Mio caro assassino (1972)

Director:

Tonino Valerii

Writers:

Roberto Leoni (screenplay) and
Franco Bucceri (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 February 1972 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Horror

Plot:

A mysterious decapitation leads Inspector Peretti (Hilton) into a case of blackmail, deceit and the unsolved kidnapping of a young girl.

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapping | Decapitation | Murder | Police | Rampage

Cast

George Hilton	...	Inspector Luca Peretti
Salvo Randone	...	Chief Marò
William Berger	...	Giorgio Canavese
Manuel Zarzo	...	Brigadier Bozzi (as Manolo Zarzo)
Patty Shepard	...	Paola Rossi, the teacher
Piero Lulli	...	Alessandro Moroni
Helga Liné	...	Mrs. Paradisi
Tullio Valli	...	Oliviero Moroni
Dante Maggio	...	Mattia Guardapelle
Dana Ghia	...	Eleonora Moroni
Alfredo Mayo	...	Beniamino
Mónica Randall	...	Carla Moroni
Corrado Gaipa	...	Head of Insurance Company
Lara Wendel	...	Stefania Moroni (as Daniela Rachele Barnes)
Francesco Di Federico	...	Vincenzo Paradisi

Also Known As:

My Dear Killer (UK) (video title)
Sumario sangriento de la pequeña Estefania (Spain)

Runtime:

Italy:96 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:18

Company:

B.R.C. Produzione S.r.l.

Movie Connections:

Features Django (1966)

Not brilliant, but still a decent Giallo

The Italian mystery, or 'Giallo' sub genre is great. You can almost always count on an entertaining ride while watching a Giallo and while 'My Dear Killer' isn't one of the top examples of the sub genre, it definitely does deliver a good time and fans of the style of films will not be disappointed by it. Some Giallo's follow a more urban setting (Seven Blood Stained Orchids, The Case of the Bloody Iris) while others take place in the rural countryside (Don't Torture a Duckling, House With the Laughing Windows). The latter often make for the better films, and My Dear Killer is a part of the rural Giallo section. I actually prefer the cityscape for a mystery setting, but it doesn't matter because it's always the plot that's more important than the setting anyway. The plot is here is pretty much Giallo-standard, and it follows a detective on the case of a murder that seems to be linked to a horrific crime that took place years earlier. As usual, he follows leads and gets deeper and deeper into the mystery; when he finds that there's more to the case than originally met the eye...

The film starts off with a very unusual murder scene. It sees someone killed via a big mechanical digger, and while this scene is rather silly and over the top; it does show that the film obviously isn't afraid to go over the top. I was surprised to find after the opener that the film only features on other stylish murder and although it's very nice; girl sliced up with a circular saw, I tend to expect a bit more gore when watching this sort of film. The locations in the movie are rather uninspired, but this doesn't stop director Tonino Valerii presenting a nice atmosphere that helps to make the film more exciting and interesting. The lead role is taken by Giallo regular and star of The Case of the Bloody iris, George Hilton. It's quite clear that he's done this sort of thing before, as his performance gives the impression that he's not all that interested in his subject material. Still, it doesn't matter because the plot is interesting enough and this, combined with an intriguing mystery and some nice nudity and gore make this an admirable entry in the list of 'Giallos'.