Death Steps in the Dark (1977)

- Passi di morte perduti nel buio
Interesting twist on the genre, 17 July 2017

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.

7/10