Le Fantôme de Soho

In the 1960's two German studios were grinding out thrillers based on the works of Edgar Wallace and his son Bryan.This particular studio finally gave the field over to Rialto in 1964 after Monster Of London City.

This is a better than average film in the series as many at this point had become unwatchable.A hooded killer is disposing of clients of a seedy strip club.Government officials are heavily involved.A white slavery ring and revenge tie into the plot as well.The usual red herrings abound and the killer seemingly comes out of left field.Still worth a look.

THE PHANTOM OF SOHO is a German "krimi" or crime drama about the titular district in London, England, and its being terrorized by said phantom.

Indeed, a murder spree is under way, having something to do with a strip club / brothel -yes, there are topless females- called Sansibar, run by the enigmatic Joanna (Elisabeth Flickenschildt). Certain men are being stalked and killed, and the killer is leaving a distinct "calling card" with the victims. Scotland Yard, represented by Chief Inspector Patton (Dieter Borsche), is suitably baffled.

A fairly gritty film, it's well written, acted, and directed. The characters are interesting and the mystery is intriguing. There's also a "shock" finale...

A number of important men are being murdered in the London Soho district while attempting to make sexual liasons. The murders, perpetrated by the so-called "Phantom of Soho," seem to center around a seedy burlesque nightclub populated by a bizarre array of characters including the "crippled" female proprietor, her bent doctor/psychologist, and a pretty naive photographer. Eventually the Scotland Yard detectives and Agatha Christie-type female mystery writer tie the murders to a luxury yacht that sunk off the coast a couple years earlier. But the ending and the identity of the Phantom is a genuine surprise.

Although this is actually based on a novel of Edgar Wallace's much less talented son Bryan Edgar Wallace, this is actually a superior entry in the West German Wallace "krimi" series. It has a strong plot and an effective fog-shrouded atmosphere. It is also surprisingly risqué for the period with some of the nightclub acts culminating in some discrete toplessness, and the movie itself exuding a definite air of sexual decadence.

It is currently available on an apparently uncut Retrocinema double disc with the much weaker Edgar Wallace krimi "Curse of the Yellow Snake". That one is not really very worthwhile, but this one is definitely recommended.

Franz Josef Gottlieb's singularly mean-spirited thriller 'Das Phantom Von Soho' is a supremely pacy, darkly atmospheric, and surprisingly grisly Krimi from the lurid pen of maestro Bryan Edgar Wallace. The blissfully burlesque jazz sounds of Martin Böttcher are utterly sublime and not only are the performances uniformly excellent, the brutal stabbings have a decidedly menacing, proto-Gialli feel. 'Das Phantom Von Soho' is an absolute must for rampant Krimi-headz, and while the overt campiness is considerably muted in this instance, thankfully, the remarkably grisly, sordid atmosphere isn't. This delightfully grungy little Edgar Wallace thriller is a real Bobby Dazzler, and one of the rare Krimi's that I would happily watch multiple times! And I most heartily approve of the hugely aesthetic lead actresses's spicy moniker: Barbara Rutting! "Oh, I say, missus!!!" (A most appropriate handle for one so uplifting!)

The Phantom of Soho is another Krimi film based on a novel by the son of the great Edgar Wallace, Bryan Edgar Wallace. I can't say it's one of the best of the genre, but it features a decent plot that flows fairly well and kept my interest for most of the duration. As the title suggests; the film once again takes place in London and this allows director Franz Josef Gottlieb to build a dark and foreboding atmosphere to compliment his plot which chiefly involves murder. The plot focuses on a murder named 'The Phantom' who is going round London bumping various people off. The victims are all important men and seem to have something to do with Sansibar; a seedy nightclub owned by a crippled woman. Naturally it's not long before Scotland Yard is called in to investigate and they receive help from a mystery writer who is fascinated by the crimes. As they dig deeper into the murders, they find out that many of the victims have more in common than was first thought.

Naturally the film is not particularly graphic; but the murder scenes are rather memorable thanks to the way they are shown - usually we see the victim looking surprised while a pair of gloved hands (one holding a knife) is shown on either side of the screen. This is amusing the first time it's seen and while it does at least make the film somewhat memorable; I have to say that it does lack variety. The plot is more than a little bit sketchy and the film only really features memorable scenes, rather than a memorable narrative. The nightclub setting is good as it allows the director to show plenty of half naked women along with a sordid atmosphere. The film gets less interesting as it goes along and by the end I didn't really care too much about the mystery behind the murders, and that's a bit of a shame as there's a decent enough plot here to spawn a good thriller. The ending is something of a surprise, however, so anyone that makes it that far at least shouldn't be too disappointed. Overall, this is a Krimi worth seeing for genre fans; but it won't hold much interest for anyone else.