Nur tote Zeugen schweigen

Spanish/German ¨Krimi¨ packs killings , thrills , twists and turns . It deals about a couple of Hypnotists called Han (Massimo Serato , ordinary in Peplum) and his fiancée named Magda (Eleanora Rossi Drago who starred various Italian Giallo) . Furthermore, their helper called Eric Stein (the French Jean Sorel) who is secretly in love with Magda . When a boxer delivery boy called Chris (Götz George , still today playing) takes away roses at stage room , there takes place a murder and witnessed by a ventriloquist dummy called Grog that subsequently disappears . Meanwhile , a chief inspector (Werner Peters who performed several roles as Nazi) and police inspector Kaufmann (Heinz Drache, usual in Krimi as detective) are investigating the killing . One theater assistant named Katharina (Margot Trooger who acted in the classic TV Pippi Langstrump) tells the murder was committed by supernatural dark forces . The inspector pursues Chris out onto a ledge where he saves him from block falling before fleeing at night . While Magda suffers a breakdown and is attended by a doctor (Antonio Casas , regular in Spaghetti Western) . Later on , Chris asking for help his sister Karin or Carmen (Mara Cruz) to find the true murderous .

This ¨Krimi¨ contains suspense , thrills, chills , intrigue and plot twists . ¨Hypnosis¨ is compellingly directed with well staged murders plenty of startling visual content , though was submitted to limited censorship in Spain . This one belongs to ¨Krimi¨ , a German genre dealing with suspenseful killings and influenced in Italian Giallo genre , being mostly adapted from Edward Wallace novels . ¨Hypnosis¨ is a customary mystery thriller where the intrigue , tension , suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room , scenarios , corridors and luxurious interior and exterior . As only witness to the crime , is Grog , a ventriloquist puppet , is he a revenger killer ? , this is the main question of the film . The flick packs atmospheric blending of eerie thrills and creepy chills combined with a twisted finale . 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 a strange point of sight , a rare ventriloquist puppet . Large support cast , being a German/Spanish/Italian co-production , here appear several secondary actors such as Spanish : Mara Cruz , Antonio Casas , Jose Maria Caffarel , as Italian : Eleonora Rossi Drago , Massimo Serato and German as Margot Trooger and Werner Peters . Evocative cinematography by Francisco Sempere , being filmed in Germany and Spain ; however , the photography is washed-out and for that reason is necessary an urgent remastering . Atmospheric musical score by Roman Vlad , though other version appears credited Francesco De Masi or Angelo Francesco Lavagnino .

The motion picture produced by the powerful Constantin Films and Spanish Procusa was professionally directed by Eugenio Martin or Gene Martin . Martin is an expert on all kind of genres such as mystery , horror movies (Hypnosis, A candle for the devil , The fourth Mrs Anderson , Horror Express), Musical (The Girl from the Red Cabaret, Leandras) , Spaghetti or Paella Western (Requiem for a gringo , Pancho Villa , The ugly ones , Bad man's river) and adventures (Golden Goddess of Rio Beni, Captain from Toledo, Conqueror of Maracaibo) . Rating : 6,5 . Acceptable and passable Krimi , well worth watching .

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Hypnotist's assistant Eric Stein (Jean Sorel) is in love with his boss Han's (Massimo Serrato) fiancée Marta (Eleanora Rossi Drago) and secretly sends her roses every opening night. Chris (Götz George), the guy delivering the flowers, is also an amateur boxer down on his luck and takes advantage of an empty dressing room to steal the trio's bankroll but he's caught by Hans who gets knocked out during a brief struggle. Eric finds the unconscious Hans and bashes his head in with a cane before calling for help as the act's ventriloquist dummy, Grog, seems to look on. The police track Chris to his sister Carmen and chase him out onto a ledge where he saves a detective from falling before fleeing into the night. Now hiding out with his boxing buddies, Chris asks Carmen to help him find the real killer while Marta has a breakdown and the only witness to the crime, Grog, disappears...

The next murder comes as a surprise and what follows is reminiscent of PSYCHO with one sibling searching for another who's already dead in a surprisingly suspenseful black & white crime thriller with some supernatural touches. The film's also a forerunner of the Italian horror sub-genre later known as Giallo, some of which even starred that handsome devil Jean Sorel, a little league Alain Delon.

Among pre-giallo archaeology, this little Italian coproduction from the Spanish director Eugenio Martin (Horror Express/Panic in the Trans-Siberian) is interesting. Also German coproduction, it makes a link with the Krimi style. However, in this pre-Bava work, the features which should become canonical appear in a very scattered order, and the plot itself can hardly stay focused on a mere guiding thread.

Chris (Götz George), a young amateur boxer, is an admirer of the actress Marta (Eleonora Rossi Drago, Assassinio made in Italy; be careful surnames change with language version, Imdb use German ones), who performs in an hypnosis show, and he brings her a bunch of roses. But Marta's partner and betrothed, the ventriloquist hypnotist Hans (Massimo Serato, Solamente nero), catches him stealing money in his lodge, and Chris knocks him down and escapes. The theater manager, Eric (the great giallist Jean Sorel, Il dolce corpo di Deborah), secretly in love with Marta, takes the occasion to kill Hans. The only mute witness appears to be the now dead puppeteer's strange dummy Grog.

And begins the usual cat and mouse game between the police inspector (Heinz Drache), the fugitive Chris, his sister Carmen (Mara Cruz) and Eric the killer, who never lacks of ideas to find original ways of death. But wouldn't it be another mysterious leather-gloved character who should finally pull the strings? Several rolled staircase, gloomy cellar, added corpse and disturbing gaze later, some "theater like simple tricks" will allow to find the right key for the enigma. (Viewed in an Italian 1h22 version.)