THE KILLER IS NOT ALONE (1973)
Label; Mondo Macabro
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 85 Minutes 10 Seconds
Rating: Unrated
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Jesús García de Dueñas
Cast: Lola Flores, James Philbrook, Teresa Rabal, David Carpenter, Maria Rohm
The Killer Is Not Alone (1973) is the only film directed by Jesús García de Dueñas is usually advertised as a Spanish giallo, but lacks the black-gloved whodunit you would expect from a proper gialli, instead it's a psych-sexual characters study of a young man with murderous impulses. In it handsome young man Julio (David Carpenter aka Domingo Codesido Ascanio, Murder In A Blue World), is the the only son of a wealthy businessman, living in the coastal city of Avilés in the north of Spain. We open with Julio picking up a prostitute (Maria Rohm, The Million Eyes of Sumuru) on the streets and accompanying her to her apartment. There they start getting frisky, and the Julio pulls out a trinket out of his pocket that is adorned with a silver rhinoceros charm, revealing it to be some sort of wire, which he strangles her death with. He seems conflicted about the murder and flees the scenes, when his parents, Carmen (Mayrata O’Wisiedo) and Don Enrique (James Philbrook, The Sound of Horror), prove unapproachable, which seems like a lifelong thing, he flees by rail to nearby Madrid looking to start over, where he rents a room in a boarding house owned by dance instructor Doña Dolores (Lola Flores). There we meet her other odd assortment of lodgers, we skirt-chaser Juanito (Juan José Otegui, High Heels), Dr. Gonzalo (Francisco Pierrá), prostitute Teresa (Rohm, again) and agitated mystery writer Raimundo (José Vivó, A Dog Called... Vengeance), as well as Dolores's attractive teen daughter Mónica (Teresa Rabal).
As I said, there's little mystery about the identity of the killer, so we lose any whodunit thrills, but instead we're treated to a bit of a psycho-sexual character study of a young man with murderous impulse that stem from a traumatic childhood experience involving babysitter(the sexy Rohm once more!), which we get sort of ambiguous flashbacks to throughout the film, leaving morsels about why this young man is so murderously disturbed by sexual attraction. While lodging at the boarding house the others talk about the "wire killer" murders that is making headlines, which is upsetting to the teen. Meanwhile, Julio starts spending more and more time with Dolores's daughter Mónica, unaware that her attraction the the handsome if sullen teen might prove fatal for her.
The best stuff here for me is the murder set-pieces, flashbacks to the childhood trauma, and some fantasy sequences that play out in the mind of the killer, including scene in bed with a mannequin. There are some elements that drag it down a bit, like Julio's father realizing that his son is deeply troubled and setting about finding him in Madrid with the help of a detective, these scene are overly protracted and really slow things. Also, the mystery elements are non-existent, other than what exactly happened to Julio as a kid to make him this way, and I thought Carpenter was pretty flat in the role, entirely too sullen and non-plussed, even when committing the murders, but I dig the psycho-sexual vibes of it. I think that if you dig stuff like Peeping Tom, Maniac, Bloodlust or The Killer of Dolls, both latter films released by Mondo Macabro as well, i think you will find plenty to like about it, imperfect though it may be, it's still an interesting curio. Another bonus is that it was lensed by cinematographer Fernando Arribas (The Blood-Spattered Bride), so there are occasional visual flourishes that dazzle, even if overall it's sort of a plaintive looking giallo-adjacent entry.
Audio/Video: The Killer Is Not Alone (1973) make's not only it's world premiere on Blu-ray, but it's very first appearance, in any hoe video format in the U.S. ever from cult world cinema archivists Mondo Macabro in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1, advertise as being sourced from a brand new 4k restoration from original negative. The source looks wonderful, grain is nicely resolved with pleasing texture and detail in the close-ups. There's some inherent source-related softness that looks baked into the original filming, particularly the exterior scenes, but generally colors are strong, the occasional violent, green or pink having a nice glow-up. Audio comes by way of Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with newly created, optional English subtitles. The track is clean and well-balanced, the Spanish dialogue and score sound fine.
Extras include new 23-min Interview with Angel Sala, director of the Sitges Film Festival, who's inclusion on these Spanish flicks from Mondo Macabro have been quite wonderful, plus an Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth and Rod Barnett, an the Original Trailer. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided wrap featuring a striking giallo-inspired artwork by Gilles Vranckx.
Special Features:
- Brand new 4k restoration from original negative.
- New interview with Angel Sala, director of the Sitges Film Festival. (23:20)
- Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth and Rod Barnett.
- Original Trailer
Screenshots from the Mondo Macabro Blu-ray:
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