X: Man with the X-Ray Eyes

Psychomania at the Rio Cinema

WHO SAW HER DIE? - Aldo Lado 1972

Another giallo unearthed by the ever reliable Shameless Screen Entertainment. Who Saw Her Die? hit screens in 1972, pre-dating Nicolas Roeg's classic Don't Look Now, but bears such an uncanny resemblance most viewers will undoubtedly think this is another in a long line of Italian rip-offs. Yet, surprisingly, that's not the case here.
A mysterious child killer hidden behind a black veil is on the loose in Venice and targets the daughter of the emotional train wreck Franco (played admirably by George Lazenby, one time James Bond stand-in) who armed with his moustache takes it upon himself to solve the crime. What follows is fairly standard Euro-thriller fare and revolves almost entirely around Franco searching for his child, however Who Saw Her Die? is rarely dull and works on quite a few different levels other than straight forward horror. As with the later and far more unsettling Night Train Murders (also available through Shameless) Aldo Lado immediately wraps the viewer in a fog of unease, made all the more dense by the haunting Ennio Morriconne score. The acting in this film is also unusually good for the genre and the creepy locations captured beautifully by scope master Franco Di Giacomo lend the film a poignant air of despair not dissimilar to Edward Woodwards lost at sea panic in Wicker Man.
So, another stellar release from Shameless. One of my favourites of their's alongside Torso and a rather haunting little film.
Now if I could only shake that slightly over-used Morricone theme song...

Psychomania at the Rio Cinema