Der Teppich des Grauens

If you discount the title (and believe me, the "Carpet of Horror" is NOT The Creeping Terror...it simply refers to a stain that is left on the carpets of the various murder victims by the strange murder weapon), this is actually a very engaging little murder mystery/whodunit that keeps you guessing until the very end. It reminds me a lot of the Dr. Mabuse movies, since there are a lot of red herrings pointing toward the true identity of the criminal mastermind.

I was always intrigued by the strange title (how can a carpet be horrorific?) and was pleasantly surprised when I finally found a copy of the film and watched it. I'd definitely reccommend this little gem to any mystery fan.

" The carpet of horror" 1962 is a suspenseful thriller dealing with evil genius uses poison gas to avenge on enemies . As a mysterious killer is throwing gas balls against innocent people . Then , a mysterious man called Harry Raffold : Joachim Fuchsberger is the main suspect . But Harry helped by the sympathetic Bob : Besari sets out in discover the true criminal mastermind . Along the way Harry falls in love for Ann Learner : Karin Dor whose uncle has been recently murdered. Meantime , a Police Inspector : Infiesta, starts investigating the strange grisly killings .

A murder mystery with intrigue , tense , plot twists , red herrings and unexpected finale . The main question of the movie is to guess who is the killer , resulting in a lot of twists and turns , of course , at the end we find out the unexpected answer at a thrilling pursuit . Being a German/Spanish/Italian coproduction , here appear actors from these countries , Germany : Joachim Fuchsberger , Karin Dor , Werner Peters , Carl Lange , Spain : Fernando Sancho , Lorenzo Robledo , Antonio Casas , Roberto Rey , José Maria Caffarel , Ana Maria Custodio, Rafael Vaquero and Italy : Eleanor Rossi Drago, Paola Pitagora .

It displays an evocative cinematography in black and white Godofredo Pacheco , shot in Madrid with some stock shots from London . The motion picture well produced in medium budget by Alfonso Carcasona was professionally directed by Harald Reinl , though with no much originality . Harald was a German filmmaker who directed a lot of films in all kinds of genres . He made various Karl May films , Westerns of the "Winnetou" series and "The Last Mohican" , as well as an epic rendition : "Nibelungen" with Terence Hill and his wife Karin Dor. And several Krimis or German thrillers usually based on Edgard Wallace novels , such as : "The Fellowship of the Frog" , "The sinister Monk" , "The White Spider" , "Hand of the Gallows" , "Room 13" , and this "The Carpet of Horror" . Rating : 6/10 . A nice "Krimi" that keeps you guessing and expecting until the end . The flick will appeal to German thriller fans .

After being targeted by a criminal, a detective notices a special pattern with a secret chemical agent linking him to a killing spree against an organization that is targeted by the madman forcing him to play up a series of red herrings to find the actual mastermind behind everything.

Overall, this turned out to be a fairly strong and enjoyable krimi entry. One of the finer aspects of this one is the generally solid storyline featuring some engaging mystery elements alongside the stalking scenes. The main mystery here involving the killer targeting people with a special chemical found in a series of tablets left on carpets or rugs found in the homes of his targets as a means of revenge for a previous deal gone wrong, which is the series of clues that need to be unraveled throughout the film. It's a fun enough means that allows for the series of investigations that go on here, from the chemical tablets that the killer uses to the targets bearing a connection to the shady hotel owner and the man trying to worm his way into her life to ensure her cooperation when he takes her inheritance for himself, serving a rather fun time here as the purpose of everything is revealed. This is quite enjoyably handled with the inspector and his assistant working over the case while trying to avoid the killer's wrath. Knowing what they're capable of from the strong opening shots of the killer tablets working on the victims to take them out in agonizing fashion, this one has the gruesome method of execution in place so that the later scenes of the various figures trying to get their hands on the clues that will point them in the direction of the killer. With the gradual revelation of the criminal mastermind behind the crimes looking to work his way through the agents chasing after him and the different relationships that are explored while trying to protect the girl who's at the forefront of things, this one comes off incredibly well regarding keeping the mystery going throughout here. As the final revelation also manages to bring about the killers' identity and the series of chases needed to bring them down, there's enough to like within this one. There are some issues here keeping it down. Among the biggest drawbacks to be had is the unnecessary and generally convoluted plot that works best with its criminal underworld storyline but has too many secondary storyline beats to be of much interest. A wholly maddening subplot about the detective and the niece coming together in marriage as a means of convenience makes little sense logistically, as well as being of much importance in the film proper, so to find it introduced in three days feels quite off-putting. The tension with the various assistants and partners in the area trying to keep their secret alignments revolve around bland, never-ending conversations that just don't go anywhere with the main storyline of the investigation into the criminal ring. It all just makes for a wholly overwhelming time trying to make sense of the story with everything going on, and with some leaps of logic trying to make sense of the killers' method of dispatching everyone gives this some drawbacks.

Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence and Language.

I'm a fan of Cold War movies.

While this is basically a "B" movie, it is a look into the Cold War and fairly well made.

Plot is a bit weak, but if you like these movies, you'll like this one.

Too much complicated plot, too many characters, too much intrigue, too much happening in story so makes you confused. But there is humor and action and decent acting. Bob, the main character's black assistant, was outstanding. Ditto the fancy sporty car they were tooling around in---before it goes ka-boom. Had the feel of a TV serial.