This obscure giallo flick from director Emilio Miraglia is a typically muddled entry for the genre, and certainly one that's not to be recommended to those who don't even know what a giallo is! For those familiar with these types of films, THE LADY IN RED KILLS SEVEN TIMES is even more incomprehensible than most movies, as a mysterious killer named Evelyn slaughters her way through much of the cast - and, get this, she's dead!
I first got this confused with the director's other giallo, THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE, the title of which perfectly describes the events in this movie, but rest assured they are two separate films. The plot of this one is quite slow-paced, with lots of padding in the form of '70s Italian cheese which some will love, and others (like me, I'm afraid) will hate. The ending makes an effort to explain things with one of those big twists, but I was still scratching my head come the closing credits!
Now on to the good stuff: this film's cast is better than usual, with a bunch of actors who actually do what they get paid to do - act! Barbara Bouchet is lovely as the put-upon heroine, especially in the climatic sequences in which she's trapped in a dungeon rapidly filling with water (and rats) - okay, so this finale belongs more in a '30s American serial than a '70s Italian giallo, but at least it offers excitement and acts as a wake-up call to audience members who may have fallen asleep through the slow first hour. Other good actors include the moustachioed cop who sweats his way through the police procedurals and the other pretty female victims who inevitably find themselves on the receiving end of a sharp knife! One to look out for is Sybil Danning, who is very young here but not at all shy! She and all the other female cast members routinely shed their clothing in a bid to retain the male viewer's interest.
Sometimes the best thing about the giallo films are their inventive death sequences, with Dario Argento the acknowledged master of the genre in this respect. Sadly, the murders in this film, although bloody, are completely unconvincing, with the actors shuffling around in the gloom with dubbed screaming over the top. The film's best death comes when a blackmailer is dragged along by a car (shoulda taken your coat off, dude!), a totally hilarious moment. Watch out for the shifty guy with the moustache (no, not the cop, the other one) - it turns out he's crippled right at the end of the film, although no mention or sign has been made of this previously, and he apparently dies by falling into a stream of water; I can't explain it, maybe you'll do better. All that said and done, THE LADY IN RED KILLS SEVEN TIMES isn't much cop; it remains routine and quite mundane throughout, with only the cast's best efforts to keep it afloat. There are many better giallo movies out there, so this one is only for the die-hard and dedicated fan.
I first got this confused with the director's other giallo, THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE, the title of which perfectly describes the events in this movie, but rest assured they are two separate films. The plot of this one is quite slow-paced, with lots of padding in the form of '70s Italian cheese which some will love, and others (like me, I'm afraid) will hate. The ending makes an effort to explain things with one of those big twists, but I was still scratching my head come the closing credits!
Now on to the good stuff: this film's cast is better than usual, with a bunch of actors who actually do what they get paid to do - act! Barbara Bouchet is lovely as the put-upon heroine, especially in the climatic sequences in which she's trapped in a dungeon rapidly filling with water (and rats) - okay, so this finale belongs more in a '30s American serial than a '70s Italian giallo, but at least it offers excitement and acts as a wake-up call to audience members who may have fallen asleep through the slow first hour. Other good actors include the moustachioed cop who sweats his way through the police procedurals and the other pretty female victims who inevitably find themselves on the receiving end of a sharp knife! One to look out for is Sybil Danning, who is very young here but not at all shy! She and all the other female cast members routinely shed their clothing in a bid to retain the male viewer's interest.
Sometimes the best thing about the giallo films are their inventive death sequences, with Dario Argento the acknowledged master of the genre in this respect. Sadly, the murders in this film, although bloody, are completely unconvincing, with the actors shuffling around in the gloom with dubbed screaming over the top. The film's best death comes when a blackmailer is dragged along by a car (shoulda taken your coat off, dude!), a totally hilarious moment. Watch out for the shifty guy with the moustache (no, not the cop, the other one) - it turns out he's crippled right at the end of the film, although no mention or sign has been made of this previously, and he apparently dies by falling into a stream of water; I can't explain it, maybe you'll do better. All that said and done, THE LADY IN RED KILLS SEVEN TIMES isn't much cop; it remains routine and quite mundane throughout, with only the cast's best efforts to keep it afloat. There are many better giallo movies out there, so this one is only for the die-hard and dedicated fan.