La morte accarezza a mezzanotte (1972)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Luciano Ercoli

Writers:

Sergio Corbucci (story)
Ernesto Gastaldi (writer)

Release Date:

17 November 1972 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Valentina, a beautiful fashion model, takes an experimental drug as part of a scientific experiment...

Plot Keywords:

Giallo | Psychopath

Cast

Nieves Navarro	...	Valentina (as Susan Scott)
Simón Andreu	...	Gio Baldi
Pietro Martellanza	...	Stefano (as Peter Martell)
Claudie Lange	...	Verushka Wuttenberg
Carlo Gentili	...	Inspector Serino
Ivano Staccioli	...	Professor Otto Wuttenberg
Fabrizio Moresco	...	Pepito
Claudio Pellegrini	...	Henri Velaq
Luciano Rossi	...	Hans Krutzer
Raúl Aparici
Alessandro Perrella	...	Van Driver
Elio Veller	...	Pino
Giuliana Rivera	...	Vanessa
Anna Recchimuzzi
Manuel Muñiz	...	The Porter (as Pajarito)

Also Known As:

Death Caresses at Midnight
Death Walks at Midnight (UK)
La muerte acaricia a medianoche (Spain)

Runtime:

103 min | Finland:96 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

C.B. Films S.A.

Soundtrack:

Valentina (Controluce)

Nieves Navarro, hallucinogenic drugs and lots of flashbacks

DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT (Luciano Ercoli - Italy/Spain 1972).

Before the DVD-age the only English title for this film I know of, is CRY OUT IN TERROR, after the soundtrack released on LP and later on expanded edition CD. This is not mentioned on the IMDb as the film never got a proper release in English-speaking regions, not even on video, to my knowledge. Adding to the confusion, this title was already hardly distinguishable from Ercoli's earlier DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS (1970) (largely the same theme, cast and music) and I've noticed that in reviews on some sites, this is treated as a follow-up to Ercoli's first Giallo FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION (1970), clearly confusing this film with DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS, which is Ercoli's second Giallo.

Written by six writers(!), among them Sergio Corbucci and Ernesto Gastaldi, the film is set in Milan. Valentina (Susan Scott or Nieves Navarro), a successful model, agrees to try a hallucinogenic drug as part of a scientific experiment. While under the influence she experiences some flashbacks of a man in sunglasses graphically murdering a woman with a spiked metal glove, quite an original murder weapon. Strangely enough, a woman was butchered in exactly the same manner in a vacant apartment. The killer lures Valentina into this apartment after which she narrowly escapes with her life. What follows are more attempts on her life and even more questions about the killer's identity. Mind-bending drugs and outrageous fashions with plenty of tacky '70s dance floor scenes abound in this in this convoluted murder mystery. I might have been a bit harsh in my judgement on Ercoli's DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS but no matter how many reservations I have regarding his output, I've grown a bit fond of his work. This one is the weakest entry in his Giallo-cycle, but I cannot dismiss it either. It's rather disappointing because of its confusing plot and ridiculous finale, complete with a gang of giggling thugs. Gianno Ferrio's score is no patch on Morricone's scores in earlier Ercoli films, but its sheer luridness makes for some reasonably tacky entertainment.

Camera Obscura --- 6/10