Mönch mit der Peitsche, Der (1967)

Director:

Alfred Vohrer

Writers:

Herbert Reinecker (screenplay) and
Edgar Wallace (novel)

Release Date:

11 August 1967 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Police try to track down a hooded serial killer who murders his victims with a combination of acid and poison gas. |

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Splatter | Teenkill | Gas | Girls' School

Cast

Joachim Fuchsberger	...	Inspektor Higgins
Uschi Glas	...	Ann Portland
Grit Boettcher	...	Betty Falks
Konrad Georg	...	Keyston
Harry Riebauer	...	Mark Denver
Tilly Lauenstein	...	Harriet Foster
Ilse Pagé	...	Sekretärin
Siegfried Rauch	...	Frank Keeney
Claus Holm	...	Glenn Powers
Günter Meisner	...	Greaves
Hans Epskamp	...	Bannister
Heinz Spitzner	...	Harrison
Jan Hendriks	...	Brent
Rudolf Schündler	...	Sergeant Hanfield
Narziß Sokatscheff	...	Cress Bartling (as Narziss Sokatscheff)
Tilo von Berlepsch	...	Polizeiarzt
Kurt Waitzmann	...	Carrington
Suzanne Roquette	...	Mary Houston
Susanne Hsiao	...	June Bell (as Suzann Hsiao)
Inge Sievers	...	Mildred Miller
Ewa Strömberg	...	Pam Walsbury
Bruno W. Pantel	...	Busschaffner
Kurt Buecheler	...	Winston Robson
Siegfried Schürenberg	...	Sir John
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Herbert Kerz	...	Monk double (uncredited)
Alfred Vohrer	...	Edgar Wallace (voice) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Wilhelm Vorwerg	...	Dr. Cabble (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Vohrer

Writing credits
Herbert Reinecker		(screenplay) (as Alex Berg)
Edgar Wallace		novel "The Terror"

Produced by
Horst Wendlandt	....	producer

Original Music by
Martin Böttcher

Cinematography by
Karl Löb

Film Editing by
Jutta Hering

Art Direction by
Walter Kutz
Wilhelm Vorwerg

Costume Design by
Irms Pauli

Production Management
Fritz Klotsch	....	production manager (as Fritz Klotzsch)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eva Ebner	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Gerhard Müller	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerd-Victor Krau	....	still photographer
Rudolf Sandtner	....	camera operator
Ernst Zahrt	....	assistant camera

Other crew
Herbert Kerz	....	location manager
Harry Wilbert	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Rialto Film

Distributors

• Constantin Film (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Dark Sky Films (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Sat.1 (1990) (Germany) (TV)

Also Known As:

The College Girl Murders (USA)
The Monk with the Whip
The Prussic Factor (USA)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm Eurocord-Magnetocord)

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Finland:(Banned) (1970) | Germany:12 (re-rating) (2004) | West Germany:16 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Rialto Film

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Although the movie is set in England, most of the cars have their steering wheel on the left.

Quotes:

Sir John: What reason could there possibly be for the murder of this poor girl?
Harriet Foster: No reason in the world.
Sir John: You're missing the point, Mrs. Foster. Now then, the girl WAS murdered, wasn't she? And since nobody has ever murdered without a reason, there must, therefore, *be* a reason.

Movie Connections:

References Unheimliche Mönch, Der (1965)

A lot of fun, but you'll need a crane to suspend your disbelief

The German "krimis" were kind of a forerunner of the Italian gialli, but they are less famous today because being made mostly in the late 50's and 60's they don't have the graphic violence and sex of the gialli, and they don't feature any name directors like Bava, Argento, Fulci, Lenzi or Sergio Martino. They do have a lot of name actors, most notably Klaus Kinski and Christopher Lee, but also Marisa "Diabolik" Mell, future Jess Franco producer Adrian Hoven, and future giallo starlets Uschi Glass and Karin Baal. Even more so than the gialli, the krimis were connected to English mystery writer and Edgar Wallace, and like his very colorful and entertaining novels they manage to combine mass-murder mysteries, bizarro horror/science fiction plots, and underworld intrigue into fascinating, if often overcooked,stew.

This is the best of the krimis I've seen (with the possible exception of "Dead Eyes of London"). The delightfully ludicrous plot has a mad scientist who has invented a poisonous spray which he conceals in Bibles in order to kill people who open them. In order to deliver booby-trapped Bibles for some reason he needs the help of convicts who he sneaks out out of a nearby prison. As the title suggests the victims are all girls at a nearby college--a very strange college, I might add, where all the students look like voluptuous European fashion models and all the male professors (perhaps understandably)are lecherous perverts trying to get a leg over. Then there's the monk (did I mention the monk?) in a red robe going around breaking various people's necks with a bullwhip.

Obviously, the plot is ridiculous, but it's also a whole lot of fun. And wait until the final revelation where the identity of the hooded monk is revealed and the preposterous motive for the murders is given --like the Italian gialli "Seven Bloodstained Orchids", also based on a Wallace novel, the villain is willing to kill a ridiculous number of innocent people and go through ludicrous Rube Goldburg machinations just to get at his one intended victim. Still, this is a very enjoyable movie if you can suspend your disbelief (you might need a crane).