La muerte ronda a Monica

In Spain it appears that ladies keep their telephones in the shower and, when answering the door, have time only to put on a pair of shoes, but not a pair of grundies. Welcome to Death Haunts Monica, an old school giallo (the kind that involves a rich person and loads of untrustworthy people trying to get their money) that has an mid-seventies giallo mindset (loads and loads and loads of nudity).

Monica herself is a rich lady who is married to and stressed out by playboy Jean Sorel, who has used her money to set up a successful company along with friend Arturo (who is also ex-boyfriend of Monica) and Elena, who tells Monica that Jean is having an affair with Eve, who is also Elena's lover. Jean also has a bit of a dodgy past and that comes back to haunt him in the form of Diego, a man who tries to blackmail Jean and discovers it's really Monica who is holding the purse strings.

That's about as much plot as I'm willing to give away as this film relies on its many twists and turns for impact, and as it's looking back towards those late-sixties gialli (like Umberto Lenzi's Paranoia) it wouldn't be fair to spoil anything else that happens. The seventies archetypal black-gloved killer does show up eventually, but even then things aren't so straightforward.

This is a fine example of the genre with an almost complete lack of gore, although every single actress gets naked (and many others do to, just for the sake of it). Jean Sorel has barely aged a day since the last film I watched him in.

The marriage between Federico and Monica is on the rocks.Federico has a mistress named Eva.There is a conspiracy between Monica's friend Elena and Eva to take over the company Eurozone owned by Federico.Elena and Eva are in a lesbian relationship.The situation becomes complicating when Diego appears,a former associate of Federico and a criminal...Very enjoyable Spanish giallo obviously influenced by legendary French classic "Diabolique".There is plenty of sleaze and full-frontal nudity including lesbian scene between Karin Schubert and Barbara Rey.Nadisuka is exceptionally beautiful and she shows her naked flesh too.A must-see for any self-respecting giallo completist.7 out of 10.

This is a Spanish psychological thriller with some giallo elements. It's about a woman in the midst of a dangerous situation involving her unfaithful husband, his mistress, her girlfriend and a shady criminal newly released from prison. Secrets from the past infiltrate the present and people start turning up dead. As is often the way with gialli, it has a somewhat convoluted story with various rich jet setting characters doing various unpleasant things to each other. It has shades of Les Diaboliques and it stars giallo regular Jean Sorel. Needless to say, I liked it!

There exist two types of gialli, and I'm not referring to the Italian ones versus all the other countries. No, I'm actually talking about two types of plots. Either a giallo handles about a masked psycho-killer with black gloves who savagely butchers people – preferably pretty young models – with sharp objects, or it handles about a convoluted murder conspiracy complete with sexual intrigues, betrayal and triangular relationships. "Death Haunts Monica", a Spanish giallo released when the glory years of the genre were already fading out, belongs in the second category and it also takes an incredibly long time before the murders start occurring. But don't be alarmed too much because the film still provides plenty of entertainment during the first gore-free hour, thanks to interesting character developments, tension building and – of course – copious amounts of 100% gratuitous nudity. The beautiful and rich Monica is married to Federico (played by Jean Sorel who plays an adulterous scumbag in pretty much every movie I've ever seen starring him) and lives a rather dull and monotonous life inside their big luxurious mansion. Federico and his sex- addicted partner Arturo run a successful company, but Federico also has an affair with the sexy model Eva. However, Eva is actually in a lesbian relationship with Federico's secretary Elena, and the both of them want to blackmail him by threatening to inform Monica about her husband unfaithfulness. And as if life isn't difficult enough already for Federico, a sinister ex-convict shows up at his doorstep and threatens to expose a horrible secret from the past. And then, suddenly, poor Monica is attacked in her own house by a violent perpetrator dressed in black… The main problem with "Death Haunts Monica" is a typical one for over-ambitious gialli from unknown and largely inexperienced directors. The plot and suspense keeps on building up towards a climax that can't possibly meet the expectations that were raised during the film. In spite of all the intrigues and the red herrings and the secrecy, the conclusion is rather dumb and multiple essential key-characters are eliminated abruptly. Like several of my fellow reviewers already pointed out, director Ramón Fernandez clearly tried to imitate the French suspense masterpiece "Les Diaboliques", especially during the wannabe sensual sequences where Nadiuska and Karin Schubert are sitting on a bed naked and conspiring against Federico, but the homage doesn't really work. The character of Arturo is amusing (but totally implausible) and the sub plot with the mysterious Diego definitely holds potential but remains too vague. "Death Haunts Monica" is perhaps worth a look in case you're a fellow giallo-lover and have already seen all the more popular Italian classics, but not a movie worth tracing down.

In a movie that's less than ninety minutes long, a somewhat unfortunate portion of the length is devoted wholly to introducing the many characters that play a part in the story. All the while, the movie is filled with a frank overabundance of dialogue - up until the 40 minute mark, hardly a second goes by that isn't defined by conversation between characters. Thankfully, though the script continues to be overbearing, thereafter the narrative begins in earnest, with ill-doings and mounting intrigue. 'La muerte ronda a Monica,' or 'Death haunts Monica,' isn't the most captivating thriller in the world, but it's duly entertaining all the same.

Poor Monica is little more than a pawn as those around her make plays for money and power. Why, to some extent the film reminds of a Lifetime original movie - the hapless housewife, a web of lies and deceit, a growing body count. I think the editing and sequencing leaves a bit to be desired, as the resulting picture bears a certain unfortunate inelegance in its presentation. Adolfo Waitzman's score is a bit curious, bearing instrumentation and chords that seem strikingly different from similar features, but ultimately it's quite suitable. Overemphasis on dialogue aside, there's nothing particularly remarkable about the screenplay, yet Juan José Alonso Millán's writing is deft enough to keep us guessing until the very end how it's all going to play out. That so much of the plot is left to be revealed at the climax is a little off-putting, and the curtness of the ending no less so. Yet otherwise the movie is sufficiently sound to allay such consternation.

While the plot is a bit intricate, the character writing generally is not, and for the most part the cast fill roles that feel as though they're pretty well predefined. That's not to say that anyone performs poorly; on the contrary, I think everyone illustrates able skill to bring their characters to life. Still, only the title figure is conjured with an especial measure of complexity, and star Nadiuska demonstrates fine range and physicality in realizing the beleaguered woman.

There's not much more to be said. It's rough around the edges, and imperfect, but this is enjoyable enough. There are certainly more worthy thrillers out there, but if you happen to come across 'La muerte ronda a Monica,' it's not a bad way to spend eighty minutes.