Blazing Magnum (1976)
Mainstream films are easy to recommend to people. They’re usually formulaic, work within clear parameters and they’re not controversial. Most people, when viewing such film on someone else’s suggestion, are left with a fairly simply choice. Did they like it or not? Whatever the outcome, no feathers are ruffled. No one looks at you askance afterwards and says “why the hell did you think I’d like that piece of shit”? If something like this happens, then you have clearly not recommended a mainstream film. Perhaps you’ve suggested something that’s a little more of an acquired taste. Something niche, from a very specific sub-genre. Which brings me neatly to Blazing Magnum AKA Strange Shadows in an Empty Room (1976). The US title gives the impression that this film is a hard boiled cop thriller, like so many others that followed in the wake of Dirty Harry. But there’s a clue in the European title. Yes, this movie has more than just a whiff of a giallo about it.
A Bay of Blood (1971)
Disabled countess Federica Donati (Isa Miranda) is strangled to death by her husband, Filippo Donati (Giovanni Nuvoletti). Filippo is subsequently stabbed to death by an unseen assailant, and his body is then dragged to the bay beside their mansion. The police investigate and find a suicide note written by the countess, but do not discover Filippo's murder. Real estate agent Frank Ventura (Chris Avram) and his lover Laura (Anna Maria Rosati) are plotting to take possession of the bay. When the Countess refused to sell her estate to them, the couple conspired with Filippo to murder his wife. The pair are unaware that Filippo is dead and cannot proceed with their scheme without his signature. Meanwhile, four local teenagers Duke (Guido Boccaccini), Bobby (Roberto Bonanni), Denise (Paola Montenero) and Brunhilde (Brigitte Skay) break into the seemingly deserted mansion, looking for fun. However, they are soon killed one by one. Are all these events connected?