After several weeks of diversions and off-shoots, I was very exited to return to the classic Giallo formula with Roberto Bianchi Montero's So Sweet, So Dead. Released at the height of the genre's popularity, So Sweet, So Dead is a classic Giallo in just about every way.

 

 

The film feels like a cross between Case of the Bloody Iris, Strip Nude for Your Killer and Seven Bloodstained Orchids and follows the typical Giallo "black gloved killer on the loose" formula. But So Sweet, So Dead employs enough originality to be entertaining and memorable. 

 

 

Many of the genre regulars appear along with Farley Granger who is better known for his excellent performances in Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train and Rope. As Inspector Capuana, Granger commands the attention of every scene he's in. Most of the rest of the cast, primarily gorgeous adulterous women who fall victim to the killer, are interchangeable and not memorable. There's even a sex and murder scene with Nieves Navarro (aka Susan Scott) who is more prominently featured in Luciano Ercoli's 3 Gialli.

 

 

The film's biggest point loss is the lack of an amateur detective. Capuana is the only character in the film trying to bring the killer to justice. These lines are a bit blurred when Capuana's own wife is pursued by the killer, but this is a minor point and Capuana never conducts himself outside of the law... well, at least until the very end, but I won't spoil that bit of fun!

 

 

The killer's motivation is a bit difficult to assign points to. However, in going back through the film there is a scene where Capuana and the killer discuss possible motives. Once the final reveal takes place, I skipped back to this scene to pay closer attention and there certainly is enough information in the dialog to award "Revenge" points.

 

*EDIT*

 

After re-watching the film with subtitles on, the killers motivation seems to be tied up within the details of the newspaper articles that Capuana finds in the home with the strange pendulum clock. What's not clear is how Capuana figured out who the owner of the clock (and so in turn, the killer) was, but I suppose it's not important to the ending.

 

 

 

Lastly, I'm not sure how to award points related to the "Urban Location" standard. The film feels very urban and yet Capuana is constantly discussing the quieter life he was hoping to lead with his wife since they moved out of the populated city to a more secluded area. After a second viewing it's clear that there aren't any explicit shots of crowded streets or mass transit, so the points have been left off for now.

 

Very much like its contemporaries, So Sweet, So Dead is a fun Giallo that never gets too deep or heavy. There are plenty of boobs and blood to entertain the typical Giallo fan and with the exception of a minor misstep or two, the film moves at steady pace. The only bad thing to say about the film is its lack of availability on DVD. Genre fans looking to add this obscure gem to their collection will need to rely on the grey market until a proper Blu Ray is released.