A Dragonfly for Each Corpse

A Dragonfly for Each Corpse is a Spanish take on the popular Italian thriller known as the Giallo, and stars prolific Spanish horror star Paul Naschy. The Giallo was well established by 1974, and it's clear that director León Klimovsky knew this; as his film continually attempts to imitate the Italian films...but this isn't really a problem, as many of the actual Italian productions imitate each other, and it has to be said that the director hasn't done a bad job of making a non-Italian Giallo. The central plot theme has been seen in cinema many times before this film was released, and many times after; in films like Dario Argento's Tenebrae, and popular American thriller 'Seven'. We follow a killer who has taken it upon himself to clean up the streets, by picking off everyone that offends his eye. His trademark is a dragonfly, which is left at the scene of each crime, thus earning the killer the name 'The Dragonfly Killer'. We focus on the police investigation into the killings, which is lead by hard-bitten copper Inspector Scaporella.

By keeping the focus away from the murders and more on the investigation, director León Klimovsky has passed up on the opportunity of making a really interesting movie. The way that the investigation is handled isn't bad, and there's enough intrigue generated to see it through; but the way that the film is handled takes the attention away from the murders...which is never good in a film like this. There is a fair amount of blood in this film, however, but it never reaches the highs that you'd expect it to given the splatter at the beginning. Paul Naschy manages to put in a good performance as the cop at the centre of the story, but some of the rest of the cast bring it down; and the film suffers from far too many nuisances with the script, which gets a little too ridiculous too many times. By far the biggest problem with the film comes at the conclusion. Giallo's are infamous for not making a lot of sense and leaving things wide open...but there's barely an explanation at all here, and it's a shame because it could have been the highlight. But even so, this is entertaining enough; and the hilarious roller-coaster getaway ensures that I won't be forgetting it soon.

Instead of an extremely sloppy movie, "A Dragonfly for Each Corpse" is Spanish giallo that is competently made and entertaining enough to be enjoyed by genre fans. Naschy is surprisingly interesting as a main character and the whole thing has a nice pacing and isn't too long for it's own good. It's nothing marvelous, thrilling, memorable or God forbid scary, but it's still a decent crime story for a relaxing afternoon and as a nice bonus, if you are watching an uncensored version, you will be rewarded with a little bit of nudity. All in all, it could have been much worse. 6/10! Only for Naschi and genre fans!

This Spanish-Italian co-produced Giallo belongs to the more obscure outings of the cult genre. Most people involved in the making were Spaniards, and it has never got a release in Italy, which is unique for a film of that kind.

In Milan, a killer slays drug addicts, prostitutes and other "immoral" people in nasty ways. Small dragonflies (made of wax or something like that) are left on the bodies of the victims. And the more people die, the more clues lead the investigating inspector to believe that the killer is a mutual friend of his wife and himself.

The film's premise is quite interesting, although not too original. The body count is surprisingly high, although they are not as graphic as in some other Gialli. Nevertheless, the murder scenes are quite nasty. Paul Naschy (who also starred in the probably best Spanish Giallo "Los Ojos Azules de la Muneca Rota" and in the Jack-the-Ripper-inspired "Sette Cadaveri per Scotland Yard") is casted against type as the investigating officer (in the afore mentioned two Gialli he was an innocent and rather tragic suspect), and Erika Blanc does a good job as the inspector's wife who knows the killer quite well - unknowingly, of course.

The problem of the film is that it becomes arbitrary after a good start. Especially the identity of the killer doesn't convince very much, his or her motive as arbitrary as the maniac's identity. Also, some scenes with the inspector investigating are merely brought in to include fight scenes or nude scenes instead of pushing the plot forward. And for good measure, there is also a gang of thugs wearing Nazi-style clothes! All in all, "Una Libelula Para cada Muerto" surely is funny and interesting for Giallo collectors, but don't expect to watch a genre movie above average.

A Dragonfly for Each Corpse (1975)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Inspector Scaporella (Paul Naschy) begins to investigate some strange murders where the victims have dragonflies attached to them. Before long it becomes clear that the victims are all morally questionable people and it appears that the killer is taken them out because he (or she) considers them bad.

A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE is a somewhat entertaining Spanish giallo that tries to mix some stylish murders with a detective story. When most people think of a giallo they think about the films from Italy but there were several other places that tried to cash in on the genre and that includes Spain. There's certainly nothing ground-breaking about this movie but if you're a fan of Naschy and the genre then you'll want to check it out.

When viewing the film today, the one thing that really stands out is the fact that films like SEVEN and SAW somewhat had familiar stories so you have to give this film credit for taking the idea of having someone kill off "bad" people. The first couple death scenes are quite creative and bloody but those expecting non-stop gore will be disappointed because after the first two they become rather tame. I'm not sure why the film started off so violent and then took a few steps back. The rest of the death scenes happen off screen or at least with less violence.

I thought the performance by Naschy was quite good and it's always fun watching Erika Blanc. The screenplay isn't the greatest thing out there as there are times towards the end where the viewer really quits caring about who the killer is. A tad bit more style or some more energy would have helped things as the 87-minute running time begins to drag in the final quarter.

With that said, A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE isn't a masterpiece or even a good picture but there are enough good moments to make it worth watching.

A masked killer is murdering the pimps, prostitutes and drug addicts of Milan, and leaving a dragonfly ornament on each corpse. Paul Naschy is the police inspector trying to stop him.

As far as giallos go, this is unremarkable stuff. The murders are unconvincing at best, and laughable at worst. There are far too many scenes of chases which showcase very lame gunfire. The plot constantly throws distractions at you like a coat button, a tattoo, golf clubs, extra marital affairs, and two deadly fairground rides, but they don't add up to an engaging story. Paul Naschy does a decent job as the detective, although I couldn't stop staring at his ridiculous comb-over (actually all the male characters in the cast have terrible hair),but most of the rest of the acting is wooden. Even Erica Blanc, who has made striking appearances in other movies, does not impress. To cap it off, the climax is very weak.

Currently quite hard to see on DVD and Bluray, this movie has not aged well. Groovy theme music and early 1970's fashions aside, it does not have a lot to recommend seeking it out.