11 December 2024
Blade of the Ripper (1971)
82 min.
Directed by Sergio Martino.
With Edwige Fenech, Alberto de Mendoza, Cristina Airoldi, George Hilton, Ivan Rassimov.
Beautiful Edwige Fenech plays Julie Ward, the dissatisfied wife of an international diplomat. Harrassed by a creepy ex-lover, Julie turns to a new beau for pleasure, only to be utterly terrified when a sex stalker begins offing girls around town with a razor blade and seems to be getting closer to her.

Is the maniac her ex-boyfriend, her new lover...possibly even her husband?

Set in Vienna, this attractive giallo by Martino is well done, pulling off a strange twist ending that actually works. Inexplicably for us, Martino as director seems maligned by his Italian contemporaries; yet we find both this and 1974's Torso good, strong examples of the giallo mold. The stunning women alone make these enjoyable and watchable.

Also known by a plethora of alternate titles, such as Next!, The Next Victim, and The Strange Vice of Mrs. Ward.

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