La morte accarezza a mezzanotte
La morte accarezza a mezzanotte (Death Walks at Midnight[1]) is a 1972 giallo film directed by Luciano Ercoli. The film was written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Guido Leoni, Mahnahén Velasco and Mannuel Velasco. It starred Susan Scott, Simón Andreu, Peter Martell, Claudie Lange and Carlo Gentili.
| Death Walks at Midnight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Luciano Ercoli |
| Written by | Ernesto Gastaldi Guido Leoni Mahnahén Velasco Mannuel Velasco |
| Story by | Sergio Corbucci |
| Produced by | Luciano Ercoli Alberto Pugliese |
| Starring | Susan Scott Simón Andreu Peter Martell Claudie Lange Carlo Gentili |
| Cinematography | Fernando Arribas |
| Edited by | Angelo Curi |
| Music by | Gianni Ferrio |
Production companies | C.B. Films S.A. Cinecompany |
| Distributed by | C.B. Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 103 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Italian |
Plot
Fashion model Valentina agrees to help her journalist boyfriend Gio Baldi research the effects of LSD. While under the influence of the drug, Valentina sees a man bludgeon a woman to death with a spiked gauntlet. Baldi publishes a report of her hallucinations; however, Valentina believes what she has seen is real. She begins to realise that the killer is stalking her, although neither Baldi nor the police will believe what she tells them.
Cast
- Susan Scott as Valentina
- Simón Andreu as Gio Baldi
- Peter Martell as Stefano
- Carlo Gentili as Inspector Serino
- Ivano Staccioli as Professor Otto Wuttenberg
- Claudio Pellegrini as Henri Velaq
- Fabrizio Moresco as Pepito
- Alessandro Perrella as Van Driver
- Elio Veller as Pino
- Luciano Rossi as Hans Krutzer
- Raúl Aparici as Juan Hernandez
- Giuliana Rivera as Vanessa
- Anna Recchimuzzi as Nun
- Manuel Muñiz as The Porter (as Pajarito)
- Guido Spadea as Policeman
- Franco Moraldi as L'ispettore Capo Toscano
- Giorgio White (as Giorgio Penna)
- Giacomo Pergola as il Pazzo Ballerino
- Roberta Cifarelli as Dolores Jachia
- Danilo Bellucci
- Claudie Lange as Verushka Wuttenberg
Production
La morte accarezza a mezzanotte marks the third collaboration between director Luciano Ercoli and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, who had previously worked together on 1971's La morte cammina con i tacchi alti and 1970's Le foto proibite di una signora per bene.[2] Ercoli's wife Nieves Navarro, credited here as Susan Scott, featured in several of his other films, often in similar roles as "tough, independent" women.[3] The director's preference for this type of character has been noted as being inspired by fumetti, a form of Italian photonovel often featuring such roles.[4]
Release
La morte accarezza a mezzanotte was released in Italy on 17 November 1972.[5] It was released under that title in English by NoShame Films as part of a box set with La morte cammina con i tacchi alti, titled Luciano Ercoli's Death Box Set.[6] It has also been distributed under the title Muerte acaricia a medianoche,[7] and Cry Out in Terror.[8]
Reception
Writing for Allmovie, Robert Firsching gave the film one star out of five, calling it "laughably camp fun".[5] Writing for DVD Talk, Stuart Galbraith described the film as having "an exciting knock-down, drag-out climax". Reviewing the film alongside La morte cammina con i tachi alti, Galbraith felt that La morte accarezza a mezzanotte had "a stronger, less-predictable screenplay [and] a bit more visual flair" than its companion film; he ultimately rated both films together three-and-a-half stars out of five.[6] A retrospective of Gastaldi's films by the Italian magazine Nocturno described it as "flow[ing] smoothly and with some good jolts", highlighting Scott's screen presence as the film's main strength.[nb 1][9]
Notes
- Original text—"scorre via senza intoppi e con qualche buon sussulto".
Footnotes
- Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd.
- Jane, Ian (March 9, 2006). "The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- Shipka 2011, p. 93.
- Shipka 2011, p. 95.
- Firsching, Robert. "La Morte Accarezza a Mezzanotte". AllMovie. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
- Galbraith, Stuart (February 28, 2006). "Luciano Ercoli's Death Box Set (Death Walks on High Heels / Death Walks at Midnight) : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- "BFI | Film & TV Database | La morte accarezza a mezzanotte". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
- Luther-Smith 1999, p. 29.
- Pulici, Davide. "I Gialli Alla Gastaldi" (in Italian). Nocturno. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
References
- Shipka, Danny (2011). Perverse Titillation: The Exploitation Cinema of Italy, Spain and France, 1960–1980 (illustrated ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786448883.
- Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd.