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The Killer Must Kill Again
Directed by Luigi Cozzi
Released: 1975
Starring: George Hilton, Antoine Saint-John, Christina Galbó, Eduardo Fajardo, Femi Benussi, and Alessio Orano
DVD Released by Mondo Macabro
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One night, after his wife Norma tells him that she is cutting him off financially, Giorgio storms out to see one of his mistresses. He stumbles onto a murderer (Antoine Saint-John) disposing of the body of one of his victims. Giorgio proposes a deal with the killer to murder Norma. Giorgio intends to make the murder look like a kidnapping so that he can collect ransom money from Norma’s wealthy father. Using blackmail and the promise of splitting the ransom money, Giorgio convinces the killer to work with him. The plan gets further complicated when a couple of thrill-seeking youths (Luca and Laura) steal the killer’s car with Norma’s body locked in the trunk. The killer chases the car thieves to the seaside while Giorgio keeps the inspector (Fajardo) from figuring out his scheme.
Director Luigi Cozzi directs this slick and sleazy thriller and betrays the rest of his work by actually pulling off a near perfect film. The sets, the lighting, and the cinematography are all executed with great care and eye-catching style. The mostly standard Giallo plot (the killer’s identity shown in the beginning is the only digression) is quite tense with many narrow misses and holds the viewer’s attention easily. The music is very good and ranges from jazz fusion to odd yet haunting Theremin pieces.
The cast is one of the best I’ve seen in a Giallo. George Hilton (My Dear
Killer, Case of the Bloody Iris) is perfect at playing Giorgio, a complete bastard. Antoine Saint-John
(The Beyond) steals the movie with his portrayal of the nameless killer. His skeletal face alone is enough to capture the role but Saint-John adds a creeping malignance to his memorable performance.
Veteran Spanish actor Eduardo Fajardo is charming as the cunning police inspector. Alessio Orano
(Lisa and the Devil) is great as the spoiled and seemingly streetwise Luca. Sexpot Femi Benussi plays a nameless and ditzy blonde hitchhiker who is almost as cute as she is annoying. But it is Christina Galbó
(Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) who really shines in her role as Laura, the wannabe badgirl whose innocence is stripped away when she must fight for her life.
Unfortunately, her character is the victim in a very uncomfortable and
disconcerting rape sequence.
When all is said and done, I wish Luigi Cozzi had stuck with the Giallo genre a while longer before following his real passion for science fiction and bad filmmaking. I can’t believe that the director of
the inept
Contamination could pull off a film with no loose ends or alien pods that cause people’s intestines to explode.
The Killer Must Kill Again is a real triumph for him. With excellent tension, a violent climax, and a cast of trashy characters, Giallo enthusiasts will be pleased with this film.
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DVD Stuff:
Well, the film looks great. If there are any imperfections in Mondo Macabro’s
anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen presentation, then I sure can’t spot them.
The mono audio is problematic as it is difficult to understand some of the
English dialogue. The Italian track with English subtitles is much
clearer. Extras on the DVD include a featurette with director Luigi Cozzi
discussing how he got into film as well as working with Dario Argento.
There is another featurette called "The Giallo Genre" which is a nice
little overview of the genre.
Also featured on the disc are the original title sequence for the film (originally titled
Il Ragno), an extensive stills gallery, and brief clips from other Mondo Macabro releases. The commentary track on the DVD features director Cozzi
talking about the making of his film.
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Links:
For more information, visit
Mondo Macabro.
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