The Killer Must Kill Again (1975)

- L'assassino è costretto ad uccidere ancora
Underseen, 30 January 2005

Mainardi (George Hilton) would like to see his wife dead. By chance, he stumbles upon a killer as he is disposing of his latest victim. Mainardi hires the man to do away with his wife. The killer is able to gain access to the house and soon enough the wife is dead. He carries her body to his car and places it in the trunk. He goes back into the house to clean-up. But, when the killer returns to his car, he discovers it has been stolen by a joy riding couple. Unfortunately for the beach bound couple, they know nothing of the body in the trunk or the killer who is hot on their trail.

There is no mystery as to the killer's identity. We know who he is two minutes into the movie. Some may complain about the drawn out "chase" sequence, but it only adds to the tension. The time is taken to get to know the couple. So, when the killer finally catches up with them, these scenes are even more shocking because we actually know and care about the victims. I found these scenes of violence particularly disturbing. The long chase is necessary to build to this moment.

Unlike many of the films in the giallo subgenre, The Killer Must Kill Again actually has a plot that makes sense and is easy to follow. Cozzi abandons most of the tricks associated with this kind of movie. There are no characters introduced in the final moments of the movie or last minute flashbacks that make some gialli so frustrating. The straight forward style of story telling is a nice change of pace for fans of the subgenre.

The entire cast is wonderful. Antoine Saint-John makes a superb killer. He has one of the most menacing looks I've ever seen. George Hilton is his usual smarmy self. And the couple, particularly the innocent Cristina Galbo, are very believable as sympathetic pair of car thieves.

The new DVD from Mondo Macabro is a real treat. Image and sound are better than I expected for an almost unknown movie from 1975. They've also loaded the disc with some very nice features, including extensive interview sessions will Cozzi and a commentary with Cozzi. I am very happy with this purchase.

8/10