Case of the Bloody Iris
Written by Ernesto Gastaldi
Directed by Giuliano Carnimeo
Edwige Fenech .... Jennifer Lansbury
George Hilton .... Andrea Barto
Annabella Incontrera .... Sheila Hendricks
Paola Quattrini .... Marilyn Ricci
Giampiero Albertini .... Inspector Enci
Two women are killed in the same apartment building in the same day. The primary suspect is the unfortunately named Mr. Andrea Barto, who not only had possible ties to both victims but also designed the building and helped usher in Jennifer, a replacement tenant that winds up being the killer's next would-be victim. Jennifer is certain that it couldn't be Andrea, though, because he gets ill at the merest sight of blood. Is it all just a clever ruse and is he really the killer?
Or is it Adam, Jennifer's crazed ex-husband and leader of some sick sex-cult? Or the eccentric college professor who never seems to stop playing his violin? Or his seductive lesbian daughter? Perhaps the disfigured shut-in who lives with his paranoid old mother and spends all his time reading horror comics? The list staggers onward in this film where everyone is a suspect. In true Giallo fashion, the murderer is dressed in black and all you see of him during the death scenes are his gloved hands, until he's unmasked in the finale.
This film is a bit slow at times, but it's actually a lot of fun and it's jam packed with beautiful women so there's always something to look at, be it blood or bombshells. Just don't go in expecting a horror movie but rather a sleazy murder/suspense story and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. There's nudity and some blood, but not much gore so if that's your kick, go kick somewhere else. There's also a bumbling police detective who offers some weird attempts at humor. Weirder still, it actually works.
Extra features on the Anchor Bay release DVD include the original theatrical trailer, an “alternate stabbing scene” and a director filmography (who is billed here as Anthony Ascott.)
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR: Clothes painted on; Stamp collector; Bathtub bitchslap; Bouncing black lace; The titular bloody iris; Alphabetic alcohol; Killerman comics; The slut speech; Pastrami sandwiches;
ALSO KNOWN AS: Erotic Blue; What Are Those Strange Drops Of Blood Doing On Jennifer's Body?; Why Are Those Strange Drops Of Blood On The Body Of Jennifer;
1971
Unrated
94 minutes
Color
Italy
Italian (English dubbed)
Just what is so strange about those drops of blood on Jennifer's body, anyway?
--J/Metro
