SCREAM 7

Ghostface on the loose!

SCREAM 7 (2026). Co-written and directed by Kevin Williamson. 

Sidney (Neve Campbell) has relocated to the new town of Pine Grove with her sheriff husband Mark (Joel McHale) and teenage daughter, Tatum (Isabel May). Then Sidney begins to get video calls from Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), one of the killers in the original Scream. But hasn't Stu been dead for years? When the killings start again with a new Ghostface on the loose, Sidney and old pal Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox) team up to investigate if Stu is somehow still alive or if someone else is hiding behind AI-generated deep fakes. 

Victims: Tatum (right) and her pals

Scream 7 is a fast-paced, often thrilling, and quite suspenseful slasher flick with generally good performances. The best sequences are the prologue with a young couple running into trouble in a house that commemorates the murders back in Hillsboro, and a sequence in which a poor victim in a bar is sort of turned into a beer spigot. Usually the Scream movies are comparatively restrained and tasteful, but a gross and sadistic sequence in a theater features a graphic disembowelment that might be more at home in one of those Terrifier movies. The motive for the gruesome murders, as many others have noted, is so lame as to be laughable, but fortunately it doesn't ruin the movie. Although the Scream flicks were originally black comedies with as many jokes as screams, this installment -- aside from the dumb finale -- is basically played more or less straight. As usual the film glosses over the utter misery faced by the loved ones of the victims left in the wake of the maniac. Campbell and Cox also appeared in 2022's Scream. Mason Gooding, one of Gail Weathers' team, was also in the slasher flick Heart Eyes. 

Verdict: Still fun despite its flaws. ***. 

THE KILLING HOUR

Norman Parker and Perry King

THE KILLING HOUR (aka The Clairvoyant/1982). Director: Armand Mastroianni. 

The corpse of a handcuffed prostitute is found in the Hudson river, and then a series of men, also handcuffed, are murdered in various ways. Detective Larry Weeks (Norman Parker) and his causal friend, TV journalist Paul "Mac" McCormack (Perry King), both try to unveil the killer using different methods. Each man gets involved professionally and romantically with an artist and psychic named Verna (Elizabeth Kemp), who has visions of the murders which she transposes into artwork. But once the killer finds out about this ability, will she become a target?

Elizabeth Kemp with Perry King

Although The Killing Hour can be slow-paced, it does have an interesting storyline and works up some suspense towards the end. One could argue, however, that the revelation of the killer's identity makes this person's actions a little inexplicable. Parker and King both give very good performances -- the detective is also an aspiring stand-up comic and there are scenes at New York's Comic Strip nightclub  (which is still open today). Kemp and other cast members, including Kenneth McMillan as a grumpy chief detective, give okay performances. The murder sequences are bloodless and tasteful (almost too much so), and one especially diabolical trap has a man handcuffed by the ankle to a ladder in a swimming pool, causing him to drown. 

Verdict: Passable suspense thriller with some good performances. **3/4.  

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025)

The cast of I Know

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025). Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. 

A group of young people are involved in a deadly car accident, cover it up, and discover that someone is stalking and killing them. When they discover that something very similar happened nearly thirty years ago, they get in touch with a survivor of the original I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) -- Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) -- for help. 

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Billy Campbell, Brandy Norwood (from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) Sarah Michelle Gellar (of The Grudge) and Freddie Prinze Jr. also appear in the film, the last two reprising their roles from the original. This combination of sequel and remake is entertaining, the action sequences well-done, although I have to say I simply did not believe the ending, the revelation of the killer's identity, for a minute. Still, as slasher films go, I Know What You Did Last Summer is fun enough, and while it's bloody, it isn't bloody disgusting.

Verdict: If you like slashers and don't worry too much about motives. ***. 

THE BLACK PHONE / BLACK PHONE 2

The Grabber (Ethan Hawke)

THE BLACK PHONE (2021). Director: Scott Derrickson.

BLACK PHONE 2 (2025). Director: Derrickson.

In a small town in the 70's a series of high school boys have been abducted by an unknown creep known as the "Grabber" (Ethan Hawke). The latest victim is 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames). Finney finds himself in a  locked sound-proofed basement where the Grabber -- wearing a hideous mask (modeled, I suspect, on Batman's Joker) -- visits him from time to time. Things turn especially strange when a disconnected phone in the basement begins to ring -- and Finney finds himself talking to the ghosts of the previous victims. Can one of these dead boys tell him how to escape, and will it be in time? In the meantime Finney's psychic and potty-mouthed sister, (Madeleine McGraw), tries to find him.

Mason Thames and Ethan Hawke

I had mixed emotions while watching The Black Phone. I admit I'm not overly fond of stories in which children are in danger and are physically or psychologically tortured. At least Phone is not overly graphic and can not be considered "torture porn." If the Grabber has a sexual interest in the boys it is not explored, although one imagines he does. The storyline borders on the pretentious at times and actually gets a little silly. But after awhile the efforts of Finney to escape and of the police, Gwen and others to find him, become compelling. Thames and Hawke give excellent performances, and there are also notable supporting performances from the victims and others. 

Verdict: A bit overlong but creepy. **3/4. 

BLACK PHONE 2 shows us Finn and Gwen four years later, where they decide to try to get jobs as counselors at a Christian winter camp where their late mother had worked. Snowbound, they come across another phone that is disconnected but somehow rings, and both brother and sister have conversations with people from the afterlife, including their mother and the Grabber. Seems the maniac killed three young boys but their bodies have never been found, and until they are, for some reason, the Grabber will have power in the real world -- he does his best to kill the teens and others. Black Phone 2 is a mostly unoriginal combination of a grainy found footage movie, the Blair Witch, and especially the Nightmare on Elm Street films with its surfeit of dream sequences. The Grabber is revealed to have been "Wild Bill," a maintenance worker at the camp. The acting is generally good -- Miguel Mora gets major points for his versatility by playing both the shy Ernesto in this film and his brash, rough brother Robin in the first movie -- but the picture is too tricky for its own good. There are some well-handled and moderately exciting sequences, but after awhile I just wanted the damn thing to be over. There's more gore in this film than in the first but nothing over the top. Way too long! 

Verdict: Where's Freddy Krueger when you need him? **. 

THE MAD EXECUTIONERS

The sinister court convenes

THE MAD EXECUTIONERS (aka Der Henker von London/1963). Director: Edwin Zbonek. Colorized.

In London a secret court convenes periodically, kidnaps people who have gotten away with assorted crimes, and pronounces a sentence of death -- with hanging corpses discovered in the morning. The same rope is used each time and continues to disappear from police HQ no matter what precautions are taken! Inspector John Hillier (Hansjorg Felmy) is determined to uncover the identity of the leader of this court. He is equally desperate to find out who murdered his sister, one of the victims of a sex maniac targeting young women who rapes and beheads them. One of the suspects in the former case is a retired judge, Sir Francis Elliott (Rudolf Forster), which is awkward as he is the father of Hillier's girlfriend, Ann (Maria Perschy of The Castle of Fu Manchu). Ann sets out to find the killer of Hillier's sister, and runs into a man named Dr. Ferguson (Dieter Borsche) ...

Felmy and Wolfgang Preiss

The Mad Executioners is based on the story "White Carpet" by Bryan Edgar Wallace, the son of Edgar Wallace, who clearly followed in his father's footsteps. The movie has a lot of rich atmosphere, although at times it becomes confusing, especially as it pertains to Ann's father. When the head of the tribunal is unmasked, we remember this same character watching the court from a distance (there may well be an explanation for his anomaly, but the audience never learns it). Wolfgang Preiss [Die Slowly, You'll Enjoy It More] plays another inspector and Felmy's boss. Chris Howland plays reporter Tom Jenkins, who is a master of disguise and lends a hand to the inspector. (It is a mercy that Eddi Arent wasn't given this role!)

Verdict: Two puzzles for the price of one. ***. 

THE PSYCHOPATH

THE PSYCHOPATH (1966). Director: Freddie Francis.

Despite its title and the fact that it was written by Robert Bloch (who wrote the novel Hitchcock's Psycho was based upon), The Psychopath is not quite a psycho-shocker with an emphasis on gruesome deaths (although there are some of those, of course, but they're not too graphic). Rather it's a comparatively tasteful mystery about a series of murders of men who may have wrongly accused a German man of being a war criminal. The man's widow, Mrs. Von Sturm (Margaret Johnston) and son Mark (John Standing) are suspects, but there are other possibilities as well. The killer leaves dolls that resemble the victims at the scene of each murder. The mystery deepens when people who have no connection to the Von Sturm's start being targeted. Absorbing, well-acted thriller (Johnston is particularly good if slightly hammy at times) is no Psycho but it has its moments (including some awkward, stilted ones). There's a good climactic fight in a shipyard (with classical music in the background) and an effective credit sequence with evocative music by Elisabeth Lutyens. Patrick Wymark is the inspector on the case; he's bland but more than competent. The epilogue when the killer is finally revealed is nicely chilling and disturbing. 

Verdict: This is suspenseful stuff in a minor key. ***. 

PHENOMENA / CREEPERS

PHENOMENA (aka Creepers/1985). Director: Dario Argento. 

At the Richard Wagner International School for Girls in Switzerland, Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly), a new student with a sleepwalking problem, develops a strange affinity for insects. This comes in handy in tracking down an unknown maniac who is murdering several of the students. Donald Pleasence plays the entomologist, McGregor, and Daria Nicolodi is Frau Bruckner, who is keeping a deadly secret. Heroine Connelly is too inexperienced to convincingly carry the film, but considering the things she's called upon to do one has to say that she earns her pay and then some. Pleasence, Nicolodi, and a lovable chimp are much better. This is a somewhat zany but likable picture with a few memorably gruesome sequences. 

Verdict: A fascinating Gothic nightmare. ***. 

THE FAN (1981)

Michael Biehn and Lauren Bacall

THE FAN (1981). Director: Ed Bianchi.

Sally Ross (Lauren Bacall) is a former movie star turned theater actress who is just about to star in her first Broadway musical. She is still regretting her divorce from her ex-husband, Jake (James Garner), whom she still loves, and is shielded from annoying people and fans by her loyal secretary Emma (Maureen Stapleton). Her biggest problem, however, quickly becomes Douglas Breen (Michael Biehn), a deluded, mentally-disturbed fan boy who hopes to turn the middle-aged actress into his lover. Maybe if she had the chance to actually see him before he began slicing up her acquaintances with a straight-razor, but after that ...? Douglas takes violent exception to anyone who comes between him and his aging movie star crush, including Emma, Sally's dates, and other unfortunates. 

Old unmarried couple: Bacall; Garner

The Fan is somewhere between a psychological thriller and a slasher film, and apparently Bacall was not pleased that the original script became more violent in the style of the time. Basically playing herself, she's fine in the movie, and James Garner blandly saunters through without raising a sweat. Stapleton, Hector Elizondo and a few others are a bit more memorable, and Biehn, in his first major role, walks off with the movie. (This did him little good at the time as The Fan was a box office bomb.) Pino Donaggio's score helps a little in creating some excitement, but while the film's plot holds your attention, the direction lacks real style and energy. The song "Hearts and Diamonds," sung by Sally on opening night, won a  Razzie award but it may have had more to do with Bacall's horrible croaking of the tune than with the song itself. 

Verdict: A slasher film of sorts with more interesting elements than usual but ultimately not that memorable. **1/2. 

NIGHTMARES (1980)

Jenny Neumann and Gary Sweet

NIGHTMARES (aka Stage Fright/1980). Director: John D. Lamond. 

Helen Selleck (Jenny Neumann) has wrongly felt responsible for her mother's death in a car crash years ago when she was a child. She gets a part in a stage production of an avant garde comedy and it isn't long before people connected to the production are being sliced and diced by an unseen assailant wielding broken pieces of glass. Potential victims and suspects include soap opera actor and new boyfriend Terry (Gary Sweet), the bitchy director George (Max Phipps), the even bitchier critic Bennett Collingswood (John-Michael Howson), stage manager Angela (Briony Behets), ever-horny Bruce (Edmund Pegge), actress Judy (Nina Landis of Four of a Kind), and others. As opening night arrives, the body count grows ever higher ... 

Who's the bitchier? Max Phipps and John-Michael Howson

Nightmares is an oddball Australian slasher film that has some decent acting, lots of nudity and boobs, several bloody (if not too graphic) murder sequences, and a strange plot. Throughout the film there is a steady attempt to conceal the identity of the killer even while making it pretty clear who it is in all other ways. Therefore the suspense is minimized and there is absolutely no final twist. Brian May's music score tries very hard to drum up excitement in key moments, but ultimately the picture is somewhat slapdash and generally uninventive, although there are attempts to make it more cinematic. The critic Collingswood is called an "old queen" more than once, grabs Helen's breast at one point, and later on comes on to Bruce, who seems to briefly contemplate putting out for a good review. 

Verdict: Mediocre Aussie horror film with some zesty moments. **1/4. 

PSYCHO MOTHER-IN-LAW

Romy Rosemont as the psycho mother-in-law

PSYCHO MOTHER-IN-LAW (aka Mad Mom/2019 telefilm). Director: Jean-Francois Rivard. 

Sharon Vickers (Romy Rosemont) works as a nurse for hospice care and thinks nothing of helping her patients along on their journey to the other side. When her daughter, Amber (Victoria Diamond), gets engaged to Luke (Matthew Raudsepp), Sharon travels from Cleveland to Boston to meet Luke and his mother, Jill (Kari Matchett), staying in Jill's stylish and beautiful home. Sharon doesn't mind that the engagement party will take place at Jill's, but is distressed to learn that so will the wedding ceremony and reception, and that Jill has talked Amber out of wearing her mother's old-fashioned wedding dress. Fearing that she is being pushed out of the plans as well as her daughter's life, the paranoid sociopath embarks on a campaign to correct these perceived injustices. Before it all comes to a boil, things will definitely get out of hand ... 

Diamond, Raudsepp, Matchett

Psycho Mother-in-Law is essentially a fun, easy to take, Lifetime movie that is all too reminiscent of similar pictures. The two lead actors are more than competent, but let's face it, this kind of movie really cooks if you've got two very strong presences in the film, but obviously Bette Davis and Joan Crawford weren't available. The other cast members are all okay, with Salvatore Antonio making the best impression as Jill's gallery partner, Evan. When Sharon nurses Jill after an "accident," Jill seems to take forever to finally ask the unpleasant woman to leave, and while this may not be a slasher film, it's ridiculous that a sequence in which someone gets their throat cut displays virtually no blood. The musical score gives the film the energy that the direction lacks, but the closing theme is a little too Psycho-like to suit me. 

Verdict: At least the ending is neat! **1/2. 

BLUEBEARD'S TEN HONEYMOONS

BLUEBEARD'S TEN HONEYMOONS (1960). Director: W. Lee Wilder.

"One round trip. The other one way." -- Landru to ticket agent while taking victims to his cottage. 

Loosely based on the murderous career of Henri Landru (also the basis for Chaplins' Monsieur Verdoux) -- although it follows the basic facts accurately enough (eliminating Landru's wife and children) -- this stars the estimable George Sanders as a man who woos wealthy widows and then murders them (he never does get around to marrying them, however). In real life, Landru's motivation was essentially profit, but in this film he needs money so he can shower his trampy girlfriend Odette (a zesty Corinne Calvet) with gifts. Although in the true story most of Landru's victims were elderly, in  this movie the shame is that they are very attractive and warm middle-aged women who would have made Landru a much better and more loving mate than Odette. As in real life, the sister of one of the victims helps the police track Landru down. Sanders is terrific as Landru, backed by a highly able supporting cast, including George Coulouris [Womaneater] as a furniture dealer. Fast-paced, darkly amusing, and memorable. Wilder also directed Killers from Space and Manfish, but this is vastly superior to both.

Verdict: Whatever its flaws, the picture  -- and Sanders -- are damned entertaining. ***.

TERROR TRAIN (2022)

Matias Lucas and Robyn Alomar

TERROR TRAIN (2022). Director: Philippe Gagnon.

In this Tubi Original remake of the 1980 slasher film, some medical students maneuver a nerdy guy into bed with a corpse and he winds up in a mental institution. While this doesn't seem especially believable, the film then jumps forward three years to a Halloween party on a train. At first people believe the corpses the party-goers stumble over are fake, but finally Alanna (Robyn  Alomar) realizes that her friends are being slaughtered one by one. Does this have something to do with that practical joke from years before, or is something else behind the body count? Alana eventually finds herself in a desperate struggle against the true killer. 

Robyn Alomar and Tim Rozon as the Magician

I freely admit I enjoyed Terror Train, finding it well-acted, suspenseful, and fast-paced, with several exciting scenes. While there are some gruesome sequences, the movie is never vomitous, which is probably why some gore geeks didn't care for it, but the film works perfectly well without the grisly upchuck stuff. The young cast is enthusiastic, and I was particularly impressed with Matias Lucas as the somewhat nasty or misunderstood "Doc," who is charismatic and effective in his portrayal, although everyone is pretty decent. Robyn Alomar acquits herself nicely as the "final girl," so to speak, although she isn't the only survivor. I also liked Mary Walsh as the head conductor, Carne, and Nadine Bhabha as her younger assistant, Sadie. Followed by a sequel shot back to back. 

Verdict: Fun contemporary slasher flick. ***. 

THE EMBALMER

Pitiful victims of the Embalmer

THE EMBALMER (aka Il mostro di Venezia/The Monster of Venice/1965). Director: Dino Tavella.

In Venice an unknown figure in a scuba outfit is swimming the canals and popping out to grab innocent young women who are never seen again. In a sinister underground chamber this crazy embalms the women with his special formula -- to keep them beautiful forever -- and puts them on macabre display. In addition to the police, a reporter named Andrea (Luigi Martocci) investigates the crimes, and gets involved with Maureen (Maureen Brown), a brave woman who is the leader of an all-female tour group. Other characters include her elderly friend, Catherine (Paola Vaccari) and Catherine's nephew, Nicky (Elmo Caruso), an archeology professor. When Maureen investigates a passageway to the underground from a certain person's apartment, she finds herself in serious trouble. Will Andrea be able to save her? 

The Embalmer on the prowl

The Embalmer has a good and very macabre premise (later used in the film Amsterdamned), which is the movie's main strength, along with that great on-location Venetian atmosphere that serves the story so well. Dino Tavella's direction is generally uninspired and slow, with some sequences and takes going on much too long. Another problem is the musical score, which is effective in some spots and horribly overdone and overly bombastic in others. The killer in this wears a cowl and hood and a skull-like face mask, and not only swims the canals but prowls the dank underground recesses of Venice. In this dubbed version the heroine is called "Maureen," which is actually the name of the actress. Director Tavella and stars Martocci and Brown each did only two films apiece. 

Verdict: Despite its flaws, this is rather creepy and interesting, with a downbeat ending. ***. 

TRAP

Ariel Donoghue and Josh Hartnett

TRAP (2024). Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. 

Family man Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his excited teenage daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to a concert given by her favorite singer, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan, the director's daughter). Noting the presence of an unusual number of law enforcement officials, Cooper learns that a trap has been set for a serial killer known as the Butcher, because the cops discovered that he will be attending the concert. Now the killer -- Cooper himself, as we learn early on -- has to figure out a way to get out of the concert venue without being captured. To that end he will use his own daughter -- and Lady Raven. But will the brave singer be able to save her own life, as well as that of the latest victim, which Cooper is holding captive? 

Harnett with Shaleka Shyamalan

Trap could have been a suspense masterpiece, but Shyamalan blows it. Others have noted that at times it comes off more as a showcase for Shaleka Shyamalan's singing ability than a serious thriller. The biggest problem is that while Shaleka has personality, she isn't much of an actress, and expecting someone so inexperienced to deliver in a difficult role like this is ridiculous. Hartnett, Donoghue, Alison Pill as Cooper's wife, Rachel, and even Hayley Mills, of all people, as an aged FBI profiler, are more on the money. 

Hayley Mills and Alison Pill

The shame of it is that Trap has an excellent premise and a strong story but it's done in by a flaccid  and rather frivolous directorial approach that strips the film of most of its suspense and virtually all of its tension. The lowliest slasher film has more energy. The film could also have been very moving in regards to the shocked members of Cooper's family finding out and having to deal with the unthinkable. (The ending sets up a sequel that will probably never materialize.) The illogical moments include scenes in which law enforcement seem impossibly incompetent. Shaleka's singing -- she sounds like hundreds of other singers -- is better than her acting, which isn't saying much. Her songs are acceptable, instantly forgettable pop ditties. 

Verdict: What the great Hitchcock could have done with this material! **1/4.  

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT

Gilbert Wynne and Donald Sumpter

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (1969). Director: Lindsay Shonteff. 

A Jack the Ripper-type killer is preying on prostitutes in London. Inspector Rowan (Gilbert Wynne) immediately focuses on the thuggish Pete Laver (Donald Sumpter), and is convinced he is the killer. When Rowan's wife, Jenny (Linda Marlowe of Spaceflight IC-1) becomes the latest victim, slashed in her bathtub, a furious Rowan follows Pete everywhere and threatens him. But as the murders continue new suspects come into view. Also involved in the case are Judge Lomax (Jack May), his wife, Helena (Justine Lord), and his seriously weird assistant, Carter (Terry Scully). 

Gilbert Wynne and Jack May

The excellent performance of Donald Sumpter is the main reason to watch the mediocre Night After Night After Night. To be fair, it's possible the film was less interested in creating suspense over the identity of the killer -- which is no surprise -- than it was in looking at his home life, but his psychopathology seems to come out of nowhere. The performances are generally good but Jack May is way, way over the top as hanging Judge Lomax. The ending to the film is dragged out to a ridiculous length, with everyone in the audience probably wanting someone to just shoot the guy and be done with it. As usual, Lindsay Shonteff betrays little directorial skill. 

Verdict: One of the lesser "ripper" movies despite some very good performances. **. 

THE MURDER CLINIC

Francoise Prevost and Harriet Medin

THE MURDER CLINIC (aka La lama nel corpo/1966). Directors: Elio Scardamaglia; Leonello De Felice.

In 1870 Dr. Robert Vance (William Berger of Night of the Skull) tries to run a clinic for the mentally disturbed after being acquitted of the attempted murder of his sister-in-law, Laura (Delfi Mauro). Now Vance and his wife, Lizabeth (Mary Young), preside over a motley crew of patients and staff, including the psychotic Fred (Massimo Righi), pretty nurse Mary (Barbara Wilson), studly attendant Ivan (Germano Longo), head nurse Sheena (Harriet Medin), and mute Janey (Anna Maria Polani). But who is the strange person in the cape and hood who walks back and forth, back and forth, on the third floor? Dr. Vance thinks he has enough problems when an unknown person murders one of the patients, but then he has to deal with a blackmailing murderess named Gisele (Francoise Prevost). 

Coming to terms: William Berger and Francoise Prevost

With its intriguing back story -- told in flashback -- showing the tragedy in the past of the Vances, as well as the sinister developments in the present, the thoroughly unpredictable Murder Clinic emerges as a terrific Italian terror film. The score by Francesco De Masi, which can be both creepy and intensely romantic, almost operatic, adds immeasurably to the film's impact. The huge old building that serves as the sanitarium is practically another character. Austrian actor William Berger had a great many credits while this was the only picture for Barbara Wilson; Mary Young only had two credits while Prevost amassed quite a few. 

Verdict: Lurid and delightful -- this is not a clinic you would want to be admitted to. ***. 

THE SINISTER MONK

Who is the maniacal monk?

THE SINISTER MONK (aka Der unheimliche monch/1965). Director: Harald Reinl.  

Based on a novel by the prolific Edgar Wallace, this movie has enough plot for several films. First we have a group of siblings arguing over a will. William (Dieter Eppler) and Richard (Siegfried Lowitz) want to figure out a way to stymie or dispose of niece Gwendolin (Karin Dor), who gets the lion's share of the cash, while Aunt Patricia (Ilse Steppat) is hoping to protect her, especially from her predatory son, Ronnie (Hartmut Reck). At Patricia's girls school, some of the students turn up missing. If that weren't enough, a man dressed as a monk and wielding a whip is using the lash to strangle and break the necks of assorted individuals. Who is the Mad Monk and why is he killing people?

Harald Leipnitz and Karin Dor

Although it's burdened with an oddball, overly jazzy score by Peter Thomas, The Sinister Monk is a suspenseful and entertaining flick that crosses several genres, from psycho-on-the-loose to police procedural to gang activity to siblings fussing over wills and damsels-in-distress. In addition to those mentioned, other characters include Inspector Bratt (Harald Leipnitz); Mr. Short (Rudolf Schundler), who makes masks of the students and keeps pigeons; and Smitty (Eddi Arent), who helps out at the school and falls for Gwendolin. Although the identity of the monk, withheld until nearly the last second, may not come as the greatest surprise, The Sinister Monk has enough twists and turns and action to keep you happily watching. Karin Dor, who was married to much-older director Harald Reinl at the time, later appeared in You Only Live Twice and Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz. 

Verdict: Intriguing dubbed mystery-thriller from West Germany. ***. 

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN

Suzy Kendall

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN (aka Assault/1971). Director: Sidney Hayers. 

A girl, Tessa (Lesley-Anne Down), is sexually assaulted in the woods and is so traumatized that she is unable to speak. Then another girl is not only raped but murdered. Dr. Lomax (James Laurenson) tries to get through to the mute girl without success. Detective Velyan (Frank Finlay of Lifeforce) is frustrated by the lack of clues in the case when Julie West (Suzy Kendall of Torso), the arts teacher at the nearby girls' school, gets a glimpse of the killer, but can only describe him as being "like the Devil." Nevertheless she, a reporter (Freddie Jones) and Velyan and his associates cook up a plan to use the brave Julie as a decoy. Meanwhile there are a few suspects, including the headmistress's sleazy husband, Leslie (Tony Beckley of Beware My Brethren), and even Dr. Lomax and some of the police officers. Julie discovers that the killer is much closer than anyone realizes ... 

Frank Finlay and James Laurenson

In the Devi's Garden, originally released under the dull title Assault, is an interesting and suspenseful thriller with some solid performances. The ending is dragged out a bit too much, and the identity of the killer is telegraphed a bit too soon, but there are some intriguing developments nevertheless. Lesley-Anne Down was introduced in this film -- it was actually her fourth movie -- and is unrecognizable at 17. James Cosmo, Dilys Hamlett, Patrick Jordan, and Anthony Ainley also have significant roles. Sidney Hayers also directed Circus of Horrors.

Verdict: Reasonably worthwhile suspense-thriller. **3/4. 

WATCH ME WHEN I KILL

 WATCH ME WHEN I KILL (aka Il gatto dagli occhi di giada/1977). Director: Antonio Bido. 

Mara (Paola Tedesco), an actress who needs some aspirin, is nearly on the scene when a pharmacist is murdered, and the killer seems to think she knows more than she does. When another person is brutally murdered, her boyfriend Lukas (Corrrado Pani), thinks it all may have to do with a jury trial and a murderer who has escaped from prison. Upon further investigation -- and more murders -- Lukas realizes that there is something very different at play here. But will he arrive at the solution before either he or Mara become victims of the killer?

Watch Me When I Kill is an intriguing and suspenseful movie with a convoluted plot and solution that reminds one quite a bit of the storylines of Dario Argento's movies. Alas, director Antonio Bido is not Argento, and aside from one energetic if clumsy bathtub murder (with opera in the background), the film doesn't have much style. Lukas spends an awful lot of time running around from place to place asking questions. An unusual aspect of the movie is that for once the killer has a perfectly plausible motive for snuffing certain individuals. The screenplay is not strictly logical, however. 

Verdict: Take with a grain of salt and this is quite entertaining. ***.  

THE FISH WITH THE EYES OF GOLD

Ricardo Vazquez and Wal Davis

THE FISH WITH THE EYES OF GOLD (aka El pez de los ojos de oro/1974). Director: Pedro L. Ramirez.

In Girona, Spain Zachary (Ricardo Vazquez) witnesses the murder of a woman on a beach by an assailant wearing a scuba outfit. Coincidentally his friend, Derek (Wal Davis), spends the night with a woman who picks him up and when he awakens finds her butchered in the bed. The Inspector (Barta Barri) is suspicious of Derek, who maintains his innocence. Meanwhile the murders continue, and Derek comes to suspect Marco (Rex Martin), a gigolo who is having an affair with Zarchary's wife, Virginia (Norma Kastel). Derek also begins a relationship with Marina (Ada Tauler), whose grumpy father runs an aquarium. While Derek and Zachary are on their way to confront Marco, the brakes on their car fail ... someone is out to keep them from finding out who the killer is. It all seems to tie in with a piece of jewelry shaped like a bizarre fish ... 

Ada Tauler as Marina

The Fish with the Eyes of Gold is a pitiful attempt to come up with a twisty, convoluted, Dario Argento-type shocker along the lines of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Forget it! -- this dull movie has a silly and confusing plot line, a poor musical score, virtually no suspense or style, and if you keep watching it's only because you want to learn who the killer is and what his or her motive might be. It's not worth waiting around for. One murder -chase sequence is presented in slow-motion, which makes it even less exciting. One victim is stabbed in the shower, a scene that does not compare favorably with Psycho. 

Verdict: Very poor Spanish giallo. *1/2.