[INDEX] Krimi & Giallo Site Archive

[LATEST ARCHIVE UPDATES]

• 01.20.20: Breaking the Fourth Wall in Tessari's BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY (1971), by Leonard Jacobs
•  01.21.20: A Quick & Dirty Giallo Intro by Leonard Jacobs [for the newbies]

This page will serve as the permanent archive for the Krimi and Giallo reviews written by Leonard Jacobs between 2014 and 2016. The various categories of reviews are organized below, with links to each (the body of some reviews are likely to contain broken links; my apologies in advance). The most recent entry will appear at the top of each list. Also, as with every post on the site, spoilers and the occasional NSFW screencap should be expected.

[LONG-FORM KRIMI REVIEWS]  

For me, special mention goes to what I’ve identified as the holy trinity of Krimis—ROOM 13, PHANTOM OF SOHO, and THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY—three Krimis from 1964. Without these three films, the Giallo genre as we know it simply wouldn’t exist. Also, my vote for best unknown / unseen Krimi, Alfred Vohrer’s sublime SIEBEN TAGE FRIST, from 1969 (which happens to be available on a decent, English-friendly German DVD at the moment). And two other top-tier reviews of top-tier Krimis: 1960's THE TERRIBLE PEOPLE and 1961's THE FORGER OF LONDON. As always, watch more Krimis!

22. THE FORGER OF LONDON aka DER FÄLSCHER VON LONDON (1961)  
21. NYLON NOOSE aka DIE NYLONSCHLINGE (1963) 
20. THE ZOMBIE WALKS aka IM BANNE DES UNHEIMLICHEN (1968) 
19. Bumper Edition: JERRY COTTON x 2 
18. THE AVENGER aka DER RÄCHER (1960) 
17. MARK OF THE TORTOISE aka WARTEZIMMER ZUM JENSEITS (1964) 
16. THE COLLEGE GIRL MURDERS aka DER MÖNCH MIT DER PEITSCHE (1967) 
15. THE TERRIBLE PEOPLE aka DIE BANDE DES SCHRECKENS (1960) 
14. THE SQUEAKER aka DER ZINKER (1963) 
13. SCHOOL OF FEAR aka SIEBEN TAGE FRIST (1969): Currently has my vote for best unknown / unseen Krimi; also solidly in my Top 5 All-Time Krimis 
12. THE SINISTER MONK aka DER UMHEIMLICHE MONCH (1965) 
11. CIRCUS OF FEAR aka PSYCHO-CIRCUS (1966) 
10. THE HUNCHBACK OF SOHO aka DER BUCKLIGE VON SOHO (1966) 
09. THE MAN WITH THE GLASS EYE aka DER MANN MIT DEM GLASAUGE aka TERROR ON HALF MOON STREET (1969) 
08. THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY aka DAS UNGEHEUER VON LONDON CITY (1964): One of the most striking progenitors of the Giallo. Along with two other Krimis from 1964—the same year as Bava’s seminal BLOOD AND BLACK LACE—MONSTER OF LONDON CITY shows, pretty definitively, that the Giallo as we know it simply would not exist without the market / creative / production forces that grew out of the German Krimi. Full stop. 
07. THE INDIAN SCARF aka DAS INDISCHE TUCH (1963) 
06. THE SECRET OF THE BLACK WIDOW aka DAS GEHEIMNIS DER SCHWARZEN WITWE (1963) 
05. ROOM 13 aka ZIMMER 13 (1964): Another of the *KEY* “texts” when it comes to the origins of the Italian Giallo; see my note above re: THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY. 
04. THE MYSTERIOUS MAGICIAN aka DER HEXER (1964) 
03. THE BLACK ABBOT aka EDGAR WALLACE: DER SCHWARZE ABT (1963) 
02. PHANTOM OF SOHO aka DAS PHANTOM VON SOHO (1964): One of three Krimis from 1964 that form a holy trinity in regards to the origin of the Italian Giallo; in short, without this film, ROOM 13, and THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY, the Giallo as we’ve come to know it wouldn’t exist. 
01. CREATURE WITH THE BLUE HAND aka DIE BLAUE HAND (1967) 

[SPECIAL SERIES & STANDALONE ENTRIES]  

03. What Makes a Giallo?  
02. What I’m Talking About Whenever I’m Talking About the Best Gialli and Krimis     
01. The Question of Happy Endings; the Question of Closure 

 [GIALLO SOURCE CODE SERIES]

12. The Giallo Killer, from “Schoolgirls in Peril” to 1980’s NIGHT SCHOOL  

11. LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN, CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT, & NEW YORK RIPPER  

10. TWIN PEAKS, ENIGMA ROSSO, & PRIVATE CRIMES 

09. SOLANGE, ENIGMA ROSSO, and Kim Newman  

08. From Vohrer's DEAD EYES OF LONDON to De Palma's DRESSED TO KILL 

07. UPDATE: PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK & REPULSION 

06. THE PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK & REPULSION  

05. Tracking the TENEBRAE Moment (pt. 1)  

04. DEEP RED & HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD  

03. DEEP RED, CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT, & NOTHING UNDERNEATH 

02. THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY & BLOOD AND BLACK LACE 

01. THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE & TENEBRAE (a much more extensive comparison of these films is here)

[REVIEW-CAST SERIES]  

12a. An Addendum on 1981’s NIGHT SCHOOL 

12. 1981’s NIGHT SCHOOL and How it Makes a Hybrid Out of Two Italian Genres 

11. MASSACRE GUN (1967)  

10. HOT TRACES OF ST. PAULI (aka, FLUCHTWEG ST. PAULI; 1971)  

09. SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR (2014) & the Influence of Mickey Spillane  

08. I, THE JURY (1982)  

07. GOD TOLD ME TO (1976)  

06. THE VENETIAN AFFAIR (1967)  

05. THE GIRL HUNTERS (1963) & INNOCENT BYSTANDERS (1973) 

04. THE CANNIBAL MAN (aka, LA SEMANA DEL ASESINO [1973]) 

03. SPECIAL EFFECTS (1984)  

02. LA SETTA (THE SECT, 1991) 

01. COME CANI ARRABBIATI (LIKE RABID DOGS, 1976)

[LONG-FORM GIALLO REVIEWS]

Special mention goes to maybe the most exciting Giallo discovery I’ve made in recent years, Manfred Purzer’s DAS NETZ (aka THE NET, 1975). Not only have I not been able to find mention of it in the various Giallo listings I’ve collected, I’ve yet to find any substantial writing on it in English. It is most definitely a Giallo, and an incredibly experimental one that deserves to be seen far and wide ... also my write-up of Martino’s ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK and Argento's still-misunderstood OPERA ... and two entries in my ongoing Giallo manifesto: What Makes a Giallo? and Busting Giallo Myths. 

15. THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH aka IL DOLCE CORPO DI DEBORAH (1968)  

14. DISCOPATH aka DISCOPATHE (2014)  

13. DEATH STEPS IN THE DARK aka PASSI DI MORTE PERDUTI NEL BUIO (1977) 

12. THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE aka IL MOSTRO DI FIRENZE (1986)  

11. THE WEAPON, THE HOUR, THE MOTIVE aka L'ARMA, L'ORA, IL MOVENTE (1972)  

10. Bumper Edition: DOLL OF SATAN (1969) & DEATH HAUNTS MONICA (1976)  

09. DAS NETZ aka THE NET (1975)  

08. ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK aka TUTTI I COLORI DEL BUIO (1972)  

07. AMUCK! vs MANIAC MANSION (comparing two cuts of Silvio Amadio's film from 1972)  

06. AMUCK! aka ALLA RICERCA DEL PIACERE (1972)  

05. SO SWEET, SO DEAD aka RIVELAZIONI DI UN MANIACO SESSUALE AL CAPO DELLA SQUADRA MOBILE (1972)  

04. OPERA aka TERROR AT THE OPERA (1987)  

03. YELLOW (2012) 

02. SONNO PROFONDO, aka DEEP SLEEP (2013)  

01. TENEBRAE, aka TENEBRE, aka UNSANE (1982)