Seven Blood-Stained Orchids

(1972) **3/4 To kick off Horrorthon 2008 I unintentionally began where I left off during Horrorthon 2007, watching Italian giallos. I hadn’t planned on watching a movie at midnight, but spontaneously got the urge after reminiscing on Octo’s inspiring post, but then realized that I don’t exactly own any horror, aside from some giallos left over from last year, an Italian zombie flick, and Disturbia. You would think that considering my limited choices that Disturbia would by far be the winner, but I was hoping for something that I wouldn’t have a problem turning off if I got too tired, and so Bruno Mattei’s 1981 Night of the Zombies, which I imagine to be horrendous, seemed like a good fit. Unfortunately, the disc wouldn’t play, and I had already gotten a late start because I was chatting with JPX online just a tad past midnight, then I realized that I didn’t have my TV in my room and I had to go get it and set up the DVD player only to find the piece of shit disc wouldn’t play. By this time it was already twenty past twelve and since Seven Blood Stained Orchids was the next disc on top of the pile it became my first viewing of Horrorthon 2008.

Unfortunately, it was just a mediocre film. No pizzazz, no real surprises. I would have liked to have begun the season with either something good or really bad, not average. It’s a typical giallo with a black-gloved killer murdering women. It contains some nudity, some good murders and some dull ones, plot twists (but certainly not up to par with other giallos I’ve seen), and of course bad dubbing, but I’ve seen worse. The music was entertaining, particularly the 70’s porn style tune that repeatedly played throughout the film. I giggled every time it heard it. But it was no Ennio Morricone, who did the score for almost every giallo I watched last year.

The plot: The mysterious black-gloved killer is murdering women and leaving behind a crescent shaped medallion, coining him the “Medallion Maniac.” Giulia, who is supposed to be his third victim, manages to survive when the train conductor interrupts the killer from stabbing her to death. The Medallion Maniac doesn’t realize that Giulia survived, and the police give a false report of her death to keep her safe. The police are supposed to be on the case, but their not too swift so it’s up to Giulia and her fiancé Mario to piece everything together. They discover that the Medallion Maniac is killing women that were either on staff or guests at a hotel Giulia used to own. From here on they try to save the other women on the list and figure out who the killer is. This includes Mario parading around with a pathetic sketch of the “could be” murderer. He drew it himself and it’s just a few steps up from a stick figure doodle. Oh, my God, he shows it to everyone, and I’m just thinking, “wtf, like anyone would really know who this is by looking at this crap.” There’s one scene where he is randomly going up to strangers on the street. He must have asked like fifty or so people when this one guy comes up looking to bum a light and says, “Hey, I know that cat.”
Again, the film doesn’t completely suck, it was just ok. It will keep your attention, but nothing will wow you. I wouldn’t race to see it. There are far more superior giallos.