Formula for a Murder
Formula for a Murder | |
---|---|
Directed by | Alberto De Martino |
Screenplay by |
|
Story by |
|
Produced by | Fabrizio De Angelis |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Gianlorenzo Battaglia[1] |
Edited by | Vincenzo Tomassi[1] |
Music by | Francesco De Masi[1] |
Production company | Fulvia International Films[1] |
Release date |
|
Country | Italy[1] |
Formula for a Murder (
The film was shot in Boston and Italy, and was one of the last films directed by De Martino. When it was released in Italy, it war marketed as a more traditional horror film, while retrospective analysis compared it to 1960s thrillers such as Taste of Fear (1961).
Plot
A handsome teacher named Craig marries a wealthy, wheelchair-using woman named Joanna who suffers from PTSD and is tormented by a traumatic event that happened in her past. As a child, she was raped by a psychotic priest and thrown down a flight of stairs. The priest used a doll to lure her to the crime scene.
Her attractive female caretaker Ruth has a lesbian attraction to her and tries to stop the marriage. As if Joanna doesn't have enough problems, her husband only married her to steal her money. He is trying to stop her from donating one-half of her wealth to a church project to which her deceased father committed her while upon his deathbed.
One by one, priests start turning up dead, as the murder plot unfolds. One priest has his throat cut while in a confession booth, another has his head bashed in with a heavy blunt object. Joanna's doctor warns her that she has a bad heart and that she shouldn't allow herself to get overly agitated nor too aroused during sex. Joanna begins to experience hallucinations in which she sees a leering priest stalking her while holding a bloody doll in his hands.
Cast
- David Warbeck as Craig
- Christina Nagy as Joanna
- Carroll Blumenberg as Ruth
- Rossano Brazzi as Doctor Sernich
- Andrea Bosic as Father Peter Farlow
- Loris Loddi as Father Davis
- Daniela De Carolis
- Rodolfo Ruzza
- Adriana Giuffrè[1]
Production
Formula for a Murder was filmed under the title Formula per un delitto.[3] It was shot in Boston with interiors scenes done in Italy.[4] Director Alberto De Martino stated he initially wanted to cast two young Italian actors: Valeria Golino and Nancy Brilli, but his casting choices were rejected by producer Fabrizio De Angelis.[3] Both were replaced with American actors while the Golino and Brilli went on to have prominent careers in Italy.[3]
De Martino described the film as his own variation on the film
Release
Formula for a Murder was released in 1985.[3][6] In Italy, it was released as 7, Hyden Park – La casa maledetta. Film critic and historian Roberto Curti stated this title was more akin to being an "out-and-out horror film" like The Evil Dead (1981) which was released in Italy as La casa.[3] De Martino was reportedly unhappy with the film, being constrained by an eighteen day shooting schedule.[1] The film was released in Greece on home video as Formula For a Murder.[1] It was released on DVD by Shameless Screen Entertainment.[4]
Reception
In a contemporary review from
References
Sources
- Crowell, Aaron; Nelson, Kenny (July–August 2008). "Defining Giallo". HorrorHound.
- Curti, Roberto (2022). Italian Giallo in Film and Television. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-8248-8.
- G.Gs. (15 August 1985). "La tonaca insanguinata". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 19.
- Howarth, Troy (2015). So Deadly, So Perverse. Vol. 2. Midnight Marquee Press. ISBN 978-1936168583.
- Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood & Black Lace. Stray Cat Publishing. ISBN 0-9533261-1-X.
External links
- Formula for a Murder at IMDb