A White Dress for Marialé

On the one hand, we're treated to several giallo regulars - Ivan Rassimov, Evelyn Stewart, and Luigi Pistilli. Ivan Rassimov comes across the best here because he is given the most to do. Truth be told, everyone tries to do the best they can - the thing is the script doesn't give them much to do.

There's also a slow pace. The first murder doesn't occur until an hour into the film. The violence and special effects are done quite well.

I think this film really falls flat because of the direction. The performances are uneven. It doesn't look like anyone was in charge of the project. There are multiple continuity errors. Sometimes the camera is intentionally out of focus for effect, but there were a few times it was unintentionally out of focus for no good reason. Some of his style is interesting, but it does not always serve the story.

The ending has been done 100 times before, and you can see it coming well in advance.

Another unheralded horror gem from Italy! I'm actually surprised it's directed by Romano Scavolini, since he's the one responsible for "Nightmare in a Damaged Brain", and this one seems like the total opposite of that one. "Mariale" is one hell of an elegant, sexy and disturbing chiller, that really stands out from most gialli that were being made at around the same time. The story centers around Mariale, a young woman who is kept locked up in her family castle by her own husband and his servant. As a child, she witnessed the brutal murder of her mother, by the hands of her own father who then proceed to commit suicide. She secretly invites a group of old friends to gather at the castle for a costume party, and when Mariale decides to wear the same dress her mother wore on the day of her death, all Hell breaks loose. What follows is a grotesque, nightmarish orgy right out of a Fellini film, with a little extra gore and sleaze, that in many ways predates Ken Russell's "Gothic". Scavolini firmly directs this one with style and flair, as well as providing the gorgeous cinematography, that takes full advantage of it's amazing setting, and is beautifully accompanied by the Fiorenzo Carpi's haunting score. The film also benefits from strong performances from a great cast of giallo stars, which includes Evelyn Stewart in the title role, Luigi Pistilli, Gianni Dei and Ivan Rassimov (playing against the type in the 'good guy' role). In spite of these great elements, the film does have flaws, mostly regarding the pace. The opening scene is a bang, literally, as young Mariale witnesses the brutal demise of her mother and her lover. From then on, it works quite well until the bodies start piling up. The film suddenly takes a more routine and rather dull Agatha Christie-style murder mystery, specially when compared to it's unique first 40 minutes or so. Thankfully, the great ending puts the film back on it's tracks, and will certainly stay your mind for a while once you finished watching it. Overall, an excellent and sadly obscure giallo, with a very distinctive style. 8/10. If only the middle part was slightly more gripping, it would certainly get a 10/10 for me.

(1974) A White Dress For Marialé/ Un bianco vestito per Marialé (In Italian with English subtitles)

Cinematography and directed by Romano Scavolini that opens with a father stopping his car and instructing his little daughter to stay in the car while he goes out and does something. The daughter of course does not listen and follows him anyway, and upon approaching his wife and her lover. He then pulls out a gun and he shoots and kills them both before he turns the gun on to himself. The movie then shows the credits and it is the current time, and apparently several people are offered to stay at a manor/ castle. And as soon as Massimo (Ivan Rassimov) shows up, he is then turned away by the creepy servant, Osvaldo (Gengher Gatti), but he hangs around long enough until others have shown up. We then find out that that Marialé (Ida Galli) was that little girl at the opening and that her husband, Paolo (Luigi Pistilli) is planning something on her viewers are unable to figure out what for it is most likely be her fortune.

In the '40 Mariale is an eight year old girl.Powerless,she witnesses the death of her mother and of her young lover,both killed in cold blood by her father.Years have passed and Mariale has married a young nobleman who keeps her almost captive in an old estate forbidding her to take part in society's life.A sort of love-and-hate relationship has developed between the two characters.One day Mariale decides to put an end to her seclusion;she eludes her husband's and the butler watchful vigilance,breaks the phone's padlock and sends several telegrams inviting friends for a evening at her home.As absurd as it may seems,Mariale intends to reconstruct,thanks to her guests,the tragedy she lived several years before.She wants to prove that in everyone of us exist two distinct entities.When Paolo,Mariale's husband fully understands the situation is too late.The evening turns into bloody nightmare,when unknown killer starts murdering people.Romano Scavolini's "Spirits of Death" is a stylish giallo with some gory murders.The photography is beautiful and the atmosphere is creepy and nightmarish.The identity of the killer is never explained and that makes the film quite disturbing.The cast is splendid with Ivan Rassimov and Luigi Pistilli to boost.Check it out.7 out of 10.

The enigmatic wife of a moody Marquis invites a motley group of people to their sinister stronghold where a long ago crime is re-lived...

Here's a strange and unsettling giallo that borrows much from the maestro of the macabre, Mario Bava. The film is set entirely on an eerie, isolated estate and, like 5 DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON and BAY OF BLOOD, has an ambiguous plot centering around murder and mayhem which provides director/cinematographer Romano Scavolini with ample opportunity for a number of unusual set-pieces. A pre-credit sequence has a young girl watch as her father finds her mother with a lover (a nude Gianni Dei) and shoots them both before turning the gun on himself. The story shifts to the present with Mariele (the beautiful Evelyn Stewart) inviting a hedonistic, unpleasant assortment of friends (which include Ivan Rassimov and Pilar Velazquez) to her husband's (Luigi Pistilli) crumbling castle for some fun and games ...but she seems to have an ulterior motive. Is she being held prisoner by her husband and his manservant or is she locked up for her own good? For the festivities, Mariele dons the white dress her mother was murdered in and there's some brief nudity, lesbianism, whipping, and bitch-slapping at a Felliniesque feast before the party guests get dispatched in rapid succession. These seemingly senseless killings are brief but brutal and the identity of the killer ultimately depends on which version of events the viewer chooses to believe. It's an unusual and disturbing twist but only part of a "take no prisoners" nihilistic ending which has fate coming full circle. The striking use of color, a somber score by Fiorenzo Carpi & Bruno Nicolai, and a capable genre cast all help to create a decadent atmosphere that gives the movie a near-surreal aura. For example, at one point the cast grabs candelabra and goes down to explore the castle's catacombs (just because they're there) when a veritable windstorm kicks up out of nowhere and goes on for quite a while. This does absolutely nothing to advance the plot but it does make for an eerie tableau. In many ways, the whole film is like that.

This classic "style over substance" thriller from the Golden Age Of The Giallo comes letter-boxed, in Italian with English subtitles, and highly recommended for aficionados of the genre.