Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

bensonmum2 As a train passes through a tunnel, a woman is murdered in a seating compartment. There are five other passengers in the compartment, so the police have several suspects. The police seem to be focusing on one man – a photographer named Luciano Morelli (Leonard Mann). It was his letter opener / bookmark used in the murder. To clear his name, he decides to try to unmask the killer. Also, the murderer dropped a pair of gloves on the train and one of the passengers decides to blackmail the killer. Not a wise move. As the gloves change hands, the body count goes up. Let's take Death Steps in the Dark and compare it with a standard giallo checklist: a black gloved killer – yes, straight razor – yes, nudity – yes, copious amounts of blood – yes, violent deaths – yes, someone other than the police doing most of the investigation – yes, close-ups of eyeballs – yes (what's up with all the eyeballs in these films), J&B – yes, European locations – yes, comedy – huh? Death Steps in the Dark is the only purposefully comedic giallo that I can remember seeing. From what I've read around the internet, I know the comedy elements put some people off. Initially, I thought I'd dislike it too, but, it started to grow on me. The scenes with the ditsy model, Ingrid, or the safe-cracking in the finale were very funny. For me, the contrast between the comedy and the brutal murders really made the movie that much more effective. I'm not saying that I want comedy in all my gialli, but it did make for an interesting change of pace. Other than the strange, but interesting, inclusion of comedy, the rest is what you'd expect from an above average giallo. The acting is good. Both Mann and American actor Robert Webber give solid performances. The film has a nice flow to it thanks in large part to director Maurizio Pradeaux. For me, Death Steps in the Dark is a much better, more enjoyable film than Pradeaux's better known Death Carries a Cane. The cinematography is quite nice, with everything from vibrant colors and to well shot night scenes. The deaths are as brutal as any you'll see in a giallo. The blood has that unrealistic bright red tone to it that I always associate with these films. Finally, the locations are gorgeous. Here, we're treated to Greece instead of the usual Italy. My biggest complaint is with the ending. Like a lot of gialli, it's rushed and doesn't really feel well thought out. If you're paying attention, it's not hard to spot the real killer among the five suspects. Hint: Focus on the one you learn the least about.

MARIO GAUCI This is another little-known but well-above-average giallo, in its case a latter-day entry; again, we have here an American actor – Robert Webber as an Inspector having to contend not just with a series of murders but a constantly upset stomach! – sparring with the protagonist, Leonard Mann (Italian despite the English-sounding name). Atypically, the film intercuts the genre's trademark intensity with a good deal of humor (including the hero fleeing detection in drag!); while it may feel uneasy at the start, the mix soon becomes acceptable and, in fact, proves considerably entertaining. In this respect, Mann's dumb girlfriend proves a bit much – having said that, there is one other kooky female character, a young safecracker who aids them in unmasking the villain of the piece! As usual, the film concludes with a rushed, muddled and rather banal explanation of the killer's motives (incidentally, the original murder cleverly occurs in a train compartment just as the vehicle enters a tunnel!) – which, however, is atoned for by one last delightful joke involving the inexperienced petty criminal. Like I said, its light mood notwithstanding, DEATH STEPS IN THE DARK (nicely shot in Greece, by the way) certainly does not hold back on blood-letting – since this had become pretty much the norm following Dario Argento's vicious face-lifting of the genre with DEEP RED (1975); still, there is one additional incongruous (and, in hindsight, unnecessary) element in the few – albeit surprisingly explicit – sex scenes (notably a lesbian coupling seen in extreme close-up!)...

Prof-Hieronymos-Grost Luciano is a press photographer travelling to a photo shoot on the Istanbul-Athens express with his girlfriend. While passing through a tunnel, his girlfriend is stabbed to death with Luciano's dagger. He is naturally the prime suspect for the murder, but he believes he can solve the case himself and so goes on the run to clear his name. On the face of it a classic giallo theme, but what we have here is a film that is an odd mix of authentic Giallo, black comedy and at times, outrageously bawdy comedy, in the vein of Airplane movies, the killer leaving his fingerprints in $hit might give you an idea of its level. Still though, some of the humour is spot on and never reaches the level of being tiresome, there are also enough gruesome murders and suspense to keep real Giallo enthusiasts intrigued.

The_Void I saw Maurizio Pradeaux's other Giallo effort, Death Carries a Cane, and thought it was lacklustre. This film is another lacklustre Giallo from a director who obviously isn't one of Italy's best - but if you look at it as a comedy instead of as a Giallo, what you actually have here is an enjoyable little romp with some amusing characters and humour. Of course, this is unlikely to please most people going into this film and expecting a gritty and macabre gore-fest - but the film really should be taken for what it is. The Giallo style was obviously drying up a little by 1977 anyway, and Pradeaux obviously thought that a spoof would add something new. The film opens with a woman murdered on a train. The carriage passes under a tunnel and when they emerge, the unlucky lady has a letter opener belonging to Luciano stuck in her chest. This obviously makes him the chief suspect in the investigation. Luckily for him, however, he's a master of disguise (or not); and after dressing up as a whore, he manages to evade the police and buy himself some time to catch the real killer.The film takes in all of the Giallo's standard elements, including black gloves and a lackadaisical police investigation. The jokes come thick and fast for pretty much the entire running time, and while it's possible that they're there for comic relief - I find it hard to believe that any scriptwriter could be so misguided, which makes me think that Death Steps in the Dark is spoofing the Giallo style on purpose. The humour is rather funny, however, although the ditsy girlfriend gets a bit tiresome after a while. Director Maurizio Pradeaux obviously thinks that bloody murders are important in a Giallo, as both this one and his earlier film feature some brutal killings. The razor blade slashing here are rather nice, but they do feel out place as the film puts so much focus on humour. The director doesn't have the star quality of Susan Scott to rely on this time round, but Leonard Mann is a good sport in the lead; and the lass who plays 'Little Blatto' is definitely a highlight. Overall, I can certainly see why this film isn't regarded as a classic of the genre; but if you take it with a pinch of salt, you should have fun with it. I did.