French Sex Murders (1972)

Review by
Brian Lindsey - Edited by J.A.C

Italy - Germany / 1972 - Directed by Ferdinando Merighi - Starring Robert Sacchi, Howard Vernon, Rosalba Neri - Color / 89 Minutes / Not Rated

The murder of a prostitute triggers a series of grisly slayings in this giallo.
Petty thief Antoine Gotvalles (Pietro Martellanza) robs a church of some jewelry, then pays a visit to his girlfriend Francine (Amuck!'s Barbara Bouchet) at the upscale Parisian brothel where she works. They get into an argument and he slaps her around rather violently. A short time after Antoine leaves she's found bludgeoned to death, her face smashed in with a lamp. Naturally Antoine is the prime suspect. The police, led by Humphrey Bogart look-alike Inspector Fontaine (played by professional Bogart impersonator Robert Sacchi), launch a dragnet for the wanted man. He's quickly captured, but not before turning up at the apartment of his estranged cabaret singer wife (Rosalba Neri) and threatening to kill her.

At the trial in which he's convicted and sentenced to the guillotine, Antoine stridently declares his innocence, promising revenge from beyond the grave on those who let him take the fall for the crime. He then promptly escapes while being transported to death row. He doesn't get very far. Crashing a stolen motorcycle, Antoine accidentally cuts his own head off! His demise would seem to close the case for good... except that not long afterwards, the owner of the brothel, Madam Collette (Killer Nun's Anita Ekberg), is murdered the same way Francine was. Then the magistrate who passed sentence on Antoine is discovered dead in his home with a slashed throat. Is the courtroom curse coming true? Insp. Fontaine questions the parties concerned — mainly those whom Antoine swore revenge on — but they, too, start dropping like flies at the black-gloved hands of the mystery killer. And what's the deal with the eccentric Professor Waldemar (Howard Vernon) and his interest in Antoine's severed head? He claims to need it for scientific research...



It's a Euro-Cult fan's delight. Barbara Bouchet is unfortunately killed off relatively quickly but Rosalba Neri (99 Women, Lady Frankenstein) has a more substantial role, even lip-synching a smoky torch song in French. The beautiful Evelyn Kraft, wearing a lot more clothes than she did playing the jungle girl in Mighty Peking Man, appears in the role of Prof. Waldemar's sheltered, virginal daughter. The always reliable Howard Vernon gives his patented urbane-but-creepy performance as the oddball scientist and overprotective dad. (Too bad the character's not named Orlof!) In the film's third act he's given the opportunity to crank it up a few notches and really vent his spleen; it's always fun to watch Vernon chew the scenery.

Billed as "Volume One" of The Dick Randall Collection, Mondo Macabro's DVD offers the longest and most complete cut of French Sex Murders ever seen, assembled using elements from different international versions of the film. This naturally results in fluctuating picture quality, with some scenes exhibiting dirt, minor damage and somewhat washed out colors. By and large, though, the anamorphic 1.66:1 print looks pretty good, especially when one considers its cobbled-together nature. The packaging lists the audio track as stereo but what came out of my speakers sounded like your typical (for Euro-Cult) mono mix — no great shakes but serviceable enough.



A nice array of extras greatly enhances the disc's value. There's a text essay by MM's Pete Tombs on the film's convoluted history, image galleries of international promotional materials, and two deleted scenes (albeit in pretty rough shape): one is in French with English subtitles, the other (featuring Vernon in the lab) with no dialog. An entertaining documentary, The Wild, Wild World of Dick Randall (33 min.), affectionately profiles the producer of French Sex Murders, American expat Dick Randall (1925 - 1996). A true low budget movie impresario of the old school (who fled the States, never to return, because of tax problems), Randall was a globetrotting dealmaker who produced films all over the world, always keen to cash in on the latest fad. The doc includes clips from a number of his productions, such as Clones of Bruce Lee, Invaders of the Lost Gold, For Your Height Only and Living Doll. (The latter two are scheduled for eventual DVD release by Mondo Macabro, doubtless as future installments in The Dick Randall Collection.)

From: http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies/french_sex_murders.htm