Der Todesrächer von Soho (1972)

A London slasher pack the suitcases of his victims before stabbing them to death in this adaptation of Edgar Wallace's 'Secret of the Black Suitcases.'

Director:

Jesús Franco

Writers:

Artur Brauner, Jesús Franco,

Stars:

Horst Tappert, Fred Williams, Barbara Rütting

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Horst Tappert	...	Charles Barton
Fred Williams	...	Inspector Ruppert Redford
Barbara Rütting	...	Celia
Elisa Montés	...	Helen Bennett
Luis Morris	...	Andy Pickwick
Siegfried Schürenberg	...	Dr. Bladmore
Mara Laso	...	Lizi
Eva Garden	...	Linda
Rainer Basedow	...	McDowell
Ángel Menéndez	...	Scotland Yard Chef (as Ángel Meléndez)
Wolfgang Kieling	...	Ferencz
Dan van Husen	...	Kronstel
Guillermo Méndez
Jesús Franco	...	Gonzales
Andrés Monales	...	Patakes (as Viktor Feldman)

Storyline

A London slasher pack the suitcases of his victims before stabbing them to death in this adaptation of Edgar Wallace's 'Secret of the Black Suitcases.'

---

Plot Keywords:

female nudity | based on novel

---

Genres:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

West Germany Spain

Language:

German

Release Date:

9 July 1973 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Corpse Packs His Bags

Filming Locations:

Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 5,390,920 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Cinema Company Film (CCC), Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica, Tele-Cine Film- und Fernsehproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in German Grusel - Die Edgar Wallace-Serie (2011)

User Reviews

Whodunit with vintage pulp imagery

It begins as a dull whodunit, with bad acting from most of the supporting cast. However, one murder scene towards the middle (the one which starts with a chase in a park and culminates in someone's backyard) is nevertheless filmed with some virtuosity. Some of the humor which I could catch, esp. the bickering between the inspector and his assistant, was quite funny: for instance, I laughed a lot at at the scene where the inspector rushes up the stairs but his assistant takes the elevator. As the movie progresses things get more interesting with bizarre set-ups and bizarre villains appearing and adding much delight. Eventually, we even have the delicious stereotypical mad scientist lab with flashing light bulbs and bubbling tubes... Rather than giallo imagery of the times (early 1970s), this has vintage pulp imagery. And it was also nice to watch a cute and pretty Eva Montes in another Franco movie.