Plot: What’s it about?
Arrow Video prides itself on importing films that are not only out of the mainstream, but occasionally, are almost completely unknown. Such is the case with their most recent box set they have released – Killer Dames: Two Gothic Chillers by Emilio P. Miraglia. The director of the two films is not extremely well known and was not prolific, only directing six films total- in fact his IMDB page is not even sure if he is still alive. The reason Arrow’s releases appeal to me so much is that I am excited to discover something that I would not have ever actively sought out. Finding out about some obscure director through these releases reminds me of when we had local video shops and the clerk would say, “Hey, man. Check this out. It’s super out there.”
Now onto the films themselves.
The first film in the set is The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave. The film begins with the protagonist of the film running from orderlies at an asylum. Next thing we know, this same character has been released and is driving a young red headed prostitute back to his place. It is obvious immediately that there is something off about him as he removes the tags off his car. His name is Lord Alan Cunningham, and he drives her to his family estate – a beautiful castle that needs some upkeep. After they retire to his room he leads her to a dungeon where he proceeds to kill her due to the red hair reminding him of his dead wife’s infidelity. After this killing he meets another gogo dancer with red hair and the same actions occur – red hair reminds him of his dead wife causing an “episode” and forcing him to kill. After this, we are introduced to his family and confidantes who help him take care of his estate and his psychiatrist who helps him through his episodes. Alan decides he would be better off living in the city, and in the city he meets the beautiful Gladys (played by the fantastic Marina Malfatti) and they are married immediately. He brings her back to the country estate, and he begins to see visions of his dead wife.
The second film in the set is The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. The film begins with two little girls playing and arguing with each other- Kitty and Evelyn. the girls ask their grandfather about a picture hanging in the study. He explains that the red queen kills the black queen in a picture. Their grandfather tells them the story of the family curse – every hundred years one daughter will kill the other daughter along with six other people. The film jumps forward twenty years and we are introduced to a third sister, Franziska. Evelyn has been living in America. Kitty is a fashion photographer. After the grandfather is murdered and it seems to be by Evelyn wearing a red cape, the curse seems to be bound to reoccur.
Out of the two films, I prefer The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave is pretty good but not something I could see myself watching more than once or twice. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is a very fun film and I really enjoyed it. Both films are of the Giallo genre, so they are fairly exploitative – there are numerous nude scenes in both as well as numerous violent scenes. That said, the violence is not overly grotesque in comparison to a Dario Argento film or a Final Destination movie. It does not rely on much gore, but it doesn’t shy from fake blood. The acting in these films can be best described as over the top, but it adds to the fun and does not hurt the pictures.
The reason Evelyn did not grab me as much as Queen, comes in the opening few minutes of the film. The first murder scene was just a little too exploitative for my taste. It sort of soured my appetite for the film. That said, the second half is excellent. Also, Queen has the benefit of some truly talented collaborators on the project. The gorgeous Barbara Bouchet is in Queen. The great Marina Malfatti is in both films. The cinematography in both films is striking, but Queen wins out with the work put in by Alberto Spagnoli. The score by Bruno Nicolai is fantastic. I would buy a cd of it if it was readily available. It’s that good.
At the end of the day, it will be your judgement call on if these movies are for you. Giallo movies can be a hard sell. I think I have given enough information to make a decision for yourself. Personally, I am glad to add The Red Queen Kills Seven Times to my collection, and The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave is just an added bonus.
Video: How does it look?
Arrow Video did a fantastic job on the transfer of both films using an MPEG 4 AVC codec of a new 2K restoration. The transfer looks great overall. Occasional scenes looked a bit soft, but this could easily just be the nature of some of the focus in the scene. This is one of Arrow Video’s most visually pleasing releases. I really have nothing bad to say visually about either film. This is rock solid work. Personally, the cinematography by Alberto Spagnoli filming in Germany for The Red Queen Kills Twice is more visually pleasing to my taste, but the awesome Italian Gothic look in The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave is very effective as well. These both would achieve high scores on their own.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio treatment of both films is rock solid. The films are mono tracks but I was taken with the scores in both films. Both of Bruno Nicolai’s scores are great, but the Bruno Nicolai score for The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is pretty much perfection. Both films offer superb clarity – with no overly noticeable pops or crackles that I recall. There is no reason to dislike this audio treatment at all. You will get to hear every scream as killers kill repeatedly!
Arrow has provided the English and Italian versions of the film. I prefer films in their native language but the dub is there for those who want it!
Supplements: What are the extras?
The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave
- Trailers – Both the English and Italian Trailers
- Audio Commentary – The very knowledgable film expert Troy Howarth discusses the film and Giallo cinema. This is a fun and interesting commentary that points out the elements that make this a Giallo film.
- Remembering Evelyn – Critic Stephen Thrower discusses the film. Pretty good.
- Introduction by Erica Blanc – brief into
- The Night Erika Came Out Of Her Grave – Erica Blanc discusses her memories of the film. This feature is a but more awkward than I expected.
- The Whip and The Body – Erica Blanc discusses the film…again
- Still Rising From The Grave – an interesting (sometimes flat) discussion with production designer Lorenzo Baraldi.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
- Trailers – Both the English and Italian Trailers
- Alternate Opening – different opening with a calendar countdown
- Audio Commentary – Alan Jones and Kim Newman discuss the film. Didn’t grab my interest and sort of annoyed me so I turned it off.
- My Favorite…Films – An enlightening interview with the delightful Barbara Bouchet. Good stuff.
- If I Met Emilio Biraglia Today – archival interviews with Erica Blanc, Lorenzo Baraldi, and Marino Mase. Pretty interesting.
- Dead a Porter – interview with Lorenzo Baraldi. Rounds out his previous interview.
- Rounding Up the Usual Suspects – interview with Marino Mase. Solid interview with somebody I didn’t recognize from the film.
- Interview with Sybil Danning – really interesting interview. She had never seen the movie until a few days before the interview.
- Stephen Thrower discusses the film – I enjoy his discussions of the films.
The Bottom Line
Killer Dames: Two Gothic Chillers by Emilio P Miraglia is a tough sell to anybody unfamiliar with the Giallo genre, solely because the content can at times be extreme. That said, I really enjoyed getting to watch both of these films and learn of a director that had never been mentioned at all in my social circle. Arrow’s release contains a robust helping of supplements and excellent audio and visual presentations. For myself, I would rate the second film about a 9 and the first about a 7. For those purposes, I recommend with only a hesitation of saying that renting before a purchase would be highly recommended.
