death smiles on a murderer

When it comes to the giallo genre, fans can be just as obsessive in their pursuit of obscure titles as the hyper-violent, sexually deviant killers that feature in them so prominently. Death Smiles on a Murderer (1973) actually straddles the line between a typical over-the-top giallo mystery and a supernatural story straight out of the Italian Gothic tradition. Arriving with no memory at the home of a pair of wealthy landowners, Greta (Ewa Aulin) seems content to bounce between affairs with both husband and wife, covering her mysterious backstory with a trail of dead bodies, including an overly curious doctor (Klaus Kinski) convinced she holds the key to his scientific research.

Directed by sleaze-maestro Joe D'Amato (using his real name for the first time) the film is a kitchen-sink conglomeration of incest, murder, sex and super-science crafted with a sloppy sort of style. The period setting makes the film feel like a better-made cousin to some of Jess Franco's output from the era, but D'Amato's go-for-broke script holds your attention...even as you're trying to sort out just what the hell is going on! Lifting from Poe, Argento and even a dash of Warhol, the fact that Death Smiles on a Murderer attempts to inject some class into its overall crassness is what makes it so intriguing.

Arrow Video's Blu-ray transfer comes form a 2K restoration of the original camera negative, looking every bit as good as that description suggests. But the extras really seal the deal, including a fascinating peek into D'Amato's exploitation career, a lengthy interview with star Ewa Aulin, another spot-on commentary from Tim Lucas plus stills, trailers and a collector's booklet.