Plot: What’s it about?
Mara (Sylvia Kramer) works as a dancer in a club, so she’s more than her share of thugs, bums, and criminals. But none of those experiences come close to the terror she feels on one dark night, when she witnesses a murder. This sends chills up her spine and of course, she is terrified that the killer took notice of her presence and as a result, could plan to return and come after her to ensure no loose ends. As it turns out, Mara is a target of this sadistic madman, but she isn’t alone in her battle against the murderer. Her lover Lukas (Richard Stewart) is working hard to track down the killer before he manages to slash up Mara, but with so many potential paths to take, that’s no simple task to undertake. But Lukas follows up on every lead and suspect, hoping to catch the madman before he strikes again. The sick murderer remains loose however, leaving behind a trail of carved up corpses in his wake. It seems as though time has started to run short for Mara, but she keeps hope in her lover, though even he is starting to tire of failure in his attempts. Will the killer add Mara to his list of victims, or can she survive his onslaught?
This film, also known as The Cat With Jade Eyes, is an unusual and more than decent giallo picture, one which should interest genre devotees. But while Watch Me When I Kill uses elements of giallo, it is not a strict genre movie, like the kind seen from directors like Dario Argento (The Bird With Crystal Plumage) and Pupi Avati (The House With Windows That Laugh). Instead, this film combines traditional giallo ingredients with other genre elements, such as revenge pictures and more general mystery productions. The result is no mishmash either, as the atmosphere is excellent and the movie never ceases to hold the audience’s attention. Now you might not be glued to the screen, but the film has enough juice to keep you interested and when it decides to splash out, it does so in grandiose and effective fashion. Although some slow stretches are present, the pace is consistent enough to maintain tone and in this kind of movie, some slower moments are needed to build the tension up a couple extra notches. But while the premise and direction are solid, the cast is weak and no one steps up to elevate their efforts. As such, some scenes lose immense potential and in the end, the performances sink this picture. Even so, for giallo buffs this one is worth a look and despite its flaws, Watch Me When I Kill is recommended.
You don’t always need a high profile, expert cast to make a good movie, especially in the realm of horror cinema. But in the case of Watch Me When I Kill, the lack of gifted performers dulls the shine on the film’s positive elements, without question. In horror movies, you can often use inexperienced stars with middling talents, since the characters are often so simple, but here the roles require a more battle tested soldier. This is because these characters have some depth, though you wouldn’t know it from the poor performances. The cast is not a total loss, but even the experienced players seem off base here and that lessens the material. Which is a real shame, as this one has some solid potential if the right cast would have been used. The name most folks will recognize here is Franco Citti, who was perhaps best known for his frequent appearances in the pictures of controversial director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Other movies with Citti include The Decameron, Black Jesus, The Canterbury Tales, The Godfather, Arabian Nights, and Gangster’s Law. The cast also includes Sylvia Kramer (Ring of Darkness, Satyricon), Richard Stewart (The Sexy Virgin, Rocco and His Brothers), and Jill Pratt (Flavia the Heretic, Ash Wednesday).
Video: How does it look?
Watch Me When I Kill is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The image here isn’t too impressive, but considering this is a low rent 80s import, I suppose the materials could look a whole lot worse than this. As far as debris, the print used has some minor instances, but the real problem comes from the grain present in this treatment. I wasn’t surprised to see excessive grain here, but at times, it runs out of control and lessens the visuals. In some dark scenes, contrast winds up brightened and in a movie of this kind, dark shadows are crucial and as such, the grain proves to be a real spoiler. Like I said, I have seen worse looking movies with similar pedigrees, but Watch Me When I Kill looks rough in this edition.
Audio: How does it sound?
rather basic stereo soundtrack provided here is decent, but I do wish the original Italian language version was included. Instead we have an English dub and while it isn’t the worst one I’ve heard, it is no proper substitute for the original source language. In terms of technical performance, the audio is adequate and suffers from no serious defects, but never moves much beyond basic and passable. There is some age related wear & tear evident, but the elements come through well enough, all things considered. The music is quite good and while a little thin at times, it sounds pretty good in this presentation. Aside from the lack of an Italian language option, there’s not a whole to complain about here, nor to brag about, however.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a talent file on director Antonio Bido, as well as two of the film’s promotional radio spots.
