After two times through The Murder Clinic, with a third one running as I write this review, I’m not inspired to recount anything wholly remarkable about the film. The opening credit sequence provides some moody gothic atmosphere with the added bonus of a razor wielding figure wearing black gloves, but there’s something about a period piece Giallo (in this case set in 1870 England) that fails to excite me like modern day Gialli (which, ironically, are 50 years old now).

This is not to say that the film isn’t entertaining. In fact, the first murder sequence is my favorite part of the film. The outdoor chase scene that ends with Janie killed by the glowing light of the fountain is reminiscent of the opening minutes of Bava’s Blood and Black Lace. But from here the film slows down a bit and as we’re introduced to a slew of characters and relationships that may or may not be related to the central mystery.

Obviously, the giant red herring of the film is the monstrously disfigured Laura who is confined to the top level of the clinic and constantly makes noises in the wee hours of the night. I also thought the flashbacks that fill in the details of Robert, Lizabeth, and Laura were really well constructed and photographed. The film concludes with a suspenseful climax which wraps up the mystery nicely and includes a final “death by falling” demise of the killer under the light of Victorian torches!

From a historical standpoint, The Murder Clinic is snapshot of the blossoming success of the Giallo format. Genre MVPs Ernesto Gastaldi and Luciano Martino contribute to the film’s well written story, and despite its early placement in the genre’s chronology, the film wracks up a decent amount of points on The Giallo Score.

Considering all of this, I really SHOULD like this film. But it fails to excite me for some reason. Perhaps additional viewings will help.