Death Smiles On A Murderer [Blu-ray]

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Part horror film, part murder mystery, and wholly weird, Massaccesi’s film is an interesting amalgamation of literary gothic and gore. It’s not my favorite of Massaccesi’s films, but it does make for an interesting mish-mash of Eurohorror themes. And then we are left with nobody really except the police inspector who is left forlornly trying to figure out why all these people were killed and finding nothing but a missing brother of a missing girl who was exploring 'Incan reincarnation rituals'. So the brother must be behind this, right? Yes and no, since in the best final twist the brother did resurrect Greta to do his bidding and murder the man who seduced her (and presumably his whole family line too), but Greta was still apparently bearing a grudge for that whole 'incestuous rape' thing that passed by with only the briefest of comment at the very opening of the film, and turns into a cat to spend a minute or so clawing his face and eyeballs out in graphic detail, before smilingly walking off.

Actress Ewa Aulin was well-known at the time, though has strangely fallen into obscurity. Klaus Kinski is still widely known today, though perhaps more for his madness and depravity than his acting. He became involved purely for the money and had no real opinion of the material one way or the other. This girl is, of course, Greta. Is she alive? Is she dead? What is clear is that she came like an angel of death. Her arrival will unleash a death carnival. Meanwhile, Doctor Sturges is working in his underground laboratory. The medallion's symbols contain a formula for the creation of life. Just as Sturges succeeds in bringing one of his corpses to life, he is strangled by an unseen assailant, who also kills the corpse and the doctor's deaf lab assistant. Then the film moves three years later (though you can only note that time gap if paying attention whilst Klaus Kinski's doctor is looking at the amulet Greta is wearing which has her name and 1906 on it, with him saying that it was three years ago) with a girl looking similar to the dead girl in the opening getting involved in a carriage accident outside the home of Walter and Eva. She is left with amnesia and after Klaus Kinski's putative doctor puts a pin directly into her eyeball without providing the courtesy of taking it out again to test her reaction to pain (?!?), and finds out her name is Greta she stays with the family for a while. Though the maid immediately quits (and has her own, never explained, visions of Franz) and gets shotgunned in the face as she tries to escape through the woods.Questions, questions, questions – you’ll be filled with them throughout this film and even by the time it finishes if you’re not paying attention. Even if you’re able to put the pieces together – and that’s not too easy to do because its story is told in a sometimes non-linear, even obtuse fashion – you my still ask yourself “how”? and “why”? with regard to a few details. One of several Italian Gothics made during the early 1970’s that brought in elements of the giallo to try to revive a declining-in-popularity form [I reviewed Arrow Video’s release of The Night Evelyn Came out of the Grave a while ago], Death Smiles On A Murderer is a decidedly arty venture, rich in dreamlike atmosphere, unusual editing and stylised camerawork, which for me makes it something of a surprise that the person credited with directing and co-writing this film is Joe D’Amato. D’ Amato is probably best known for the ‘video nasties’ The Anthropophagus Beast and Absurd, though I have fonder memories of sitting through his soft porn Eleven Days Eleven Nights trilogy as a teenager [so what, I was privileged to be able to hire out anything I wanted from my local video shop, they just didn’t seem to care]- again – and again – but enough about that. He’s more known as a sleaze merchant than a good filmmaker, but Death Smiles On A Murderer may surprise you with its quality and certainly with its artistic inclinations. It certainly surprised me and may have caused me to re-evaluate this director whom I’d previously placed scarcely higher than Jess Franco. Maybe Arrow or a similar distributor will bring out some more of his work? But in the meantime the very curious, if occasionally frustrating, Death Smiles On A Murderer certainly has a great deal to interest the viewer. In some ways Massaccesi was making zombie films long before his more celebrated entries, and it is interesting to see Greta as somewhat of a forebear of George Eastman's almost immortal monster in Absurd, both created in obscure ways and then unleashed on the countryside to wreak havoc! And in both films it is kind of unclear as to what the killers get out of their actions except in a way simply to fulfil the needs of the film for spectacular death scenes! Even Greta's seemingly understandable quest for revenge is complicated by encompassing so many other tangentially related victims, such that it seems out of control and rather broad in scope, and maybe prepares us for the brother's actions unleashing this but finding his creation bearing its own grudge against him (so in a way the incestuous brother here is like the rather ineffectual priest in Absurd, feeling a responsibility to chase after the monster after apparently having created it, but unable to do anything more than arrive at the scenes of the crime too late to be of any use. Though Edmond Purdom's priest in Absurd is just as much a version of Donald Pleasance's, again mostly ineffectual, character from Halloween).

The plot (if that word applies here)involves two different doctors who seem to be reviving the dead for some reason--or are they? (I'm not being mysterious here--I really don't know). One of them is Klaus Kinski, but I suspect the famously temperamental actor might have stormed off the set so they gave part of his role to somebody else. Ewe Aulin is the dead(?) woman who seems no worse for wear. After her carriage crashes on the estate of a nobleman (who coincidentally is the doctor's son),he and his wife take her in and they both fall in love with her. The wife, however, is very jealous (although it's not clear of whom) and keeps trying to kill this possibly already dead girl. After an unsuccessful bathtub drowning (which naturally turns into a steamy lesbian sex scene) she seals her in a tomb with the family cat (for yet another Italian homage to Edgar Allen Poe) before the movie sinks completely into incomprehensibility. After Eva's funeral, Herbert stays behind to visit Greta's grave. Greta comes up from behind and reminds him of their baby's prenatal death. When she asks for a kiss, her face again suddenly turns rotten. Herbert, terrified, attempts to escape. He seeks refuge inside a crypt. When the door suddenly shuts tight, Eva's freshly laid corpse slowly gets up and walks towards him. A man discovers an ancient Incan formula for raising the dead, and uses it for a series of revenge murders. Smiling on the Taboo: Sex, Death and Transgression in the horror films of Joe D'Amato, new video essay by critic Kat Ellinger Ewa Aulin as Greta is really perfect for the role of the strange girl who continues to suffer ill fate even after her death. Aulin has a unique look—pretty, but not the classic beauty of an Barbara Bouchet or an Edwige Fenech. It’s a strange look, perfectly suited to this strange character. Luciano Rossi also has a strange look. Indeed, it is so strange as to stretch one’s imagination that he would be able to carry on a love affair with a pretty girl, sister or not. Then there is the ancient Incan ritual, completed by the use of an amulet to raise Greta from the dead. But Klaus Kinski, as Dr. Sturges, who looks after Greta until her death, discovers an alternate method via mysterious chemical concoction, as opposed to needing the mystical amulet.There are some fantastic shots in this late section of the film that feature 'in camera' time transitions. One is at the end of the manservant being killed in the grain silo as we get a shot of him falling onto the (fantastically artfully pre-composed) blood pool and then in the same shot pan up to see the police inspector standing there. The other is after the brother is clawed to death and we get a shot of Greta pulling her hood up and smilingly walking out of the tomb, before the police inspector walks into the now cobwebbed three years later tomb to see the dessicated corpse of the brother lying there. Perhaps this is a different spin on a technique used with some of the shots earlier in the film which Tim Lucas in his commentary notes start off as seemingly objective and the become subjective (and I love the way that Lucas notes that second transition from the tomb past to present "spans the timeframe of the entire film in a single movement"). It is an interesting technique and one that interestingly had a bit of a resurgence recently with the parallel action, past and present action, pristine past versus cobwebby grimy present time period swapping going on throughout the Saw series! A haunting and dreamlike gothic horror/giallo hybrid, Death Smiles on a Murderer is a compelling early work from the legendary sleaze and horror film director Joe D Amato (Anthropophagus, Emanuelle in America), here billed under his real name Aristide Massaccesi. Joe D'Amato is often said to have directed nothing but worthless sleaze, but this reputation is certainly not (completely) justified. I have personally been a fan of the prolific Exploitation filmmaker for years, and though it is true that his repertoire includes a wide range of crap, he is also responsible for several downright great films, and for many vastly entertaining ones. Such as the ultra-gruesome video nasties "Antropophagus" (1980) and "Buio Omega" (1979). Or this stylish little film, in which D'Amato dabbles in the great sub-genre of Gothic Horror. "La Morte Ha Sorisso All Assasino" aka. "Death Smiled At Murder" of 1973 is a stylish, obscure and incredibly atmospheric Gothic tale that is incredibly creepy at times. Even though this is not as nauseating as "Antropophagus" or "Buio Omega", the film is genuinely nasty at times, with a wide range sexual intrigue and perversions as well as a bunch of very gory scenes. The film's arguably greatest aspect is the mesmerizing score by Berto Bisano, which contributes a lot to the film's uncanny atmosphere. The casting of the always-sinister Klaus Kinski in the (sadly small) role of a mad scientist is another highlight that makes this a must for my fellow Italian Horror lovers. preceding was really nothing more than a motion picture portfolio for cinematographer-turned-director

Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massaccesi) directed the film in 1973 outside of his normal horror/pornographic wheelhouse, casting Swedish actress Ewa Aulin, as well as a small role inhabited by Klaus Kinski, who was clearly added for box office value as his scenes ultimately don’t have much bearing on the plot. Nothing about the film is as it seems. It’s a kaleidoscope of images and ideas that don’t exactly meld, but are fascinating nonetheless. It also features one of the oddest and out of left field endings of recent memory. All About Ewa (45:55, HD) – This in-depth interview featurette spans Swedish actress Ewa Aulin’s entire career. Her recollections are set against footage, trailers, and stills from a number of her films, including (but not limited to) Death Smiles on a Murderer, Tinto Brass’ Col cuore in gola (1967), Bud Yorkin’s Start the Revolution without Me (1970), Jorge Grau’s The Legend of Blood Castle (Spanish: Ceremonia sangrienta, 1973), and Giulio Questi’s utterly fantastic Death Laid an Egg (Italian: La morte ha fatto l'uovo, 1968), which really deserves a Blu-ray release this comprehensive. Death Smiles on a Murderer was released in Italy on 11 July 1973. [1] Film historian Roberto Curti referred to this box office as "scarce business" noting its unimportant distributor Florida Cinematografica. [1] [9] In Italy, the film grossed a total of 70,990,000 Italian lire. [1] It was released in the United States as Death Smiles on a Murderer and Death Smiles at Murder. [1] This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. ( August 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) The production of Death Smiles on a Murderer is top notch and the Arrow Video release looks stunning. The film is filled with atmosphere, due in no small part to beautiful costumes and set pieces. The movie takes place at the start of the 20th century and everything captures the essence of the period. The movie does not just rely on visual cues as seemingly innocuous moments are indicative of the time. Italian horror movies are known for their excellent use of color; director Joe D’Amato instead decides to use historical accuracy and succeeds in setting the mood for the movie.D’Amato’s camera work is also great. Shots are framed beautifully, allowing the audience to see the full scope of the movie’s beauty. Even the typical mysterious killer point of view shots are done in a way that showcase how the movie looks. D’Amato does occasionally do more than what is needed. There are some rapid cutscenes that are more headache inducing than fear inspiring, but overall it is a good job of directing. Before Joe D’Amato became Joe D’Amato, he was Aristide Massaccesi, a respected cinematographer and camera operator. As such, he was largely responsible for the look of films ranging from low-budget spaghetti westerns to gialli such as Umberto Lenzi’s A Quite Place to Kill and, most famously, Massimo Dallamano’s What Have You Done to Solange. Massaccesi first co-directed several small films before directing the war film Heroes in Hell as well as the giallo Death Smiles on a Murderer, both in 1973. A police inspector wonders if he'll ever add up the case, as he finds the corpse of Greta's brother near her empty grave. She's gone and he wonders what ever happened to her. The person he has been telling the story to? Greta. Death Smiles on a Murderer (aka La morte ha sorriso all’assassino) is a complicated film. With one foot in expressionistic storytelling and the other in straight narrative (however broken it may be), the two don’t necessarily mix all that well. It’s an interesting film in that you spend much of your viewing time trying to make heads or tails of the plot with one curve ball after another being thrown at you, but it takes some time to try and piece together, even requiring multiple watches to do so.

Smiling on the Taboo: Sex, Death and Transgression in the Horror Films of Joe D Amato (21:34, HD) – A new video essay about D’Amato by critic, Diabolique Magazine contributor, and editor of Daughters of Darkness (pub: 2018), Kat Ellinger. Ellinger specifically explores the director’s work in horror and where his films fit in the larger context of Italian genre filmmaking, but also covers his earlier erotic work and, most importantly, cinematography.Joe D'Amato gets a hard time for being a trashy director due to those porn films he made, but he often delved into other genres, and when he got them right, he often blew away the competition. This film, his official debut film (as he did a few Bava-style completion jobs for other directors) is a crazy mix of Gothic Horror and Giallo, and it's a beauty. Also, some people call it confusing, but it's not at all. Walter, the son of the doctor who done her wrong, and Eve, his wife, take her in after an accident outside their home. They both fall in love with her, which gives D'Amoto license to shoot long lovemaking scenes. You may know him on one hand for his horror films, like Beyond the Darkness, Ator, Antropophagus, Frankenstein 2000 and Absurd. But you may also know him for his adult films like Porno Holocaust and the Rocco Siffredi vehicle Tarzan X - Shame of Jane. Here, he combines his love of the female form with his eye for murder and insanity. Walter lies in his bed, falling asleep. The dark cat enters his room, and Walter suddenly notices Greta sitting near his bedside. As she crawls into bed and starts kissing him, her face turns rotten. While D'amato is best known for his exploitation work and occasional outright pornography, this film is rather tame. The gore is no worse than your standard horror film of the era, and while there is some nudity and romantic elements, it is fairly restrained, nothing remotely as blatant as we might see from Jean Rollin. With five words I describe the overall plot, the scene writing, the acting, the sequencing, love scenes, violent scenes, special effects, music, and all else and everything in between. The halfway mark rolls around and whatever advancement there has been in the narrative up to that point has been not just minimal in the first place, but further feels flat, hollow, and flimsy in light of the film's craft from all angles.