L'assassino è costretto ad uccidere ancora (1975) User Reviews

Yellow!

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 8 May 2018]

Not only does George Hilton live in the most yellow house ever witnessed within the 'yellow' genre, he's also playing one of the most heartless and snidey characters ever to appear in a giallo. You see, George is married to one of them dames who has a very rich father, and she's ruining George's life by not giving him enough pocket money and complaining about George spending all his cash on mistresses. What's a (kind of) young playboy to do?

Well, it's lucky for George that he spots a cadaver-like serial killer (played by Antoine St John of The Beyond and Fistful of Dynamite) dumping a car containing a woman's corpse into a river. George makes his presence known, takes the killer's monogrammed lighter, and tells him he's got a proposition to make. They both head off to watch some figure skating while they talk business: George wants the killer to bump off his wife and in return, not only will George forget what he's seen, he'll also throw in some cash to sweeten the deal too...

George sets up his alibi while the killer gets down to business, but what neither of them predict is that shortly after the killer throws George's wife's body in the boot of the car, two kids come along and steal the car while he's clearing the house up. Unwisely stealing a car and alerting all the neighbours to his presence, the killer takes up the pursuit while George returns home to find police everywhere. The kids of course have no idea they have a body in the trunk while they drive across the country...

You'll see from the description that Luigi Cozzi's approaching things from a different angle here, which is refreshing. You've got a kind of three way story going as George sweats it out in the presence of the cops, not having a clue what's going on, while the killer tracks the corpse car and tries to clean up the mess the kids leave in their wake, plus Cozzi keeps things interesting with the two youngsters by making Cristina Galbo a frigid virgin who makes her boyfriend jump through hoops to get her pants off, including stealing the car in the first place. For the record Galbo in 1975 was twenty-five years old, but never seems to look any older than eighteen.

There's not a lot of violence in this one mind you, so gore hounds will be let down by lack of splatter and the absence of a high body count, but the whole novel approach of the plot kept me interested, as did Cozzi's visual flair.

Striking compelling thriller

[fertilecelluloid · 7/10 · 23 October 2005]

Most giallos are scarlet whodunits's, but Luigi Cozzi reveals his killer (Antoine Saint-John) two minutes in and directs our attention to a business relationship struck between the killer and a sleazy ladies' man (George Hilton).

Despite breaking a golden rule of the genre, "The Killer Must Kill Again" is a fresh, kinetic thriller with uneven performances (the women), terrific cinematography and striking set pieces.

Antoine Saint-John is positively electric as the arrogant psychopath and rivets our attention to the screen.

For a change, the storyline is relatively linear and free of the usual clutter. The violence is bloody and smoothly directed, and Cozzi demonstrates a real flair for atmosphere.

Certainly not as operatic as an Argento or as sleazy as a Polselli, it is, nevertheless, compelling celluloid and a million miles away from inept Cozzi trash such as "Star Crash" and "Contamination".

Acceptable Giallo with plenty of grisly killings , suspense and intriguing events

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 17 November 2022]

A tense and thrilling Giallo co-produced by Italy/Spain/France including ordinary grisly killings with a lot of twists and turns. This ' Gialli' getting certain success , being compellingly shot, including well staged crimes with full of enjoyable visual content , twists and turns . This is the usual Gialli where intrigue , tension , suspense , stabbing and chases show up lurking and threatening through apartment, seaside house, cars and grim interiors. The film combines atmospheric blending of thrills , chills , nudism and suspenseful final. Giorgio (George Hilton) is an ambitious adulterer who makes a deal with a serial killer to dispose of his wealthy wife, Nora (Tere Velazquez) . Unfortunately, a thrill-seeking young couple (Beatriz Galbó, Alessio Orano) become involved into a twisted criminal plot when they rob the killer's (Antoine Saint-John) car with Nora's corpse in the trunk , ending up at a run-down seaside house. Slowly some people are found dead and while an obstinate police inspector (Eduardo Fajardo) investigates the strange missing wife with numerous suspects

The film packs suspense, terror, effective aesthetic, plot twists , intrigue and being a very exciting terror-thriller. The rather perplexing tale weavers so many red herrings when ultimately the murderer is caught . The movie is made up of a series of Giallo horror set pieces that are shot in eye-poping style and ordinarily getting hints to solve the crimes until a surprising final twist. Director builds intrigue, suspense and tension beautifully with rich atmosphere and driving attractive musical score. Stars George Hilton who gives an acceptable acting as the greedy husband . Hilton starred a lot of Spaghetti/Chorizo Westerns, such as: ¨I Due Figli Di Ringo¨, ¨Un poker Di Pistole¨, ¨The gold professionals¨, ¨Sartana¨ , "Professionals for a Massacre" and many others ; though also performed a great number of Giallos as ¨All the Colors of dark¨ , ¨The perverse Mrs Ward¨ and ¨Scorpion tale¨. While Tere Velazquez performs his beautiful wife, being accompanied by a fine support cast. But is Antoine Saint-John or Michel Antoine who steals the show as the creepy and heinous serial killer. Here stands out the affectionate appearances from charming Eurotrash goddesses , such as : Femi Benussi , Cristina Galbó, Carla Mancini and brief acting by Sydne Rome as first victim. And being a Italian/Spanish/French coproduction , appearing here and there Italian actors : Femi Benussi, Alessio Orano and Spanish : Beatriz Galbó, Eduardo Fajardo, Tere Velázquez ; and French : Antoine Saint-John.

Nice ambiance and evocative settings, enhanced by the well photographed in Icet de Paolis, Milano, Lombardo, Italy , carried out by a good cameraman, Riccardo Pallottini. As well as intriguing and suspenseful musical score by Nando De Luca. The motion picture was decently directed by Luigi Cozzi or Lewis Coates providing startling visual content and tension enough. This Italian filmmaker is a craftsman who has directed some flicks with penchant for Sci-Fi, Horror , Giallo , adventure and fantasy, such as : ¨Hercules¨,¨The adventures of Hercules II¨ , ¨Escape from Galaxy 3¨, ¨Sinbad of the Seven Seas¨, ¨Nosferatu in Venice¨, ¨Paganini Horror¨, ¨Tunnel under the World¨, ¨The killer must strike again¨. His biggest hit was Star Crash¨ and he was attached to direct ¨Lifeforce¨ at one stage . Rating : 6/10 .

Giallo-lite

[Cujo108 · 11 August 2010]

Mr. Mainardi (Euro fave, George Hilton) accidentally witnesses a man (Michel Antoine) dumping a body. Rather than report the crime to the police, Mainardi blackmails him into murdering his wealthy wife, Norma. Things go smoothly, but before the killer can dispose of Norma's body, a delinquent couple steals the car which has the corpse stashed in the trunk. The maniac begins tracking them down as the two are completely oblivious to what they've gotten themselves into.

Before I bought and watched "The Killer Must Kill Again", Luigi Cozzi wasn't a director I had been particularly fond of. Being the sucker for gialli that I am, I decided to take a chance on this one when the DVD hit. While this isn't in the upper tier of Italian horror, it did prove to me that Cozzi is quite capable of doing something above substandard sleaze and cheese.

This is actually a quality film, though I fail to see how it has found itself classified as a giallo. We know who the killer if from the get-go, though he is never named. There is no mystery here unless you wonder what led to his initial murder which Mainardi stumbles upon. I have to say that it reminded me of Hitchcock's classic suspense pictures more than it did any giallo. "Dial M for Murder" definitely came to mind at first, but then it went off in it's own direction. On the other hand, as is usually the case in the giallo sub-genre, virtually none of the characters are totally innocent. The protagonists steal a car and $150, plus they lie constantly. I also thought it was amusing how Luca is romancing this girl, only to help another girl on the side of a road and then do her in the stolen car. Sometimes you just have to get any wherever you can! My main issue with the film is that after the car is stolen, it gets bogged down and doesn't really pick up again until the killer finds the couple. This portion could have been spiced up a bit.

The killer himself is actually a pretty intimidating fellow, what with Michel Antoine's reptilian facial features and large build, but he definitely has a lot of hell in this movie. Things just never seem to go right for him. As the greedy blackmailer, George Hilton is convincingly suave, even with the weird sideburns. These two make for a fine pair of villains.

Cozzi's direction is solid, and there are only a few small doses of the cheese that would dominate many of his later films. He employs some nifty camera tricks that he surely picked up from Argento. I also liked how he had the two very different sex scenes playing out seamlessly at the same time. In fact, that mean-spirited rape is the only real bit of nastiness on display here. Again, not the norm for a giallo, but the lack of it certainly doesn't hurt the film any.

Overall, this is a fine piece of work from a man who I originally had pegged as another Bruno Mattei. Any fan of the gialli sub-genre should be pleased, even if it isn't a giallo in the truest sense of the word. While the pacing goes off the rails at one point and the climax feels a tad anti-climatic, it's not enough to ruin things.

A giallo that mixes up serious moments with comedy

[chrichtonsworld · 7/10 · 6 April 2012]

The Killer must Kill again sounds like a title suited for your typical giallo.And it does start out as one. Soon it becomes clear that even cold blooded killers can have bad days. There are numerous moments that play out like you would see in comedies.The straight faced kind, which makes it even hilarious at times.I personally was not expecting this and found it refreshing.But the director made sure not to sympathize with the culprit too much since he continually shows evil when he feels when it is needed. This provides an unique way in building suspense since you never really know when the killer shows that nasty side and when he remains professional.Antoine Saint-John (as the killer) looks like Death personified.Easily the best character in the movie next to Alessio Orano's character named Luca who has to be the most laid back and patient of guys in movie history. He is trying to have sex with his girl and she keeps putting him off and delaying it to the point that she convinces him to fetch food.Luca doesn't mind and goes on his way. How laid back the guy is we get to witness in the scenes after with a sexy blonde in some sleazy scenes (full frontal nudity).The contrast between those scenes and the ones with Laura (Luca's girl) which I won't describe was quite disturbing and shocking even. It's this mix of moments that keeps you glued to the screen. Very different from most giallo's but in a good way.

S10 Reviews: The Killer Must Kill Again (1975)

[suspiria10 · 6/10 · 4 July 2005]

Giorgio Mainardi is a man at odds with his wife. When his wife threatens to cut him off from her back account he searches for a way to get back. While sitting in his car contemplating things Giorgio sees a man pull his red VW up to the river and push it in (along with the body of a woman). Mainardi hatches a scheme while in cahoots with the killer to rip himself of his wife and grab all her cash. All, as you may guess goes horribly wrong.

The overall storyline is quite compelling. There were several instances where I thought to myself that I had not seen that particular wrinkle before. But sadly there was not enough action for my taste. The cinematography and acting were very good but the "road" scenes just weighed the movement down. "Killer" is an average giallo who scores for some interesting "wrinkles".

Less giallo than jaune

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 23 October 2018]

Though it is considered a giallo, I think of "The Killer Must Kill Again" as being more like an exploitation version of "Les Diaboliques". There's no masked and black gloved killer stalking high society types, and nor is there any mystery as to the killer's identity: we know him as soon as we see him.

The movie does, however, feature bloodless rich people, or in this case, a bloodless rich person. Giorgio is an adulterer who has a fight with his wife and goes out for a drive, where he witnesses a serial killer dispose of a body. He blackmails the killer into taking out his wife as well, but then the killer's car is stolen by a thrill seeking young couple who don't realise there's a corpse in the trunk.

Along the way, the young man is seduced by a bubble-brained sex kitten played by the scrumptious Femi Benussi, who has her hair dyed blonde in this role, I suppose to hammer home her idiocy.

The film actually has some quite suspenseful moments involving whether or not the body will be found, and whether or not the killer, indeed, "must kill again" - and when he will end up doing so. The killer's likeness is unforgettable. There must have been no doubt in the filmmakers' minds that they had found the man for the job as soon as they laid eyes on him, with his tall, gaunt figure, bony reptilian face, and deep set eyes.

Unfortunately, the movie does stall a bit towards the end, and it seems the Femi Benussi role may have been added just to up the sex and violence factor. Aside from that, the movie is more in line with French thrillers, leading me to conclude it is less giallo than jaune.

Cristina Is Now 3 For 3 With Me

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 22 October 2007]

I am happy to report that Spanish-born actress Cristina Galbo is now a very solid 3 for 3 with me. She was excellent as the doomed student in the 1971 giallo "What Have You Done To Solange?" and ever so appealing in the 1974 zombie gut-muncher "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie." And now, here she is again in "The Killer Must Kill Again," giving another fine performance in this 1975 Italian suspense thriller. This film tells a simple story, really. A husband (played by hunky giallo regular George Hilton) hires a homicidal maniac to do away with his wife. The deed accomplished, the killer (played by the creepy-looking Michel Antoine) stuffs the body into the trunk of his car, only to have it stolen by a pair of teenaged joyriders (one of whom is our Cristina). This, of course, sends the dumbfounded madman off in hot pursuit.... Anyway, although this picture offers no real surprises (unlike most gialli, we already know the killer's identity, as well as his motivations), there is a great deal of suspense generated somehow, as we suspect that when Antoine eventually does catch up with Galbo and her beau, the spam really will hit the fan. And it does indeed, in spades! The film features competent but fairly undistinguished direction by Luigi Cozzi (flashy only in a couple of sex/rape scenes) and ominous music by Nando de Luca. It is a very straightforward little film, actually, that gives the viewer precisely what is expected. Even Hilton's fate is kind of foreseeable. Still, I did enjoy watching the film go through its paces, and Cristina Galbo's exquisite presence makes it go down all the easier. I think I'm ready now to sign up for her modern-day flamenco classes in California!

Far superior to typical formulaic Hollywood thrillers of recent years

[czarnobog · 10/10 · 2 February 2006]

This is a very well-done thriller. A bit bloodier and nastier than Hitchcock's work, but very close in tone and production value. In fact, the editing was very precise, apparently tightly storyboarded, which was Hitchcock's method.

The locations are few but perfect. The "ugly yellow house" described in another review was actually very cool; the yellow walls appear to be painted with expensive Dutch enamel. Typical bold and imaginative Italian design.

The costumes are subtle, simple, but equally effective. Cristina Galdo in her soft jeans and innocent blouse is an incredibly alluring and convincing virgin. Michel Antoine, the killer, is tall and angular, with a James Woodsian countenance, cool and sinister in chic black pants and turtleneck.

The DVD is nicely done. Great sound and picture, and extras worth checking out.

If you like thrillers, definitely go for this one. Even if you have a hard time with foreign films, you will find this one palatable, with very smooth dubbing, an attractive and capable cast, and a solid, unpredictable storyline, delivered by a master director.

THE KILLER MUST KILL AGAIN (Luigi Cozzi, 1975) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 19 June 2006]

Though I had long been intrigued by the fact that Mondo Macabro released this as a "Special Edition", I wasn't sure what to expect of it - having only watched the director's juvenile mythological romp HERCULES (1983) - but now I have to say that I totally agree with the blurb found on the DVD front cover, proclaiming it as "a lost giallo classic"!

Suspenseful and atmospheric, this is surely among the most Hitchcockian gialli ever made and one of the least conventional - never really going where the audience expects it to by piling up surprise upon surprise till the very end! Cozzi's professional debut, in hindsight, has also been recognized as his best work; he had earlier collaborated on the script of Dario Argento's FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET (1971) and even helmed an episode, called "The Neighbor", in Argento's four-part TV series DOOR INTO DARKNESS (1973). Actually, the director himself admits that the feature - which was filmed during this same year but not released till '75! - was basically an expansion of that short (particularly the sea-side set-piece which occupies most of the second half), done on a more elaborate if still modest scale (given that Cozzi had no art director assigned to the production and the props were mostly borrowed from various crew members!) and also a lot more graphic.

Nando De Luca's score - a vital element in any giallo - is quite serviceable, considering that he was more or less foisted upon the director! The film features some expert cross-cutting (particularly between the initial murder and a society party, and later during two parallel sex scenes - one of them Cristina Galbo's rape at the hands of the ambiguous and peculiar-looking killer, played by Michel Antoine). The rest of the cast is also well chosen: nominal star George Hilton, actually, is absent for moments on end but he plays his part to the hilt {sic}; Eduardo Fajardo, too, has one of his best roles as the wily Police Inspector on the killer/kidnapper's trail; Alessio Orano as the male member of a young couple who get more than they bargained for when a car they steal turns out to hold incriminating evidence. Apart from the lovely Galbo (whose performance is far above the norm for the genre), here we have two more, if elder, beauties in Teresa Velasquez (proposed by the Spanish co-producers after Pamela Tiffin turned Cozzi down!) and frequent "Euro-Cult" starlet Femi Benussi (in a role intended for the much younger Gloria Guida, still an unknown at the time) - all of whom are asked to shed their clothes during the course of the picture!

The film was originally called THE SPIDER (and, in fact, its Italian equivalent - IL RAGNO - heralds the end titles on the print utilized here), which is a subtle allusion to the cat-and-mouse games played throughout between the various characters. The DVD extras are exemplary and Cozzi's ubiquitous (and obviously passionate) contribution is highly engaging, imparting a lot of interesting anecdotes such as the fact that, at one point, cameraman Riccardo Pallottini had to leave the production because of previous commitments to another - and was eventually replaced by FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET's Franco Di Giacomo, who happened to be his own daughter's husband! He also recalls his aborted collaboration with legendary composer Ennio Morricone, master of the giallo score; other information, such as the in-joke involving the initials on Antoine's lighter, was easy enough to catch for discerning viewers.

Distressingly, though, the music on the DVD main menu plays out at a defeaning level - while there's severe overscan during the various text supplements (though not so that one can't grasp the gist of it, thankfully)! Besides, this really should have been a 2-Disc Set with Cozzi's rare and amateurish debut, THE TUNNEL UNDER THE WORLD (1969; referenced quite a bit in the feature itself) included on a second DVD - as No Shame did with HIS DAY OF GLORY (1969) on the PARTNER (1968) SE and THE RIP-OFF (1978) on the as-yet-unreleased Double-Disc Set of COLT 38 SPECIAL SQUAD (1976)...

"You're the only one I love"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 5/10 · 1 October 2017]

A man named Giorgio sees a killer dispose of a corpse and pays the killer to kill his own wife. The killer does murder the wife then loses the body which he has stowed in the trunk of a car as two passing young people steal said car and drive off to the beach. The murderer follows. What begins promisingly develops into a tedious section with the young people finding an uninhabited house and finishes off by getting more implausible. The ending is supposed to be ironic but it doesn't make any sense as there is no reason why the Inspector of police should suspect Georgio at all. Not good plotting and Luigi Cozzi's direction is not thrilling or interesting.

The actors are adequate. Antoine Saint-John as the killer looks menacing and is the best thing in it. The music score by Nando De Luca tries ludicrously hard but is quite ineffective. The house by the sea is picturesque though.

Excellent thriller from Luigi Cozzi

[coldwaterpdh · 8/10 · 7 January 2012]

I loved this movie. First and foremost, in my opinion, this is NOT a giallo. I'd classify it more as a crime/thriller...or even a drama or a black comedy.

You know who the killer is from the beginning, so there isn't much mystery to it...but unlike many other 'similar movies' there is a double dose of tension and suspense which genuinely gets under your skin.

Masterfully directed by Luigi Cozzi ("Contamination"). I was impressed with the guy who plays the killer, I thought he was superb and creepy, and even though we get up close and personal with him, he remains creepy until the end.

Necessary viewing for lovers of Italian horror.

8 out of 10, kids.

Giallo, Cozzi style.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 8 October 2014]

After catching a serial killer (Antoine Saint-John) in the act of disposing of a victim, adulterous businessman Giorgio Mainardi (George Hilton) sees a way to solve both his romantic and financial problems at the same time: he blackmails the murderer into killing his wealthy wife Nora. Things go awry, however, when the killer's car is stolen by a young couple, Luca and Laura (Alessio Orano and Cristina Galbó), who are blissfully unaware of Nora's dead body stashed in the trunk. While Giorgio tries to keep his cool as an inquisitive police inspector enquires about his missing wife, the creepy killer tracks Luca and Laura to a disused seaside property where the couple plan a spot of lovemaking.

When is a giallo not a giallo? When it turns the conventions of the genre upside-down by revealing both the identity of the killer and the motive for the movie's central murder within minutes, as occurs in Luigi Cozzi's The Dark is Death's Friend (AKA The Killer Must Kill Again). Rather than leave the viewer trying to solve a mystery, Cozzi lets us know precisely what is happening from the outset; the trick is to try and guess how the antagonists' plans will eventually pan out, and who might be eliminated along the way.

Even though Cozzi's film mucks about with the accepted structure of the giallo, the plot still allows for the classic genre ingredients of sex and violence, with a smattering of nudity (both Galbo and busty beauty Femi Benussi get their kit off), a shocking rape scene, and one particularly vicious and bloody murder. The film also benefits from one of the more memorable maniacs of Italian cinema, Antoine Saint-John's gaunt features making him a natural for such a role. Fans of the giallo genre will not be disappointed.

Beginning shows promise, but this giallo ends up being rather pointless in the end.

[Schwenkstar · 4/10 · 29 February 2008]

A sadly disappointing giallo. The film began promisingly enough as it seemed to be playing out as a "comedy of errors" (or rather, a "thriller" of errors) as a creepy killer is paid by a man to murder his wife. The killing is easy enough, but getting...(read more) rid of the body proves difficult.

Despite an interesting premise that's brimming with promise, the film is unable to fulfill it as it screeches to a halt around the thirty minute mark. From this point on, the plot focuses upon the pointless meanderings of a couple who essentially do nothing but make love and argue.

The viewer hopes for the plot to get better once the killer confronts them, but it ends up only getting worse as we witness a brutally graphic rape and a pornographic sex scene, both of which add absolutely nothing to the proceedings. In addition, the characters perpetually make illogical and irrational choices that irritate the viewer, resulting in a film that starts off strong yet ends up being rather pointless exploitative trash.

Skip it.

Superb Giallo

[Destro51 · 16 August 2001]

This is a fine example of the giallo genre. It contains everything you would expect from an Italian horror film like this: Interesting characters, convoluted plot, brutal violence and a fair amount of suspense. The plot, too, is great and is worthy of ol' Hitchcock himself. It begins when giallo regular George Hilton catches a killer in the act of disposing a body. George then blackmails the killer into murdering his wife, all of which goes smoothly. However, the twist comes when a couple of freewheeling kids steal the killer's car with the wife's body in the trunk. The killer chases the kids to the beach and then the bloody fun starts.

As mentioned before, the plot and the many twists it takes, makes this giallo entry a standout in the genre. Then there is the great and creepy performance by Michael Antoine as the mysterious killer ( why was this guy only in two movies?). Most gialli have an unidentified, faceless killer with a secret plan as their antagonist but this movie does just the opposite and benefits from it. The only thing that bothered me about this film was the hideously ugly house George Hilton and his wife lived in, which seemed to made entirely out of yellow plastic. Oh well, I can forgive it because, afterall, the movie, like most gialli, was made in the seventies. Overall, a highly recommended giallo that has everything you could want from this type of movie and more.

Suspenseful but disappointing finale

[dopefishie · 6/10 · 13 April 2022]

Suspenseful but disappointing finale.

It's an odd mix of a film. It's not quite a giallo. We find out the identity of the killer almost immediately. There is no mystery in terms of whodunit. How ever there are other components of a thriller with a hidden body, a kidnapping conspiracy, and a stalking killer. A lot of the suspense comes from the stalking killer, but the body count is extremely low here. The film should have been called "The Killer Must Kill One Additional Time." Anyway, after all that build up, there is no significant final conflict. And George Hilton is underused here so don't watch this film for him. Although I will say that the acting was quite good all around.

Interesting Cozzi giallo

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 28 March 2019]

Luigi Cozzi is well thought of around these parts for his less down to the planet Earth fare like Hercules, Star Crash and Alien Contamination. However, his giallo experience exists, as he was the writer of Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet. He contributed to other Argento projects throughout his career, like the special effects for Phenomena and second unit direction for The Stendhal Syndrome. He even co-owned and managed Argento's memorabilia store, Profondo Rosso (Deep Red). Here, he brings us the tale of an adulterous man who uses a murderer to solve all of his life's problems.

George Hilton (Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh) plays a man who wants to take care of his wealthy wife. He ends up meeting an unnamed killer who is disposing of his latest murder (he's played by Antoine Saint-John, who played Schweick, the artist who starts the events of The Beyond). They strike a deal where the killer will erase the wife and make it look like a kidnapped. That said - nothing is ever that easy.

As he's loading Nora's body in the trunk, Luca and Laura (Christina Galbo, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, What Have You Done to Solange?) steal the car and head to the beach. The killer gives chase as they take up at an abandoned seaside house, as Luca plans on taking her virginity. She keeps putting him off, sending him out to get food while the killer sneaks in.

As the killer makes his way closer to Laura, Luca is making time with a stranded and sexed up motorist played by Femi Benussi from Strip Nude for Your Killer and Hatchet for the Honeymoon. This is an absolutely bonkers segment, as the killer attacks our heroine to somber music while a happy ditty plays as her boyfriend cheats on her, unaware what horrors are going on inside that beach house.

Every man in this movie is either a moron or a complete villain. The same can be said for most of the women, except they're victims, too. Luckily, Laura finds it within herself to stop this cycle of madness.

This film doesn't really follow all of the giallo conventions, but that's just fine. It keeps moving and by the end, I was gripped as the many webs of the store all drew together. Indeed, it has an alternate title of The Spider (I saw it as The Dark is Death's Friend). Cozzi does a nice job of building the suspense and presenting Laura as less of a faceless victim and more of a proto final girl that you want to see survive.

Underseen

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 30 January 2005]

• Mainardi (George Hilton) would like to see his wife dead. By chance, he stumbles upon a killer as he is disposing of his latest victim. Mainardi hires the man to do away with his wife. The killer is able to gain access to the house and soon enough the wife is dead. He carries her body to his car and places it in the trunk. He goes back into the house to clean-up. But, when the killer returns to his car, he discovers it has been stolen by a joy riding couple. Unfortunately for the beach bound couple, they know nothing of the body in the trunk or the killer who is hot on their trail.

• There is no mystery as to the killer's identity. We know who he is two minutes into the movie. Some may complain about the drawn out "chase" sequence, but it only adds to the tension. The time is taken to get to know the couple. So, when the killer finally catches up with them, these scenes are even more shocking because we actually know and care about the victims. I found these scenes of violence particularly disturbing. The long chase is necessary to build to this moment.

• Unlike many of the films in the giallo subgenre, The Killer Must Kill Again actually has a plot that makes sense and is easy to follow. Cozzi abandons most of the tricks associated with this kind of movie. There are no characters introduced in the final moments of the movie or last minute flashbacks that make some gialli so frustrating. The straight forward style of story telling is a nice change of pace for fans of the subgenre.

• The entire cast is wonderful. Antoine Saint-John makes a superb killer. He has one of the most menacing looks I've ever seen. George Hilton is his usual smarmy self. And the couple, particularly the innocent Cristina Galbo, are very believable as sympathetic pair of car thieves.

• The new DVD from Mondo Macabro is a real treat. Image and sound are better than I expected for an almost unknown movie from 1975. They've also loaded the disc with some very nice features, including extensive interview sessions will Cozzi and a commentary with Cozzi. I am very happy with this purchase.

Decent film. Cinematography, scenes and acting were good. The story needed much more work, and ending sucked.

[Bababooe · 5/10 · 17 June 2017]

Decent film. Cinematography, scenes and acting were good. The story needed much more work, and ending sucked. Not too many kills for a film named killer must kill again. There's a dead woman in the beginning. The wife gets strangled. Blond woman gets stabbed near the end. I was hoping the guy would have gotten killed, but he showed up later. The killer gets stabbed by the rape victim, good work.

The cinematography was very good. Acting was good. The dialogue and the English dubbing sucked. The story needed much more work. It was slow and needed some more strange scenes. The ending sucked, with the husband finding the killers car and his dead wife in the trunk. He then drives it off to a waterfront to dump the car. Why not leave the car for the cops to find? So, if this is a giallo, it failed. It didn't have any twist and turns. The just needed to work on the story more. It was professionally produced. Some of the music/sound effects were misplaced.

One scene stands out, the sex scene with the Male Carjacker and the Blond woman, edited back and forth with the Killer raping the Female Carjacker. It looked like the Killer was almost shown more humanized. Maybe that's why he didn't killer her. The actor playing the Killer did a great job.

Rating is a C, or 5 stars. The ending was just garbage. If they had a tighter story, less car chase scenes, more kills and graphics, and definitely a better ending, this could have been a 7 or 8 stars.

Untypical But Stunning Giallo

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 8/10 · 10 June 2008]

Luigi Cozzi's "L'Assassino è costretto ad uccidere ancora" aka. "The Killer Must Kill Again" of 1975 is a Giallo that is highly unconventional, but nonetheless great. The film is unconventional, as it basically turns the entire premise of the Giallo sub-genre upside down. The main idea behind the conventional Gialli is that a phantom killer, often wearing black gloves, murders his victims, often beautiful ladies, without the viewer knowing his identity. While guessing who the murderer might be is one of the main points of a typical Giallo, however, the killer's identity is clear from the very beginning of "The Killer Must Kill Again" - And the film therefore has an entirely different structure than most conventional Gialli.

The adulterous businessman Giorgio Mainardi (George Hilton) catches a serial killer (Antoine Saint-John, credited here as Michel Antoine) red-handed, depositing of a girl's body. The ripper and the adulterer then make a deal for the killer to get rid of Mainardi's rich wife for him. In exchange Mainardi will keep silent, and furthermore pay the killer a fair amount of money for his efforts... Regular Giallo leading-man George Hilton once again delivers a solid performance, but the true star of this film is Michel Antoine. Antoine looks incredibly creepy, and it immediately becomes clear why the killer's identity is not kept a secret in this unusual Giallo-gem - Had the killer's face been hidden, the film couldn't have profited from Antoines's weird looks. Antoine plays the role of the killer with a unique laid-back sadism, and the film furthermore has many other qualities to offer. Beautiful Christine Galbo (who is best known for Massimo Dallamano's Giallo-masterpiece "Cosa Avete Fatto A Solange", as well as the Zombie extravaganza "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie") is also part of the film, and she once again delivers a good performance. The film is certainly violent, but not quite as gory as some other contemporary Gialli (such as Dario Argento's masterpiece "Profondo Rosso" from the same year). That does not mean, however, that the film hasn't got a genuine nastiness. What makes this especially nasty is the vileness and unscrupulousness of the characters. The camera work is also great, and the film has several nice stylistic elements. Furthermore, the film has a cool score, which, once again, isn't typically Giallo-ish, but often seems more like one of the Hitchcockian scores. Overall, "The Killer Must Kill Again" is a Giallo that is definitely highly unusual for this great sub-genre, but it is also a very good one. This is one out of only two films directed by Luigi Cozzi I have seen so far (the other being the dreadful "Paganini Horror"), but after this highly original Horror experience it certainly won't be the last. Highly recommended to all my fellow Italian Horror Buffs!

"Lost" Giallo Classic...for a reason!

[PWT20 · 4/10 · 16 March 2005]

Genre rules exist for a reason. And Luigi Cozzi's "The Killer Must Kill Again" is a good example of what happens when you try to break those rules.

In the extras, Cozzi stated that he was sick and tired of not knowing who the killer in giallos are...until the very end. The suspense, not to mention the various red herrings in traditional giallos, to me, is one of the reasons I find them so intriguing.

However, Cozzi attempts to make a "giallo" showing who the killer is right from the beginning. NOT GOOD. At first, it seems to work, but as soon as that couple steal the car in which there's a dead body placed in the truck, it's all over.

A good portion of the movie is the killer tailing the car thieves. Then I lost complete interest.

If you ask me, "The Killer Must Kill Again" isn't much of a giallo. The killer is revealed, the killings aren't artful, the script is over all the place (seems like 2 different movies), and the sex is bland.

Stick to the rules!

Impressive

[lazarillo · 15 May 2004]

I wasn't expecting much from this early effort by Italian rip-off artist and Argento/Bava-worshipper "Lewis Coates" (aka Luigi Cozzi), but I was pleasantly surprised. Like most Italian product of the era it has great music and cinematography, but it is also impressively edited, well-paced, suspenseful, and most amazing of all, has a plot that more or less makes sense (something almost unheard of in the Italian suspense genre). And what a great collection of European b-movie talent. La deliciosa 70's Spanish actress Cristina Galbo is the very appealing female lead, and most of the rest of the cast is made up of great Italian character actors as you've always seen them before: George Hilton as suave schemer who has his rich wife murdered, Michael Antoine as the truly creepy and sadistic killer, and Femi Benussi as the dumb, blonde, and badly-dubbed sexpot who winds up completely naked minutes after first appearing on screen and dead by the end. The only downside to this movie is the lousy full-screen transfer and atrocious English dubbing. Maybe Anchor Bay or somebody will one day rescue this film from gray-market oblivion and give it the wide-screen, subtitled release it deserves.

Solid, if unspectacular, thriller

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 27 August 2012]

Luigi Cozzi was assistant director on Dario Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet, so he had a bit of experience working on a thriller. The Killer Must Kill Again is the first time he got a chance to direct one for himself.

The story begins with a man witnessing a mysterious killer disposing of a body by a river. Instead of reporting him to the police, he blackmails him into murdering his wife so that he can cash in the insurance. All goes to plan until a couple of joy riders steal the car where the wife's body is stashed. The killer then pursues these unfortunate delinquents who know nothing of the hidden body.

This one benefits from a good cast. Giallo regular George Hilton plays the husband and he is once again convincing as a very shady character. Alessio Orano (Lisa and the Devil) impresses as one of the joy riders. But best of all is Antoine Saint-John as 'the killer'. He is very intense and is impressively creepy in this role. The very fact that, unlike regular gialli, the killer's identity is known from the start is an active advantage here as Saint-John's sinister look could not have been exploited if the murderer was a mystery presence. In fairness, the very fact that there is no mystery in this film at all makes me question if it truly is a giallo in the first place. My feeling is that it isn't, although it shares many of the conventions of the genre such as a cast of unsympathetic characters, brutal violence - including a somewhat unpleasant rape scene - and a stylish look - check out Hilton's yellow pad.

Because of the lack of a mystery this one has to depend on other things to keep it interesting. It isn't always successful though and the story does lack a bit of excitement at times. There is a decent set up developed at the beginning and there is some effective tension towards the end but it does meander a bit in the middle. Still, it's well made and acted and is certainly a solid film overall.

Below average giallo

[ODDBear · 4/10 · 8 September 2005]

Luigi Cozzi, close friend and collaborator to Dario Argento, took director's chair for this mediocre giallo, not getting even close to Argento's well constructed giallo's.

The story is fairly juicy. Frustrated husband Hilton catches a killer at work, disposing of a woman he had just murdered. He makes a deal with the killer to dispose of his wife so he can get wealthy. The killer does his job, but after loading his trunk with her body the car gets stolen by a couple of horny teenagers and he has to track them down to complete his job.

As said, fairly interesting story but Cozzi handles matters terribly, resulting in a rather boring and downright unjustifiably long-winded film. Plus, he continually disrupts the few tension filled moments with a boring segment involving an incredibly stupid blond. I mean, you get the point, with those cuts between a rape and actual love making, but that music in the background and...ahhh, it just kills the mood entirely.

It could have been good, I mean, Cozzi is rather sleazy here and a few fleeting moments are satisfying to the seasoned giallo fan, but it's far from being great.

Unusual giallo...but a very good one!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 3 January 2006]

What's the one story-element all the Italian gialli-films have in common and should therefore almost be considered as one of the basic trademarks of this wonderful horror sub genre? Well, nearly all gialli, from Mario Bava over Sergio Martino to Dario Argento, introduce a horrifying killer (preferably wearing black gloves) whose identity remains hidden throughout many plot twists and only gets revealed during an incredible climax. Actually, the guessing game for this killer's identity is pretty much the whole point of the sub genre! The script of Luigi Cozzi's "The Killer Must Kill Again" is quite unique and does the complete opposite, but that surely doesn't make it any less of a brilliant full-blooded Italian giallo! We know who the killer is and what he looks like even before the credits come onto screen and rightly so, because Michel Antoine's face is far too creepy to hide behind masks or veils. He plays a serial killer who's caught red-handed by sneaky businessman Giorgio Mainard whilst disposing of a dead girl's body. The two gentlemen make a deal and Giorgio hires the killer to get rid of his wealthy wife Norma. While covering up the tracks, however, a couple of young thugs steal the Mercedes with Norma's body in the trunk! During his search for the lost corpse, our killer's thoughts only get more sadistic… If feels weird to see a giallo with such a logical and straightforward storyline, but the atmosphere is equally tense and there's never a dull moment that undercuts the fast pace. What "The Killer Must Kill Again" lacks in surprise and plot twists, it makes up in style elements and originality. Ricardo Pallottini's camera-work is truly imaginative (I particularly liked the cartoon-like fade ins and fade outs) and the extended chase is full of ingenious and entertaining moments. The music is also great and there's a reasonable amount of lovely sleazy, mainly provided by Femi Benussi who's never ashamed to show her ravishing flesh. Disappointing and/or negative elements definitely include the shortage of blood and violence and arguably a glut of "coincidences" during the chase. Michael Antoine is really amazing as the killer, with grimaces and an aura of nihilism that genuinely petrifies you. Giallo-regular George Hilton ("The Case of the Bloody Iris", "My Dear Killer"…) is on autopilot for his familiar role of adulterous macho whereas the cute Christine Galbo gives away her second best performance ever, right after "What have you done to Solange". You may not fully get what you expect, but this is a seriously good giallo! Briefly put; "The Killer Must Kill Again" is a movie I must see again…and again, and again.