El cepo

Very little happens in this obscure Spanish-French co-production, but it does give actor Jack Taylor -- a familiar face in Jess Franco films -- a chance to stretch as an actor. He plays two roles. As the mysterious Dr. Ganeau, he collects human heads as hunting trophies and wears dark glasses at night; as Michel, a bland playboy type and Ganeau's alter ego, he's the plot's primary red herring.

Dr. Ganeau invites the opportunistic Sylvie and Chantal to his forest hideaway, and right away it's clear their lives are in danger. Though Chantal thinks Ganeau wants to marry her, Sylvie suspects he has other plans. A weird manservant lurks around the house and admires photos of recently-murdered women.

The story pads along with dull scenes of people describing their sad lives. In this English-dubbed version, the two women could leave at any time but don't. While Taylor is good, especially in his heavily made-up Dr. Ganeau incarnation, the bulk of the movie is a write-off.

With the name THE ICEBOX MURDERS I was expecting something in the vein of gruesome going-ons and plenty of fake looking, frozen corpses. Instead what I got was a lot of overly talky characters and dull moments. There is absolutely nothing I repeat NOTHING noteworthy in the film. It is slow, boring, dull, and poorly made (adding to your already tiresome state, if you make it all the way through). I kept thinking "OK, something good is bound to happen now" but alas the movie ended and I was completely let down. Even the killer's disguise (when it is revealed) is just ridiculous. I am not even going to mention the acting...you know where I'm going with this. Steer clear of this Spanish bore-fest and watching something Naschy or Franco for your Spaniard fix. TOOLBOX MURDERS this ain't!!

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of El Cepo - The Icebox Murders; before launching into my critique, here's a breakdown of my ratings:

Story - 1.00 Direction - 0.50 Pace - 0.25 Acting - 0.75 Enjoyment - 0.50

TOTAL - 3.00 out of 10

The only thing The Icebox Murders has going for it is the story's synopsis. It's a shame the writers didn't have the skill to grow an intriguing idea into an engaging story. Even though other concepts come from the expanding story, these too are forgotten or misused - Like Sylvie's nightmare sequence. Had this been pursued, then the story would have been infinitely less boring. But, the writers ignored the opportunity, and the boredom began to develop.

But the worst contributor to the tediousness is the director. Not only are there overly long scenes of nothing important, but everything is shot in an under-par way and at a drowsy pace. Halfway through the movie, one eye had left the screen and was browsing the net. By three-quarters through, both eyes had drifted over to the smaller screen, and I was listening with half an ear. Yet, I knew I missed very little, for when I forced my attention back to The Icebox Murders, nothing much had changed. If not for the tinterweb I'd have been snoring.

The performances from the cast are as somnolent as the direction. My God, was everybody working in or on this film on tranquilisers? The only spark of life comes from The Servent and the actor who played him. Sadly, his exaggerated acting only adds to the inferior feel of the film.

Please feel free to visit my Killer Thriller Chillers list to see where I ranked El Cepo.

Take Care & Stay Well.