Michael Craig stars as Arthur Anderson whose blonde wife is found suspiciously drowned in their swimming pool.Because he two previous wives also died strange deaths Anderson is charged with murder and only gets off because his motherly housekeeper lies to clear his name.Soon a pretty blonde woman(Carroll Baker)shows up and starts flirting with Anderson but it's clear from the get-go that she may not be who she seems to be.She quickly becomes the fourth Mrs. Anderson."The Fourth Victim" is very rare Spanish giallo with capable cast and nice score by Piero Umiliani.There is not much gore and the pace is slow,but last 20 minutes are quite twisted.6 out of 10.
15 Reviews
Very rare obscure Spanish giallo.
gimpwilkinson15 August 2001
This is quite a stylish production with a fine cast and a good ending. However, it is rather slow which may cause some viewers to lose interest half way through the film. This is definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of obscure giallo's or Spanish Horror/Exploitation (like me!), otherwise it's probably not worth tracking down. (For those interested, there is only one video release of this that anybody has been able to find, which was on "Master Home Video" in Greece. It was fully uncut, but is long deleted as it was released sometime between 1984 and 1987. The cover art is very cool and totally misleading!)
An above average addition to the giallo genre
kevin_robbins10 September 2023
I recently watched the Italian giallo Fourth Victim (1971) on Tubi. The storyline follows a man whose third wife mysteriously dies...much like the two wives before her. The husband inherited large sums of money in each case and is the primary suspect. As the police poke around the circumstances a new blond arrives at the husbands doorstep with her own motives, but what are they? Could she want to be the fourth victim and why?
This movie is directed by Eugenio Martín (Horror Express) and stars Carroll Baker (Kindergarten Cop), Michael Craig (I Promised to Pay), Enzo Garinei (Dr. Clown) and Marina Malfatti (All the Colors of the Dark).
This picture has a tremendously unique storyline with a nice mix of murder mystery and slasher elements. The kills only take place at the very beginning and very end, and both scenes are shot in classic giallo fashion. The "who done it" elements are solid and have a classic 70s feel to them. Michael Craig delivers an excellent performance as a strong, rigid character who could care less what the police or society thinks of him and is just doing his best to get through the circumstances, no matter who is poking into his affairs. Carroll Baker is gorgeous and delivers her conniving role to perfection. The ending is rewarding with a classic giallo twist.
Overall, this is an above average addition to the giallo genre that I would score a 5.5-6/10 and recommend seeing once.
This movie is directed by Eugenio Martín (Horror Express) and stars Carroll Baker (Kindergarten Cop), Michael Craig (I Promised to Pay), Enzo Garinei (Dr. Clown) and Marina Malfatti (All the Colors of the Dark).
This picture has a tremendously unique storyline with a nice mix of murder mystery and slasher elements. The kills only take place at the very beginning and very end, and both scenes are shot in classic giallo fashion. The "who done it" elements are solid and have a classic 70s feel to them. Michael Craig delivers an excellent performance as a strong, rigid character who could care less what the police or society thinks of him and is just doing his best to get through the circumstances, no matter who is poking into his affairs. Carroll Baker is gorgeous and delivers her conniving role to perfection. The ending is rewarding with a classic giallo twist.
Overall, this is an above average addition to the giallo genre that I would score a 5.5-6/10 and recommend seeing once.
The four wives of Blue Beard .
ulicknormanowen9 March 2021
Carroll Baker made a handful of giallos (Italian thrillers) and this one is certainly the best ;it must be the screenplay :it does not fall apart after the first reel and suspense is sustained throughout ; Michael Craig 's character ,three times widower ,might be a cross between French Blue Beard and Cary Grant in Hitchcock's "suspicion": hence the English title "the fourth victim ".Even though she knows about her new husband 's shady past , Baker marries him : but hasn't she skeletons in her closet too? And who is this mysterious woman who prowls around the mansion?And is the housekeeper candid when she tells she thinks her master is totally innocent ,that all these deaths are accidental ?
Directing is just OK , Baker is gorgeous , her co-star is suave and handsome, no masterpiece but watchable all the same.
Sadly lacklustre Giallo with an improbable twist
The_Void9 September 2009
The Fourth Victim is a film very much in the style of Umberto Lenzi's late sixties Giallo's (including Orgasmo and So Sweet...So Perverse). The film is very tame and relies on its story, rather than brutal and bloody murders, for its thrills; and that, unfortunately, is its downfall. While the storytelling is not particularly bad for the most part; it's just not exciting enough and by the time the film takes a turn for the final third, many audience members will already be switched off; and that's a shame because the basic story here is stronger than that of a lot of other genre films. The film takes place in Britain and the plot focuses on Arthur Anderson. We begin with a wordless sequence that sees Anderson find his wife dead in the swimming pool. He and his housekeeper drag her body from the pool and call a doctor, who gives a death certificate. However, it transpires that Anderson has already had two wives die on him; but an insurance investigation leads to there being no wrong-doing on his part. Shortly thereafter Anderson meets Julie and marries her...but will Julie become 'the fourth victim', and is there more to her than meets the eye?
The film stars American actress and Umberto Lenzi favourite Carroll Baker alongside Michael Craig. The male lead is good and provides just the right tone for his slightly sinister character; while Baker just goes through the motions in what is a rather lightweight part in the movie. The script is the film's downfall as it is rather dull and not very realistic. Most of the film is just soap opera stuff that fails to fascinate, and it's not very realistic either. The dialogue is poor and the film rushes headlong into its first major plot point - a wedding - all too quickly and unrealistically. The film does deliver a twist around the start of the final third, and it does serve in making things more interesting...although it's a rather strange twist that comes in almost from nowhere and pretty much undermines the main plot of the film. This is made worse by the fact that the ending doesn't give any credibility to the main plot, and it's all just kind of brushed away, almost like the filmmakers got bored and just wanted to end things early. Overall, this is just an average Giallo and I wouldn't recommend anyone goes out of their way to see it.
The film stars American actress and Umberto Lenzi favourite Carroll Baker alongside Michael Craig. The male lead is good and provides just the right tone for his slightly sinister character; while Baker just goes through the motions in what is a rather lightweight part in the movie. The script is the film's downfall as it is rather dull and not very realistic. Most of the film is just soap opera stuff that fails to fascinate, and it's not very realistic either. The dialogue is poor and the film rushes headlong into its first major plot point - a wedding - all too quickly and unrealistically. The film does deliver a twist around the start of the final third, and it does serve in making things more interesting...although it's a rather strange twist that comes in almost from nowhere and pretty much undermines the main plot of the film. This is made worse by the fact that the ending doesn't give any credibility to the main plot, and it's all just kind of brushed away, almost like the filmmakers got bored and just wanted to end things early. Overall, this is just an average Giallo and I wouldn't recommend anyone goes out of their way to see it.
Carroll Baker plus Big Mansion equals The Usual
Bezenby18 September 2017
Rich type Arthur Anderson returns home to find that his third wife has drowned in his swimming pool and of course is immediately arrested due to the fact that his previous two wives have also met premature ends. *Reference to Michael Barrymore removed following legal advice*. The local police inspector is certain that Arthur has been bumping off his wives for money, but is it true?
One court case later and Arthur is a free man once again, which annoys the inspector so much that he takes to following him around everywhere, even bringing along his nagging wife while doing so! Worse still, Arthur is awoken one night to find someone swimming in his pool – Carroll Baker. Carroll seems to be very interested in Arthur and starts putting the moves on him almost right away, but is this love or is Carroll up to something?
It seems that Arthur himself is rather suspicious and is continually fighting the voice in his head that's telling him she's up to something and the voice in his trousers that's telling him to get on with it and get her into bed. For most of the duration of the plot Arthur keeps catching Carroll in places she shouldn't be (like the attic, about ten seconds after he told her not to go up there), plus he's still go that Welsh police inspector following him to make sure Carroll doesn't end up like the other Mrs Andersons
For the first hour this film drags along, as it's one of those old school Gialli where people are up to something but we don't quite know why, what, where, or who. It's not too boring as Carroll Baker is always entertaining but the whole genre had moved on from this kind of stuff. However, director Eugenio Martin (who would shortly give us the awesome Horror Express) seems to realise this and takes the plot in a more welcome absurd direction for the remainder of the film. I won't spoil it here, but it gives the plot a bit more tension, even if it doesn't make much sense.
It probably shouldn't be too high on your list of must-see gialli, however.
One court case later and Arthur is a free man once again, which annoys the inspector so much that he takes to following him around everywhere, even bringing along his nagging wife while doing so! Worse still, Arthur is awoken one night to find someone swimming in his pool – Carroll Baker. Carroll seems to be very interested in Arthur and starts putting the moves on him almost right away, but is this love or is Carroll up to something?
It seems that Arthur himself is rather suspicious and is continually fighting the voice in his head that's telling him she's up to something and the voice in his trousers that's telling him to get on with it and get her into bed. For most of the duration of the plot Arthur keeps catching Carroll in places she shouldn't be (like the attic, about ten seconds after he told her not to go up there), plus he's still go that Welsh police inspector following him to make sure Carroll doesn't end up like the other Mrs Andersons
For the first hour this film drags along, as it's one of those old school Gialli where people are up to something but we don't quite know why, what, where, or who. It's not too boring as Carroll Baker is always entertaining but the whole genre had moved on from this kind of stuff. However, director Eugenio Martin (who would shortly give us the awesome Horror Express) seems to realise this and takes the plot in a more welcome absurd direction for the remainder of the film. I won't spoil it here, but it gives the plot a bit more tension, even if it doesn't make much sense.
It probably shouldn't be too high on your list of must-see gialli, however.
DID HE OR DIDN'T HE?
kirbylee70-599-52617923 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Director Eugenio Martin is most known for the creature film HORROR EXPRESS, a movie that's found its way to so many different packages of horror collections with it falling into public domain that the odds of not having seen it are slim. Thankfully a beautiful edition of it was released this year by Arrow. With 31 films to his credit as a director through 1996, Martin worked in numerous genres. With THE FOURTH VICTIM he dipped his toe into the giallo genre. The results are mixed.
Playboy Arthur Anderson (Michael Craig) discovers the body of his wife floating face down in their pool. This would be tragic for most but in the case of Anderson this is the third wife he's had that met and unfortunate end. Each one also had a generous insurance policy leaving everything to Anderson. The fact that his longtime maid seems a bit suspicious doesn't help things. All of this leads to Inspector Dunphy (José Luis López Vázquez) taking an interest in the case.
Seemingly unaffected by his wife's death, Anderson is surprised one night to hear someone swimming in the same pool his wife drowned in. He goes to investigate and finds a woman in the pool swimming. She leaves the water and apologizes saying that it was so hot that night she couldn't resist. She introduced herself as Julie Spencer (Carroll Baker), a new next door neighbor. Anderson disbelieves her immediately thinking she's a plant placed there by the police to keep an eye on him.
As the viewer we are given information Anderson doesn't have when we witness Julie return to her home. She phones someone and tells them she's finally met Anderson. We also notices that while she may be renting the house her accommodations are a bit Spartan since she's inside a tent inside the house.
Anderson eventually allows his guard to fall down and he becomes enamored with Julie as she does with him. They marry and are soon living in his home. But things are still a bit strange. And when her car is found parked near the nearby seaside cliffs, the suspicions of the police are roused once again.
The movie has enough twists and turns to make it a genuine giallo picture, black gloves and all, but it never seemed to have any popularity both when released and on home video. With the rare exception of bootlegs it never found a release in the US. Severin has corrected that with their release of the film. Thank goodness.
It might not be the most perfect example of the genre and things at times seem rushed, as in the marriage, but the movie does keep you guessing. Is Anderson a black widow marrying women with huge insurance policies in order the kill them? Or is there someone else out there making it appear so? And who is the stranger person on the phone that Julie talks to? All are answered by the end of the film.
Baker was set to be a huge star in Hollywood but by the time this film was produced she was in less demand. That led to her starring in a number of foreign films where she remained popular. She does and admirable job here in this lead role. Craig also does a fine job helping to present the character of Anderson as potentially killer and victim at the same time.
Severin has done a wonderful job here with the film first by offering a 2k scan of the film negative presenting a pristine version of the film. The extras are limited but include "Eugenio Martin, Auteur" an interview with Eugenio Martin biographer Carlos Aguilar, a deleted scene and the trailer for the film.
If you enjoy giallo films, foreign films or mysteries then you'll want to check this one out. While many have offered negative reviews for the film I found it entertaining from start to finish.
Playboy Arthur Anderson (Michael Craig) discovers the body of his wife floating face down in their pool. This would be tragic for most but in the case of Anderson this is the third wife he's had that met and unfortunate end. Each one also had a generous insurance policy leaving everything to Anderson. The fact that his longtime maid seems a bit suspicious doesn't help things. All of this leads to Inspector Dunphy (José Luis López Vázquez) taking an interest in the case.
Seemingly unaffected by his wife's death, Anderson is surprised one night to hear someone swimming in the same pool his wife drowned in. He goes to investigate and finds a woman in the pool swimming. She leaves the water and apologizes saying that it was so hot that night she couldn't resist. She introduced herself as Julie Spencer (Carroll Baker), a new next door neighbor. Anderson disbelieves her immediately thinking she's a plant placed there by the police to keep an eye on him.
As the viewer we are given information Anderson doesn't have when we witness Julie return to her home. She phones someone and tells them she's finally met Anderson. We also notices that while she may be renting the house her accommodations are a bit Spartan since she's inside a tent inside the house.
Anderson eventually allows his guard to fall down and he becomes enamored with Julie as she does with him. They marry and are soon living in his home. But things are still a bit strange. And when her car is found parked near the nearby seaside cliffs, the suspicions of the police are roused once again.
The movie has enough twists and turns to make it a genuine giallo picture, black gloves and all, but it never seemed to have any popularity both when released and on home video. With the rare exception of bootlegs it never found a release in the US. Severin has corrected that with their release of the film. Thank goodness.
It might not be the most perfect example of the genre and things at times seem rushed, as in the marriage, but the movie does keep you guessing. Is Anderson a black widow marrying women with huge insurance policies in order the kill them? Or is there someone else out there making it appear so? And who is the stranger person on the phone that Julie talks to? All are answered by the end of the film.
Baker was set to be a huge star in Hollywood but by the time this film was produced she was in less demand. That led to her starring in a number of foreign films where she remained popular. She does and admirable job here in this lead role. Craig also does a fine job helping to present the character of Anderson as potentially killer and victim at the same time.
Severin has done a wonderful job here with the film first by offering a 2k scan of the film negative presenting a pristine version of the film. The extras are limited but include "Eugenio Martin, Auteur" an interview with Eugenio Martin biographer Carlos Aguilar, a deleted scene and the trailer for the film.
If you enjoy giallo films, foreign films or mysteries then you'll want to check this one out. While many have offered negative reviews for the film I found it entertaining from start to finish.
So what did I just watch ?
myriamlenys13 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
"The fourth victim" pretty much left me speechless : not because it was good, but because it had the effect of, say, a drunken joy ride through a field full of crumbling haystacks. The movie started out as a promising mystery thriller with some comedic or satirical elements, before wandering off in ten directions at once. Storylines petered out while others appeared out of nowhere. After a while nothing made sense any longer, except - perhaps - in a "dream logic" fashion. The ending fit the intrigue like a police helmet fits a rabbit.
There's also another major problem. The male protagonist of "The fourth victim" is a rich, suave and sophisticated man who may, or may not, have killed off several of his spouses. Sadly enough the actor playing the part looks and sounds deeply, remarkably dull. You constantly expect him to lecture the other characters on the nature of pyroclastic breccia.
Still, the movie will be of interest to those viewers who like to watch a classic mystery thriller go off the rails, bigly. And to be fair there are a great number of beautiful or intriguing locations to admire.
There's also another major problem. The male protagonist of "The fourth victim" is a rich, suave and sophisticated man who may, or may not, have killed off several of his spouses. Sadly enough the actor playing the part looks and sounds deeply, remarkably dull. You constantly expect him to lecture the other characters on the nature of pyroclastic breccia.
Still, the movie will be of interest to those viewers who like to watch a classic mystery thriller go off the rails, bigly. And to be fair there are a great number of beautiful or intriguing locations to admire.
Enjoyable Thriller
lornastone14 September 2021
A wealthy man keeps finding his wives dead under mysterious circumstances and, after standing trial and getting off, a mysterious woman enters his life and strange things start to happen.
For a giallo, The Fourth Victim is low on violence and sleaze, but the performances are better than average and the script won't make you cringe as much as many similar films. There are enough twists and turns to keep you interested without having to slice up bodies every 10 minutes. Some of the twists are silly, but silliness is to be expected with this sort of Italian thriller.
For a giallo, The Fourth Victim is low on violence and sleaze, but the performances are better than average and the script won't make you cringe as much as many similar films. There are enough twists and turns to keep you interested without having to slice up bodies every 10 minutes. Some of the twists are silly, but silliness is to be expected with this sort of Italian thriller.
"Sometimes you have to go to terrible places to find out the truth"
hwg1957-102-26570428 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Arthur Anderson loses his third wife under dubious circumstances (like his previous two) but a jury clears him of murder. Into his life comes the mysterious Julie Spencer and they get married. Is he a murderer and will she become his fourth victim? The movie is rather pedestrian and the last part although livelier doesn't make much sense. It looks attractive in 'Technicolor' and 'Techniscope' and the prolific Piero Umiliani provides a suitable music score as usual. On the acting side Carroll Baker is eminently watchable. In the dubbed version I watched the Scotland Yard detective has a hilarious Welsh accent which rather marred his character. It's a Spanish/Italian giallo set in England that needed more excitement.
Flawed Plot But Otherwise Great
seanmoliver641 August 2023
The plot becomes too convoluted during the second half, but the first 30 minutes or so forms an excellent mystery focused on Mr. Anderson's unlucky marriages to 3 women all of whom died in 'accidents' within a year after their weddings.
One of the writers was Santiago Moncada, who wrote stories and scripts for some 60 Spanish/Italian productions including the excellent neo/post/whatever noir thriller 'Corruption of Chris Miller' from about the same time as 'Fourth Victim'.
The mood is set by one of the best opening sequences I've seen in a giallo-esque picture, accompanied by Piero Umiliani's languid, dreamy theme featuring those theremin-like female vocals common to Italian 70's thrillers, ooohhh-ing over a dreamy gentle but melancholy descending melody.
We see a handsome middle aged man looking through a large window on a sunny day at a beautiful blonde woman floating alone in the backyard pool, reclining on a clear plastic inflatable chair. She looks very relaxed, slumped to one side, maybe asleep under her sunglasses, a drained cocktail glass at poolside. The dreamy sad music continues.
Then we see that the cigarette in her limp hand has burned all the way down to her fingers, but she doesn't react to the burning ashes at all. Something is wrong with her.
The sad music sound fearful and menacing as it hits an ominous chord.
The burning cig has begun to melt the arm of the plastic chair, and it gradually sinks as the inert comatose woman slowly rolls over into the water and lies floating face down. The man watching her runs down some stairs through a big mansion and out to the pool, where the woman is obviously dead....
The movie should've continued with the 'dead wives' mystery, but it goes off on a silly tangent. Nevertheless, it has a unique flavor different from most giallos, which makes it recommended.
One of the writers was Santiago Moncada, who wrote stories and scripts for some 60 Spanish/Italian productions including the excellent neo/post/whatever noir thriller 'Corruption of Chris Miller' from about the same time as 'Fourth Victim'.
The mood is set by one of the best opening sequences I've seen in a giallo-esque picture, accompanied by Piero Umiliani's languid, dreamy theme featuring those theremin-like female vocals common to Italian 70's thrillers, ooohhh-ing over a dreamy gentle but melancholy descending melody.
We see a handsome middle aged man looking through a large window on a sunny day at a beautiful blonde woman floating alone in the backyard pool, reclining on a clear plastic inflatable chair. She looks very relaxed, slumped to one side, maybe asleep under her sunglasses, a drained cocktail glass at poolside. The dreamy sad music continues.
Then we see that the cigarette in her limp hand has burned all the way down to her fingers, but she doesn't react to the burning ashes at all. Something is wrong with her.
The sad music sound fearful and menacing as it hits an ominous chord.
The burning cig has begun to melt the arm of the plastic chair, and it gradually sinks as the inert comatose woman slowly rolls over into the water and lies floating face down. The man watching her runs down some stairs through a big mansion and out to the pool, where the woman is obviously dead....
The movie should've continued with the 'dead wives' mystery, but it goes off on a silly tangent. Nevertheless, it has a unique flavor different from most giallos, which makes it recommended.
Twisty British Mystery with Caroll Baker
thalassafischer25 May 2023
This international thriller with influences from America, England, Italy and Spain is sometimes called a giallo but I would say it's just a murder mystery thriller from the 70s. There's no serial killer sneaking around with black gloves, nudity is non-existent, gore is similarly off the table, and for the majority of the film it plays out like a British soap opera with a continental sense of style. Giallo-like twists do occur near the end.
I think this is one of the more coherent and easily watchable films from the era, even for people who are not completists nor super fans of gialli. The atmosphere isn't terribly creepy nor is it especially fashionable but it is rather lovely and has the requisite big houses with gold curtains.
I think this is one of the more coherent and easily watchable films from the era, even for people who are not completists nor super fans of gialli. The atmosphere isn't terribly creepy nor is it especially fashionable but it is rather lovely and has the requisite big houses with gold curtains.
A Marriage on the Rocks
Uriah4316 September 2019
This film begins with a wealthy British man by the name of "Arthur Anderson" (Michael Craig) driving to his house and discovering his wife face down in the swimming pool. So after taking the body upstairs to the bedroom he and his maid "Felicity Downing" (Miranda Campa) dry off the body, change her clothes and then call the police. A couple of days later, Arthur is charged with murder due primarily to the fact that this was the third wife he has had in three years and all of them had died leaving him as the beneficiary of their insurance policies. However, with only the fact that drugs had been found in her system and no proof as to whether he had anything to do with it, he is subsequently acquitted. Not long afterward he hears a noise in his yard and upon going to check it out sees a stunning blonde woman by the name of "Julie Spencer" (Carrol Baker) swimming in the same pool his wife had drown in not too long before. After a brief conversation she leaves but soon after that they begin to spend more time together which eventually leads to marriage. Unfortunately, there is much more to Julie than meets the eye and soon the two of them become deathly suspicious of one another. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film starts off exceedingly slow and maintains that pace for quite a while afterward. Fortunately, the mystery and intrigue pick up about two-thirds of the way through and partially redeems what otherwise could have been a rather boring movie. All things considered then, while this wasn't a great mystery-thriller by any means, I suppose it was okay for a rainy day and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.
A stylish blast!
BandSAboutMovies18 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I absolutely loved this movie. Seriously, what a madcap blast this was and it totally took me unawares. Arthur Anderson (Michael Craig) a wealthy Englishman with two previous wives who've also died suddenly and mysteriously, his third wife drowns. Luckily, his housekeeper's testimony keeps him free anc lear, even if the police continue to watch him.
The very night he is acquitted, Julie (Carroll Baker) breaks into his house, which is a giallo meet cute, and she becomes his fourth wife. But is she on the up and up? Is he? Why are the wives of Arthur Anderson dying in such frequency?
This movie steals just enough from Rebecca and Vertigo without being slavish to those films. I also absolutely adore that when we first meet Julie, she's sleeping inside a tent in an abandoned mansion, because that's totally normal. And is that Marina Malfatti (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, All the Colors of the Dark) skulking in the background, wearing a cape as a casual during the rainy evening ensemble I spy?
Spanish giallo has been a great rabbit hole to go down and I've also been enjoying slowly watching the resume of Eugenio Martín, who is best known for Horror Express, as well as It Happened at Nightmare Inn. And come on - Carroll Baker starring giallo is nearly a genre in and out of itself.
And while there's no real hero here, I still enjoyed every minute.
Also known as Death at the Deep End of the Swimming Pool and The Fourth Mrs. Anderson, this has just been re-released by Severin, who include a trailer, a deleted scene and an interview with Eugenio Martín biographer Carlos Aguilar in their always stellar package.
The very night he is acquitted, Julie (Carroll Baker) breaks into his house, which is a giallo meet cute, and she becomes his fourth wife. But is she on the up and up? Is he? Why are the wives of Arthur Anderson dying in such frequency?
This movie steals just enough from Rebecca and Vertigo without being slavish to those films. I also absolutely adore that when we first meet Julie, she's sleeping inside a tent in an abandoned mansion, because that's totally normal. And is that Marina Malfatti (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, All the Colors of the Dark) skulking in the background, wearing a cape as a casual during the rainy evening ensemble I spy?
Spanish giallo has been a great rabbit hole to go down and I've also been enjoying slowly watching the resume of Eugenio Martín, who is best known for Horror Express, as well as It Happened at Nightmare Inn. And come on - Carroll Baker starring giallo is nearly a genre in and out of itself.
And while there's no real hero here, I still enjoyed every minute.
Also known as Death at the Deep End of the Swimming Pool and The Fourth Mrs. Anderson, this has just been re-released by Severin, who include a trailer, a deleted scene and an interview with Eugenio Martín biographer Carlos Aguilar in their always stellar package.
Not All Questions Deserve An Answer
boblipton1 January 2024
Michael Craig and his staff find his third wife, apparently drowned in the pool. That's how the death certificate reads, but the insurance company gets an exhumation; it's the third wife in three years and they've had policies on all three. He goes up for trial on murder, because the coroner found large amounts of sleeping pills in her system. But is found not guilty, largely on the testimony of his housekeeper, Miranda Camping, who testifies that she had taken a similar dose from the woman the evening before. She admits to Craig this was a lie.
One night, he finds Caroll Baker swimming in his pool. Within a couple of months they're married, and she presents him with an insurance policy on her life. But whom does she phone at odd hours, reporting on Craig? Who is she really.
The dubbed version of Eugenio Martín's movie has some odd choices in the English-language performance, but it's a fascinating movie that takes unexpected turns, but still leaves the central mysteries unexplained. Normally I would find that annoying. Here, they add a piquancy and suspense about what happens after the story ends.
One night, he finds Caroll Baker swimming in his pool. Within a couple of months they're married, and she presents him with an insurance policy on her life. But whom does she phone at odd hours, reporting on Craig? Who is she really.
The dubbed version of Eugenio Martín's movie has some odd choices in the English-language performance, but it's a fascinating movie that takes unexpected turns, but still leaves the central mysteries unexplained. Normally I would find that annoying. Here, they add a piquancy and suspense about what happens after the story ends.
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