Umberto Lenzi was a more than prolific giallo director during the late sixties/early seventies and he undoubtedly delivered great contributions to this wondrous sub-genre, with legendary titles like "Paranoia", "Orgasmo", "So Sweet, So Perverse", "Oasis of Fear", "Eyeball" and "Spasmo". His finest giallo accomplishment – in my humble opinion, at least – was "Seven Blood-stained Orchids" in 1972, and in that same glorious year he also made the lesser known but definitely worthwhile "Knife of Ice". This film describes itself pretty much as a textbook giallo, meaning it features a typical heroine in distress (Lenzi regular Caroll Baker), a few vicious knife murders (although less than usual), several conspicuous male suspects, misleading clues and red herrings all around and a far- fetched twist ending that is simultaneously preposterous and ingenious. When she was only a young teenager, Martha Caldwell lost both her parents in a disastrous train accident and witnessing this tragedy caused her to be mute ever since. She's now a gorgeous woman in her mid-twenties living with her uncle Ralph and awaiting the arrival of her successful niece Jenny, who coming over to visit her. On her first night already, though, Jenny is murdered in the garage. The police discover the lair of a satanic cult in the area, so maybe the killer is a devil worshiper, but also Martha's creepy chauffeur Marcos behaves increasingly suspicious. When the housemaid Annie also gets murdered in the area, it becomes clear that the killer is targeting Martha as the next victim. "Knife of Ice", which is – by the way – a fairly irrelevant title taken from a quote by Edgar Allen Poe, benefices from a steady pacing and a solidly written screenplay with a few bright ideas. The lead actress being mute isn't exactly new, but it provides an additional dimension for suspense, since she can't scream for help or testify to the police. The satanic cult aspect is relatively new for a giallo-thriller, which to me proves all the more that Lenzi is one of the principal founders of the sub genre. The low body count and the quasi gore- free depiction of the murders are rather disappointing, especially since we all know that Lenzi made several of the goriest Italian horror films in history. The most gruesome and shocking footage is actually during the opening credits, which is set in Spanish bull- fighting arena. Animal rights activists should probably fast-forward the opening credits, since the fate of the poor bull is illustrated quite graphically and mercilessly.
Review of Knife of Ice
