Five Women for the Killer (1974)
"5 donne per l'assassino" (original title)

Thriller about a reporter who comes home from an overseas assignment to find his baby in the hospital and his wife dead. The baby isn't his, the reporter learns from his doctor friend Lydia... See full summary »

Director:

Stelvio Massi

Writers:

Gianfranco Clerici, Roberto Gianviti,

Stars:

Francis Matthews, Pascale Rivault, Giorgio Albertazzi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Francis Matthews	...	Giorgio Pisani
Pascale Rivault	...	Dr. Lydia Franzi
Giorgio Albertazzi	...	Prof. Aldo Betti
Howard Ross	...	Police inspector
Katia Christine	...	Alba Galli
Catherine Diamant	...	Oriana
Gabriella Lepori	...	Sophia
Maria Cumani Quasimodo	...	Marta
Tom Felleghy	...	Newspaper Editor-in-Chief
Lia Bresciani
Carla Mancini
Lorenzo Piani
Ennia Rossetto
Alessandro Quasimodo	...	(as Sandro Quasimodo)
Milva Bonamone

Storyline

Thriller about a reporter who comes home from an overseas assignment to find his baby in the hospital and his wife dead. The baby isn't his, the reporter learns from his doctor friend Lydia Franzi, as he is quite sterile. Reporter Giorgio and Lydia soon become lovers, and she narrowly escapes the brutal hands of the murderer (or murderers) who claims several other victims in shockingly violent fashion.

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | doctor | airport | gore | pregnant woman | 

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Genres:

Thriller

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

4 December 1974 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Amar Foi a Sua Perdição

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Film La Bouette, Thousand Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

5 delicious women for the killer

When Giorgio Pisani returns home he finds his wife (that was expecting a baby) dead, but their child is alive. But then he discovers something that unsettles him.... and strangely enough someone starts to kill all pregnant women around. The police step in to investigate the murders.

This is a strange giallo – In 1974, Stelvio Massi made 3 films – "Macrò", "Squadra volante" and "5 donne per l'assassino". This may explain why the film has such an air of improvisation - the story is chaotically told and the film is uneven. Massi wanted to make a sophisticated, atmospheric giallo and sometimes he succeeds in creating good moments, thanks mainly to a good camera work. Active hand-held cameras following the action, a fast editing and zooms in and out skillfully used, give the film an almost frantic feel . There's also an inspired and flamboyant soundtrack (ranging from free jazz to romantic themes) that sometimes seems somewhat unrelated to the images. Limitations of time and budget gave the murder scenes (some of them good) an incomplete look – the final touch that crowns them is kind of amateurish. The main attraction of "5 donne per l'assassino" is the female cast – delicious eurobabes that are not shy of nudity, be it while they're making love, be it while they're being killed.

In short, the story in "5 donne per l'assassino" is simple and not very original, but the film is frenetic and extravagant. "5 donne per l'assassino" has its moments, but it's not a "good" film (too irregular for that!), still, real giallo buffs may discover something under its rough/stylish surface.