My Dear Killer (1972) User Reviews

Good Giallo full of grisly killings , suspense and intrigue

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 18 April 2011]

An insurance investigator, Police Inspector Peretti (George Hilton)helped by a Brigadier (Manuel Zarzo) are assigned by his chief ((Saldo Randone) the investigation of a killing via mechanical digger . As there happens several murders with bloody and gruesome executions. Some drawings seem to implicate about anybody are dieing . Meanwhile the series killer goes on a real massacre on various unfortunate victims as a man supposedly commits suicide, a women is strangled, another attacked in her apartment. Slowly more people are found dead and the inspector investigates the strange killings with numerous suspects (Monica Randall, Alfredo Mayo , William Berger).

Tonino Valeri 's great success is compelling directed with startling visual content.This frightening movie is plenty of thrills, chills, body-count and glimmer color in lurid pastel with phenomenal results. This is a classic slasher where the intrigue,tension, suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room, corridors and luxurious interior and exterior.This genuinely mysterious story is well photographed by Manuel Rojas with magenta shades of ochre ,translucently pale turquoises and deep orange-red .

The movie belongs to Italian Giallo genre that was invented by Mario Bava along with Riccardo Freda(Secret of Dr. Hitchcock) , they are the fundamental creators . These Giallo movies are characterized by overblown use of color with shining red blood, usual zooms, and utilization of images-shock . Later appears Dario Argento(Deep red, Suspira,Inferno), another essential creator of classic Latin terror films. Tonino Valeri's so-so direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and humorous and more inclined toward violence and lots of killings . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Manuel Rojas . Very good musical score by the classic Ennio Morricone. The picture is well directed by Tonio Valeri , an expert on Western as proved in ¨The hired gun ¨ , ¨My name is nobody ¨ with Fonda and Terence Hill , ¨The price of power ¨ with Giuliano Gemma and Van Heflin , ¨The day of anger ¨with Lee van Cleef and ¨ Taste of Killing¨ with Craig Hill and George Martin . Rating: Good, this is one more imaginative slasher pictures in which the camera stalks in sinister style throughout a story with magnificent visual skills.

A decent enough entry in the Giallo genre

[acidburn-10 · 7/10 · 16 January 2015]

"My Dear Killer" is another fun and decent entry in the Italian Giallo thrillers genre and begins interestingly enough with a man standing at a eerie lake and then meets his end with a gloriously twisted tractor accident/murder, and straight away lets the viewer know what's in store for the rest of the movie.

The plot is very interesting for starters as we get the main character a detective trying to solve this crime, which then leads him to a kidnapping case from before where the child and father were both murdered. Then along the way of course everybody who was involved meets some sort of sticky end, which was another aspect that excited and interested me, especially the girl who gets attacked with a buzzsaw, which was both terrifying and well done.

Okay there are some bad points, like for starters the pacing was rather slow at times and some of the characters didn't quite stand out, I couldn't tell some of them apart and there weren't enough colourful characters to fully ingage in. But what saves things are the delightful twists and turns round every corner, and especially loved the scene at the end where the detective gathers round the last remaining suspects in a Agatha Christie kinda way, about the reveal the identity of the killer, which was delightful, especially when the lights go out and then someone screams.

All in all a fairly entertaining addition to the Giallo genre, but not one of the best ones though, but still decent enough.

A Complicated But Entertaining Giallo

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 13 February 2008]

From the opening strains of its eerie, baby-lullaby theme song to its haunting final shot of a child's drawing, "My Dear Killer" (1972) is a giallo pervaded with a sense of tragedy. A year before the action depicted in the film, a young child had been kidnapped from her wealthy parents' country villa and left to die, and now a wave of homicides, seemingly connected to this tragedy, opens the case anew. Giallo regular George Hilton plays Inspector Peretti here, a character who surely deserves a medal or promotion of some sort for getting to the bottom of this case; indeed, "My Dear Killer" is one of the most complicated gialli that I have ever seen. It is the type of film that you watch by the skin of your teeth, just barely comprehending the plot as things unspool; a repeat viewing--in my case, anyway--reveals that this seemingly unfathomable plot does make perfect sense. Anyway, Hilton (mustachioed here, for a change) is excellent, as usual, director Tonino Valerii keeps things nice and suspenseful, and the maestro, Ennio Morricone, provides a score that, if not his most memorable, is appropriately nerve jangling (and eerie, as I mentioned up top). While not a particularly violent giallo, a pair of set pieces should make this film of interest to all the gorehounds out there: one decapitation murder using an enormous dredging machine, and, most horribly, the death of a gorgeous schoolteacher with a circular power saw. (Don't all women have this tool lying around their apartment?) This latter scene, although not overly graphic, still proved kind of hard for me to watch. As far as the killer's identity is concerned, I suppose it IS possible to figure this one out, but my advice would be to just relax and enjoy the fun. The DVD that I just watched, by the way, from the fine folks at Shriek Show, looks just fine, but includes no subtitling option...not even with the interview extras, which are all in Italian! A pity...I would have enjoyed Hilton's comments on this very entertaining giallo, all these years later....

High Point for the Giallo Genre

[Wheatpenny · 4 May 2002]

Director Tonino Valerii is best known in the USA for the spaghetti western "My Name is Nobody," but "My Dear Killer" is no less an excellent example of the giallo genre than "Nobody" was to its own. The plot revolves around a series of murders committed by an unknown assailant intent on keeping the deaths of a small child and her father unsolved. As is the case with most gialli, there's a detective one step behind the murderer, a lush and creepy music score (this time by Morricone), a houseful of suspects, creative and illogical murders, and a downbeat and melancholy plot. What elevates this one above all the others made in that banner year for the genre (1971), though, is the detail given to the script and production. The characters are all fully formed and functional to the story, which itself is well thought-out and clever. The resolution is well-handled, and even if the killer's identity is impossible to guess beforehand, the means in which he (or she) is finally discovered will make you smile. Add to this one of the saddest musical-score main themes in movie history, featuring a woman's voice singing a haunting child's melody, and you have a giallo that fans of the genre should definitely not miss.

No Stilton when it comes to Hilton

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 1 December 2017]

This one starts out originally enough. You don't usually see someone getting murdered by being decapitated by the jaws of a hydraulic digger. The dead guy was some sort of insurance investigator (yet again), but why he wished to dredge up a water filled quarry, and why anyone wanted to kill him, is a mystery only George Hilton can solve.

Yep - George Hilton's back in yet another giallo, only this time he has a moustache! Plus, he's playing this one ultra-serious too. First off, he tracks down the driver of the digger only to find he's hanged himself...except he hasn't, as George proves using the actual corpse of the driver to demonstrate!

George has a quarry-sized mystery on his hands here which seems to be tied in with the kidnap and subsequent murder of a little girl some eighteen months prior, and it seems that the killer is trying to rub out all of the people involved. And some that aren't really that involved, for good measure. George has to retrace what happened back then to find out what's happening right now, and you know what means, right? Suspects!

Suspects! include shifty businessman William Berger, his sister, who is married to the one handed guy, and then there's the staff (especially the driver), and there's the guy who likes to paint nude children (can't see that scene occurring these days!) and also has a bunch of statues in his cupboard, similar to the one that the killer used. Patty Shepherd appears as a teacher, but isn't a suspect, so of course the killer cuts her up with a bandsaw in a rather gory scene - while she's watching Django.

The film veers wildly from gory scenes like that to drawn out scenes of policemen standing around, but, although lacking in the usual craziness, still manages to be a decent giallo due to George Hilton (and William Berger), a nice Ennio Morricone soundtrack, and taking the unusual step of having all the suspects gathered in a room for the reveal of the killer. What - no rooftop chase?

Superior giallo

[gridoon2024 · 7/10 · 11 February 2022]

Unlike many other gialli, "Mio Caro Assassino" is not merely a succession of nasty murder scenes; it is bloody yet classy. It boasts an intricate, puzzlelike plot, some very good POV camerawork, a few stunning women (Patty Shepard, Mónica Randall, Helga Line, Marilu Tolo, etc.), a dependable lead in George Hilton (who has cited this film as one of the most noteworthy of his long career), another chilling la-la-la-la-la theme by Ennio Morricone, and a nifty Poirot-like climax, where Hilton gathers all the suspects in the same room and summarizes the case. A superior example of the genre. *** out of 4.

Thrilling and thoroughly interesting giallo

[rundbauchdodo · 7/10 · 7 January 2001]

This giallo belongs to the more notorious Italian thrillers of the Seventies, which is hardly surprising once one has seen it entirely. Director Valerii unfolds a rather shocking (for not to write perverse) story including a handful of dubious characters, kidnapping of little children and sadistic killings of helpless elderly people.

The story is very interesting and Valerii presents enough twists to keep the whodunit running until the "Hercule-Poirot-like" climax, in which all suspects are together in the same room, while the inspector solves the mystery. From time to time there are the typically stylish murder scenes, the nastiest showing a gory murder with a circular saw. All the characters are all portrayed convincingly by the actors, and Ennio Morricone's soundtrack is cool as ever.

Together with Lucio Fulci's masterly "Non Si Sevizia un Paperino" (Don't Torture a Duckling) and Aldo Lado's beautiful "Chi l'ha Visto Morire?" (Who Saw Her Die?) the ultimate giallo about child abuse and still sure to leave the audience gasping for breath after it's over. Don't miss this one, but be prepared.

Color me ...

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 11 November 2019]

Giallo. I would not call myself a Giallo fan in general. I do appreciate some really good murder mystery movies in that let's call it sub genre. This one is quite decent overall. The director had some experience and I think it is showing, even if this is if I understand that correctly his first and only movie in the Giallo "universe" throughout his whole career.

Acting is decent, stunts are good and the story flows. For fans that should be more than enough reason to watch the movie.

Complex and Excellent Giallo from Valerii

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 9/10 · 28 March 2008]

Director Tonino Valerii is best known for his great Westerns , such as "I Giorni Dell'Ira" (aka. "Day Of Anger" 1967), "Il Prezzo Dell Potere" (aka. "The Price Of Power", 1969) and the comical "Il mio nome è Nessuno" (1973). Films like these make Valerii the Italian Western's most memorable director besides the three Sergios (Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci, and Sergio Sollima). But Valerii, who also served as assistant director to Sergio Leone for "A Fistful Of Dollars" and "For A Few Dollars More", is not only a great Western director. "Mio Caro Assassino" aka. "My Dear Killer" of 1972 is an excellent and highly intriguing Giallo and the ideal proof that Valerii is also a master of Thriller/Horror cinema. This is arguably THE Giallo with the most complex plot ever, and the constant twists make this film a tantalizing and absolutely unpredictable experience that no lover of Italian Horror can afford to miss. "My Dear Killer" does not deliver casual entertainment however - This film's exceptional complexity requires the viewer to concentrate on the plot. I can assure however, that no Giallo fan will regret concentrating on this film, which is stunning throughout and excellent in all regards.

Ispector Luca Peretti (George Hilton) is investigating a murder series that is somehow connected with the kidnapping of a little girl that occurred a year earlier... As my fellow Giallo fans should appreciate, the death toll rises constantly, and the twists and number of suspects make it almost impossible to guess who the killer is. This excellently photographed film has the typical atmosphere of good Gialli from the early 70s, and the many twists are highly elaborate. Regular Giallo leading man George Hilton is great in his role as the investigating inspector. The cast furthermore includes such great regulars of Italian genre-cinema as Piero Lulli and William Berger, and all other performances are also very good. This is may not be quite as blood-soaked as some other great Gialli, such as Sergio Martino's "Torso" or most of Dario Argento's films, but the exotic choices of murder weapons should also make this interesting enough for the gorehounds out there. The film's main focus is the complex plot, but the killings are depicted in a violent and very stylish manner. None other than maestro Ennio Morricone delivers the great score, the highlight of which is an exceptionally eerie lullaby theme song. From the great beginning to the ingenious end - "Mio Caro Assassino" is a complex and tantalizing must-see for all Giallo-fans, and also highly recommended to all other lovers of suspense and great cinema in general!

Ennio saves the day!

[markovd111 · 7/10 · 4 July 2021]

"My Dear Killer" is a nice thriller saved from mediocrity by it's interesting story, decent acting, stylish directing and amazingly fitting music by legendary Ennio Morricone.

It's ending scene particularly feels beautiful and poetic, just because of Morricone's beautiful music. I give the movie a 7.5/10! It's a nice giallo, but it lacks a lot more than just great ending (maybe some thrilling or creepy scenes) to make it worthy of a higher score. However, I recommend it to both genre fans and casuals alike.

Lacklustre pacing with a very repulsive scene similar to the one in Clownhouse.

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 4 February 2021]

The movie starts with a unique decapitation (via mechanical digger) and raised my hopes but then it got very slow.

After a while i felt so irritated that i stopped caring who's killing who n why.

Saw this for the first time recently after reading some very glowing reviews. Found it be dull. It has some good kills, noteworthy music from the legend, lil nudity n an unpredictable twist but somehow i got a bit detached while viewing. Mayb lack of sleep or like Coventry pointed in his review that the movie needed some attention.

The film has a Agatha Christie denouement- where our lead detective assembles all the surviving suspects in a drawing room, where, when he does his grand unmasking.....

Hilton with his typical 70s moustache somehow didnt convince me as a detective.

No doubt that he was one of the best Spaghetti western icon.

In this film he tried his best to look more like a Bond hero with his suits, boots n pistol aiming but alas.

Mayb he got obsessed that the makers of Bond films may hire him.

(He even played 007 in a comedy spoof of the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, entitled Two Mafiosi Against Goldginger).

My Complex & Sadist Killer!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 13 July 2006]

Anyone who ever saw "My Dear Killer" is most likely to agree when I claim that it's nearly impossible to find another horror film with a more convoluted plot! I never thought I'd say this, but this movie almost exaggerates with the constant adding of new twists and complexity! "My Dear Killer", which is a giallo in the purest definition of the term, features nearly a dozen murder victims and an equal amount of suspects. Paying close attention to the development of the plot is difficult enough already, so guessing along for the killer's identity is pretty much out of the question. And yet, it's another wondrous example of Italy's finest horror sub genre, with brutal slaughters, controversial themes and great music! Giallo-regular George Hilton ("All the Colors of the Dark", "Case of the Bloody Iris") plays Peretti, a police detective charged with investigating the eerie murder of an insurance inspector. He was obviously getting too close to someone's dark secrets and, in order to solve the case; Peretti has carry on with the decapitated victim's research. All traces lead to the unsolved kidnapping and eventual murder of a young girl in the area. The killer clearly doesn't know how he is to getting caught, as he precautionary starts to eliminate everyone close to the case. Be advised that the above is a very vague description of the plot, as a more detailed summary would cover several pages. Apart from a few minor holes in the plot and a handful of illogicalness, "My Dear Killer" is a hugely compelling and intense murder-mystery. Especially the violence will appeal to hardcore horror fans, as the killer even uses circular saws and construction machinery! Tonino Valerii is not a very eminent Italian horror filmmaker (or at least not as eminent as, say, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci or Sergio Martino), but his directing is truly stylish and he obviously read the "big book of giallo-guidelines" carefully before he started making this movie. Highly recommended!

with a mechanical digger at the beginning

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 19 December 2021]

This is the only giallo that Tonino Valeril made more spaghetti westerns with two very decent ones, Day of Anger (1967) with Lee Van Cleef and My Name is Nobody (1973) with Terence Hill and Henry Fonda. Is single one My Dear Killer (1972) is a happy one with a very solid Police Inspector as the also good George Hilton or I only say the other day as The Sweet Body of Deborah. The action is happy along with a mechanical digger at the beginning, with a rather nasty circular saw for a lady sliced and all the time the story of the unsolved abduction and good cinematography and a splendid score from Morricone.

Stop calling her a baby!

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 3 October 2014]

While investigating the gruesome murder of an insurance adjuster, Inspector Luca Peretti (George Hilton) begins to unravel the unsolved kidnapping and murder of a young girl. Meanwhile, a killer proceeds to bump off anyone who might be able to help Luca with vital clues.

My Dear Killer opens with a hilarious decapitation scene, the victim grabbed by the scoop of a mechanical dredger and hoisted into the air, his head popping off as a result. It's a hugely entertaining way to start proceedings, but then the plot kicks in and things start to drag. Numerous shifty characters and an overly complex storyline make My Dear Killer more of a chore than many a giallo; consequently, boredom and confusion are never far away, lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on the unwary viewer.

Director Tonino Valerii attempts to compensate for his over-elaborate narrative by incorporating a slew of classic giallo trappings and just a little exploitative content: a gloved killer, haunting music (by Ennio Morricone), children's drawings, numerous mean-spirited deaths and a smattering of topless nudity from a couple of babes, plus one gratuitous and rather controversial shot guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows. The result is still a bit of a hard slog, but at least there are a few moments that should please die-hard fans of the genre.

Giallo Chiaroscuro

[JasonDanielBaker · 6 June 2012]

Insurance adjuster Paradisi is murdered when he fails to notice a very loud mechanical crane is being lowered close to his head. It decapitates him. The suspect in his murder is discovered shortly thereafter at an abandoned warehouse hanged in way to suggest suicide by the clumsy killer. Seemingly the entire cast is filled with creeps anyone of whom could be a homicidal maniac.

Dapper police inspector Perretti (Hilton) investigates diving in head-first with his typical work ethic and sound deductive reasoning uncovering a complicated child abduction caper tied in with the murders. But his credibility begins to appear questionable as more corpses pile up and all he has for a lead is a child's book of drawings.

Giallos were a genre shaped by the Hitchcockian tradition, and the Agatha Christie type whodunit but also the film noir genre. They co-opted aspects of each. In Giallos you quite frequently saw a convoluted criminal scheme plot point - a staple of film noir. The whodunit aspects seen here are readily apparent within the collection of stock characters. As for the Hitchcockian side you have the stark visual imagery, jarring plot-twists and deeply psychological motives of the characters.

Another staple of these Giallo's was the subjective camera/point of view shot of the killer just before a grisly murder. Logic could get discarded in scenes like this and the one here offers us the interior of a victim's home where she just happens to have left power tools laying around. The bloody kill which leaves some particularly artistic blood spatters of course leaves no explanation how the power tool was still operational are its cord became out of reach of its outlet.

Good for its day

[barone01 · 7/10 · 8 June 2007]

I just saw this movie. It has a good seventies feel, is a solid thriller with a few obvious clichés typical of those days. The nude scene of the little girl, even though short, would never pass in this day an age but is a reminder of where we were then and where we are today that it causes such a shock, considering the plot deals with the kidnapping of another child the subject matter is still sadly relevant today. It has more than a tint of early Dario Argento in it without the gore that the DVD sleeve suggests. The music, with the child like chorus, has an eerie feel but it now feels very dated. I cannot comment on the English version of the film as I saw the original Italian and that too was dubbed as it was common practise those days and it still is in some section of the industry. The main actor holds the screen well and in general the acting is passable, even though a bit camp as, again, it used to be in those days.

By the book giallo, but still plenty of reasons to tune in

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 30 August 2016]

Bearing in mind that I'm not the world's biggest giallo fan, this typical entry in the genre is very much of the "seen it all before" type. There's a mysterious black-gloved, black-coated (sigh) killer going around bumping off lots of different people in diversely unpleasant ways; a dogged inspector tracks down the murderer but always ends up staying one step behind until the end, and lots of people argue, fight, and make love along the way. The story of this one is as garbled and confused as ever, and, typical of this genre, you're never really given the full picture of what happened, and too many characters make things hard to bear. This time around it's something to do with kidnapping and unpleasant hints of child abuse.

However, the film does have some plus points in its favour. It's set entirely in the Italian countryside, which looks very nice indeed, and the central crime scene – a stagnant lake surrounded by derelict buildings – is an aesthetically pleasing, almost Gothic one. The film is enhanced whenever Ennio Morricone's typically excellent music plays, this time taking the form of a sad lament sung by a crying woman – it's really eerie and adds a little atmosphere to the proceedings. The giallo genre is renowned for its sadistic slayings and this film is no exception; people are bludgeoned, strangled, and, in the gory highlight displayed prominently in the film's advertising, a woman is taken to pieces with a circular saw – a very nasty scene indeed. However, my favourite murder is the one which opens the film, which is so over-the-top that it has become my favourite opening scene of any giallo; a JCB picks a guy up BY HIS HEAD and decapitates him! A great, cheesy moment that hints at similar moments to come but sadly no more arrive.

The script is quite interesting for a change and the film has been well dubbed into English. George Hilton, one of the giallo genre's hardest workers, is fine as the inspector, if a little unsympathetic; he's supported by a range of interesting character actors in the likes of William Berger and Manuel Zarzo, and attractive Euro-actresses like Patty Shepard and Helga Line whom the director somehow contrives to make look unattractive. The film does have some intermittently good 'detective' moments straight out of an Agatha Christie book, including the fun 'whodunit' climax. But in all other respects it's very much by the book.

Pretty good giallo movie that is underrated

[HorrorDisasterGuy-90617 · 7/10 · 27 September 2023]

I found this to be a pretty good giallo movie, even though I don't consider it the best. The story is interesting with a series of murders that have a connection to an unsolved kidnapping of a little girl. It builds up really well with the whole investigation plotline and is interesting with the evidence the characters find. The movie does a pretty good job with building up the tension to each of the deaths, and the score is also really effective. There are a couple of slow parts of the movie that don't affect the movie that much. Throughout the movie, the main character keeps finding clues on who the killer is and how the victims are connected to the unsolved case. The reveal of the killer is decent on who did it and the motive of it.

Love me dear, I'll kill your fear

[Vomitron_G · 7/10 · 21 February 2010]

Laid-back in terms of investigating goings-on, but otherwise a decent textbook giallo. Once again a bit more unsettling then others because it involves the death of a child. All ingredients are present (exept for the foreigner doing the investigating): a few bloody killings, a black-gloved killer, a decent whodunit/investigation-plot, a bit of occasional female nudity,... Of course, the re-dubbing isn't the best and the acting is fairly wooden, but we forgive any giallo for that, don't we? Good thing was that this time I didn't guess who the killer was. In fact, I wasn't really looking for the killer along with the detective. I was way too amused for that, with seeing how one clue lead to another several times. I did think that the killer's motivations were a bit weak though. But at any rate, if you're a fan of gialli, this should be another one worth seeing.

Great Italian giallo with lots of twists and turns.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 4 September 2012]

A man is decapitated with a steam shovel.It's not an accident,though because steam shovel operator is later found hanged and apparently murdered.When the other bodies begin to pile up Inspector Luca Peretti connects this case with the kidnapping and murder of a little girl and her father."My Dear Killer" by Tonino Valerii is a tightly woven giallo full of surprising twists and turns.There are some interesting flashbacks and very memorable soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.Giallo regular George Hilton shines in his excellent performance as Inspector Luca Peretti.The storyline is extremely complex and demands full attention of potential viewer.If you like Italian gialli you can't miss this classic.8 ransoms out of 10.A brief shot of a young naked girl is quite shocking and unexpected.

My Dear Killer is a straightforward giallo that falls short in the execution of its kill scenes

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 21 February 2024]

I recently viewed the Italian slasher My Dear Killer (1972) on Shudder. The plot revolves around a detective investigating a decapitation murder, gradually uncovering clues about a serial killer's past through a revealing letter. As victims accumulate, the detective strives to unveil the killer's identity.

Directed by Tonino Valerii (My Name is Nobody) and featuring a cast including George Hilton (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wradh), Salvo Randone (The Assassin), William Berger (Hercules), and Patty Shepard (The Killer is One of Thirteen).

My Dear Killer is a classic early Italian/Spanish giallo with the expected stalker elements and diverse kills that characterized the slasher era. Despite the array of kill methods, the execution falls flat, resulting in a rather average and disappointing experience. The film incorporates the expected giallo nudity and showcases well-crafted corpses.

In conclusion, while My Dear Killer is a straightforward giallo that falls short in the execution of its kill scenes. I would rate it a 6/10 and recommend viewing it once, especially for fans of the genre.

Fun giallo

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 21 February 2020]

This Italian/Spanish giallo comes to us from director Tonino Valerii, who wrote The Long Hair of Death and directed plenty of great spaghetti westerns like Day of Anger and My Name is Nobody. He's recruited George Hilton for this film, who was also in Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin, as well as giallo classics like The Sweet Body of Deborah, All the Colors of the Dark and The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. He's rocking an excellent mustache in this, if that's what you're into.

You have to love a movie that starts with a mechanical digger tearing a man's head clean off his body before female voices singing the film's Ennio Morricone composed theme over blood red title cards.

An unsolved case of kidnapping and murder has led to a serious of seemingly unconnected deaths that Inspector Peretti (Hilton) must put together. All he has to go by is a drawing that a little girl made, but giallo films have been solved with less clues.

While this movie stays more on the police side of the equation than many giallo, it still has some kill scenes that stand out, such as a grisly circular saw murder.

Marilù Tolo -- the only woman that fashion designer Valentino claims that he ever loved -- is in this. Former roommate of Keith Richards and star of Jess Franco films William Berger also appears, as does Patty Shepard (one of the queens of Spanish horror; she was Hannah Queen of the Vampires, the vampire woman in the Paul Naschy film La Noche de Walpurgis and also shows up in Slugs and Edge of the Axe), Piero Lulli (Kill, Baby, Kill), Helga Liné (The Vampires Night Orgy), Corrado Gaipa (Don Tommasino in The Godfather), Dana Ghia (The Night Child) and Lara Wendel, who shows up in everything from The Perfume of the Lady in Black to Tenebre, Ghosthouse and Zombie 5: Killing Birds.

This film was written by Roberto Leoni, who also wrote Sergio Martino's Casablanca Express and Jodoworsky's Santa Sangre. The end of this all feels more Agatha Christie than Argento, but that's fine. It's certainly a different feel for the genre.

Compelling, complex and excellent giallo

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 10 August 2011]

A man is decapitated by a dredger when trying to find an unspecified item from a swamp. The victim, Paradisi, worked as an insurance investigator on 'the Moroni Case' – an unsolved crime where a little girl was abducted and held to ransom. Her father delivered the ransom but he and the child were subsequently killed. The swamp murder sets off a series of killings as the killer feels the law getting too close. Inspector Luca Peretti is called in to get to the bottom of the mystery.

My Dear Killer is a very good classic-style giallo. It has a very convoluted plot, even by the genre's standards. So it demands that the viewer pays close attention. Director Tonino Valerii has managed to put together a quite gripping mystery-thriller here, where the various twists and turns are incorporated into the narrative very effectively indeed. The film has the occasional giallo theme of child-killing. This ensures that there is an especially uncomfortable undercurrent to proceedings. Indeed, one of the suspects appears to be a paedophile and there does appear to be a very young naked girl in his apartment – this scene is extremely shocking to be honest. More typical of the genre is the usual array of violent murder scenes, the most famous of which involves a circular saw. The stalk and kill sequences are all well-handled and quite tense and scary; although, overall, the focus is far more on the police procedural mystery than the more gory violent aspects.

George Hilton puts in a very good performance as Peretti and really holds things together well. His character is fairly rounded with a home life too, which adds to the overall depth. Adding to the atmosphere immeasurably too is Ennio Morricone. Il Maestro provides yet another nice score that fits the tone very well, especially good is the creepy lullaby theme that echoes the child-killing background to the story.

As I said this is a giallo with a much more pronounced whodunit angle, with the mystery always given precedence. Sometimes this can make a film a little tedious but not in this case. The Agatha Christie side of the story lends itself well to a central police figure and the final scene with all the characters gathered is in particular from the Christie mould. In any case it seems like the best way to present this particular story. In fairness, this isn't one of the more visually striking gialli out there - it was director Valerii's only entry in the genre and maybe because he was more used to making westerns this reflects the grittier look and feel. But, this aside, My Dear Killer is certainly a consummate giallo that does not disappoint at all.

Complex, confusing police investigation.

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 30 March 2021]

Combining giallo with a "whodunit?" proves marginally successful. While "My Dear Killer", is somewhat lacking in logic, and throws more "red herrings" at the viewer than a fish market, it is nevertheless watchable. The problem is that the story seems unnecessarily complex, which leads to audience indifference. This is a case where less would have been best, because a frustrated viewer is never a good thing. The quarry location is one plus, and Morricone's score is a mixed bag. At times it adds to the suspense, while at others it seems more annoying than it should. At best a one time watch, at worst a skip it for it's confusing storyline, "My Dear Killer", will leave the slasher crowd feeling a bit cheated, while those looking for a solid police investigation, should look elsewhere. MERK.

Those Were The 70s

[radiobirdma · 5/10 · 13 August 2008]

The British DVD edition of this one promises "giallo" fare of the most menacing, gory and misogynistic kind, but actually it is -- despite a pretty ridiculous decapitation and the infamous buzz saw scene which lasts about two and a half seconds -- a pretty meek affair, not even a "giallo", and far from depravity despite another infamous scene with a naked child girl -- well, you might have seen one before. "My Dear Killer" is alright in terms of characterization, especially in the scenes between Inspector Peretti (George Hilton) and his spouse (Marilu Tolo), competently directed, quite thrilling, but shares the problem of so many Italian movies of the same period: The script builds tension to the max, but can't deliver. Actually, it's nothing more than an Agatha Christie rip-off with some pseudo-gritty moments and a dull conclusion reminiscent of Hercule Poirot's most gammy moments. The biggest sleaze factor of the movie is Hilton's moustache: Those were the seventies.