5 donne per l'assassino

A writer comes home to discover his wife has just died during childbirth. The baby is not well and is held at a hospital while he continues to write a newspaper column.

Pregnant women are cut up with a fertility symbol carved into their bodies and the writer has the misfortune of being linked to these various women.

Abrupt editing and jarring music make the film tough to sit through. The director seems to be attempting to mimic the style of Alfred Hitchcock without Alfred's proven technical genius.

The murder victims do shed their clothing before being murdered but the overall storyline becomes apparent before it ends with only a slight twist.

A writer's wife dies giving birth prematurely. The child is placed in a health clinic. It is there that the writer learns he is sterile. Soon after, pregnant women begin to be killed, all of whom either crossed the writer's path or are related to the clinic where the writer's child is recovering. The police suspect the writer. Is he the killer? Five Women for the Killer is a competently made Italian thriller (a giallo). The film lacks the baroque style of the best of the genre and most of the murders occur off screen. Furthermore, while the film has its moments of graphicness, it does not quite revel in the sleaze like some of its peers. Still, the film is a worthwhile view for a few reasons.

First, the film successfully utilizes the stand-by of the clue that can't be remembered. The protagonist has seen something that he cannot remember, but he knows it's important. In some movies (like Deep Red), the clue is rather illogically recalled, but, here, both the clue and its recall are believable (and can be spotted by close watching viewers).

Second, the film's plot tries to be a mystery that can be solved through clues. The film plays fair with its mystery, and even provides something of a twist at the end.

Third, although the killer wears gloves, they are not black!

Few will regard 5 Women for the Killer as a must see. However, the film generally holds interest. Fans of Euro-thrillers might want to give it a try.

Director Stelvio Massi only contributed this film to the giallo genre, although he was the cinematographer for rather splendid The Case of the Bloody Iris. This movie perhaps indicates that he wasn't a natural with this type of material, as there is a somewhat plodding aspect to it on the whole. Nevertheless, as is mostly the way with serial-killer-on-the-loose gialli, it still remains very watchable and effective at times. The story in this one has a writer's wife dying while giving birth, immediately afterwards a series of murders begin with the victims all being pregnant women.

It wouldn't be too unfair to say that this one is one of the gialli which is lower on style, higher on sleaze. The story centres on some especially nasty murders, which were a bit much if you ask me! Those coupled with the nudity factor being very high generally puts this one squarely in the more exploitative end of the genre. The thriller element is often a bit under-played, although there are a few fairly suspenseful sequences here and there. I would additionally have to say that there is maybe a little too much police-procedure and chat overall too for the film's overall effectiveness. So, this fairly obscure example of the genre couldn't really be described as a lost classic or anything like that but it definitely benefits from still incorporating the main ingredients of this sub-genre - the mix might be a bit under-cooked in a number of ways but the final dish is still one which giallo enthusiasts will find some value in.

Routine giallo Five Women for the Killer lacks the visual style and atmosphere present in the genre's best and better known examples, but makes up somewhat with plenty of sex and female nudity (the film's titular women are very attractive and happy to strip) and some mean-spirited and gory murders, the victims - all pregnant - graphically cut 'from clitoris to sternum'. Director Stelvio Massi's handling of the plot is a little sloppy, meaning that it's easy to lose track of who is who, and the sheer number of suspects only add to the confusion.

Prime suspect would appear to be writer Giorgio Pisani (Francis Matthews), whose wife Erika dies giving birth to their son, after which Georgio discovers that he is sterile. Has finding out that the baby isn't his child fractured his mind and turned him into a killer of fertile women? That would be too obvious, and this being a convoluted giallo, the real murderer is far less likely: other candidates for crazed killer include adulterous Professor Aldo Betti (Giorgio Albertazzi), Betti's crazy wife, deceitful Dr. Lidia Franzi (Pascale Rivault), Erika's seemingly sinister illegitimate brother, and ex-pimp turned clinic porter Pellegrino.

5.5/10, rounded down to 5 for the anticlimactic resolution and the horribly discordant soundtrack (which features jazz flute).

Although implausible, the screenplay had enough sudden new developments to satisfy the giallo buff ; unfortunately , it's Stelvio Massi 's wish ,but it's Dario Argento's and Mario Bava's reality ; his directing is poor,editing absurd ,and the actors are left to their own devices .Gore , (soft) sex and female nudity galore replace Bava's skillful lighting effects and Argento's sense of mystery and of disturbing places .

Even the action is monotonous and repetitive :every time woman gets pregnant (or claims she is) ,one knows something awful will happen to her....which does not sustain suspense .