Verdict
Summary
I find myself saying that I sort of found myself drawn to the film’s power to command my attention. Director Luigi Cozzi, who would go on to a prolific career in Italian exploitation cinema, direction this. It’s one of his earliest efforts … and might be his strongest.
Plot:
A man hires a serial killer to kill his wife, but after the deed is done, the car with the body is stolen by a young couple out for thrills.
Review:
Giorgio (George Hilton) is sick of his wife Norma (Tere Velazquez) and hires a killer (Antoine Saint-John with a very distinct look) to murder her. Knowing that it’s going to happen, Giorgio makes passionate love to her one last time, and then the killer shows up and does the deed, stuffing her body in his car, to be disposed of forthwith. Fate intercedes: a two-bit criminal named Luca (Alessio Orano) and his girlfriend Laura (Cristina Galbo) are literally on their last dollar and running on fumes when they steal that car and go on the run with it … and Norma’s dead body in the trunk. They eventually make it to the coast and shack up in a small village somewhere, with the killer on their trail. Meanwhile, Giorgio is being investigated for the disappearance of his wife, and thinking he’s in the all-clear, he has no idea that his sins are going to catch up to him soon enough. When the killer eventually finds Luca and Laura, it’s very, very bad news for them because the killer has to tie up all loose ends, leaving no witnesses.
A pretty cold and chilling giallo-type thriller, The Killer Must Kill Again leaves the viewer in a pretty uncomfortable place when it’s over. To get there, the movie only gives us morally bankrupt characters to root for, and then putting them all through hell. The film has a couple of really rough scenes, including a lengthy rape scene and scuzzy sex scenes, and I completely understand that that goes with the territory with Italian exploitation / slasher films – and frankly is part of the appeal sometimes – and yet this one has a really ugly point of view. Usually, I can find a character I can side with or hope to see triumph, but this one only has the dregs. And yet! And yet, I find myself saying that I sort of found myself drawn to the film’s power to command my attention. Director Luigi Cozzi, who would go on to a prolific career in Italian exploitation cinema, direction this. It’s one of his earliest efforts … and might be his strongest.
Rustblade brings The Killer Must Kill Again to Blu-ray, and there are several options for this particular release. They’ve released a DVD / Blu-ray combo, and there’s a Blu-ray only disc, which is what I watched for this review. The high definition transfer was more than adequate, an upgrade from a previous DVD released by Mondo Macabro. Included on the disc are a few bonus features: a tour of the locations, an interview with Cozzi, a trailer, and more.
