User reviews

Michael Craig stars as Arthur Anderson whose blonde wife is found suspiciously drowned in their swimming pool.Because he two previous wives also died strange deaths Anderson is charged with murder and only gets off because his motherly housekeeper lies to clear his name.Soon a pretty blonde woman(Carroll Baker)shows up and starts flirting with Anderson but it's clear from the get-go that she may not be who she seems to be.She quickly becomes the fourth Mrs. Anderson."The Fourth Victim" is very rare Spanish giallo with capable cast and nice score by Piero Umiliani.There is not much gore and the pace is slow,but last 20 minutes are quite twisted.6 out of 10.

I recently watched the Italian giallo Fourth Victim (1971) on Tubi. The storyline follows a man whose third wife mysteriously dies...much like the two wives before her. The husband inherited large sums of money in each case and is the primary suspect. As the police poke around the circumstances a new blond arrives at the husbands doorstep with her own motives, but what are they? Could she want to be the fourth victim and why?

This movie is directed by Eugenio Martín (Horror Express) and stars Carroll Baker (Kindergarten Cop), Michael Craig (I Promised to Pay), Enzo Garinei (Dr. Clown) and Marina Malfatti (All the Colors of the Dark).

This picture has a tremendously unique storyline with a nice mix of murder mystery and slasher elements. The kills only take place at the very beginning and very end, and both scenes are shot in classic giallo fashion. The "who done it" elements are solid and have a classic 70s feel to them. Michael Craig delivers an excellent performance as a strong, rigid character who could care less what the police or society thinks of him and is just doing his best to get through the circumstances, no matter who is poking into his affairs. Carroll Baker is gorgeous and delivers her conniving role to perfection. The ending is rewarding with a classic giallo twist.

Overall, this is an above average addition to the giallo genre that I would score a 5.5-6/10 and recommend seeing once.

This is quite a stylish production with a fine cast and a good ending. However, it is rather slow which may cause some viewers to lose interest half way through the film. This is definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of obscure giallo's or Spanish Horror/Exploitation (like me!), otherwise it's probably not worth tracking down. (For those interested, there is only one video release of this that anybody has been able to find, which was on "Master Home Video" in Greece. It was fully uncut, but is long deleted as it was released sometime between 1984 and 1987. The cover art is very cool and totally misleading!)

Carroll Baker made a handful of giallos (Italian thrillers) and this one is certainly the best ;it must be the screenplay :it does not fall apart after the first reel and suspense is sustained throughout ; Michael Craig 's character ,three times widower ,might be a cross between French Blue Beard and Cary Grant in Hitchcock's "suspicion": hence the English title "the fourth victim ".Even though she knows about her new husband 's shady past , Baker marries him : but hasn't she skeletons in her closet too? And who is this mysterious woman who prowls around the mansion?And is the housekeeper candid when she tells she thinks her master is totally innocent ,that all these deaths are accidental ? Directing is just OK , Baker is gorgeous , her co-star is suave and handsome, no masterpiece but watchable all the same.

This international thriller with influences from America, England, Italy and Spain is sometimes called a giallo but I would say it's just a murder mystery thriller from the 70s. There's no serial killer sneaking around with black gloves, nudity is non-existent, gore is similarly off the table, and for the majority of the film it plays out like a British soap opera with a continental sense of style. Giallo-like twists do occur near the end.

I think this is one of the more coherent and easily watchable films from the era, even for people who are not completists nor super fans of gialli. The atmosphere isn't terribly creepy nor is it especially fashionable but it is rather lovely and has the requisite big houses with gold curtains.

Rich type Arthur Anderson returns home to find that his third wife has drowned in his swimming pool and of course is immediately arrested due to the fact that his previous two wives have also met premature ends. *Reference to Michael Barrymore removed following legal advice*. The local police inspector is certain that Arthur has been bumping off his wives for money, but is it true?

One court case later and Arthur is a free man once again, which annoys the inspector so much that he takes to following him around everywhere, even bringing along his nagging wife while doing so! Worse still, Arthur is awoken one night to find someone swimming in his pool – Carroll Baker. Carroll seems to be very interested in Arthur and starts putting the moves on him almost right away, but is this love or is Carroll up to something?

It seems that Arthur himself is rather suspicious and is continually fighting the voice in his head that's telling him she's up to something and the voice in his trousers that's telling him to get on with it and get her into bed. For most of the duration of the plot Arthur keeps catching Carroll in places she shouldn't be (like the attic, about ten seconds after he told her not to go up there), plus he's still go that Welsh police inspector following him to make sure Carroll doesn't end up like the other Mrs Andersons…

For the first hour this film drags along, as it's one of those old school Gialli where people are up to something but we don't quite know why, what, where, or who. It's not too boring as Carroll Baker is always entertaining but the whole genre had moved on from this kind of stuff. However, director Eugenio Martin (who would shortly give us the awesome Horror Express) seems to realise this and takes the plot in a more welcome absurd direction for the remainder of the film. I won't spoil it here, but it gives the plot a bit more tension, even if it doesn't make much sense.

It probably shouldn't be too high on your list of must-see gialli, however.

A wealthy man keeps finding his wives dead under mysterious circumstances and, after standing trial and getting off, a mysterious woman enters his life and strange things start to happen.

For a giallo, The Fourth Victim is low on violence and sleaze, but the performances are better than average and the script won't make you cringe as much as many similar films. There are enough twists and turns to keep you interested without having to slice up bodies every 10 minutes. Some of the twists are silly, but silliness is to be expected with this sort of Italian thriller.

This film begins with a wealthy British man by the name of "Arthur Anderson" (Michael Craig) driving to his house and discovering his wife face down in the swimming pool. So after taking the body upstairs to the bedroom he and his maid "Felicity Downing" (Miranda Campa) dry off the body, change her clothes and then call the police. A couple of days later, Arthur is charged with murder due primarily to the fact that this was the third wife he has had in three years and all of them had died leaving him as the beneficiary of their insurance policies. However, with only the fact that drugs had been found in her system and no proof as to whether he had anything to do with it, he is subsequently acquitted. Not long afterward he hears a noise in his yard and upon going to check it out sees a stunning blonde woman by the name of "Julie Spencer" (Carrol Baker) swimming in the same pool his wife had drown in not too long before. After a brief conversation she leaves but soon after that they begin to spend more time together which eventually leads to marriage. Unfortunately, there is much more to Julie than meets the eye and soon the two of them become deathly suspicious of one another. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film starts off exceedingly slow and maintains that pace for quite a while afterward. Fortunately, the mystery and intrigue pick up about two-thirds of the way through and partially redeems what otherwise could have been a rather boring movie. All things considered then, while this wasn't a great mystery-thriller by any means, I suppose it was okay for a rainy day and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

The plot becomes too convoluted during the second half, but the first 30 minutes or so forms an excellent mystery focused on Mr. Anderson's unlucky marriages to 3 women all of whom died in 'accidents' within a year after their weddings.

One of the writers was Santiago Moncada, who wrote stories and scripts for some 60 Spanish/Italian productions including the excellent neo/post/whatever noir thriller 'Corruption of Chris Miller' from about the same time as 'Fourth Victim'.

The mood is set by one of the best opening sequences I've seen in a giallo-esque picture, accompanied by Piero Umiliani's languid, dreamy theme featuring those theremin-like female vocals common to Italian 70's thrillers, ooohhh-ing over a dreamy gentle but melancholy descending melody.

We see a handsome middle aged man looking through a large window on a sunny day at a beautiful blonde woman floating alone in the backyard pool, reclining on a clear plastic inflatable chair. She looks very relaxed, slumped to one side, maybe asleep under her sunglasses, a drained cocktail glass at poolside. The dreamy sad music continues.

Then we see that the cigarette in her limp hand has burned all the way down to her fingers, but she doesn't react to the burning ashes at all. Something is wrong with her.

The sad music sound fearful and menacing as it hits an ominous chord.

The burning cig has begun to melt the arm of the plastic chair, and it gradually sinks as the inert comatose woman slowly rolls over into the water and lies floating face down. The man watching her runs down some stairs through a big mansion and out to the pool, where the woman is obviously dead....

The movie should've continued with the 'dead wives' mystery, but it goes off on a silly tangent. Nevertheless, it has a unique flavor different from most giallos, which makes it recommended.

A decent Giallo in which our starring becomes involved in a dangerous game of sex, lies, blackmail, treason, double-crossing and death by tacky 70s home decor. A wealthy Englishman (Michael Craig) finds his third wife dead. After the police discover that his first two wives had also died suddenly, an investigation run by an obstinete inspector (José Luís López Vazquez) is launched. Meanwhile, a new neighbor (Carroll Baker) moves in and becomes very interested in Arthur. Then Arthur Anderson finds out that his new wife just left the asylum where she was confined for years. Who could it be behind the murder?.

The fact that we know in advance what has happened does not diminish the intrigue of the story in any way. The viewer knew who the allegedly murderer was, and the plot revolved around the investigation of the colorful detective played by José Luís López Vazquez in a somewhat comical tone that does not fit the mystery of the film , and the "mistakes" that the suspect could make by giving himself away. Revolving around the supposedly guilty homicidal man and guess who the real murderer is until an incredible and surprising plot twist that is the best part of the movie. Stars the British handsome Michael Craig, along with the American star Carrol Baker, both have a long cinematic career. The latter Carroll Baker , had a small part in Easy to Love (1953), did TV commercials, and had a bit part on Broadway. She studied at the Actors Studio and was married to director Jack Garfein (one daughter, Blanche Baker). Warner Brothers, sensing a future Marilyn Monroe, cast her in Giant (1956), Baby Doll (1956) (Oscar nomination for her thumb-sucking role), The Carpetbaggers (1964) and Harlow (1965) (title role). Moving to Italy, she made films there and in England, Germany, Mexico and Spain .This American actress won a great triumph with Baby Doll (1956), after she did some Westerns. Being historically or aesthetically significant her performances : Giant (1956) and John Ford's How the West was won and Cheyenne Autumn . Signed a contract with Paramount Studios in 1963. She was given roles originally slated for Paramount starlet Stella Stevens - Harlow , The Carpetbaggers and Sylvia . The studio felt Baker was a more experienced dramatic actress and just as alluring. Then , Carroll was to Italy where she performed a lot of Giallos and softcore films , such as : "L'harem , The sweet body of Deborah , The flower with the deadly sting, Orgasm , Paranoia, The Devil with Seven Faces, Knife of Ice, Death at the Deep , End of the Swimming Pool , Il Corpo, The Private Lesson, The Virgin Wife" .Being a typical coproduction, the film is full of Spanish secondary actors: José Luis López Vázquez Alberto Fernández, Manuel Gallardo, Lone Flening (director's wife) and Italians as Marina Malfatti, Enzo Garinei .

The film stands out for its luxurious and atmospheric photography by cameraman Guglielmo Mancori shot on location in enjoyable English outdoors and in an evocative mansion where the 'Dracula' movies produced by Hammer Films were usually shot. As well as the attractive musical score by Piero Umiliani. The motion picture was professionally directed by Eugenio Martin. Craftsman Martin had the opportunity to direct films using international casts and crew which familiarized him with many different players in 1960s cinema, by many accounts among the most fertile and creative periods in film history. In his starts Martín made a series of well-regarded short films and documentaries before making his first feature film Despedida de soltero ("Farewell to the Single Life"), in 1957. In 1966 Martín directed The Bounty Killer (released as The Ugly Ones in the United States), the first of many Westerns he was to create, it remains among his better known works . Martín's next three films were domestic musicals, one of which starred crooner Julio Iglesias. He began frequently using Spain as an affordable site for location shooting, Martín took advantage of opportunities for collaboration and worked with a number of foreign directors, most notably Nicholas Ray. He was known for the low-middle budget genre films he made in the 1960s and 1970s, including Bad Man's River, The Bounty Killer, and Horror Express, the latter being particularly notable for its inclusion of the well-known English actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, famous for their work with Hammer Films. Though never remarkably successful either at the box office or among critics, Martín's films, particularly Horror Express, have achieved cult status. Eugenio Martin and won prizes conceded by Spanish Spectacle Syndicate. Martin is a horror-mystery movies expert ( Horror express, Hypnosis, A candle for the devil , The fourth Mrs Anderson ) and Spaghetti Western ( Requiem, for a gringo , Pancho Villa , The ugly ones , Bad man's river ). Martín made several musicals and giallo-type films in the 70's, solidifying his reputation as "an auteur in every genre", per the subtitle of a recent biography. Rating La última señora Anderson(1971) : 6/10.

The Fourth Victim is a film very much in the style of Umberto Lenzi's late sixties Giallo's (including Orgasmo and So Sweet...So Perverse). The film is very tame and relies on its story, rather than brutal and bloody murders, for its thrills; and that, unfortunately, is its downfall. While the storytelling is not particularly bad for the most part; it's just not exciting enough and by the time the film takes a turn for the final third, many audience members will already be switched off; and that's a shame because the basic story here is stronger than that of a lot of other genre films. The film takes place in Britain and the plot focuses on Arthur Anderson. We begin with a wordless sequence that sees Anderson find his wife dead in the swimming pool. He and his housekeeper drag her body from the pool and call a doctor, who gives a death certificate. However, it transpires that Anderson has already had two wives die on him; but an insurance investigation leads to there being no wrong-doing on his part. Shortly thereafter Anderson meets Julie and marries her...but will Julie become 'the fourth victim', and is there more to her than meets the eye?

The film stars American actress and Umberto Lenzi favourite Carroll Baker alongside Michael Craig. The male lead is good and provides just the right tone for his slightly sinister character; while Baker just goes through the motions in what is a rather lightweight part in the movie. The script is the film's downfall as it is rather dull and not very realistic. Most of the film is just soap opera stuff that fails to fascinate, and it's not very realistic either. The dialogue is poor and the film rushes headlong into its first major plot point - a wedding - all too quickly and unrealistically. The film does deliver a twist around the start of the final third, and it does serve in making things more interesting...although it's a rather strange twist that comes in almost from nowhere and pretty much undermines the main plot of the film. This is made worse by the fact that the ending doesn't give any credibility to the main plot, and it's all just kind of brushed away, almost like the filmmakers got bored and just wanted to end things early. Overall, this is just an average Giallo and I wouldn't recommend anyone goes out of their way to see it.

Suspicion falls on a man whose third wife dies mysteriously in his swimming pool - after all, his other two previous spouses died in odd circumstances too and he always seems to benefit financially! He escapes prison in a dubious manner and shortly after a mysterious woman pitches up in his swimming pool late one night; he winds up marrying her too. But is she who she says she is? Will she become the fourth victim? And who is that odd woman kicking about in the dead of night?

This Spanish giallo was directed by Eugenio Martin who later helmed the excellent Horror Express. He doesn't deliver a film nearly as entertaining with this one. Not that its bad or anything but the pace is slow and there doesn't seem to be a massive amount happening a lot of the time. Also, given the genre, it has to be said that there's a distinct lack of salacious content to be found here either, which always tends to enliven even the least essential giallo. The star in this one is Carroll Baker who appeared in a raft of similar old school gialli, which were less about maniacs prowling around violently picking off members of the cast and more about jet-setters plotting against one-and-other for large inheritances. This movie is most definitely of the latter category, and consequently does benefit from a certain lushness of presentation, with a pleasingly loungey score from Piero Umiliani and a visually nice look throughout. The character played by Marina Malfatti was probably the most promising overall, as she is an unhinged crazy person with a tenuous grip on reality, i.e. A pleasingly eccentric and ridiculous giallo character! On the whole, this is a solid example of the early style of this type of movie but just be aware that the thrills on offer are less excessive and more of the breezy and laid-back variety.

(1971) The Fourth Victim/ La última señora Anderson DUBBED THRILLER

Adapted from a short story by C. B. Gilford co-written and directed by Eugenio Martín that showcases a young lady lying on a pool floating device and she looked emotionless with a cigarette dangling on her finger. And by the time the time the cigarette hits the floating tube she was lying on, she would then sink into the pool, and it was during then the housekeeper, Felicity Downing (Miranda Campa) would go up to find wealthy owner, Mr. Arthur Anderson (Michael Craig) and both of them would go to it before removing her lifeless body out of their and into the bed, wiping her down, and after the do doctor write down his medical findings. The next scene would then have both Arthur and his loyal housekeeper at the funeral and it was during then, he is approached by Scotland Yard inspector, Dunphy (José Luis Lopez Vazquez) to whcih he reveal to viewers that this happens to be the third wife who died over the last three years. And that Arthur himself had benefited financially from them as a result of life insurance. And when Arthur went to trial, and the housekeeper Felicity committed perjury by claiming that his latest wife heavily overdosed on medication, part of the reason she had drowned, it was sufficient enough to find him innocent by the jury. And that is when Julie Spencer (Carroll Baker) comes in, moving into the mansion next door to which the first time he caught his attention is when she uses his pool. Will Jule be the "fourth victim"- hence the tile after Arthur's first three wives all had died in unexpected circumstances.

Anyone were to watch the ending of this movie would not be able to make sense what just happened. Like, on one hand it was supposed to be whether Arthur Anderson had anything to do with the deaths of one of his three wives. And then it was like, it just shifted it's focal point to a crazy woman and the lady who presumed another lady's identity. It is as if producers intervened and did not like the ending that would have made more sense since at the opening, it did appear to look like the drowning death was staged to make it look like she died of a drowning when she was already been dead for awhile. Anyways, it is unusual for murder/slasher movie to end the way that it did even though it may have cheated viewers watching it. It was also unusual to see an funded European movie where Carroll Baker is not naked in this.

'The Fourth Victim' aka 'Death at the Deep End of the Swimming Pool' and known as 'The Fourth Mrs Anderson' is a stylish and suspenseful Spanish Giallo thriller that proves to be both entertaining and quite engaging with its interesting premise, great cast, and solid production values. Not a classic within the Giallo genre by any means, but its an enjoyable effort that doesn't deserve its obscurity status.

The Plot = Arthur Anderson (Michael Craig), a wealthy Englishman finds his third wife dead in the swimming pool. This doesn't bode well for Arthur, as his previous 2 wives also died suddenly, an investigation is launched, with Inspector Dunphy (Jose Luiz Lopez Vazquez) leading the investigation. Meanwhile, a new neighbour Julie Spencer (Carroll Baker) moves into the area and takes an interest in Arthur.

Some Giallo fans may disappointed by the lack of violence and nudity in this flick, personally I enjoyed it, I didn't love it, but it did keep me invested throughout its runtime thanks to the fun twists and turns that the story takes you on and for the most part the movie was decently paced, despite a couple of plodding moments here and there. The Giallo elements comes more into play during the final climax where the tension really amps up and results in wrapping up the story in a satisfying way. The direction by Eugenio Martin was really good and features some gorgeous cinematography and captures the striking locations effectively, giving everything a stylish look to the production.

The cast here are great with Michael Craig giving a strong and likeable leading man performance. Carroll Baker does great in her role as the beautiful and glamourous leading lady who may or may not have a hidden agenda. Jose Luiz Lopez Vazquez delivers an okay performance as the Inspector, but the comedy relief his character provided got a bit annoying at times. Marina Malfatti provides an interesting performance as the beautiful yet mysterious stranger.

Overall 'The Fourth Victim' is a solid Giallo thriller, not the best that the genre has to offer, but nowhere near the worst either.

Michael Craig and his staff find his third wife, apparently drowned in the pool. That's how the death certificate reads, but the insurance company gets an exhumation; it's the third wife in three years and they've had policies on all three. He goes up for trial on murder, because the coroner found large amounts of sleeping pills in her system. But is found not guilty, largely on the testimony of his housekeeper, Miranda Camping, who testifies that she had taken a similar dose from the woman the evening before. She admits to Craig this was a lie.

One night, he finds Caroll Baker swimming in his pool. Within a couple of months they're married, and she presents him with an insurance policy on her life. But whom does she phone at odd hours, reporting on Craig? Who is she really.

The dubbed version of Eugenio Martín's movie has some odd choices in the English-language performance, but it's a fascinating movie that takes unexpected turns, but still leaves the central mysteries unexplained. Normally I would find that annoying. Here, they add a piquancy and suspense about what happens after the story ends.