Nigel P This giallo features more cigarette smoking than in any other I've seen. Never a scene goes by without someone lighting up, putting one out or going about their business with a casual ciggie clinging determinedly to their lips. Also, as is often the case for this genre, the females are not only the victims, but are also far more decent and respectful than the men – certainly Stefano (Pietro Martellanza) is brazenly patronizing and awful to Valentina (Nieves Navarro, or Susan Scott for English audiences) at every opportunity, and his male co-stars aren't much better. I really hoped I wasn't going to be asked to believe in him as any kind of hero. The best of this rotten bunch is probably Gio (Simón Andreu), another chain smoker notable for constantly running out of matches.Valentina, with her incredible mane of red hair, whilst under the influence of an experimental drug, has a vision of a young woman being brutally murdered by a villainous-looking character with a spiked glove. This shades-sporting felon appears to her from then on, many times. Is it a product of her addled mind, as bone-headed Stefano arrogantly suggests, or is the truth more sinister? One thing is certain – any answers don't come easily in this convoluted, beautifully shot Italian thriller.In a way, you hope that the villain is purely in her mind. The alternative, of a highly suspicious mac-wearing effeminate looking man in outsize sunglasses always lurking in an almost pantomime manner, not being seen by anyone but Valentina, becomes absurd.Also absurd, in a thoroughly appealing way, is the somewhat formulaic way the villain (or villains), when unmasked, then take the time to gloat and explain how they got away with their fiendish plan. Here, these revelations precipitate a glorious climactic physical fight that only ends after a series of last-minute, life-saving shocks and surprises.A little slow in places, and possessing some appallingly chauvinistic behaviour, this is nevertheless great fun and another pleasing addition to the genre.

ma-cortes Italian/Spanish co-production dealing with a killing spree with several suspects . It concerns on Valentina (Nieves Navarro and Susan Scott) a gorgeous and spunky fashion model living in Milan . Valentina proofs an experimental hallucinogenic drug and while influenced by the doses , she has a vision of a woman being cruelly killed by an ominous murderous . Valentina finds herself pursued by the same murderer with a spiked glove . It begins with the mysterious death of a woman and continues spirals into the killing . Meanwhile a journalist (Simon Andreu) becomes companion and protector the cover-up who is being continuously stalked .This Giallo contains suspense , thrills, chills , intrigue and plot twists . Luciano Ercoli's great success is compellingly directed with well staged murders plenty of startling visual content , though was submitted to limited censorship in Spain . This is a customary slasher where the intrigue, tension, suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room , corridors and luxurious interior and exterior . The picture packs atmospheric blending of eerie thrills and creepy chills combined with a twisted finale . It displays lots of blood but it seems pretty mild compared to today's gore feasts . It's a solid movie , a thrilling story plenty of suspense and intrigue in which the victims seem to be continuous . The staged killings are the high points of the movie , they deliver the goods plenty of screams, shocks and tension . The intriguing moments are compactly made and fast moving ; as the film itself takes place from various points of sights . It packs tension, shocks , thrills , chills and lots of blood . There're brief moments of gore as the killing with the spiked glove and a number of scenes that are quite thrilling , resulting to be definitely the spotlight of the film the surprising ending situation . Written by the usuals , Ernesto Gastaldi and Sergio Corbucci , a good director of Spaghetti Western . Good ambiance design and acceptable production design by Eduardo De La Torre Fuente. Luciano Ercoli's so-so direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and more inclined toward violence and lots of killings . It's a co-production Italian-Spanish filmed in Alfonso Balcazar studios (Barcelona)and De Paolis (Rome) , for that reason appears Spanish actors as Nieves Navarro , Simon Andreu and Italian players as Ivano Staccioli, Luciano Rossi and the recently deceased Peter Martellanza or Peter Martell , both of whom ordinary baddies in Spaghetti Western . Colorful cinematography by Fernando Arribas who photographed splendidly city of Milan where is developed the action . However , the photography is washed-out and for that reason is necessary an urgent remastering . Atmospheric and commercial musical score by Gianni Ferrio .The picture is regularly directed by producer/filmmaker Luciano Ercoli. Talented and versatile Ercoli has produced/directed a vast array of often solid and entertaining films in all kind of genres as horror, Giallo and Western, in a middling career . He produced a trilogy for Duccio Tessari formed by two Western as ¨A pistol for Ringo¨, ¨The return of Ringo¨ and ¨Kiss, Kiss , Bang , Bang¨ , the latter is set in modern times and deal with a heist . All of them are amusing and entertaining and starred by similar cast as Giuliano Gemma , Fernando Sancho , Lorella De Luca and Nieves Navarro who married the producer Luciano Ercoli . He also produced the Giallo trilogy starred by Simon Andreu and his wife Susan Scott formed by ¨Death walks on high heels¨ , ¨The forbidden photos of a lady above of suspicion¨, and ¨Death walks at midnight¨. Rating: Acceptable and passable , this is one imaginative slasher picture in which the camera stalks in sinister style throughout a story with acceptable visual skills though contains some flaws and gaps . This is a bewildering story , funny in some moment but falls flat and it will appeal to hardcore Gialli fans

bensonmum2 During an experiment with a hallucinogenic drug, model Valentina (Nieves Navarro aka Susan Scott) sees a woman being brutally murdered by a man wearing a spiked iron glove. But when no body is found, she can't seem to get anyone to believe her story. She begins to see the killer everywhere she goes. She's sure her life is in danger and is unable to convince her friends or the police that she's being stalked by a vicious murderer.I had high hopes for Death Walks at Midnight having just seen and enjoyed Death Walks on High Heels. The two movies have so much in common that it seemed like a sure thing. While not being a sequel, the two movies share a director, a number of actors, and a convoluted plot. But while I found the twists and turns in Death Walks on High Heels a joy to watch unfold, Death Walks at Midnight is a little too convoluted for its own good. Story lines are introduced and almost dropped immediately with no resolution. These story tangents have nothing to do with the plot other than muddying the waters. Characters are introduced with no background information and almost immediately forgotten about. Too many of the characters never seem "real" or fleshed-out and are not effective red herrings. And, I almost get the feeling that much of the movie is weird for the sake of being weird. There's no real purpose for many of the unusual events, people, places, etc. in Death Walks at Midnight other than adding some bizarreness to the proceedings. For example, why even have the asylum scene? It adds nothing to the film. The problems with the plot are really disappointing because not only did I enjoy the first movie, but Death Walks at Midnight's screenplay was written by Sergio Corbucci. Corbucci directed some of my favorite Spaghetti Westerns. But here, he's written what I'll describe as a spastic script that tries too hard to be different.That's not to say the movie was a total waste of time. There are a number of things I really enjoyed about Death Walks at Midnight. First would have to be Nieves Navarro. As I said when writing about Death Walk on High Heels, Navarro is excellent in this kind of film. She's a natural playing the "Woman in Distress". Navarro has a real, undeniable screen presence. Second would have to be the spiked glove. It's as nasty a murder weapon as you'll see. Finally, I like the overall look of the film. Ercoli had a real eye for some interesting visuals.In the end, I can't wholeheartedly recommend Death Walks at Midnight to anyone other than a die hard Giallo fan. There are far better, more entertaining examples of the genre that might appeal more to the casual fan.

MARIO GAUCI Yesterday I watched a couple of giallos by Luciano Ercoli and starring Nieves Navarro (billed as Susan Scott) and Simon Andreu (of THE BLOOD-SPATTERED BRIDE [1972]) - DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS (1971) and DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT (1972). I was pleasantly surprised by the former but hugely disappointed by the latter; anyway, here's my take on both films.The meaninglessly-titled follow-up, DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT, was pretty silly and tedious by comparison making use of dreary plot mechanics and wasting its two leads - Navarro (Scott) and Andreu.The film's most intriguing elements – violent images from the past materializing as drug-induced hallucinations, and the murder method itself (the spiked glove) – are thrown away as red herrings in an attempt to liven up a pretty tired formula crime-thriller, i.e. it's more than just a giallo but, unfortunately in this case, the whole emerges to be a good deal less than the sum of its parts!Unlike DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS, the supporting characters of this one are often sleazeballs and therefore we are never involved in their actions and the motive behind them. A subplot involving a couple of oriental kids is, once again, irrelevant – padding the story for no reason at all – and the almost farcical fight sequence at the climax is not merely out of place but also rather badly staged! The music score (this time around composed by Gianni Ferrio) is OK under the circumstances but still nothing special, in my opinion.I don't think having watched the film panned-and-scanned (as opposed to DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS' original Technsicope format) had anything to do with my low estimation of DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT; actually I'm surprised that Mondo Macabro decided to release this on DVD (albeit in a compromised version, as it is both dubbed in English and cropped!) over its vastly superior – if still basically unremarkable – predecessor which, in view of its plentiful nudity (of which this has none!) and a far more engaging plot, I think would have made for a more popular title!In any case, I'm interested in catching up with more obscure giallos now and, as such, I especially regret having missed out on Sergio Pastore's SETTE SCIALLI DI SETA GIALLA aka CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT (1972) just a couple of days ago! I also look forward to Blue Underground's 'Giallo Collection Vol. 2' Box Set which, incidentally, should include Luciano Ercoli's FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY UNDER SUSPICION (1970).