Death Carries A Cane
AKA Die Nacht Der Rollenden Köpfe
Directed By Maurizio Pradeaux
Released: 1973
Starring: Robert Hoffmann, Nieves Navarro, George Martin, and Anuska Borova
Running Time: 87 minutes
Region: 2 PAL
DVD Studio: X-Rated Kult DVD

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While waiting for her boyfriend in the park, Kitty (Nieves Navarro AKA Susan Scott) witnesses a murder through a telescope but cannot identify the killer. At first, Inspector Merughi (played by George Martin) is skeptical but the body of a prostitute is found stabbed to death just as Kitty described. All that is known about the killer is that he or she uses a cane due to a severe limp. Desperate for suspects, the police begin surveillance on Kitty’s boyfriend, Alberto (Robert Hoffmann), because he just happened to have a sprained ankle the day of the murder. As expected, the bodies and suspects pile up as the killer continues to rampage through the city while Kitty and Lidia the reporter (played by Anuska Borova) work with the police to end the bloodshed.

Definitely a lower tier Giallo, Death Carries A Cane is no classic. The film is thinly plotted and most of the characters are vaguely important with little to no purpose at all (other than to increase the number of red herrings and kill scenes). However, the film redeems itself with some gory throat slashings and also by picking up steam near the end with an excellent chase sequence. The cinematography isn’t much to brag about but it’s serviceable. Composer Roberto Pregadio’s score is an odd mix of schmaltzy piano numbers and an intense droning that easily puts the viewer on the edge of their seat.

Oh, Nieves Navarro! Yes, Miss Susan Scott herself is quite good in Death Carries A Cane. She plays the happy-go-lucky Kitty who keeps on smiling whether she’s disguised as a prostitute in order to catch the killer or looking for a place to pee pee. Navarro was quite the Giallo starlet, appearing in 7 of the yellow thrillers under the direction of Luciano Ercoli and Sergio Martino (just to name a few). She rarely disappoints in her performances and is definitely easy on the eyes in this one. The rest of the cast is your typical Giallo staff with one anomaly being the lovely Anuska Borova in a dual role as sisters, Lidia and Sylvia Arrighi. Miss Borova, who are you and where have you gone? Oh yeah, let’s not forget Robert Hoffmann from Umberto Lenzi’s Spasmo as Alberto, the most suspicious boyfriend ever!

A quick note on the English dubbing of the film: The film’s final wrap-up is quite confusing and it seems as though some facts about the killer’s motives aren’t quite clear. Luckily, the X-Rated Kult DVD has the German audio and at the very least I could determine that the ending is slightly different. I can only imagine that the Italian version is different as well. Anyway, Death Carries A Cane is a long walk from the classics of the Giallo genre but it’s definitely worth a view by Italian thriller buffs. Its pitfalls such as weak characterization and a whirlwind plot shouldn't get on the nerves of the initiated. There’s plenty of sex, blood, silly comic relief, and Susan Scott to help cover up the film’s shortcomings.

DVD Stuff

Uh oh, we have some video issues here. The print on the X-Rated Kult disc is pretty shabby looking. There's print damage aplenty, the colors are faded, and the nighttime scenes are too dark. Also, this edition is culled from two different sources, a censored print and an uncut VHS tape. The editing job is pretty good but it’s blatantly obvious that the gore scenes have been spliced back in. As for the audio, both the English and the German dubs have some noticeable hiss in the background but both are passable.

Extras are minimal but you have to check out the German trailer with the cheesed out “surprise” at the end. There’s also an alternate Italian title sequence and a slideshow with artwork and promotional materials for the film. While far from perfect, the X-Rated Kult DVD is still watchable and it is (to the best of my knowledge) the only way for folks to see Death Carries A Cane at this time. This edition is definitely acceptable.