One of the trends of the gialli, when possible, was for the film making team to attract a formerly successful Hollywood star who had aged out of his heyday a bit. . . think The Pyjama Girl Case who nabbed Ray Milland, The Cat O’Nine Tails starring Karl Malden, or The Killer Is On the Phone featuring Joseph Cotten. . . and, with today’s example, Farley Granger leading So Sweet, So Dead (1972).
Directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero, the feature, which is also known as the less subtle The Slasher … Is the Sex Maniac! follows a small city detective, Inspector Capuana (a mustached Granger – They Live by Night; Side Street), who has recently moved to a larger locale in southern Italy. With a most violently disturbing case on his hands, it seems like every elitist wife who is having an affair on her husband (and the number seems alarmingly high) is being targeted. . . and, if found dead, disposed of in a most gruesome way surrounded by photographs of her having the affair.
Following your prototypically unknown black gloved, fedora and mask wearing, switchblade wielding killer (in this case, also a seemingly capable photographer), Capuana and the rest of the department have their hands full. . . though thankfully, our detective, unlike most of the wealthy in the city, seems to have a good relationship with his wife Barbara (Sylva Koscina).
Looking for any lead, nothing really works, and soon even the respected Professor who runs the morgue, Casali (Chris Avram), is offering his two cents in profiling the killer in an attempt to aid Capuana. Though, it must be said that the Professor’s assistant, a cosmetic surgeon who beautifies the bodies after death, Gastone (Luciano Rossi – Death Walks on High Heels), is mighty suspicious – not only does he keep photos of the dead dames and look very odd, but also seems a tad too close to his work.
Added to the list of possible culprits is basically every husband who has been cheated on within this elitist circle, including the cocky lawyer Paolo Santangeli (Silvano Tranquilli – Black Belly of the Tarantula; The Horrible Dr. Hichcock) – who also likes to dabble in his own extramarital activities. . . for it seems like these crimes have to be committed on someone within this group of people who hears all the rumours and talk. Might it be the lawyer, the mortician, or the Professor who is the answer to this joke-like sounding query? Are the detective and his wife actually immune to this epidemic of adultery going on around town? And why does it seem like everyone in this movie has their own personal darkroom and switchblade?
One of the more gritty, edgy, and over the top gialli of this era, So Sweet, So Dead enjoys pushing the boundaries with its combination of bloody murder, sleazy flings, and what now would most definitely be considered politically incorrect dialogue. Also capturing that palpable voyeuristic atmosphere, it might be a bit silly and incredulous – after all, who knows every affair going on in town and also has the intel on where they’ll be doing the deed, but you can’t say it’s not gratuitous fun. . . though it certainly has its darker moments too. And, for fans of these movies, there will be some recognizable faces, perhaps the biggest being Nieves Navarro (aka Susan Scott – Death Walks on High Heels; Death Carries a Cane; The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion) as Lilly, who has an intriguingly juicy little role as a disgruntled housewife dealing with her crotchety recently crippled husband. So, clock in on this gritty giallo, it rings true to the sub-genre.
This film can be watched in Italian with English subtitles, or in dubbed English