Passi di morte perduti nel buio (1977)

An Italian reporter is travelling on the Instabul-Athens train. A woman is murdered with the reporter's letter-opener so that makes him the main suspect. With the help of his Swedish ... See full summary »

Director:

Maurizio Pradeaux

Writers:

Arpad DeRiso, Maurizio Pradeaux

Stars:

Leonard Mann, Robert Webber, Vera Krouska

Cast

Credited cast:
Leonard Mann	...	Luciano Morelli
Robert Webber	...	Inspector
Vera Krouska	...	Ingrid Stelmosson (as Vera Kruska)
Antonio Maimone	...	Omar Effendi (as Nino Maimone)
Barbara Seidel
Imelde Marani
Albertina Capuani
Nazzareno Macri
Luigi Romano
Bartolillo Palma
Susy Jennings	...	Ulla
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anthi Andreopoulou	...	The fist victim
Marie Liz Eugene	...	Ulla

Storyline

An Italian reporter is travelling on the Instabul-Athens train. A woman is murdered with the reporter's letter-opener so that makes him the main suspect. With the help of his Swedish girlfriend he starts investigating in order to prove his innocence.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | train | black gloved killer | psychopathic killer | mysterious killer | 

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Genres:

Horror | Romance | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Italy Greece

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

17 February 1977 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Death Steps in the Dark

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimitri Dimitriadis Film, R.C.R. Cinematografica, Salaria Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Webber's voice was dubbed by another actor for the English language version.

User Reviews

DEATH STEPS IN THE DARK (Maurizio Pradeaux, 1977) ***

This is another little-known but well-above-average giallo, in its case a latter-day entry; again, we have here an American actor – Robert Webber as an Inspector having to contend not just with a series of murders but a constantly upset stomach! – sparring with the protagonist, Leonard Mann (Italian despite the English-sounding name). Atypically, the film intercuts the genre's trademark intensity with a good deal of humor (including the hero fleeing detection in drag!); while it may feel uneasy at the start, the mix soon becomes acceptable and, in fact, proves considerably entertaining. In this respect, Mann's dumb girlfriend proves a bit much – having said that, there is one other kooky female character, a young safecracker who aids them in unmasking the villain of the piece! As usual, the film concludes with a rushed, muddled and rather banal explanation of the killer's motives (incidentally, the original murder cleverly occurs in a train compartment just as the vehicle enters a tunnel!) – which, however, is atoned for by one last delightful joke involving the inexperienced petty criminal. Like I said, its light mood notwithstanding, DEATH STEPS IN THE DARK (nicely shot in Greece, by the way) certainly does not hold back on blood-letting – since this had become pretty much the norm following Dario Argento's vicious face-lifting of the genre with DEEP RED (1975); still, there is one additional incongruous (and, in hindsight, unnecessary) element in the few – albeit surprisingly explicit – sex scenes (notably a lesbian coupling seen in extreme close-up!)...