Delitto in Via Teulada

Sep 2024

Stumbled across this tv giallo movie that i had never heard of, and after a shaky start, it got better and was pretty decent in the end, and i will be watching it again soon.

The very start was a bit confusing as a couple of random people just got shot.

Its all set inside a tv studio where they are making movies or shows, so they didnt have to worry about any sets or anything, they just used the actual rooms in the studio.

The cast was largely unknown, i am only familiar with the lead actress, Auretta Gay, but she was hardly prolific, she was in an infamous scene in "zombie flesh eaters".

I didnt guess the killer, but there was an even bigger mystery and that was the fact that Auretta Gay was the same actress from "zombie flesh eaters", i cant believe that, she looks completely different. I only knew it was her from the credits.

So a decent 7 giallo killers out of 10.

At the RAI building in Via Teulada 66 actress Ely finds the dead body of her colleague Diamante. But when she's looking for help the body is gone. Nonetheless, various employees try to solve the crime only to become the next victim of the killer. Assistant Sandro and Director Leo finally follow the killers traces, supported by the blind Operator Lia.

DELITTO IN VIA TEULADA is a TV giallo by Aldo Lado in a curious format: shown before the evening broadcast of the entertainment magazine Variety, the film material was divided into 15 parts of 5 minutes each. This also explains the slightly confusing structure of the later compilation. At that time it was called GIALLO A STRISCIO.

But the concept is clear. In this look behind the scenes running in the midst of the of RAI shows, actors and staff went on a murder hunt, because an unknown killer was up to no good in the studio. Film and reality get mixed and protagonists are left alone with corpses and death as the hunt for the murderer takes place behind the studios cameras. But for that there is DELITTO IN VIA TEULADA which captures the impending danger.

Due to this structure, the viewer must not get used to the supposed main protagonists too quickly, because they bite the grass faster than expected.

Originally broadcast on TV in 1979, GIALLO A STRISCIO was cut into a motion picture in 1980, but it was just about 60 minutes long. Fabio Frizzi contributed a beautiful main theme. Apart from that musical material from Lucio FulcisPAURA NELLA CITTA DEI MORTI VIVENTI can be heard.

After putting together the 5 minute episodes into a movie some scenes had to be skipped, cause they contradicted the twist at the end. Therefore the shorter running time.

DELITTO IN VIA TEULADA is still very entertaining in it's feature film version. Since the scenery always allows a glimpse into the daily production of the RAI studios there are numerous familiar faces in cameos. These include presenter Pippo Baudo, director Nanni Loy, singer Domenico Modugno, the Kessler Twins and actors Corinne Cléry and Filippo Albertazzi.

As much as DELITTO IN VIA TEULADA may be a cinematic curiosity it is very interesting. There are on-screen murders, some partial nudity, an ax-wielding madman and a gialloesque (far fetched) solution. Definitely worth seeing.

A slightly odd little TV movie giallo from director Aldo Lado, who brought us the excellent WHO SAW HER DIE? This one's rather good too and as a bonus runs at just an hour in length. It involves a group of actors being menaced by a mystery killer; as the bodies start racking up, they have to work out the identity of the culprit before he or she strikes again. Plenty of stalking and atmospheric behaviour in this genre instalment that ticks all of the right boxes and moves at a snappy pace to boot.