Jack Mulhall as the energetically talkative detective and Mischa Auer as a menacing swami are the chief features of this tale of the murder of a millionaire during a séance at his house. There’s the usual gang of suspects, all with motives for killing the victim, and no real surprises as the plot moves along. …
The Phantom Express (Mascot, 1932)
A veteran engineer (J. Farrell MacDonald) is fired in disgrace after he has a wreck while trying, he says, to avoid running into an oncoming train — yet there was no evidence of such a train on the tracks. His dismissal occurs despite the fact that other, similar instances have been happening. What is the …
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Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970)
Couples gather on one’s private island with the aim of gaining access to a chemist’s new formula, but a killer soon is stalking the party. This giallo, originally titled 5 bambole per la luna d’agosto, is filled with unappealing characters and has a rather disappointing ending, so even if the twists hold one’s interest, the …
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A Dragonfly for Each Corpse (1975)
A tough police inspector (Paul Naschy) tries to find the killer who is stalking the streets of Milan, leaving a fake dragonfly on each body. As the inquiry drags on, his wife (Erika Blanc) does some sleuthing, too. Overall the movie, originally titled Una libélula para cada muerto, is rather dull, albeit watchable. Mildly recommended …
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The Murder Clinic (1966)
A black-clad killer with a razor is stalking the denizens of a private clinic in nineteenth-century England. A new nurse has joined the staff of the institution, which is presided over by Dr. Vance (William Berger); soon, a thief (Françoise Prévost) is made welcome at the facility, too. Secrets and strange developments add to the …
Deadly Inheritance (1968)
After the murder of a ma working on a railroad (a man who is in fact rather wealthy), his children are dismayed to learn that they cannot inherit until an adopted son comes of age in three years. The siblings are in need of money, however, and it is no surprise when soon thereafter the …
Nude… si muore (1968)
A gloved killer strangles an unknown woman and has her body shipped to a girls’ boarding school that itself is full of secrets, and soon a murderer (perhaps the same) begins stalking members of the faculty and student body. Could the killer be one of the teachers, such as the handsome riding instructor (Mark Damon)? …
The Circus Queen Murder (Columbia, 1933)
District Attorney Thatcher Colt (Adolphe Menjou) heads out of town for a brief vacation, accompanied by his secretary (Ruthelma Stevens), but they don’t find the upstate New York town of Gilead particularly restful. A small circus comes to town, with a love triangle at the center of its prominent acts, and murder follows. Dwight Frye …
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The White Spider (1963)
After a man dies in a car crash shortly after increasing his insurance, suspicion falls on his widow, who is strapped for cash because of the insurance company’s reluctance to pay and is then helped to get a job with a charity that assists ex-convicts in returning to society. At the same time, Scotland Yard …
The Forger of London (1961)
Someone is flooding England with counterfeit bank notes. Could the wealthy Peter Clifton (Hellmut Lange), who is subject to blackouts, be responsible? His new bride, Jane, finds an indication that may be the case. Fortunately, Chief Inspector Bourke (Siegfried Lowitz) is on the case in this West German Edgar Wallace Krimi, originally titled Der Fälscher …