The Fourth Victim

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.