Scott LeBrun
Two beautiful women are murdered in fairly quick succession inside an opulent high rise apartment building. Then, at some point, two more extremely desirable ladies, models named Jennifer (giallo goddess Edwige Fenech) and her goofy friend Marilyn (Paola Quattrini) move into the apartment of one of the dead women. There is no shortage of suspects from which to choose; falling under suspicion are studly architect Andrea Barto (George Hilton) and Jennifers' psycho ex-husband Adam (Ben Carra), a leader of a group sex cult, to name just two people. Working his way through the clues and the corpses is an amusing police commissioner named Enci (Giampiero Albertini).There isn't much about "The Case of the Bloody Iris" that makes it stand out in any way, save for some effective camera angles (shooting straight up or straight down inside a very tall stairwell). It's pretty standard for the genre, but it should still entertain its devotees, with the usual focus on sleaze, and the physical assets of our attractive female cast. The gore is decently done, as well. The widescreen photography by Stelvio Massi (lighting) and Michele Pensato (operator) doesn't hurt in the slightest. Bruno Nicolai contributes some very nice music. The fun, sometimes comical, script by genre specialist Ernesto Gastaldi may be one of the drawbacks; this viewer always feels that if *he* is able to predict plot twists, including the ultimate identity of the killer, then most people should be able to. It's just a shade too easy to guess.The cast is fine. Fenech is just so ravishing from role to role, and is easy to watch. Hilton creates a reasonably engaging leading man. Franco Agostini supplies comedy relief as the assistant commissioner who becomes bored with his surveillance duties. He, Albertini, Annabella Incontrera, Carra, Carla Brait, and George Rigaud comprise a solid bunch of actors and actresses.It may not be inspired, but it's a worthy viewing for fans of this genre.Seven out of 10.
Wizard-8
Although I have a great love for Italian genre movies, I must confess that giallos are far from my first choice. Still, I have seen a number of them, some of them that pleased me enough that I know what makes a good giallo. "The Case Of The Bloody Iris" (a.k.a. "What Are Those Strange Drops of Blood Doing on Jennifer's Body?"), unfortunately, is not a good giallo. It starts off promising, with two murders in a short amount of time, plus a real feeling of strangeness, from the offbeat characters to the direction. However, after this promising start the movie slowly falls apart. There are a bunch of really obvious red herrings, and the movie soon becomes a real slow slog. There are a few minor distractions along the way - occasional creepiness, some sleaze - but too little to make the viewer do anything but fall asleep. If you are in the mood for a good giallo, watch "The Bloodstained Shadow" or "Strip Nude For Your Killer" instead.
lastliberal
They say to never look a gift horse in the mouth. Sometimes a gift isn't all it's cracked up to be.Andrea (George Hilton) offers an upscale apartment to models Jennifer (Edwige Fenech) and Marilyn (Paola Quattrini). The only problem is that a stripper Mizar (Carla Brait) was just drowned in the bathtub, and someone is in the apartment with evil intentions on Jennifer's first night there. In addition another girl in the building was murdered in the elevator the day before. Is this where you really want to live? This film has a huge assortment of odd characters: a lesbian that lives with her professor father who plays the violin all night, an old lady that reads horror comics, Jennifer's ex who is head of some sex cult, and even a police lieutenant (Giampiero Albertini) who collects stamps and swipes them from crime scenes. No shortage of suspects.But, discovering the killer and the motive will prove elusive. That's OK, as the music, and the humor, and seeing Fenech will certainly keep you occupied until the reveal.
Bezenby
Out of all the gialli I own, the Case of the Bloody Iris is the most fun to watch. It has a healthy dose of humour, great atmosphere, beautiful euro-babes, and a tight plot. It's also extremely funky and stylish. A winner all the way.Edwige Fenech, one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous women ever to grace the screen, plays Jennifer, a model who moves into an apartment with her crazy model buddy. The problem is, someone in the building has a habit of killing models, and Jennifer and her pal are next up for a stabbing.You've got the classic giallo list of suspects, most of which spend their time drooling over Edwige's body: the lesbian neighbour and her father, the old lady and her dark secret, the landlord and his fear of blood, Edwige's ex-husband the cult leader. Plenty of inappropriate sexual advances follow, sometimes under the craziest of circumstances.Throw in a couple of bumbling cops, some topless wrestling involving the also-gorgeous Carla Berle (Torso, Bronx Warriors), and the dizziest sidekick ever to appear in a giallo, and you've got a great movie right there. Edwige, Carla and some other girls ain't too shy about showing off their assets either, if you know what I'm saying.Top marks go to Edwige's roommate, who has the best dialogue throughout the entire movie. She's possible my favourite Giallo character ever, what with her non-chalant attitude to everything. At one point she recreates on of the murders with ditsy glee - jumping out of a bath in the scud and shouting "I'm a ghost!", which earns her a seventies slap in the gub.Get it now - Academic, over serious, chin-strokers with no sense of irony need not apply.
AD
