Passi di morte perduti nel buio

Maurizio Pradeauxs second Giallo has not only got a similar title (the first one is "Passi di Danza su una Lama di Rasoio"), but it also recycles many elements of his first one. As in his other genre outing, the killer murders his/her victims with a razor. The killings are quite nasty, but the special effects are unable to convince completely. The most interesting aspect of this film is its setting: The story takes place in the Greek capital Athens.

Sadly, Pradeaux makes a big mistake: While his first Giallo focuses on suspense, this one boosts stupid gags and one-liners to "relax" tension and suspense. Even worse, the gags are often shamelessly sexist, leading to the impression that all female characters are at least slightly dumb. And it's mainly this fact that makes the whole movie a letdown.

So, if one has to watch one of Pradeauxs two Gialli, "Passi di Danza su una Lama di Rasoio" is a better choice than "Passi di Morte Perduti nel Buio".

Infrequently discussed, the playful blood-spiller 'Death Steps In The Dark' still sparkles seductively in the gaudy pantheon of Vintage Italian terror! While maestro Maurizio Pradeaux's no less watchable 'Death Carries a Cane' is better known, I found his 1977 outing to be far more entertaining than the latter. Not only do you get the requisite full-frontal nudity so ubiquitous in the genre, including a gloriously prurient Sapphic montage near the opening of the film! Pradeaux's compelling thriller is suffused a light, comedic touch not generally found within the idiom; so amongst all the black-gloved, razor-wielding, fear-flocked frenzy, the narrative is leavened by a welcome sardonic tone, admittedly far-from subtle, it nonetheless adds an amusingly quirky sheen to the generally humourless genre.

Graphic razor-slashings, gratuitous nudity, plentiful guzzles of J&B whiskey, the veritable elixir of Italian exploitation! And a mesmerizing, booty-humpin' jazz-funk score by sound master Riz Ortolani makes 'Death Steps in the Dark' one of the more memorable and re-watchable Italian thrillers. Whether Pradeaux's delightful film was specifically designed as a Giallo parody certainly doesn't detract from the myriad lurid pleasures the hyperbolic genre is infamous for; since 'Death Steps In The Dark' actively remains an exciting briskly-paced, scintillatingly sanguineous 70s whodunnit, not oft mentioned, this high quality, full-blooded Giallo is well worth rediscovery!

After the murder of a young woman on a train from Istanbul to Athens, five people are questioned by the police, the main suspect being photographer Luciano (Leonard Mann). With the law breathing down his neck, Luciano tries to prove his innocence while the killer continues to rack up the bodies.

Death Steps in the Dark has got a convoluted plot, a killer who wears black gloves and uses an open razor, plenty of attractive young women, bright red gore, gratuitous female nudity, and cool close-ups of the murderer's twitchy eyeball - but it's still not a typical giallo: in addition to the usual genre ingredients, this one also includes quite a lot of comic relief. The tongue-in-cheek humour is incongruous with the nasty slayings - one second we have a graphic shot of a razor slicing through flesh, and moments later there'll be some daft comment from the hero's ditzy Swedish girlfriend Ingrid (played by Vera Krouska - easy on the eye, but oh-so-irritating) or some craziness that involves the police's prime suspect dressing in drag. No matter how hard director Maurizio Pradeaux tries, his mixture of sadistic killing and silly comedy doesn't work

The murders are well-handled by Pradeaux, but the actual story is a mess, so much so that that it is necessary for some lengthy exposition at the end, courtesy of the police inspector (Robert Webber), so that the viewer can make some sort of sense out of what they have just seen. That said, no amount of explanation could make the final scene seem less asinine: Death Steps in the Dark has one of the most ridiculous climaxes ever, so stupid that it almost makes one admire its chutzpah.

4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.

Many people have trashed this film on account of it being a strange mixture of thriller and comedy. "Passi di morte perduti nel buio" (Death steps in the dark) has all the ingredients of a good giallo and I think that the comic moments don't spoil the suspenseful ones.

"Death steps in the dark" starts as an homage to Agatha Christie. In a compartment of the Istanbul-Athens express train, a girl is fumbling nervously with her necklace. The train passes under a tunnel. When it emerges from the tunnel this girl has a letter opener sticking in her chest. The letter opener belongs to Luciano Morelli (Leonard Mann), a fashion photographer. He'll be one of the main suspects of the police. Luciano along with his naive girlfriend Ingrid (Vera Krouska) will investigate on his own the murder(s) and try to find out the killer - this is the only way to clear himself. Luciano (and Ingrid) will live many adventures and so will the killer (someone - maybe more than one person - is trying to blackmail him/her!). But beware! The film has many surprises in store.

"Death steps in the dark" was shot in Athens - It's very colourful and it has, as it's usual in many gialli, pretty girls (and some nice lesbian touches), stylish camera work and editing, very well-staged killing scenes and a wonderful soundtrack. It also features a very beautiful romantic scene. All in all, "Death steps in the dark" is full of "joie de vivre" - the actors are very natural and seem to be enjoying themselves.

The comic moments are provided mostly by Luciano and his naive and beautiful girlfriend Ingrid, and also by the Detective Inspector in charge of the case (Robert Webber), with his eternal stomach problems.

If you don't take the film too seriously you might enjoy it like I did.

I've seen the film twice already.

Luciano is a press photographer travelling to a photo shoot on the Istanbul-Athens express with his girlfriend. While passing through a tunnel, his girlfriend is stabbed to death with Luciano's dagger. He is naturally the prime suspect for the murder, but he believes he can solve the case himself and so goes on the run to clear his name. On the face of it a classic giallo theme, but what we have here is a film that is an odd mix of authentic Giallo, black comedy and at times, outrageously bawdy comedy, in the vein of Airplane movies, the killer leaving his fingerprints in $hit might give you an idea of its level. Still though, some of the humour is spot on and never reaches the level of being tiresome, there are also enough gruesome murders and suspense to keep real Giallo enthusiasts intrigued.