Sei donne per l'assassino (1964)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Giuseppe Barilla (writer)
Mario Bava (writer)

Release Date:

7 April 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The greatest shocks ever filmed

Plot:

Italian thriller about a shadowy killer in black murdering fashion models through brutal methods.

Plot Keywords:

Killer | Model | Killing | Diary | Masked Killer

Cast

Cameron Mitchell	...	Max Marian
Eva Bartok	...	Contessa Cristina Como
Thomas Reiner	...	Inspector Silvester
Ariana Gorini	...	Nicole
Dante DiPaolo	...	Frank Sacalo
Mary Arden	...	Peggy Peyton
Franco Ressel	...	Marquis Richard Morell
Claude Dantes	...	Tao-Li
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Cesar Losarre
Lea Lander	...	Greta (as Lea Krugher)
Massimo Righi	...	Marco
Francesca Ungaro	...	Isabella
Giuliano Raffaelli	...	Zanchin
Harriet Medin	...	Clarice (as Harriet White Medin)
Mary Carmen	...	Model (as Mara Carmosino)

Also Known As:

6 Femmes pour l'assassin (France)
Blood and Black Lace (USA)
Blutige Seide (West Germany)
Fashion House of Death
L'atelier de la peur (France)
Six Women for the Murderer (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

88 min | USA:84 min

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:MA (2009) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | France:-18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

A.T.C. Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Emmepi Cinematografica

Trivia:

A landmark film in Italian cinema, as Sei donne per l'assassino was the film that began the 'giallo' genre. The giallo genre remains Italy's longest running cinematic movement.

Quotes:

Inspector Silvester: Perhaps the sight of beauty makes him lose control of himself, so he kills.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Trapped Ashes (2006)

Visually beautiful but brutal thriller

Visually, this may be one of the most stunning films you will ever see. The photography, framing, lighting and use of colour is unequalled in this genre of film making from this era. The fluidity of the camera-work is remarkable and repays repeated viewings to appreciate it fully. The only thing that may make this difficult going for some is the English dubbing so see it with subtitles if you can. The acting is not great and in some places will bring about laughter where it was not intended ditto the actions of some of the victims. The murders are gruesome and graphic even in the cut version of this film and must have been truly shocking to audiences in 1964. The excellent music score fits perfectly with the fashion house setting of the story and the models are beautiful.