The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972)

Someone is killing off the beautiful women who live in or visit a high-rise apartment building and the inept police are at a loss how to stop the crimes.  From the first young woman who was just visiting and was brutally stabbed in the elevator, to the athletic young lady that was drowned in her bathtub the murders just won’t stop.  Still that doesn’t prevent Jennifer and Marilyn from taking advantage of the great deal on one of the victim’s apartments.  But could the architect, Andrea, that hooked them up with such a great deal have something to do with the killing?  Or maybe it is Jennifer’s ex-husband who is trying to get her to return to him and their swinging lifestyle of ritualized group sex?  I suppose the creepy neighbor lady and her deformed son should also be suspects.  Really though there are so many suspects and so little time.  Will the police figure it out or will Jennifer meet the same fate as all the rest? 

I had a ton of fun with this movie.  From the first kill on the elevator to the crazy twist ending that is both fun and sleazy this movie delivers the stylized mystery that I want from a Giallo with a heaping side of sleaze that is always fun.  The story is engaging and interesting with all sorts of oddball characters sliding in and out of the story.  You have some great comic relief with the police inspectors that just can’t seen to figure anything out.  And again there is all kinds of sleaze in this bad boy.  From the sexually charged nightclub act of the 2nd victim to the flashbacks of the Jennifer characters forays into group sex the creepy inner pervert in all of us will be satisfied!  Oh and if you are wondering there is quite a bit of skin in this movie to go along with the story lines, so no worries there.  Now with the interesting story and the naughty bits and pieces I will admit that much of the acting left a lot to be desired.  I have the distinct impression that many of the female parts were cast with an eye more towards what the actress looked like sans clothing than if she had some acting chops.  Of course to be fair this situation isn’t helped by the terrible dubbing and even worse dialogue.  But in spite of this again the movie is very entertaining with something interesting always happening on screen. 

For a Giallo from the early 70s the kills are okay.  I mean there isn’t anything really memorable about them.  You get a couple of stabbings, a nice use of steam, and the best kill a drowning in the bath.  But again this just isn’t that bloody of a movie, in spite of the title.  The music is appropriately cheesy in the vein of a 70s European flick and sets the mood nicely for the film.  Camera work and lighting are both solid and again just add to the mood of the flick.  I mean it can’t be easy to light those groovy 70s pads, can it? 

The Case of the Bloody Iris isn’t the best Giallo I’ve seen.  But it might be one of the most fun that I’ve ever watched.  If I were going to try and initiate someone into the whole Giallo scene I think that this and Argento’s Deep Red would be the 2 DVDs that I grabbed.  I would pick Argento’s for the quality mystery and this one for the silly, sleazy fun.  If you dig Giallos then you really need to grab this one.  It is available from the fine folks over at Blue Underground.  For more information check out their website at http://www.blue-underground.com/  

3 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer

© Copyright 2009 John Shatzer