Seven Murders for Scotland Yard (1972)

Sorry, but I'm not a fan, 1 February 2017

After watching Seven Murders for Scotland Yard a couple of weeks ago, I initially rated the movie a 5/10. As I sat down to write this, however, I couldn't remember why I had been so generous. Sitting here, I'm having trouble coming up of anything positive to write.

I'm not really sure if there are actually seven murders in the movie or not. I wasn't counting and can't be bothered to go back and look. The exact number of murders, though, is the least of the problems I have with Seven Murders for Scotland Yard. Instead, my major issue with the film is the lack of originality. For example, for a movie with seven(?) murders, they're filmed with a complete lack of imagination. We've seen it all before and usually handled better. I wasn't expecting anything as masterful as Blood and Black Lace or Tenebre, but the murder scenes here are dull and horribly predictable in execution. They all look the same – cheap and nasty (and not in a good way). In fact, the whole film looks cheap and dirty – like it was filmed through a filter of muck. 

The plot doesn't do the movie any favors either. The killer is too easy to spot right from the start. The movie includes plenty of Giallo required red herrings and plot twists, but they'e so obvious they don't work. For example, a lot of time is spent trying to make the audience think that Paul Naschy's character might be responsible for the murders. But it never works because it's too easy to see through. There might as well be a sign flashing "Red Herring" above his head. Like much of the rest of the movie, the plot is dull and lifeless.

Finally, there's the cast. I couldn't find anyone to root for. In the past, I've made no secret about my general dislike for Naschy and, with Seven Murders for Scotland Yard, nothing has changed my opinion. His character even looks like the same guy he plays in most all of his movies – leather jacket, collar-less shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. I kept waiting for him to turn into a werewolf. Again, unoriginal. And then there's Renzo Marignano as Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Campbell. His methods of investigation were laughably unbelievable. In fact, I realized about half-way through the movie that he didn't remind me of an Inspector, but instead, he reminded me of Monty Python's Graham Chapman playing a Scotland Yard Inspector. 

Overall (an unfortunately), Seven Murders for Scotland Yard is a stinker in my book.

3/10