Gli assassini sono nostri ospiti

The Killers Are Our Guests is one of the harder to come by Giallo's, and that isn't surprising as the film doesn't really adhere to the common Giallo plot and themes. The basic plot is more along the lines of an exploitation film, as it features at the centre, people being held captive by criminals in their own home. In fact, I would really hesitate to call this film a Giallo at all; there is not really anything about the film (aside from the title and the fact that it's Italian and was made in the mid seventies) to identify it as a bona fide Giallo. As mentioned, the plot focuses on a couple being trapped inside their own house by a criminal gang. The gang have robbed a bank, but one of them got himself shot, so they decide to hole up at the house of Dr. Guido Malerva so the injured member can get medical attention. However, not everything goes to plan once the gang get to the doctor's house, as things start to fall apart when another gang member, named Eddie, turns up at the doctor's house.

As you've probably guessed, this film doesn't do much for me as a Giallo, but as an exploitation film it's not bad. The interaction between the various lead characters is the film's backbone, and it's fairly interesting - if a little slow. The centrepiece of the action is a lesbian scene, which was by far and away the best moment of the film for me. I think the reason why this scene is in the film is down to the fact that this sort of thing was popular in seventies Italian films (and that's a lot of the reason why seventies Italian films are popular with me!), but even so it works quite well in the context of the movie. The acting is decent enough, with Italian actor Antonio De Teffè leading an experienced line up that includes Margaret Lee (Slaughter Hotel), Luigi Pistilli (Bay of Blood) and Gianni Dei (Giallo a Venezia). Overall, I wont say this obscure film is one of the best films to come out of Italy in the seventies (actually nowhere near), but it's a decent ride and one that I'm sure will be appreciated by anyone inclined to track it down.

After a bungled diamond heist a trio of killers take refuge at the home of a country doctor (Anthony Steffens) and force him at gunpoint to attend to their mortally wounded colleague. They abuse the doctor and take sexual advantage of his wife. But everything is not as it seems. The title, the visual style, and some delightfully absurd hairpin plot twists near the end mark this film as Italian giallo, but, as other reviewers have said, it is only partially so. This also would qualify as a early "terror film", typified by later movies like "The Night Train Murders", "Last House on the Beach" and "House by the Edge of the Park" where lower-class miscreants terrify and abuse a seemingly comfortable bourgeois family until the tables are turned. This is is not nearly as nasty as most later "terror films" but like in those films, the hypocrisies of the seemingly respectable bourgeois couple are quickly revealed. The wife (Livia Cerilli), for instance, quickly develops a bad case sexual Stockholm syndrome and has sex with the sole female gang-member (Margaret Lee), the most unattractive of the male gang-members, and even a neighbor who drops by for a visit. The husband meanwhile has his own agenda.

The relative restraint as far as the violence and humiliation go, and the superior visual style do tend to mark this as more of a giallo than a terror film. It most resembles two other giallo/terror hybrids "The Cold Eyes of Fear" and "Hitchike". It's as good as the former, but not nearly as good as the latter. Spaghetti Western vet Anthony Steffens once again lets his unusual facial features do most of his acting for him. Margaret Lee gives a very good performance, but it is largely wasted on her thinly-drawn character. Cerini mainly provides the requisite T and A since Lee keeps her clothes on for a change.

I'd recommend this for giallo completists (since I guess I am one). It's not a pure giallo and it's certainly no classic of the either the giallo or the terror film, but it is fairly interesting and pretty entertaining.

A trio of jewel thieves including Eliana(Margaret Lee)takes refuge at the home of a surgeon Guido Malerva after one in their group is mortally wounded in a robbery.When the doctor's wife Mara(Livia Cerini)comes home she is subjected to rape and abuse.I would not consider Vincenzo Rigo's "The Killers Are Our Guests" a full-blown giallo,but the film certainly has some giallo elements.The film is actually quite similar to Enzo Castellari's "Cold Eyes of Fear",but it's more exciting and violent.Great performances by Livia Cerini,Margaret Lee,Luigi Pistilli and Anthony Streffen plus some highly welcomed sleaze and beautiful music score by Roberto Rizzo.A must-see for fans of gialli and Euro-crime movies.8 heists out of 10.

The Killers Are Our Guests opens with a daring daylight jewelry store robbery. One of the robbers is shot during the escape. The band of robbers is forced to seek medical attention for their partner and end up at the isolated villa of a doctor and his wife. Forced to comply, the doctor does his best to patch up the wounded robber. The baddies hold the pair hostage until they're able to hit the road. It's a nightmare of a night as the doctor and wife are threatened with their lives, the wife is raped, and, in the end, most everyone is killed.

Overall, I found The Killers Are Our Guests an above average piece of entertainment. I'm not sure how I'd classify the film, but I'm going to go with poliziotteschi or Euro-crime. The film features plenty of atmosphere as the robbers harass and threaten the couple. The movie never goes as far as something like Last House on the Left, but it has a similar cramped, ominous feel to it. I really started to feel for the doctor's wife. Either through choice or force, she has sex four times during the night. And when it's not by choice, it's not very pleasant. While the police seem ineffective throughout, the way the police ultimately catch their prey is nicely handled and provides an unexpected twist. The acting is solid. Genre regulars Anthony Steffan, Luigi Pistilli, and Margaret Lee are as good as I've come to expect. It's always nice to discover a "new" movie with Margaret Lee. The rest of the cast is more than adequate. If it weren't for some fairly long stretches in the second act where the film almost grinds to a halt, I could have easily rated The Killers Are Our Guests higher.

The one thing that lured me into seeing this movie is the irresistibly Giallo-sounding title. However, despite my fellow reviewers - most of them I practically always agree with - still claiming there are some definite trademarks, I honestly can't find any Giallo elements here. Only the title, and the title is pretty inaccurate, because the "killers" are actually bank robbers (who incidentally killed someone) and they are not "guests" but home invaders. Hence, I would categorize the film as a home-invasion thriller with obvious Poliziotesschi influences.

That being said, "The Killers are our Guests" is certainly worth seeking out if you're a fan of Italian cult/exploitation cinema from the 70s! It has a good atmosphere, familiar faces in the cast, a terrific soundtrack, plenty of gratuitous sleaze, a bit of violence, and an end-twist that I should have seen coming (but didn't). The plot of bank robbers seeking refugee and medical help in the private home of a doctor sounds simple and clichéd, but the atypical characters and their erratic behavior keeps the film compelling. The cast is nice, with spaghetti-western regular Anthony Steffen, ravishing beauty Margaret Lee, and naturally menacing-looking Giuseppe Castellano. Veteran actor Luigi Pistilli also stars, as the police commissioner, but he didn't really seem motivated to star. Still, though, in this film he has some of the most impressive sideburns I have ever seen.