above mentioned films, "La Stanza Accanto", certainly Laurenti's best film to date, makes a unique loose mystery Giallo trilogy that deserves broader recognition among moviegoers. Rating: 8 out of 10.

This German TV-production is an impressive satire on reality-TV-shows - and made almost three decades before reality-TV-shows existed!

"Das Millionenspiel" ("The million game") is a TV-show that gets broadcast live once a month for a week. One contestant is hunted by three ruthless killers through the country, and if he survives the week, he'll win one million. The film follows the contestant on the last day of the fifteenth show, the killers always on his toes. If things go to smoothly for him, the producers help the killers to catch up with him again, and vice versa. During the climax, the contestant has to got through a tube, where each of the three killers has a last chance to shoot him dead. The whole program is - of course - interrupted by TV-spots from the show's sponsors "Stabilelite".

Even though the settings look dated nowadays, this unusual thriller still works with its issues, even though the reality-TV-show-phenomenon is almost worn out again. Knowing that "Das Millionenspiel" was made over 30 years ago, it bares almost prophetic content, which makes it even more interesting in the 21st century. Strangely, the film was "lost" after its first broadcast in the beginning of the Seventies and never showed again on TV until 2002. Also very remarkable are some of the cast: The show is presented by Dieter Thomas Heck, who himself became a very well now showmaster in german television later in the Seventies. Heribert Fassbender, who went on as a sports presenter for German TV, also plays one of the show's hosts. And, most interesting, German comedian Dieter Hallervorden can be seen in one of his very few serious roles: he's the leader of the killer gang!

Undoubtedly one of the best German TV-productions ever made and somewhat a predecessor of the reality-TV-satire "Series 7: The Contenders", which is also highly recommended and can be called "the American approach" on reality-TV-show-satire, made over 30 years later, though. "Das Millionenspiel" certainly is worth checking out, rating: 8 out of 10.

This rare Italian action adventure tells the story of a broke man called Rudy, who goes into the African jungle to join his half-brother Franz. Franz is leader of a mercenary group that fights against native rebels, but Rudy only wants some money from his next of kin (on one occasion, he says: "You know I can't stand violence"). But Franz, a racist who sees Africans merely as animals, just wants him to leave again immediately. Then, Franz gets abducted and imprisoned by the rebels. Rudy joins forces with the other mercenaries, who are as fascist as Franz and like to kill Africans and rape their wives. He does so to make a deal with Franz as soon as they have freed him, but the mercenaries get attacked on more than one occasion by the natives.

This tedious piece of sleaze is barely watchable. Not because it's too violent or so, but for a whole bunch of other reasons: It's extremely boring, the acting is ridiculously bad, there are painstakingly racist moments (even though the mercenaries themselves are portrayed to be the scum of the earth), Mario Siciliano's direction is awfully uninspired and Stelvio Cipriani's score may well be by far the worst he's ever composed. And even though the film has a high body count, almost no drops of blood are spilled. The title is a "lie", because nobody gets skinned alive or even skinned at all: There are just verbal threats of getting skinned alive, but it never happens. All in all, "Scorticateli Vivi" is a waste of time that's just not worth watching.

This is one of the few forgotten films that really don't need to be rediscovered for distribution. Rating: 1 out of 10 - and that's almost an honor for this abysmal mess.