A MUTE WOMAN IS STALKED BY A SATANIC KILLER
★★★☆☆ (Good for One Viewing)
Director: Umberto Lenzi
1972
Pretty, twenty-something Martha has a cushy life at her uncle’s estate, but many don’t know that she experienced a (literally) unspeakable loss when she was a girl. Long ago, a train accident took the lives of her parents, and Martha, the only survivor, lost her voice from the shock. Instead of sign language, she uses waving forefingers to communicate, and for reasons never explained, everyone knows this made-up language, even the inspector sent to Martha’s home to investigate her famous cousin’s murder.
If you’re fine with mediocrity, you’ll be fine with Knife of Ice, a giallo where even the actresses appear to be phoning it in. Carroll Baker (Martha) was so dynamic in the leading role in Baby Doll, but here, she’s a muted mute. Though perfectly pleasant, there’s nothing behind her eyes, even when she fears for her life. The movie is saved by Act III scares—the recitation of a Lewis Carroll poem never sounded so frightening—and a ridiculous motive, but by then you might not care whodunit.
In sunny Spain, a famous singer named Jenny (Evelyn Stewart) arrives at a train station, and is thrilled to see that her cousin Martha overcame her fear of trains to meet her there. Inside their car, a mysterious man appears in the mist, triggering a disturbing memory for Martha, and this is where I warn PETA members everywhere to avoid Knife of Ice. I can scarf down a steak wrapped in bacon, but I don't tolerate animal cruelty for cruelty's sake, and the movie is constantly flashing clips of a bull being killed in the bullfighting ring. It’s bloody and unnecessary and really pissed me off.
Back to the story. Though Martha is still carrying the scars of her youth, the women have a good time together and invite some townspeople to Uncle Ralph’s mansion for a party. That night, after bedtime, Jenny finds herself chasing a noise downstairs. This moment in Knife of Ice reminded me of that scene in Scary Movie (2000), when Carmen Electra has two signs in front of her: “Safety” and “Death”. Despite a broken vase and a break-in, Jenny still proceeds farther into the darkened garage until she is predictably killed.
More women start to turn up dead, and signs of Satanists show up in abandoned buildings, and painted on trees. A good thing Uncle Ralph is an expert in the occult and that the doctor treating Martha knows something about the mind of a killer. The film only flirts with romance when Doctor Laurent (Alan Scott) is treating his young patient, and I have to give Knife of Ice a hand for not including unnecessary nudity or someone seducing or accosting Martha. I know that was hard for Umberto Lenzi. But in lieu of breasts, we get exploitation in the form of animal torture. These cut scenes are supposed to be artsy, but go along with the general theme of pretending to give us a clue when there’s no clue there. Though the victims are agreeable, we’re not connected to them, and their murders don’t appear to be connected by anything other than the town. There are no solid leads to whet our appetite. A filmmaker has to let the audience believe we’re putting the pieces of the puzzle together, even if we're wrong, and Knife of Ice never does this.
Sure, there are plenty of suspects, but none of them stands out. Does someone involved in the train wreck believes Martha knows too much? Is the man with the crystal eyes stalking Jenny and Martha? Are Satanists afoot? None of these hints lead us anywhere. The last scenes spell everything out for us like Martha using two fingers to explain to a little girl what a piece of luggage is. Knife of Ice never aims higher than being a typical giallo, one that checks all the boxes. The music, the villa, the young damsel in distress, the mysterious man… Everything is kosher down to the black gloves. If the mystery in a movie feels copied and pasted, why bother?
Oh, and for the record, when it comes to bullfighting, I root for the bull.
GENRES: Giallo, Serial Killer
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