The Murder Clinic (Italian: La lama nel corpo, lit. 'The Knife in the Body') is a 1966 slasher giallo film directed by Lionello De Felice and Elio Scardamaglia. It was produced by Elio Scardamaglia, Francesco Scardamaglia and Luciano Martino;.[1] The screenplay was written by Martino and Ernesto Gastaldi from their own story.[1] It stars William Berger, Françoise Prévost, Harriet White Medin, Mary Young and Barbara Wilson.
| The Murder Clinic | |
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 Italian theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Screenplay by | |
| Story by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Marcello Masciocchi[1] |
| Edited by | Alberto Gallitti[1] |
| Music by | Francesco De Masi[1] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Regional (Italy)[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
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| Language | Italian |
| Box office | ₤96 million |
Plot edit
In 1870s England, Dr Vance (William Berger), the director of a mental hospital, is secretly carrying out skin grafts on the patients in an attempt to restore his sister-in-law's mutilated face (she accidentally fell into a lime pit). Meanwhile, a hooded killer is murdering people with a straight razor in the hospital.
Cast edit
- William Berger as Dr. Vance
- Françoise Prévost as Gisele
- Mary Young as Lisbeth
- Barbara Wilson as Mary
- Germano Longo as Ivan
- Philippe Hersent as Fred
- Harriet White (aka Harriet Medin) as Sheena
- Massimo Righi as Fred
- Anna Maria Polani as Jane
- Delfi Mauro as Laura
Production edit
The film was shot in Villa Parisi in Rome.[1] Although most sources indicate producer Elio Scardamaglia was also the director of the film, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi stated that De Felice was actually the film's director.[2] Gastaldi stated that De Felice left the production near the end of shooting with only a few scenes remaining left for Scardamaglia to direct himself.[2][3] It was shot by Marcello Masciocchi and edited by Alberto Gallitti.[1] The music was composed by Francesco De Masi[1]
Style edit
Roberto Curti, author of Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969, described The Murder Clinic as an example of the way Italian gothic horror films evolved into the giallo genre in the 1970s.[4]
Release edit
Murder Clinic was released in Italy on 17 March 1966, distributed by Regional, at a length of 90 minutes.[1] The film grossed a total of £96 million Italian lira on its theatrical release.[1] In 1971, a re-release poster played off of Berger's own trouble with the law for drug possession: the re-release print came with the tag line "William Berger, guilty or innocent?"[5] It was released in France as Les nuits de l'epouvante (lit. 'Nights of Terror').[1]
The film was released in the United States first as The Murder Clinic, and then years later, in an attempt to promote the film as a zombie movie, as Revenge of the Living Dead.[5]
The film was released on DVD by Code Red DVD as part of the Six-Pack Volume Two box set.[1]
Reception edit
From a contemporary review, Stuart Byron of Variety reviewed an 86 minute English dubbed version of the film, described the film as being typical of Italy's "continual supply of Gothic horror mysteries."[6] He found the film "not up to some of the pix of Riccardo Freda or Mario Bava" but " noting its strength in its photography and visual look but that "the direction and scripting itself in on an inevitably elementary level, and the few attempts at "horror" via closups of Delphi Maurin's acid-disfigured face come off crudely."[6]
In a retrospective review, Curti described the films direction as being "nondescript" and that the many red herrings in the film were unconvincing.[4] Curti also noted, "The film only comes alive when Françoise Prévost is on screen".[4] In his book Italian Horror Film Directors, Louis Paul described the film as a "handsomely crafted gothic thriller".[7]
See also edit
References edit
Footnotes edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Curti 2015, p. 165.
- ^ a b Curti 2015, p. 168.
- ^ Luther-Smith 1999, p. 71.
- ^ a b c Curti 2015, p. 166.
- ^ a b Curti 2015, p. 167.
- ^ a b Variety's Film Reviews 1968-1970. Vol. 12. R. R. Bowker. 1983. There are no page numbers in this book. This entry is found under the header "January 10, 1968". ISBN 0-8352-2792-8.
- ^ Paul 2005, p. 21.
Sources edit
- Curti, Roberto (2015). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476619897.
- Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing.
- Paul, Louis (2005). Italian Horror Film Directors. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8749-3.
