Death Steps in the Dark

This is the second of only two giallos directed by Maurizio Pradeaux. And this is the better of the two in my opinion. It's mostly better due to the script and the acting. Comic scenarios and sometimes witty, and sometimes stupid, dialogue abound here. The actors have a lot of fun with it! The pace is breezy and bubbly. Leonard Mann (protagonist) and Robert Webber (inspector) come across as the strongest of the group.

There is quite a bit of misogyny here with every female character being written as either an idiot or a criminal.

The gore/special effects are pretty average. The killer has very little creativity and basically kills every victim the same way.

The mystery never completely makes sense to me. But since the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, I cut it some slack. It really does breeze by with all the humor.

This is another little-known but well-above-average giallo, in its case a latter-day entry; again, we have here an American actor – Robert Webber as an Inspector having to contend not just with a series of murders but a constantly upset stomach! – sparring with the protagonist, Leonard Mann (Italian despite the English-sounding name). Atypically, the film intercuts the genre's trademark intensity with a good deal of humor (including the hero fleeing detection in drag!); while it may feel uneasy at the start, the mix soon becomes acceptable and, in fact, proves considerably entertaining. In this respect, Mann's dumb girlfriend proves a bit much – having said that, there is one other kooky female character, a young safecracker who aids them in unmasking the villain of the piece! As usual, the film concludes with a rushed, muddled and rather banal explanation of the killer's motives (incidentally, the original murder cleverly occurs in a train compartment just as the vehicle enters a tunnel!) – which, however, is atoned for by one last delightful joke involving the inexperienced petty criminal. Like I said, its light mood notwithstanding, DEATH STEPS IN THE DARK (nicely shot in Greece, by the way) certainly does not hold back on blood-letting – since this had become pretty much the norm following Dario Argento's vicious face-lifting of the genre with DEEP RED (1975); still, there is one additional incongruous (and, in hindsight, unnecessary) element in the few – albeit surprisingly explicit – sex scenes (notably a lesbian coupling seen in extreme close-up!)...

Infrequently discussed, the playful blood-spiller 'Death Steps In The Dark' still sparkles seductively in the gaudy pantheon of Vintage Italian terror! While maestro Maurizio Pradeaux's no less watchable 'Death Carries a Cane' is better known, I found his 1977 outing to be far more entertaining than the latter. Not only do you get the requisite full-frontal nudity so ubiquitous in the genre, including a gloriously prurient Sapphic montage near the opening of the film! Pradeaux's compelling thriller is suffused a light, comedic touch not generally found within the idiom; so amongst all the black-gloved, razor-wielding, fear-flocked frenzy, the narrative is leavened by a welcome sardonic tone, admittedly far-from subtle, it nonetheless adds an amusingly quirky sheen to the generally humourless genre.

Graphic razor-slashings, gratuitous nudity, plentiful guzzles of J&B whiskey, the veritable elixir of Italian exploitation! And a mesmerizing, booty-humpin' jazz-funk score by sound master Riz Ortolani makes 'Death Steps in the Dark' one of the more memorable and re-watchable Italian thrillers. Whether Pradeaux's delightful film was specifically designed as a Giallo parody certainly doesn't detract from the myriad lurid pleasures the hyperbolic genre is infamous for; since 'Death Steps In The Dark' actively remains an exciting briskly-paced, scintillatingly sanguineous 70s whodunnit, not oft mentioned, this high quality, full-blooded Giallo is well worth rediscovery!

Many people have trashed this film on account of it being a strange mixture of thriller and comedy. "Passi di morte perduti nel buio" (Death steps in the dark) has all the ingredients of a good giallo and I think that the comic moments don't spoil the suspenseful ones.

"Death steps in the dark" starts as an homage to Agatha Christie. In a compartment of the Istanbul-Athens express train, a girl is fumbling nervously with her necklace. The train passes under a tunnel. When it emerges from the tunnel this girl has a letter opener sticking in her chest. The letter opener belongs to Luciano Morelli (Leonard Mann), a fashion photographer. He'll be one of the main suspects of the police. Luciano along with his naive girlfriend Ingrid (Vera Krouska) will investigate on his own the murder(s) and try to find out the killer - this is the only way to clear himself. Luciano (and Ingrid) will live many adventures and so will the killer (someone - maybe more than one person - is trying to blackmail him/her!). But beware! The film has many surprises in store.

"Death steps in the dark" was shot in Athens - It's very colourful and it has, as it's usual in many gialli, pretty girls (and some nice lesbian touches), stylish camera work and editing, very well-staged killing scenes and a wonderful soundtrack. It also features a very beautiful romantic scene. All in all, "Death steps in the dark" is full of "joie de vivre" - the actors are very natural and seem to be enjoying themselves.

The comic moments are provided mostly by Luciano and his naive and beautiful girlfriend Ingrid, and also by the Detective Inspector in charge of the case (Robert Webber), with his eternal stomach problems.

If you don't take the film too seriously you might enjoy it like I did.

I've seen the film twice already.

Maurizio Pradeauxs second Giallo has not only got a similar title (the first one is "Passi di Danza su una Lama di Rasoio"), but it also recycles many elements of his first one. As in his other genre outing, the killer murders his/her victims with a razor. The killings are quite nasty, but the special effects are unable to convince completely. The most interesting aspect of this film is its setting: The story takes place in the Greek capital Athens.

Sadly, Pradeaux makes a big mistake: While his first Giallo focuses on suspense, this one boosts stupid gags and one-liners to "relax" tension and suspense. Even worse, the gags are often shamelessly sexist, leading to the impression that all female characters are at least slightly dumb. And it's mainly this fact that makes the whole movie a letdown.

So, if one has to watch one of Pradeauxs two Gialli, "Passi di Danza su una Lama di Rasoio" is a better choice than "Passi di Morte Perduti nel Buio".