Sete Orquídeas Manchadas de Sangue

Umberto Lenzi delivers a giallo that has all the trademark elements fully in place, but somehow fails to achieve the right level of madness to produce a true classic. I'm not quite sure why, though. Let's blame Antonio Sabato!

No – let's get to the story instead. Someone wearing the standard issue giallo killer uniform (black gloves, floppy hat, raincoat) is murdering women in and around Rome, at rather a rapid rate, too! This guy knows how to create a giallo atmosphere – not only does he shake things up on the variety side, he also leaves a weird silver crescent next to the bodies.

His third victim (I think) is the bride of Antonio Sabato, and she gets cut up on a train while her husband out buying McEwan's Export from the train bar. He attends her funeral while the cops take everybody's pictures covertly, but it's all a ruse! She's still alive though I'm sure her relatives are going to be chuffed when they find that out.

Antonio then gets on the job of finding out who the killer is, with the aid of the police to a certain extent. He discovers that all the woman being offed all stayed at a certain hotel at a certain time, but why are they being killed? And who is this American people keep referring to? And did Bruno Corazarri just say he gave the American a chewie?

So we've got the stupid clues, the Euro-babes, the set piece kills, what have you, but I couldn't help but feel that Antonio Sabato wasn't pushing himself as the hero (and I felt the same way about him in The Man with Icy Eyes), so his lack of animation made the film at bit dull. Or maybe that was due to the film following the giallo formula a bit too strictly (although the 'death by drill' was an eye opener). It could because I've watched about a hundred of these films in about six months. YOU DECIDE!

In this film, women keep getting murdered after receiving a phone call to ascertain their whereabouts, and each time, a crescent moon medallion is left in their hands. At first there seems to be no connection, until it's realized that all of the women happened to stay at the same hotel one night several years earlier. One victim escapes, fakes her own death, and sets off to find the killer... but will he find her first?

The main strength of "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" was its tightly-woven "whodunnit" mystery plot, which contained tons of red herrings but felt much more coherent than many other movies in this genre. It played out in such a way that there was no real way the viewer could beat the camera to the big reveal in terms of deduction, but it still felt engaging throughout. I also thought the main characters were all quite likeable, and I especially appreciated the surprisingly good survival instincts of the main hero and heroine -- not a trait this type of character often has. The kills were suitably thrilling, the acting was good, and the music was solid without being a standout. The opening title track, "Ozarks", might be an exception to that statement, as its groovy base line strikes a great balance between sinister menace and smooth funk.

The only real negative I have to say about it is that the movie felt a bit lacking in artistry on the visual front. Most of my prior experience with gialli is that they're visually incredible, but the plot is a bit of a mess. This movie takes the polar opposite route, with almost no memorable or striking visual moments but a plot that feels tightly-scripted. Also, because so much of the film relies on the "whodunnit" element, I can't imagine that this movie would be particularly engaging as a rewatch in the same way that something like "Blood Red" or "All The Colors of the Dark" are.

All told, maybe not one to buy sight-unseen, but if you can rent or stream it somewhere, it's absolutely worth a watch at least once.

It's your typical giallo from the beginning to the end. You can watch it and be somewhat amused, but you seen it a million times before. There are some positive things. Music is OK and the last girl isn't that stupid and helpless, which is a great change from screaming women who just stand in one place waiting to be killed. However, there are also bad things, like problem with pacing of the movie, which doesn't make us care for the characters. Oh, and the ending fight with the killer is underwhelming to say the least, even for a giallo. I give it 5.8/10. It isn't the worst thing you can watch and will give you some fun, but it isn't anything to write home about. I don't recommend it to anyone except giallo fans.

Seven Blood Stained Orchids (Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso, 1971) is extremely pleasant and atmospheric Italian mystery, giallo from the beginning of the 70's. Lenzi himself likes this film too, but doesn's think it is his masterpiece. I have not seen too much of his work (I have seen at least Cannibal Ferox, Mangiati Vivi! and Il Paese del sesso selvaggio) but when I saw this 70's classic I knew that Lenzi is at his best in this genre.

Murders take place and soon the main character starts to notice some connections and relations between the murdered ones. Couple of years ago something evil happened and now it seems to be payback time.

This is almost as masterful as Argento's Profondo Rosso in the suspense department. Argento's work is more stylish and artistic but Lenzi is definitely not less interesting or less skilled. Couple of scenes are very scary and shocking especially if the film is viewed alone in the dark..Music by Riz Ortolani is great, but not as great as in Cannibal Holocaust or La Casa sperduta nel parco by Ruggero Deodato.

In these giallos, there is always pretty confusing and non-believable plot but it doesn's matter because these films don't have to be realistic; they can be supernatural as well and it doesn't diminish their impact. Plot in this film isn't too confusing but many twists and turns take place during the film.

Seven Blood Stained Orchids is highly recommended for Italo fanatics and horror fans alike. Lenzi directed his most notorious cannibal films only because of money, so these mystery films are far more personal and artistic too. And the lead lady character played by Uschi Glas is unbelievably charming and sexy, and she is very nice to watch.

8 out of 10 and recommended!

Despite some unfavorable reviews (notably Adrian Smith's), this is a classic giallo that really works. The puzzle of the half moon lockets is classic Edgar Wallace and is the tenuous thread that connects the set-piece murders and keeps the story moving. Sabato and Glass race around to solve the mystery and clear Sabato's name but, as per usual, the killer is one step ahead of them. It all ends in a hand to hand fight in a swimming pool that's a cut above the usual giallo climax, and everything is nicely resolved. In 1972 plot still mattered to the giallo genre (1973's Torso would change that) and the films were a lot better for it. This one goes high on the list of gialli and was a peak for Umberto Lenzi.