Leofwine_draca FORMULA FOR A MURDER is a late-stage '80s giallo from director Albert De Martino, who had previously helmed such diverse works as THE PUMA MAN, HOLOCAUST 2000, and THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER. His competent handling of the directorial chores means that this is a film where style often wins out over substance, but that's no bad thing in my book.In many ways, FORMULA FOR A MURDER feels a lot more old-fashioned than your typical giallo. There's a small-scale, low key feel to the nature of the action, and the plot has many twists and turns so that sometimes you feel like you're watching a Hitchcock thriller. The genre it most reminded me of was of the old Hammer psycho thrillers, themselves indebted to PSYCHO, and particular stuff like A TASTE OF FEAR.The film features fan favourite David Warbeck as a guy who falls in love with a disabled athlete, played by Christina Nagy. Nagy does very well in the unusual lead role; disability isn't often touched in the cinema but it seems to work well when it does pop up, and her character is completely sympathetic as a result. There isn't much in the way of gore here, but there are some great twists, harrowing dream sequences, and a wonderfully extended stalk 'n' slash climax. You could do worse.

Red-Barracuda Formula for a Murder in one of the latter day giallo flicks made in the 80's. By this point in time, the more mystery-driven style had made way for films with much simpler plot-lines. This movie is no different from others in this respect – it sets up a mystery narrative, only to dispense with it half-way into the movie and going down a more straight-forward path until it reaches its climax. A wealthy paraplegic woman falls in love with a man who has been hired to train her for an archery/fencing competition. She lost the use of her legs as a child when falling down a flight of stairs when running from a rapist priest. In the present day, she starts being menaced by a mysterious sinister priest.This one starts very effectively, with a couple of well executed scenes. In the opening segment, a little girl is menaced by the shady priest. The scene is scored with some very creepy music, is shot in a dream-like fashion and also includes details like a creepy child's doll. It's a moment that could easily have graced one of the gialli from the golden age of the genre back in the early 70's. Immediately after this we have a set-piece in a church where a priest is murdered by a black gloved assassin. Up to this point, this has all the hall marks of a classic-style giallo. But, as I said earlier, the mystery is revealed early and the focus is changed but not really to the film's overall benefit, as I think personally that the mystery factor adds quite a bit to this particular genre. Like many of its peers, though, it does have its fair share of gory murder set-pieces and some are quite striking (if you can forgive such a dreadful pun).This one was helmed by the middling Italian director Alberto De Martino who made several films of various genres, the best one of which was possibly the pretty good Exorcist (1973) knock-off L'anticristo (1974). It also features the 80's Italian b-movie leading man David Warbeck in the role of the fitness instructor. It additionally is an example of another early 80's Italian trend in horror movies in that it is set in America, not Europe. I guess this was to help pass them off as American products which I imagine helped sell them easier to certain demographics. Although, it's always a bit of a shame losing the Italian flavour that can be derived from shooting the thing in pastaland. Overall, Formula for a Murder is a decent example of the genre but not much more. It does have some very good moments though, and will certainly offer something to disciples of the genre though.

udar55 Paralyzed after being attacked as a child by a priest, Joanna (Christina Nagy) finds love in her handsome fencing instructor Craig (David Warbeck). The two quickly marry and all seems bliss until Joanna starts having terrible visions about this lecherous priest. Is she really crazy or is someone trying to drive her insane? Warbeck and director Alberto De Martino re-teamed for this murder mystery following the dreadful Miami HORROR of the same year. With some location work done in Boston and New York City, this is a much better film for De Martino to finish his career with, but not by much. First, the mystery is overly simple. Here is a tip for future filmmakers - if one of your actors has a distinctive chin, don't film only that part of them when you are trying to disguise who the killer is! Second, the film is filled with dimwit moments like our lead finally getting to use the phone while being attacked and she calls her doctor. He doesn't answer so she - you guessed it - tries him again! Still, the film features a nice score, a few evocative dream sequences and a great performance from the criminally underrated Warbeck. Plus, it goes by quickly, which is more than I can say for the painful Miami HORROR.

Coventry The last film by underrated director Alberto De Martino ("The Antichrist", "The Killer is on the Phone") is a truly suspenseful but incomprehensibly neglected giallo, containing pretty much all the trademarks that makes this Italian horror sub genre so magnificent and addictive to the fans. There are some very disturbing themes (child abuse, phony priests…), loads of creepy moments, plot twists left & right, outstanding music and – last but not least – a handful of really sadistic murder scenes! Especially the opening sequence, which is some kind of prologue, is a powerful piece of horror! What is it about ordinary child dolls that make them so creepy? When the anonymous man, dressed up like a priest, assaulted a little girl and the broken head of her doll bounced down a flight of stairs, it really sent cold shivers through my spine! Years later, the young girl from the prologue is an adult woman bound to a wheelchair. She inherited a lot of money but uses her fortune to stimulate fellow handicapped people to practice sports and to remain positive-minded. She – Joanna – falls in love with her personal coach and they get married right away. Naturally, he's only after her money and starts terrorizing Joanna by making her relive the childhood trauma that crippled her. The repeated images of a sinister looking priest, guided by eerie tunes and a nursery rhyme, provide "Formula for a Murder" with a ton of genuine scares and Alberto De Martino's directing is very resolute. The acting is quite competent, with David Warbeck ("The Beyond", "The Black Cat") in a glorious greedy villain role. Due some plot holes and a lack of originality, this movie might not be able to compete with Italy's best horror efforts, but it definitely deserves more attention. Many formerly obscure and unknown Italian gialli received marvelous DVD-releases and, hopefully, "Formula for a Murder" will be given the same treatment really soon. In the meantime, good luck tracking this baby down!