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 takes us to a setting of dark alleys and the dirty, crime infested streets of Soho England. We meet a varied assortment of characters including strippers and prostitutes. This is where we are taken in this movie which has a combination of horror, mystery, sexual backgrounds and situations. All of these together make this 1966 movie a bit different from the typical `who done it' movie. I didn't have high expectations for this movie but found myself to be pleasantly surprised having been caught up in it's suspense and mystery. In my opinion, there are a lot of better horror/mysteries out there, but this one is still worth watching and makes an enjoyable viewing. Give it a chance.

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...

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!)

First off I recommend the Retromedia release as it is struck from a very good print. I might add this is the uncut version of the film. It contains two topless strip scenes and knife kill closeups that are usually missing from other prints. The dubbing is impressive. What I enjoy most is the agile and imaginative camera direction of Gottleib. The camera is almost never static.We are often treated to scenes which begin overhead then move down and envelop the actors. The scene involving the knife throwing act where the camera revolves as the assistant revolves is inventive. The plot is mediocre and you can identify the killer early on but taking the journey is most of the fun. A wonderful recreation of London with plenty of smoke and fog makes an excellent backdrop for this krimi thriller. Add to it an early 60's jazzy lounge soundtrack and you can't spend a better 96 minutes in my book.