Jason Porter (Alex Cord) is an alcoholic photographer working on an archaeological dig in an Etruscan tomb from the 5th century bc, he has a history of mental illness and violence which seen him locked up in a New York mental hospital, but now he's trying to get some normality back in his life, so when after a rainstorm at the dig he discovers the mutilated bodies of an amorous couple, the police naturally regard him as the main suspect. Some articles recently stolen from the site are found beside the bodies of the victims the only clue to who might be the killer. Porter has his suspicions as to who that might be, but the police interference is hampering his own investigation, added to that, Porter is also distracted by the fact that his former lover Myra Shelton (Samantha Eggar)is now married to a sadistic older man, Nikos, a sadistic old man and music conductor for a local theatre, where there are a number of suspicious characters.
Right from the start this plays like a horror film, we the viewer are led to believe that the killings are being done as an act of vengeance from a recently disturbed demon god with breathing difficulties, There is some great location work within the Etruscan tombs that adds to the atmosphere, the murals on the walls of the tombs showing the depictions of the actual murders before they happened, but Giallo experts will soon see that there are no supernatural forces behind these atrocities. The film also plays like a classic slasher in that sexual liaisons seem to herald the death of those involved, this is an unusual plot point for a giallo but then this is an unusual film. Riz ortolani provides a decent operatic score, the dubbing on the film is a real low point though, not the actual voices but the editing of them is beyond abysmal, this is still a film I believe would benefit immensely from an official release, considering the settings within the film a glossy new print would certainly bring this to a new audience
