The Killer Must Strike Again by Luigi Cozzi

[Crystal Plumage]

At DVDManiacs a review of this Luigi Cozzi flick (http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/I-L/killer_must_strike_again.html)released by Mondo Macabro.
Got me interested.:)

[Jimbo]

I am looking forward to this one.Mondo Macabro is a great little company!!

[Morg]

Great. I'm a fan of Contamination, look forward to this.

[NickyDoyle]

Great review, but I think MM should have used the title The Dark is Death's Friend. But I'm nit picking. :)

[RyanPC]

This movie sounds very interesting... adding to my wish list. :)

[Crystal Plumage]

Found a very positive review at Mondo Digital:
http://www.mondo-digital.com/killermust.html
Oh man,now I definitely need this one!:D

[Jason25]

Cozzi gets bashed fairly often but his films are usually pretty good.

I can't wait to get this and continue to purchase every title released by Mondo Macabro.

[Luna]

Damn you, Netflix, for not carrying this one. They only have Contamination. :cry:

[Crystal Plumage]

It's not released yet.Release date is January 25.
It's already available as preorder at
http://www.dvdpacific.com/item.asp?ID=635879
and
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?PID=6810830&cart=216747619&style=MOVIE&WID=2458507
and I guess some more....

[John Gargo]

At DVDManiacs a review of this Luigi Cozzi flick (http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/I-L/killer_must_strike_again.html)released by Mondo Macabro.
Got me interested.:)
That's a great review...

Anyway, I plan on buying all of Mondo Macabro's discs eventually. I got a copy of their release of ALUCARDA and it's one of the best discs I own.

[Crystal Plumage]

Another review at Eccentric Cinema (http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies/killer_must_kill_again.htm)
Looking forward to this one!!

[dwatts]

Mondo have some great titles, but it always takes me a while to get them since they tend to be more pricey than other titles. I'd get this though, I've not seen much Cozzi, but he's no better or worse than many Italian Directors we all know and love, imo.

[Crystal Plumage]

Anyone seen it yet?
Thoughts??

[R. I. P.]

I've also ordered this obscure title and am thrilled to add it to my ever growing Giallo collection. All reviews I've read certainly heighten my enthusiasm and I must also confess I'm a belated fan of Cristina Galbo whom I consider to be one of the most beautiful women of the Giallo genre.

Mondo Macabro is indeed a superb company and their work on the recently released "Mill Of The Stone Women" was nothing short of miraculous! ;)

[Jimbo]

I just watched this last night,The disk sports a stunning image and the movie itself was top notch.Great Giallo in the vein of Dario Argento.

[Luna]

By the way, Netflix does indeed carry it now. It's rather high in my queue. :D

[MartinD1]

I bought this movie last week, and I had never heard about it until I read the reviews posted in several horror websites.
I have Alucarda and Blood of the Virgins from Mondo Macabro and I knew that if I hated the movie, at least the extras would be enjoyable.
I watched the movie last Saturday and really enjoyed it after all. Then I watched the extras and they're SUPERB. Since I'm a huge fan of Dario Argento's work, I knew I would enjoy listening to Cozzi, because of his involvement in Four Flies...
Anyway, it's a pretty good Giallo, and at first you think it's a remake of Dial M for Murder, until it's obvious things start to happen very differently. ;-)
I can add that althought the movie is framed at 2.35:1, Cozzi is not Argento, so his compositions aren't at all like Dario's.
I suppose that if you enjoy Hitchcock thrillers, Bava, Argento and Fulci, you're sure going to enjoy this "little" movie.

[Crystal Plumage]

Just placed my order today,looking forward to this one!
Heard only good things about it (very rare for a Cozzi flick I heard)

[Cujo108]

I watched my copy last night, so what the hell, here are a few thoughts that I posted elsewhere right after watching.

Well, this one definitely didn't disappoint. I do have to say that it reminded me more of Hitchcock's classic suspensers more than any Argento film. The film's rather subdued approach works perfectly, and the score compliments the proceedings quite well.

As usual in the giallo subgenre, virtually none of the characters are at all innocent. The protagonists steal a car, $150, and lie constantly. I also thought it was amusing how Luca is romancing this girl, only to help another girl on the side of a road and then fuck her in the stolen car. Haha, get any wherever you can I guess.

The killer himself is actually a pretty creepy fellow, but he definitely has a lot of hell in this movie. Things just never seem to go right for him. The guy blackmailing him, Mr. Mainardi, is convincingly suave. He also has some really weird sideburns. These two make for a fine pair of villains.

Cozzi's direction is great, and there's only a few small doses of the cheese that would dominate many of his later films. As usual with Eurohorror in general, there are some vivid colors, and Cozzi employs some wonderful camera tricks that he surely picked up from Argento. I also liked how he had the two very different sex scenes playing out seamlessly at the same time.

Overall, this is a fine giallo, any fan of the subgenre should be pleased. If I have any complaint, its that the climax feels a tad anti-climatic. Not a big deal at all though, and this film gets thumbs up from me.

[ScarredGod]

i got this from netflix the other day. the DVD itself is pretty excellent, nice video quality, interviews and extras. ive never seen a Mondo Macabro DVD before i wouldnt hesitate picking one up now.

the movie was a pretty big letdown though, well some of it. the premise and the set up was very well done, and the killer was definitely very creepy. but after the car is stolen, the next half hour is laughably bad, well apart from the nudity, and the police stuff is rather lame. it picks up again when the killer catches up to the couple and the ending is OK. but overall, i would give it about a C-

[DefJeff]

I got around to watching this last night and it didn't disappoint. It slowed down a bit during the middle, but never enough to hinder the film in my opinion.

The mean spirited rape scene was a nice way for the killer to take revenge, but aside from that I was surprised at how little violence/nastiness the movie actually had. What was there was cool though.

Either way, I enjoyed the hell out of this and definitally recommend it.

[DeathDealer]

I'm thinking of getting this myself. Do you think it's worth getting then?

I'm looking for an Exciting and Entertaining movie.

[RyanPC]

I got around to watching this last night and it didn't disappoint. It slowed down a bit during the middle, but never enough to hinder the film in my opinion.

The mean spirited rape scene was a nice way for the killer to take revenge, but aside from that I was surprised at how little violence/nastiness the movie actually had. What was there was cool though.

Either way, I enjoyed the hell out of this and definitally recommend it.

*moves film near the top of my Netflix queue list* :D

Thanks for the mini-review, Jeff... definitely sounds like something I'd enjoy.

[Crystal Plumage]

Just buy the damn movie!;)

You won't regret it a bit!

[Semerrill]

Great movie and has cool extras

[Coverdale]

the movie was a pretty big letdown though, well some of it. the premise and the set up was very well done, and the killer was definitely very creepy. but after the car is stolen, the next half hour is laughably bad, well apart from the nudity, and the police stuff is rather lame. it picks up again when the killer catches up to the couple and the ending is OK. but overall, i would give it about a C-

I hate to say it, but I agree with you. I was a bit let down too. Not that I don't like it, but it's definitely not like a "lost classic" to me. Also, is it truly a giallo? In most gialli the killer's face is hidden during the killings, making it more of a "whodunnit." In this film, you always know the killer, so it's more of a suspense/revenge flick.

[satans-sadists]

Bought this during Deep Discount's 20% off sale in June. Just watched it last night for the first time.

Very well directed film from Cozzi with great photography and an unconventional turn of events in the screenplay. Michel Antoine fits the bill perfectly as the killer with his slithering reptilian features and icy menace. George Hilton was such a bastard as the husband. Christina Galbo and Teresa Velazquez are three dimensional sympathetic characters. The ditzy Femi Benussi is nothing more than eye candy, but she sure is damn fine! :evil:

Generous offering of bonus features on this Mondo Macabro dvd. Very happy with this blind buy.

By the way, while watching the movie in the English dub track, I could not remove the subtitles. Anyone else have this problem?

[Crystal Plumage]

By the way, while watching the movie in the English dub track, I could not remove the subtitles. Anyone else have this problem?
I can't remember I had problems with it.I'd have to check it out but I'm too lazy to do it now :D

I'm glad you enjoyed it.
The commentary is fun too.



(Also I'm glad they included the Giallo documentary because that way I could get rid of my Death Walks at Midnight DVD I had,to buy NoShame's release!:D:D)

[wago70]

Bought this during Deep Discount's 20% off sale in June. Just watched it last night for the first time.

Very well directed film from Cozzi with great photography and an unconventional turn of events in the screenplay. Michel Antoine fits the bill perfectly as the killer with his slithering reptilian features and icy menace. George Hilton was such a bastard as the husband. Christina Galbo and Teresa Velazquez are three dimensional sympathetic characters. The ditzy Femi Benussi is nothing more than eye candy, but she sure is damn fine! :evil:

Generous offering of bonus features on this Mondo Macabro dvd. Very happy with this blind buy.

By the way, while watching the movie in the English dub track, I could not remove the subtitles. Anyone else have this problem?

I didn't have that problem...and I ONLY watch these films dubbed ;)
A great film...hard to believe it wasn't as shoddy as his later productions (which I absolutely LOVE, by the way).

[satans-sadists]

I didn't have that problem...and I ONLY watch these films dubbed ;)
A great film...hard to believe it wasn't as shoddy as his later productions (which I absolutely LOVE, by the way).

Might one of them be Starcrash? A guilty pleasure of mine and who doesn't love watching Caroline Munro?

[Crystal Plumage]

Might one of them be Starcrash? A guilty pleasure of mine and who doesn't love watching Caroline Munro?
I watched Starcrash last weekend on my PC and damn was it bad.But I was thoroughly entertained nonetheless!
Some great lighting going on in that movie.Sometimes reminding of Maestro Bava himself.
Also the stop motion action was executed well (in Harryhausen style) although with the giant robot they could've tried to remove his shadow from the sky and clouds :D

A fun movie.

[wago70]

Might one of them be Starcrash? A guilty pleasure of mine and who doesn't love watching Caroline Munro?

Ooooooooooh yeah - definitely a labor of love (Luigi loves the old-school American films). I just don't get how he couldn't be funded with better EVERYTHING for that film! It was the height of Star Wars mania and it's surprising nobody sunk some money in his project. Considering...look what made it to the screen, though. So charming!!!:p