Anonymous Andy (Minus_The_Beer) Emilio Miragli's second (and final) film, "The Red Queen Kills Seven Times" is a little-seen gem of the giallo golden-age. A red-cloaked female killer stalks players in the fashion industry, combining Gothic sensibilities with the supernatural in a compelling, often confusing whodunnit. There's a whole subplot about a family curse, with a seemingly never-ending array of sisters popping out of the woodwork to serve as seemingly little more than red herrings. Confused yet? You will be.Like much of its ilk, "The Red Queen" is both Italian and surreal. The audio track is a bit off, which seems to be a prerequisite with these films, and the cinematography and various set-pieces are absolutely exquisite and engrossing. Combined with a score by the Ennio Morricone-adjacent Bruno Nicolai, the film has a unique yet slightly familiar flavor that genre fans will find most intriguing. There are, of course, some soap operatic elements at play, but this all adds to the film's charms.Barbara Bouchet plays the lead character, Kitty, and appears to be the only character in good moral standing. She's an absolute pleasure to watch, as her face just oozes shock and horror when the carnage kicks in. On the other side of the coin, Marina Malfatti appears to relish playing the pot-stirring nymphomaniac foil, Franziska. When the film isn't creeping you out or staging elaborate death scenes for its unfortunate bystanders, you can rest assured that the performances on hand will keep you fully engaged and grinning alongside their often over-the-top portrayals. It's a shame Miragli fell completely off the map after making the film, as "The Red Queen Kills Seven Times," much like its mouthful of a title, is one for the ages. It's not a film for everyone, but it definitely slays.

Red-Barracuda This was the second giallo Emilio Miraglia directed after the previous year's The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave. In fact it was the last movie he ever directed. On the evidence of this film that is a criminal waste because The Red Queen Kills 7 Times really is a terrific giallo. Like its predecessor, this one mixes the giallo format with neo-Gothic elements; in this case an old castle replete with a crypt populated with rats and bats, as well as a legend about an evil supernatural killer. This Gothic material is combined with a super-chic contemporary setting, where we have a fashion house populated with a selection of gorgeous girls. This set-up gives the movie a slightly different angle to most others in the genre and Miraglia makes full use of both the Gothic and the giallo conventions.The plot is as complex as you should expect from these flicks. It is basically about two sisters who grow up in a castle. An old painting shows two other warring sisters, the evil one being the dark haired Red Queen -a girl who returns from the dead every hundred years on murderous rampages. Of course the little girls grow up and the Red Queen mysteriously appears and starts a series of killings.It has to be said that this film has a truly awesome killer. The Red Queen has to be one of the greatest cinematic serial killers ever conceived. This sexy black haired woman in flowing red gown and scary voice is a very inspired creation indeed. She commits a series of murders of course. They aren't the most graphic of killings but they are very varied. Most original being death by fence pole, while the scene where someone is dragged through the streets by car was repeated several years later in Dario Argento's Deep Red. Aside from this, the cinematography is as lovely as you may expect from a film like this, with great widescreen compositions that make full use of both the Gothic locations as well as the modern interiors. And last but certainly not least there is an assortment of gorgeous Euro actresses to savour. Barbara Bouchet leads the picture and, as always, is phenomenal; sexy and sympathetic, she truly was one of the very best actresses working in Italy in the 70's. Also of particular note is Sybil Danning as a bad girl femme fatale.For Euro cult viewers you just cannot go wrong here. It's definitely a very memorable entry in the giallo sub-genre.

Rindiana Bottom-of-the-barrel giallo trash of the lowest order.Even the smallest things that make some of the better gialli somewhat watchable (despite this sub-genre's constant inadequacies) are missing in this thoroughly idiotic outing that's also quite lame in the gore and shock department.The culprit's identity is not just obvious, but completely irrelevant to even the most lowbrow spectator, since the crude and muddleheaded story and lazy direction make sure that any interest about the outcome wanes early on.1 out of 10 lethal stabbings

Witchfinder General 666 There are some films that every Horror fan owes himself (or herself) to see, and Emilio Miraglia's "La Dama Rossa Uccide Sette Volte" aka. "The Red Queen Kills Seven Times" (1972) is definitely one of them. With Gialli and Gothic Tales being my two favorite sub-genres in Horror, I was looking forward to seeing this film for quite a while, and even though my expectations were high, this masterpiece surpassed my greatest hopes. Miraglia's earlier Giallo, "The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave" (1971) was already a creepy and highly atmospheric film which successfully mixed Giallo with Gothic Horror, but it couldn't possibly compare to this instant personal favorite. "The Red Queen Kills Seven Times" is, hands down, one of the most unique and overwhelming Italian Horror films ever made, and no lover of the genre could possibly consider missing it. An incredibly mesmerizing Giallo with strong Gothic elements, "The Red Queen" delivers everything one could hope for in either sub-genre: An inventive and incredibly compelling plot, spine-chilling suspense, a sublimely uncanny setting and a genuinely creepy atmosphere, eerily lush colors, stylish murders, a brilliant score, and, not least, a ravishing female cast lead by the stunningly beautiful Barbara Bouchet - this film simply is one of the most outstanding combinations of elegant beauty and pure terror.The film starts out incredibly in a beautiful Gothic castle in Germany. As little girls, Kitty Wildenbrück and her sister Evelyn have been fighting when their grandfather tells them the story behind an incredibly uncanny painting: Legend has it that a fiendish Red Lady is to return to the castle every hundred years and kill seven people. Fourteen years later, Kitty (Barbara Bouchet) has become a successful fashion photographer. Suddenly, people begin to get murdered... Director Miraglia had already proved his incredible talent for style, atmosphere and colorful creepiness with "The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave" and he makes use of these elements even far more effectively in this gem. "The Red Queen Kills Seven Times" is a feast for the eyes indeed, and one of the most overwhelming Italian Horror films both visually and plot-wise. The haunting painting in the Grandfather's castle alone is capable of giving the viewer the goosebumps. The Red Lady (or Red Queen, as she is called in the English title) is arguably the most fiendish figure ever in a Giallo, the spine-chilling laughter that the murders are accompanied by would even be frightening on its own. A sexy female cast is always appreciated, especially in a Giallo, and this one is a prime example for that. The ravishing Barbara Bouchet (one of my favorite actresses) must be one of the most stunningly beautiful ladies ever to appear on screen, and she is a great actress too. Bouchet's presence has graded up many Italian flicks, among other appearances she starred in three of the greatest Cult-masterpieces of Italian 70s cinema within one year (1972): Fernando Di Leo's "Milano Calibro 9", Lucio Fulci's Giallo-highlight "Don't Torture a Duckling" and this unforgettable gem. Apart from the wonderful Miss Bouchet, the film's gorgeous female cast includes sexy young Sybil Danning, Marina Malfatti ("The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave"), and other beauties who are not afraid to bare it for the camera. As the whole film, the murders are stylish and extremely elegant, yet frightening and macabre, and some of them are quite gory. Bruno Nicolai's mesmerizing score is as memorable as it gets, and makes the film's intensely eerie atmosphere even more haunting. The plot is ingeniously convoluted and full of red herrings, the tension-level increses with each passing minute. "The Red Queen..." begins creepy and it stays stunning to the last second. Overall, this is one of the films that I cannot find enough words of praise for. "The Red Queen Kills Seven Times" is an absolute masterpiece that easily ranks among the finest Gialli ever made, and a top-priority for every fan of Horror and/or Italian cinema to see. 10/10