Stevieboy666 Troubled aristocrat Alan Cunningham lures red headed prostitutes and strippers to his castle, to torture and kill them as a means of coming to terms will the death of his beloved wife Evelyn. Within the first few minutes he's pouring Polly a glass of that giallo staple J&B while she promptly strips. And this pretty much sets the theme for the remainder. This movie combines the whodunnit of the giallo with gothic horror (a decaying castle, medieval armour and torture devices, a crypt, seances, etc) and manages to do so marvellously. As with so many of these Italian movies it's stunningly filmed and comes with a great Bruno Nicolai score. Yes, it has twists and red herrings, but thankfully the plot is reasonably easy to follow (unlike many giallo). There are plenty of gorgeous women who shed their clothing. However, it is flawed. For some ridiculous reason the film is set in England, yet all the architecture is obviously Italian (Ok, there are Italian style buildings here in Britain but that doesn't serve as a good argument), and all of the vehicles are left hand drive (they do drive on the left along minor roads but in the opening credits a main road is seen on which every vehicle is driving on the right). Alan lives with his rather attractive aunt who looks no older than he (again, that is possible, just not very convincing). Flaws aside I really enjoyed this and watched it on a great quality blu rau. Highly recommended

Sam Panico Emilio Paolo Miraglia created two giallo — this film and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. This one goes more into the horror realm than the typical themes of the genre.Lord Alan Cunningham starts this movie off by running away from an insane asylum, a place he's been since the death of his redheaded wife, Evelyn, who he caught having sex with another man. To deal with his grief, Alan does what any of us would do — pick up redhead prostitutes and strippers, tie them up, then kill them.A seance freaks Alan out so badly he passes out, so his cousin — and only living heir — Farley moves in to take care of him, which basically means going to strip clubs and playing with foxes. Alan nearly kills another stripper before Farley gives him some advice — to get over Evelyn, he should marry someone that looks just like her. Alan selects Gladys (Marina Malfatti, All the Colors of the Dark) as his new wife and comes back home.Sure, you meet someone one night and marry them the next. But nothing could compare Gladys for the weirdness of living in an ancient mansion, along with a staff of identical waitresses, Evelyn's brother and Alan's wheelchair-bound aunt. Our heroine is convinced that Evelyn is not dead. And the other family members get killed off — Albert with a snake and Agatha is eaten by foxes!Gladys even looks at the body in the tomb before Alan catches her and slaps her, as he is going crazier and crazier. Finally, Evelyn rises from her grave, which sends him back to a mental institution.The big reveal? Gladys and Farley were in on it all along. But wait, there's more! Susan, the stripper who survived Alan's attack, was the one who was really Evelyn and Gladys has been poisoned! Before she dies, the lady who we thought was our heroine wipes out the stripper and Farley gets away with the perfect crime.But wait! There's more! Alan had faked his breakdown and did it all so that he could learn that it was Farley who was making love to his wife and killed her when she refused to run away with him. A fight breaks out, sulfur goes into the pool and Farley gets burned by acid. He's arrested and Alan — who up until now was pretty much the villain of this movie — gets away with all of his crimes!This is a decent thriller, but it really feels padded in parts and tends to crawl. That said, it has some great music, incredibly decorated sets and some twists. Not my favorite giallo, but well worth a Saturday afternoon watch. There are some moments of sheer beauty here, such as the rainstorm where Alan sees Evelyn's ghost rise.

soulexpress This Italian-made attempt at Gothic Horror takes place in England— except most of the characters have jet black hair and Mediterranean complexions, and they drive on the right side of the road.The plot: Alan Cunningham, a wealthy English lord, has just been released from an insane asylum. He had suffered a mental breakdown following the death of his red-haired wife, Evelyn, whom he feared was cheating on him. A free man, Alan scours the local bars and dives for lovely redheads willing to come back to his decaying castle in the country—where he seduces, tortures, and murders them.Alan eventually remarries. Not long after, he starts seeing visions of his dead wife, and his live-in relatives are turning up brutally (if creatively) murdered. One is bitten by what looks like an ordinary grass snake and is buried alive in a shallow grave. Another is bludgeoned to death and fed to a cage full of foxes. At least I think that's what happens, but who can tell through the poor lighting?About the only thing this film has going for it is the eye-catching (if misleading) title. It's rife with Gothic clichés: cobwebs, mist, creaking floorboards, and a nasty rainstorm, for example. The plot is byzantine and contains not one, but three, false endings. There are long stretches where nothing happens. The editing is choppy. Not one character is likable or sympathetic. Alan's wheelchair-bound aunt looks much younger than he is. Fans of gore won't appreciate the mildness of the murder scenes. There is, however, plenty of Italian cheesecake on hand.Speaking of which, a strong current of misogyny permeates the film. The women are all passive and subservient, from the maids to Alan's murder victims to his new wife. Finally, the ending feels like an afterthought. It leaves a gaping plot hole (or six) and lets a murderer go free.There is no reason to see this turgid, malevolent, muddled excuse for a thriller.

Woodyanders Crazed wealthy English lord Alan Cunningham (well played by Anthony Steffen) frequents swanky clubs for beautiful redheaded women to take back to his remote castle in order to satisfy his deviant sexual practices. Alan meets, falls for, and decides to immediately marry the lovely Gladys (a charming portrayal by the fetching Marina Malfatti), who he hopes will pacify his troubled mind. However, there are other forces at work to drive him insane. Director Emilio Miraglia does a bang-up job of creating and maintaining a genuinely creepy atmosphere while milking the twists and turns in the tricky plot for all they're worth. Moreover, the full-on warped perversity gives the picture an extra sizzling kinky charge and the marvelous abundance of gorgeous gals aren't the least bit abashed about baring their fine bodies. The ravishing Erika Blanc positively burns up the screen as sexy stripper Susie; her coffin nightclub act is a real doozy. The luscious Maria Teresa Tofano likewise makes a strong foxy impression as brash prostitute Polly. Despite all the depraved goings-on, director Miraglia somehow manages to add an element of posh elegance to the tawdry proceedings. Kudos are also in order for the sound acting by the capable cast, with especially stand-out work from Giacomo Rossi-Stuart as concerned family physician Dr. Richard Timberlane and Enzo Tarascio as Alan's obsequious playboy cousin George Harriman. Gastone Di Giovanni's widescreen cinematography gives the picture a cool stylish look. Bruno Nicolai's groovy throbbing score hits the swinging spot. A total sleazy treat.