dopefishie

I fondly remember watching this film as a child while staying with my grandparents one summer. Striking images then, and they are still striking today.

This is the first and only major feature film by director, Jean Brismée. And it shouldn't be as good as it is. Fantastic gothic castle and great atmosphere.

The plot itself involves of group of tourists spending an unplanned night in an incredible castle due to road closures and bad weather. One of the characters is secretly a demon who eventually starts killing off people one as a time - each victim represents one of the seven deadly sins.

Erika Blanc stands out with a unique and memorable performance here.

Anthony Steffen plays the blind protagonist who overhears something suspicious that sets him on the path of trying to solve a giallo mystery. He makes an excellent hero. There are also a number of wonderful actresses here: Sylva Koscina, Isabelle Marchall, Annabella Incontrera, and Shirley Corrigan, who all may or may not be stalked and/or killed. One death scene in particular stands out for being grizzly and quite memorable.

The film gets many things right. The music is better-than-average. The murder weapon is pretty unique. And best of all, there is good use of red herrings which kept me guessing about the identity of the killer.

This is an above average giallo that deserves your attention.

Delitti (Crimes) was written and directed by husband and wife, Sergio Pastore and Giovanna Lenzi. Of note, Sergio Pastore's health may have been failing at the time of filming, as he died the same year the film was released.

That being said, the film itself is awful. It's one of the worst films I've seen. Painfully bad. Top to bottom, across the board, every part of this is worth hating for how poorly it was made.

The acting is bad. Even the experienced actors here are powerless to look good in such a bad production. The script is awful. The dialogue is so bad. The "stalking" or "chase" sequences are a joke. I almost laughed at how poorly shot these scenes are.

There is a single "special effect" in which a Halloween mask is put over the victim's face to suggest their skin is decaying after they are injected with snake venom. I couldn't care less who the killer is or what their motive is.

Avoid this film at all costs.