Una libélula para cada muerto

A Dragonfly for Each Corpse (1975)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Inspector Scaporella (Paul Naschy) begins to investigate some strange murders where the victims have dragonflies attached to them. Before long it becomes clear that the victims are all morally questionable people and it appears that the killer is taken them out because he (or she) considers them bad.

A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE is a somewhat entertaining Spanish giallo that tries to mix some stylish murders with a detective story. When most people think of a giallo they think about the films from Italy but there were several other places that tried to cash in on the genre and that includes Spain. There's certainly nothing ground-breaking about this movie but if you're a fan of Naschy and the genre then you'll want to check it out.

When viewing the film today, the one thing that really stands out is the fact that films like SEVEN and SAW somewhat had familiar stories so you have to give this film credit for taking the idea of having someone kill off "bad" people. The first couple death scenes are quite creative and bloody but those expecting non-stop gore will be disappointed because after the first two they become rather tame. I'm not sure why the film started off so violent and then took a few steps back. The rest of the death scenes happen off screen or at least with less violence.

I thought the performance by Naschy was quite good and it's always fun watching Erika Blanc. The screenplay isn't the greatest thing out there as there are times towards the end where the viewer really quits caring about who the killer is. A tad bit more style or some more energy would have helped things as the 87-minute running time begins to drag in the final quarter.

With that said, A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE isn't a masterpiece or even a good picture but there are enough good moments to make it worth watching.

This thrilling film deals with Paolo Scaporelli (Paul Naschy or Jacinto Molina who plays in Dirty Harry style with cigar included) is a police inspector assigned by his chief (Mariano Vidal Molina) to investigate the case of the ¨dragonfly¨ , killing series have been committed by an ominous murderer at city of Milan . The psycho-killer murders his victims cruelly by means of slashing , beheading and axing . The inspector is helped by his gorgeous girlfriend (Erika Blanc) . The series-killer puts a dragonfly on the corpses of the victims as pimps , prostitutes drug addicts and underground people . There are several suspicious , who's the killer ? .

This is a Spanish Gialli though filmed in Italy . It contains suspense , tension , whodunit and lots of blood and guts with abundant sensationalistic scenes and a Naif style. The movie has a bit of ridiculous gore with loads of blood similar to tomato . B-entertainment with a fairly suspenseful and horrifying story in which a killer series undergoes a criminal spree by means of slitting , necrophilia , decapitation and other brutal executions . This tale about a Detective and people who is attacked by a malevolent murderous begins well and grows more and more until the exciting finale in which we figure out the nasty guilty on a building , including some strong fight scenes . There is another double version that packs nudism in charge of Erika Blanc and other women . Lots of blood and gore in several images that impacted the viewers for that time . The film follows the Dario Argento wake formed by his animal trilogy as ¨Four flies on grey velvet , The cat with nine tails and The bird with the crystal plumage ¨ . Nice cinematography in correct remastering by Miguel Mila and shot on location in Milan city . Ample support cast , usual of Eurotrah as Angel Aranda , Vidal Molina and Maria Kosti ,Eduardo Calvo , both of whom habitual of Jacinto Molina films . The late Naschy was a good professional , writing, filmmaking and acting about hundred titles , mainly in terror genre. ¨ A dragonfly for each corpse¨ is written by Molina along with 21 screenplays as ¨Mark of Wolfman¨, ¨Night of Walpurgis¨, ¨Vengeance of the mummy¨, ¨Licantropo¨, among them . He directed 13 films as ¨The Cantabros¨, ¨Return of Wolfman¨, ¨The Beast and the magic sword¨ and many others.

This slasher motion picture is professionally directed by Leon Klimovsky , a slick craftsman who directed all kind of genres, as Terror for Paul Naschy (Marshall of hell,Rebellion of dead one,Orgy of vampires, Werewolf shadow,Dr Jekill vs. the werewolf), Warlike(June 44 attack force Normandy, A bullet for Rommel, Bridge over Elba) and Western (Badland drifter,Some dollars for Django,Death knows no time, Two thousand dollars for Coyote) . Rating . 5 , acceptable and passable. The picture will appeal to Paul Naschy fans and Giallo buffs .

This Spanish-Italian co-produced Giallo belongs to the more obscure outings of the cult genre. Most people involved in the making were Spaniards, and it has never got a release in Italy, which is unique for a film of that kind.

In Milan, a killer slays drug addicts, prostitutes and other "immoral" people in nasty ways. Small dragonflies (made of wax or something like that) are left on the bodies of the victims. And the more people die, the more clues lead the investigating inspector to believe that the killer is a mutual friend of his wife and himself.

The film's premise is quite interesting, although not too original. The body count is surprisingly high, although they are not as graphic as in some other Gialli. Nevertheless, the murder scenes are quite nasty. Paul Naschy (who also starred in the probably best Spanish Giallo "Los Ojos Azules de la Muneca Rota" and in the Jack-the-Ripper-inspired "Sette Cadaveri per Scotland Yard") is casted against type as the investigating officer (in the afore mentioned two Gialli he was an innocent and rather tragic suspect), and Erika Blanc does a good job as the inspector's wife who knows the killer quite well - unknowingly, of course.

The problem of the film is that it becomes arbitrary after a good start. Especially the identity of the killer doesn't convince very much, his or her motive as arbitrary as the maniac's identity. Also, some scenes with the inspector investigating are merely brought in to include fight scenes or nude scenes instead of pushing the plot forward. And for good measure, there is also a gang of thugs wearing Nazi-style clothes! All in all, "Una Libelula Para cada Muerto" surely is funny and interesting for Giallo collectors, but don't expect to watch a genre movie above average.

Instead of an extremely sloppy movie, "A Dragonfly for Each Corpse" is Spanish giallo that is competently made and entertaining enough to be enjoyed by genre fans. Naschy is surprisingly interesting as a main character and the whole thing has a nice pacing and isn't too long for it's own good. It's nothing marvelous, thrilling, memorable or God forbid scary, but it's still a decent crime story for a relaxing afternoon and as a nice bonus, if you are watching an uncensored version, you will be rewarded with a little bit of nudity. All in all, it could have been much worse. 6/10! Only for Naschi and genre fans!

During the 60's and 70's there were any number of Italian productions filmed in Spain. Well, this is a Spanish production filmed in Italy. It is basically Paul Naschy and his collaborator's (the Argentinean Leon Klimovsky this time)third attempt to ape the then-popular Italian gialli, and like the previous two attempts--"Seven Murders for Scotland Yard" and "Blue Eyes of a Broken Doll"--it is only semi-successful. The story is a little plodding, the cinematography a little leaden, and it comes off rather dark and gritty compared to the garish and colorful Italian gialli (although it is, if anything, even more violent). It's also pretty derivative, borrowing the famous coffin scene from Luis Bunuel's "Belle de Jour" and the dead-body-in-the-funhouse scene from the not-exactly-seminal giallo "Naked Girl Killed in Park."

It was clearly also influenced by American "Dirty Harry" movies and perhaps the cynical Italian police thrillers that were emerging at the time. Naschy, this time,plays a hard-boiled cop who slaps around elderly exhibitionists and makes a wounded biker with a broken leg crawl to the hospital. He is up against "the Dragonfly Killer", a vigilante who is offing pimps, prostitutes, and junkies--"cleaning up the city" much like the villains in the Dirty Harry sequel "Magnum Force" (although his motive for doing so would have made Harry Callahan crap his pants in utter disbelief). Erica Blanc plays Naschy's fashion designer wife who, after one of her gay friends is killed, decides to try to solve the case herself using her "woman's intuition". This leads to comical scenes of her sitting naked in bed pouring over grisly crime photos with a magnifying glass, or acting hysterically (albeit much more believably)when the killer sends the severed head of a Turkish pimp to their house.Of course, she stumbles across the identity of the killer before her husband does, leaving Naschy to rush to her rescue.

Obviously, if you have a low tolerance for graphic violence, completely gratuitous nudity, and Spanish-flavored, 70's-style sexism, you should probably avoid this movie. But if you can get past all this, it's a whole lot of fun.