Crazy Desires of a Murderer

The film opens with a cinematic indulgence in early 1970s European glamour, a cascade of metallic fabrics, flowing blonde hair, and glittering chandeliers that reflect both wealth and superficiality. The initial sequences offer a polished visual feast: champagne bubbles rising in crystal glasses, mirrored corridors doubling the opulence, and disco lights casting fractured colors across dancing bodies. Yet, beneath this glittering veneer, the narrative soon reveals a murky moral landscape.

Performances are uneven, with Isabelle Marchall's Ileana carrying moments of fragile charm, but the supporting ensemble lacks depth, often reduced to archetypes of sleazy playboys or self-indulgent socialites. Patrizia Gori and Adler Gray contribute fleeting sparks of charisma, yet their characters' interactions feel perfunctory, undermining emotional investment. Giuseppe Colombo and Roberto Zattin embody melodramatic villainy, but the writing provides them little room for nuance.

Pacing is inconsistent, with the story drifting through tepid social scenes before sporadically punctuating tension with shocking violence. Dialogue occasionally flirts with wit, yet most exchanges fall flat, failing to sustain intrigue. The plot's momentum collapses in a midsection weighed down by indulgent leisure sequences, only to regain momentary energy when a gruesome murder jolts the narrative back into motion.

Cinematography captures the castle's labyrinthine interiors with occasional flair, contrasting ornate rooms against shadowy passageways, yet most suspenseful moments lack the tension or framing needed to terrify. Musical cues swing between lively disco rhythms and sudden ominous chords, but their deployment feels haphazard, underscoring tonal inconsistencies rather than heightening dread. Two sequences linger: the sudden, shocking murder that blends sex and violence, and the chaotic tomb raid that fuses greed, desperation, and panic, reminiscent of later giallo set pieces like Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace.

Despite its flaws, the film offers a time capsule of fashion and aesthetic sensibilities, particularly in the early 1970s European social milieu, and provides glimpses of the era's fascination with East-meets-West exotica. For viewers interested in vintage costume design, stylized set pieces, or the evolution of giallo tropes, the movie offers sporadic rewards. Conversely, audiences seeking coherent suspense, richly drawn characters, or sustained terror may find the experience tedious, as the plot's excessive meandering and uneven violence dilute its intended impact.

In sum, Crazy Desires of a Murderer sparkles with superficial glamour and occasional shock, yet falters under convoluted plotting and flat characterizations. Its pleasures lie in visual flair and audacious, if poorly executed, moments of horror rather than narrative mastery or emotional resonance. Those with patience for stylistic indulgence may enjoy glimpses of twisted fun, while viewers prioritizing suspenseful storytelling will likely be frustrated.

It's a rather silly idea but it just about holds together with several lovely girls stripping off while somebody is killing and taking out their eyes. It is a rather nasty and bloody business but doesn't really get what is happening. There are a lot of footsteps and people going down to the cellar although it is the inspector who is trying to find out what is going on and he seems to have an amusing time.

A group of hip friends gather at a Gothic castle owned by a wheelchair- bound older relative of one of the girls (Isabella Marchall). One couple in the group, unbeknownst to the others, is smuggling heroin in some Chinese artifacts the protagonist has brought back from the Orient to give to her elderly relative. Meanwhile the deranged uncle of the protagonist, who supposedly killed the protagonist's mother (his own sister)and cut out her eyes, is wandering the catacombs spying on everyone. When one of the guests (Patrizia Gorzi) is murdered and her eyes subsequently disappear, suspicion naturally falls on the mad uncle. But is he being set up?

The plot here is actually pretty lame. There's also a real lack of recognizable acting talent compared to other gialli. (Patrizia Gorzi had been in "Emanuelle's Revenge" and "Possessor", but she only has a small part and the rest of the cast are virtual unknowns). The eyeball murders are gory but pretty low-tech and nothing to write home about frankly. This movie has style to burn though, and that's where it really succeeds. The old castle makes for an interesting setting. The visual are top-notch (with very good cinematography and editing) and the music is very memorable. In some ways it's kind of an old-fashioned Gothic horror movie (like "Tomb of Torture" or "The Virgin of Nuremberg"), but definitely with a late 70's sensibility as far as sex and gore go.

Gialli were really never known for their great plotting, but for their visual style and music. And if you compare this movie to "Sister of Ursula" the next year and "Play Motel" the year after that, it's clear that the genre faded not so much because the stories got dumber (or because they basically turned into softcore porn flicks), but because their unique style slowly drained away over the years. As far as a late 70's gialli goes this is actually pretty good. I'd recommend to giallo fans at least if no one else.

I am not kidding, I had this movie for almost two decades and I began watching it at least five times but the first 20 minutes or so never really caught my interest enough to keep watching for some reason. Now, finally I watched it to the end and can conclude that if you get past the opening 25-30 minutes you are in for a quite entertaining and good looking little giallo with quite some eerie atmosphere. Corrado Gaipa is the most memorable in the role of the inspector, along with Isabelle Marchall as the young countess. The opening and ending theme, which I believe is by Piero Piccioni (he is the credited composer here) is an incredibly atmospheric piece, but the rest of the soundtrack is a mystery to me. I hear themes from at least two other earlier giallo movies not scored by Piccioni. It would be nice to see these themes accurately credited.

"The Morbid Habits of the Governess" is one of the most obscure gialli I have seen.A group of men and their women is invited to a villa and then stalked and murdered by a mysterious killer who collects their eyeballs.Slow-moving and melancholic giallo with several macabre set-pieces and plenty of delicious sleaze.Corrado Gaipa's police inspector is especially memorable as are two sexy ladies Isabelle Marchall and Patrizia Gori.The film was released in 1995 on VHS by Redemption and after selling very poorly faded into complete obscurity.The moody score helps to create some suspenseful moments and the acting is solid.If you are a fan of Eurotrash you can't miss "Crazy Desires of a Murderer".7 out of 10.