Bezenby Paul Naschy once again knows what the people want by writing and starring in this over the top giallo full of murder, twists, sleaze, and transvestite roller coast shoot outs.Paul is a burly cigar chewing cop who likes to slap perps about, and is given a new case: that of tracking down a killer who is wasting the city's undesirables types, including junkies and hookers. Every time a corpse is discovered, a glass dragonfly is also found at the scene. I thought it was cool that Paul was allowed to keep these on the wall of his living room for some reason, but then his wife Erika Blanc ended up doing most of the work anyway, so maybe it was best she kept an eye on the stuff.Of course, polite society gets involved and it turns out they have just as many vices as those unclean types. Paul's friends turn out to be just as bad, what with the professor who is a necrophile who likes to have strippers lie in coffins, then there's the confusing love dodecahedron involving everyone else Paul knows, except the gay guy, because being gay is enough to have you killed in a film like this. Needless to say someone Paul knows is the killer, but as the body's pile up, can he unveil the killer before the killings get closer to home?The killer is dressed in the usual gialli uniform - black gloves, comfortable shoes, comfy socks, and has quite the collection of weapons at his (or her!) disposal. People are attacked with axes, umbrellas with spring loaded blades, knives and such like, but the blood is kept subtle. Nudity isn't however, which will keep you awake between the murder scenes.My absolute favourite bit was when Paul somehow uncovered a drug ring and the gang leader, fresh from doing a transvestite show, realises the cops are arriving on the scene, takes the time to dress back up in drag again before getting on a roller coaster and firing a gun blindly while on the ride. Simply delightful. This is also a film that isn't too concerned about how life like the dummies are, which makes things funnier. If a bad Paul Naschy film exists, I haven't seen it yet. Another daft winner!

Coventry The popularity of the Giallo, which is a typically Italian cinematic product, truly skyrocketed during the early 1970's, so inevitably the rest of the European exploitation countries wanted a piece of this profitable cake as well. And righteously so! This trend resulted in a seemingly endless series of non-Italian thrillers that attempted to stay very close to the "fundamentals" of the Giallo-formula, whereas the genuine Italians productions were already making versatile variations on their own invention. You can immediately recognize "A Dragonfly for Each Corpse" as a non-Italian 70's Giallo just because it's so prototypic. There's the absurd title, for starters, but also the stereotypical macho police detective hero, the rhythmic soundtrack, the gratuitous depiction of sleaze, the absurdly nonsensical plot twists, the far-fetched red herring and the copious amount perverted sub-themes (including even necrophilia). Still, during the pre-credits opening sequence, I got worried for a second that perhaps director Léon Klimovsky and writer/lead star Paul Naschy misunderstood the Giallo concept after all, because the first murder victim is a man! Usually only blond and preferably voluptuous beauty queens are massacred in this sort of films… The city of Milan is pestered by a series of vicious murders, but Inspector Scaporella doesn't really know whether to catch or congratulate the culprit, as all the victims are in one way or another related to the underground, like drug addicts, prostitutes and perverts. The Dragonfly Killer appears to be on a devoted cleansing mission and leaves a little dragonfly marble at the scene of each new crime as a status symbol. For you see, dead dragonflies were used in an ancient culture as a warning to those who were living immoral and impure lives. Inspect Scaporella's investigation doesn't advance very fast, even though his entire circle of friends seems to be involved, but that's probably because he wastes time discussing the case with his wife and even placing bets with her. She claims being able to solve the case before he does, going solely by her female intuition. And you know what? She's right, too! "A Dragonfly for Each Corpse" is a reasonably satisfying example of the genre, but nothing too memorable. The plot and characters aren't as absorbing as, say, the films of Dario Argento or Sergio Martino, but everybody clearly tried their hardest. Some of horror scenes are very explicit and vicious, like when the inspector receives a human head at his home wrapped as a birthday present. The killer also uses a wide selection of weaponry to commit his murders, including spiked umbrellas, axes, golf clubs and oriental swords. It's safe to say that the fans of immense bloodshed are spoiled a lot more than the admirers of convoluted scripts and unpredictable endings. Paul Naschy, writer and lead actor of copious Spanish werewolf flicks and period pieces, is pretty cool as the inspector. He's a macho copper with a porno mustache and a lot of anger in that tiny body of his. Just looking at the amount of cigar he smokes is enough to get lung cancer. Recommended for the more experienced and tolerant Giallo fanatics amongst you.

The_Void A Dragonfly for Each Corpse is a Spanish take on the popular Italian thriller known as the Giallo, and stars prolific Spanish horror star Paul Naschy. The Giallo was well established by 1974, and it's clear that director León Klimovsky knew this; as his film continually attempts to imitate the Italian films...but this isn't really a problem, as many of the actual Italian productions imitate each other, and it has to be said that the director hasn't done a bad job of making a non-Italian Giallo. The central plot theme has been seen in cinema many times before this film was released, and many times after; in films like Dario Argento's Tenebrae, and popular American thriller 'Seven'. We follow a killer who has taken it upon himself to clean up the streets, by picking off everyone that offends his eye. His trademark is a dragonfly, which is left at the scene of each crime, thus earning the killer the name 'The Dragonfly Killer'. We focus on the police investigation into the killings, which is lead by hard-bitten copper Inspector Scaporella.By keeping the focus away from the murders and more on the investigation, director León Klimovsky has passed up on the opportunity of making a really interesting movie. The way that the investigation is handled isn't bad, and there's enough intrigue generated to see it through; but the way that the film is handled takes the attention away from the murders...which is never good in a film like this. There is a fair amount of blood in this film, however, but it never reaches the highs that you'd expect it to given the splatter at the beginning. Paul Naschy manages to put in a good performance as the cop at the centre of the story, but some of the rest of the cast bring it down; and the film suffers from far too many nuisances with the script, which gets a little too ridiculous too many times. By far the biggest problem with the film comes at the conclusion. Giallo's are infamous for not making a lot of sense and leaving things wide open...but there's barely an explanation at all here, and it's a shame because it could have been the highlight. But even so, this is entertaining enough; and the hilarious roller-coaster getaway ensures that I won't be forgetting it soon.

gimpwilkinson This is a typically looney Paul Naschy take on the giallo. It has some gory deaths, nice ladies, and totally whacked out dialogue and characters. However, this is not an easy film for Naschy fans (like myself) to find. There was a very early 80's release (about 1980/81) on Video Unlimited which was excellent quality (but full-screen)and uncut: not surprising that it is VERY RARE and highly sought after by collectors/fans.