DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS
Color, 1971, 105m. / Directed by Luciano Ercoli / Starring Susan Scott, Frank Wolff, Simón Andreu
Color, 1972, 101m. / Directed by Luciano Ercoli / Starring Susan Scott,Simón Andreu, Luciano Rossi / NoShame (US R0 NTSC) / WS (2.35:1) (16:9)
Following his interesting 1970 thriller, Forbidden Photos of a Lady above Suspicion, Ercoli turned out two Italian-Spanish shockers in quick succession utilizing most of the same cast and personnel, with Susan Scott (a.k.a. Spanish-born Nieves Navarro) taking honors in both as leading scream queen. In 1971's Death Walks on High Heels, she stars as Parisian nightclub performer Nicole Rochard, whose wild routines consist of blackface, gold wigs, and garish backgrounds straight out of an LSD trip. After her jewel-thief father turns up knifed in the throat on a train, she becomes the next target of a threatening man in black whose only attribute is his piercing blue eyes. Creepy phone calls and an intense interrogation at knifepoint make her more than a little nervous, especially when a pair of strategically placed blue contact lenses reveal the culprit could literally be anyone. Is it her booze-swilling boyfriend, Michael (Andreu)? Or how about a British doctor (Wolf) prone to sending her flowers and skulking around her dressing room? One thing's for sure; when Nicole agrees to accompany the latter
Slick, nicely shot, and boasting a wonderfully catchy score by Stelvio Cipriani, this engaging thriller packs in one hell of a plot twist a little over an hour into its running time and manages to generate thrills without diving into the sleaze department. Sexuality is more implied than depicted, though Scott's backside gets more than its fair share of camera attention. Likewise, the bloodshed is restrained to a couple of savage knifings and some brutal fisticuffs, a combination Ercoli repeated in his next film, 1972's Death Walks at Midnight.
This time Scott returns as the more demurely clothed Valentina, a fashion model who takes an experimental hallucinogenic drug at the behest of reporter Gio (Andreu). Faster than you can say Blood and Black Lace, she witnesses a gory murder with a woman's face punctured by a
A much slower burner than its predecessor, Death Walks at Midnight stalls out a bit after its surreal opening sequence but manages to rebound in the last half hour, with the plot suddenly swerving in several different directions that will keep even the most adept mystery buff scrambling to keep up. Once again the story climaxes in a nasty, punch-driven showdown, though this time Ercoli stages the action atop an apartment building with an engaging action sequence that would do John Woo proud. Again the entire film is beautifully shot, this time accompanied by a delicious (and far more readily available) score by Gianni Ferrio. (The lush "Valentina" theme song is especially noteworthy.)
Both films look magnificent in NoShame's editions, which present the films with their English and Italian soundtracks (complete with optional subtitles). Surprisingly, both films were almost completely shot in Italian and work far better that way, and the mono audio sounds nice on each option. Death Walks at Midnight was previously released on DVD in the United Kingdom from Mondo Macabro
Both films are housed in a three-disc package entitled "The Luciano Ercoli Death Box Set," which adds on a very welcome collection of rare Cipriani music entitled The Sound of Love & Death. Though no music from these films is present, Euro music fans will delight at the 18 tracks included here including a pair of cues from What Have They Done to Your Daughters? as well as groovy selections from The Night Child, Evil Eye, Cara sposa, La polizia ha le mani legate, Nightmare City, Dedicato a una stella, and more. The DVD for Death Walks on High Heels also includes a poster and still gallery, plus the very wild trailer in its English and Italian incarnations. The Death Walks at Midnight disc includes another gallery, plus a very odd bonus feature, the (letterboxed but non-anamorphic) TV cut of the film which features an additional four minutes of footage, mainly more cop padding. Last but not least is a thick illustrated booklet featuring liner notes by Chris D. as well as bios for Ercoli, Scott, Wolf, and actor Luciano Rossi.
DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT
As the Italian giallo craze took hold in the early 1970s, a number of directors tried their hand at offering new twists on what was already a firmly established formula. Though he only directed three titles that really qualify, Luciano Ercoli acquitted himself well in the arena of black-gloved killers
and damsels in distress enough to justify a double-feature box set that shows off two twisted gems in the best light possible.
for a getaway to an isolated village on the coast, her ordeal is far from over.
spiked metal glove. Did it really happen outside the window across the street, or did she imagine the whole thing? When Gio's story hits the street, sinister threats indicate that she really did see far too much and might be next on the madman's list.
in a soft, compromised transfer that cropped the compositions to just under 2.00:1; here the full scope ratio is preserved, and the extra breathing room helps considerably. Also, the UK DVD used a rather inorganic stereo version of the main theme over the opening titles, while the NoShame disc retains the original mono version which blends in more smoothly.
