The Killer Must Kill Again Blu Ray Review (Rustblade)

The Killer Must Kill Again (aKa L’assassino è Costretto ad Uccidere Ancora) is a 1975 giallo film co-written and directed by Luigi Cozzi (Hercules franchise, Starcrash, Godzilla, Contamination, Tunnel Under the World, Dario Argento: Master of Horror, The Black Cat, and Paganini Horror). It was co-written by Daniele Del Giudice (The Story of a Poor Young Man and The Last Concert). It’s based on the novel “Al mare Con La Ragazza” (aKa The Dark Is Death’s Friend) from author Giorgio Scerbanenco. It was produced by Sergio Gobbi (Suicide Mission to Singapore, Have a Nice Night, Vortex, Maldonne, The Flesh of the Orchid, Try This One for Size, and Sin with a Stranger). Giorgio Mainardi (played by: George Hilton from Sartana’s Here… Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin, The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Giallo, Massacre Time, and My Dear Killer) is a greedy adulterer that strikes a deadly bargain with a Professional Killer (played by: Antoine Saint-John from Duck, You Sucker!, The Beyond, The Big Black Sow, Cross, and My Name Is Nobody) to eliminate his wealthy wife Nora (played by: Tere Velázquez from The Rape of the Sabines, Night of 1000 Cats, Chiquidrácula, Santo in Anonymous Death Threat, and Mad Drivers). The plan falls apart when thieves Luca (played by: Alessio Orano from Lisa and the Devil, High Tension, The Most Beautiful Wife, Summer Affair, and The Count of Monte-Cristo) and Laura (played by: Cristina Galbó from Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Sobrenatural, Ultimate Gunfighter, The House That Screamed, and What Have You Done to Solange?) steal the killer’s car, unaware that Nora’s corpse lies hidden in the trunk. Their next adventure takes them to a decaying seaside villa. This all sets off a tense game of pursuit as the killer closes in so he can tie up all of his loose ends!!!! I always thought Luigi Cozzi was underrated as a director. The Killer Must Kill Again proves that, he tackles the popular giallo sub-genre in the 70’s. He doesn’t hide the killer, he knows him right away so the audience knows exactly what’s it’s getting into with this tension filled mystery. Veteran George Hilton plays the cheating Giorgio Mainardi. He’s been playing his rich wife for a fool and he’s just in for the money at this point. She won’t give into his demands anymore so he’s feeling threatened. He knows he’s about to lose it all so he takes over the situation. He’s shady and he’s will do whatever it takes. Tere Velázquez as the privileged Nora Mainardi, she’s done being used and it’s time for a change. She’s trying to move on but a few people here are trying to stop that from happening. Antoine Saint-John steals the show here as the unknown vicious contract killer that’s just doing his job. He’s creepy looking and he fits the role perfectly. It’s a face that you will never forget. He completes his brutal task but he has the bad luck of getting his vehicle stolen by an adrenaline fueled couple looking to test themselves. Now, he has to focus on taking them out & getting the body back. This subplot makes The Killer Must Kill Again way more interesting. This psychopath is on the hunt now. The rest of the supporting cast includes Alessio Orano, Cristina Galbó, Femi Benussi (Bloody Pit of Horror), Eduardo Fajardo (Django), Carla Mancini (Five Women for the Killer), Sydne Rome (Sundance Cassidy and Butch the Kid), and Luigi Antonio Guerra (Nude for Satan). I love that The Killer Must Kill Again is full of unlikable characters that you don’t mind what happens to them. It means almost no one is safe here. It shows the killer and you know who’s responsible for it very early on but it still remains to be extremely suspenseful and packed with uneasy tension. Despite it’s name, The Killer Must Kill Again is not full of gore and violence but it has it’s moments. It’s more psychological than anything. It still delivers regardless of not having a high body count. It has it’s surprises and twists as it all unfolds. It has it’s own style compared to most giallos, it doesn’t shy away from being something different. That’s one of the highlights about The Killer Must Kill Again. It’s refreshing to see another way at approaching this crazy sub-genre. I’m really surprised no one really talks about this one, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Rustblade! This 1080p (2.35:1) unrated transfer is from a brand new restoration. I’ve never seen The Killer Must Kill Again before so I have nothing to compare it to but it looks much better than expected for a lower budget 70’s Italian production. It has stylish cinematography and some beautiful locations that look sharper when it comes to the visuals. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks on the disc. The score from Nando De Luca stands out the most when it comes to the audio. It has all kinds of thrilling and tense scenarios. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has the almost 32 minute “Intervista A Luigi Cozzi”. It’s a brand new exclusive interview with director Luigi Cozzi. He chats about his history with Dario Argento and when he first met him. They became good friends over the years. He goes over some of the earlier projects that he worked on. He offered additional stuff because of his screenwriting work including this one. He went from behind the scenes to filming his own material. He talks about the cast, adaptation, the overall story, and issues with the production. He wanted to make a different giallo compared to all of the Argento ones at the time. They held back on the violence until the end so it would have a bigger impact when it happened. It’s in Italian with English subtitles. It has the little over 14 minute “Approfondimento Di Federico Frusciante”. This is an appreciation dedicated to Luigi Cozzi from Federico Frusciante. It goes over his career and various productions over the years including The Killer Must Kill Again. He chats about him being the most knowledgeable science fiction expert in Italy. He brings up about his earlier popular fanzine before he really got into making movies. Cozzi was influenced by French Crime and Hitchcock besides Argento. He goes over how underrated The Killer Must Kill Again was. He discusses some of Cozzi’s biggest films over the years. It’s in Italian with English subtitles. It has the almost 7 minute “Tour Locations by Giallo Italiano”. This compares some of the main locations from how they looked when this was being made to what it looks like now after all these years. Lots of changes since then. I always find these very interesting, they don’t do enough for Italian cinema so this was a nice bonus. It has a “Trailer” for The Killer Must Kill Again. It has additional artwork inside the case. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!