By Stephen Pytak 

     You can take some guilty pleasure in watching a 
giallo by Luciano Ercoli.
     He uses some of the same crew, actors included, time 
and again. That's the best part I think. But they don't
always play the same kind of character.
     In particular there's Susan Scott (a.k.a. Nieves
Navarro), a sexy firebird who's full of spirit. She played
a vamp in Ercoli's "Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above
Suspicion (1970)," a stripper in Ercoli's "Death Walks
on High Heels (1971)," and a model on the run from
drug crazed killers in Ercoli's "Death Walks at 
Midnight (1972)." Always sexy. Can't take your eyes off
her.
     Then there's Simon Andreu, who's in all three of these
as well: the cane-carrying killer in "Forbidden Photos;"
the dead beat boyfriend in "High Heels;" and a sleazy
magazine writer who's always looking for a light in
"Midnight." Wise guy. Fun to watch!
     Both are excellent actors and are the best reason to
check out these films. 
     "Forbidden Photos" was recently released on DVD
by Blue Underground.
     The other two meanwhile were put out in a set by
No Shame Films which included a CD of music
by composer Stelvio Cipriani. It's good music, but 
unfortunately nothing from "High Heels," which 
he scored. So why include it? Who knows?
     I like all three of the abovementioned films for
different reasons, but for whatever reason "Death Walks 
at Midnight" was my favorite. It's not so much a horror
film as it is some kind of thriller that will make you 
laugh.
     I can imagine this playing somewhere overseas
on a Saturday afternoon. Perfect matinee stuff. There's
adventure. A heroine who's got spunk and more trouble
than some notable scream queens. The director has a
flair, and delivers a punch now and again. And the
script, while not the most original, is smart enough to
keep your wheels turning.
     The roof top fight at the climax was done on the
cheap. But it's a heck of a lot of fun!
     Actor Luciano Rossi plays a drug crazy who's like
a villian from a Batman comic on some kind of nose
candy. With a giggle that will have you rolling and
a few throwing knives, he's a great personification
of evil on a high. He makes the showdown something
interesting.