The Bloodstained Lawn

 

"I hate planning for anything. Studies, love..."

While hunting down smugglers, a UNESCO agent (Nino Castelnuovo) discovers a crate of wine bottles filled with human blood. Elsewhere, Alfiero (Claudio Biava) drives around the countryside rounding up random strangers - a drunk, a prostitute, a Romani girl and a pair of hippy hitchhikers - and brings them back to the estate owned by his sister Nina (Mariana Malfatti) and her scientist husband Antonio (Enzo Tarascio). Max the hippy (George Willing) and his girlfriend (Daniella Carolli) soon get creepy vibes from Antonio's collection of macabre robots, Nina's talk of developing a master race of supermen and the sudden disappearance of the Romani girl (Barbara Marzano). What grisly experiments is Antonio really working on? Is Nina a vampire? And will the UNESCO agent solve the case before more people die?

The Bloodstained Lawn (not to be confused with The Bloodstained Shadow, The Bloodstained Butterfly or Seven Bloodstained Orchids) is a wild ride and, to be honest, I hesitated before adding it to the list. It does technically meet all four of my criteria but, while a lot of gialli find a foundation in gothic horror, this film seems to find its inspiration the world of science fiction. The film abounds with crazy nonsense moments, absurd mis-directs and laughable effects. Very little of it makes sense, but if you enjoyed the insanity of Spasmo, you might really like this one.

• The film begins with a title pop song over the opening credits - highly unusual for a giallo.

• Please note that seven of the deaths listed in the body count listed above occur before the action of the movie starts. These were the bodies discovered in the basement freezer late in the film.

• The title has nothing to do with the plot, but when Max & his girlfriend are hitchhiking, she remarks on a beautiful field of red flowers and he replies that it looks like a bloodstained lawn.

• Even though the cast is very small, only a few of the characters actually get names.

• Despite the film being a hot mess, the cast features some real talent. You may recognize Marina Malfatti from The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, Enzo Tarascio from The Designated Victim and both George Willing and Dominique Boschero from Who Saw Her Die?

What the Hell am I watching?

A lot of the craziest moments involve the characters being very comfortable with nudity, so there won't be photos. But I must mention the naked, drunken go go party that takes place in a hall of mirrors and the odd shower scene where wine starts pouring out of the shower head instead of water.

Here's a look at the absurd-looking killer robot that Nina tries to pass as a piece of modern sculpture. It looks like a giant beer keg with a super hero cape.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the retractable arm of the robot looks a lot like the spiked glove in Blood and Black Lace.

Fashion Moment:

Antonio immediately telegraphs his eccentricity (if not lunacy) with his outrageous choice of neckwear. We learn midway through the movie that these are actually straight ties, which he knots into ridiculous floppy bows.

Rich and bored Nina is a fashion standout, especially in this evening gown with a JLo neckline.

Nina apparently outfits all of her guests with new clothes for the aforementioned go go party. They're all looking rather sharp before things get wild.

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times

"There are far too many coincidences."

When Kitty (Barbara Bouchet),  Franziska (Marina Malfatti), and Evelyn (uncredited) were children, their grandfather (Rudolph Schündler) told them of the Wildenbrück family curse: That in 1672, an ancestor known as "The Red Queen" took revenge for her own murder by rising from the grave and killing seven people - and the last victim was the sister who killed her. Now, every hundred years, the Red Queen returns to kill seven more people, the last being a sister of the Wildenbrück family.  Years later, Kitty and Franziska share the tragic secret of Evelyn's death. Though she died accidentally, the sisters hid the body in the family castle and told everyone that Evelyn moved to America.  But in 1972 – the year of the curse – people are being murdered by a strange dark-haired woman in a red cape, who bears a resemblance to Evelyn and laughs with a sinister cackle.  Could Evelyn be taking revenge from beyond the grave? Or has the ghost of the Red Queen returned? Kitty is dating Martin (Ugo Pagali), a married man – could his schizophrenic wife be the killer? Kitty knows that she will be the seventh victim, but who will be the other six and how will they die?

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is a fantastic giallo, full of twists, turns, red herrings, and a web of complicated character relationships. You may have to watch it twice to sort things out, but it's hardly a chore, thanks to the fast pace, good acting, and an engaging plot which mostly makes sense. Though the film is set in modern times, it borrows elements from Gothic horror, with a castle setting, cobwebbed dungeons, secret rooms, and a family curse.

• A year before this movie, writer/director Emilio Miraglia made a horror movie called The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, which is also about a woman named Evelyn who avenges her own death.
• Bruno Nicoli provides another great harpsichord-based score, which marries Gothic formality with a funky, modern style.
• There's a dream sequence in the middle of the film which has become iconic in the world of giallo, featuring the knife-wielding killer running down the hallway of a modern building in slow motion, her cape and hair flowing behind her.
• There's some pretty bad 70's art in this movie, but notice that Kitty has a painting by Joan Miró over her bed. 
• I like that the title promises seven murders and then over-delivers.

What the Hell Am I Watching?

Why was Wildenbrück castle built with a staircase to nowhere? Kitty chases the killer through the house and up a staircase. She opens the door and finds herself outside, falling two stories down the front of the building. And if she was raised in this castle since childhood, why doesn't she know about this little architectural quirk?

The doctor at the psychiatric hospital has no problem casually dropping the surnames of famous patients. But he refuses to divulge first names because that would be unethical.

Fashion Moment

Because Kitty and Martin work in the fashion industry, there are a lot of great 1970's mod looks and wild fabric patterns featured in the film. But my favorite is worn by Rosemary (Pia Giancarlo), which somehow combines pirate stripes, newsboy knickers, and an oversized French beret.

The glasses complete the look.

Also, Martin's house uses the same set as the apartment in The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh.  That's definitely the same wallpaper and the same sofa. I also recognize some of the distinctive lighting fixtures.