The Case of the Bloody Iris
The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972) directed by Giuliano Carnimeo
94 minutes / Colour / 2.35:1
Celluloid Dreams (CD-24001) - 4K UHD 2024
The Film
When discussing directors of giallo films, Giuliano Carnimeo’s name does not appear often. Notable for his contribution to the Italian western and commedie sexy all'italiana genres, The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972) is an outlier in Carnimeo’s filmography, being the only giallo film he helmed. Despite this, it is a strong example of what giallo films from the period have to offer in terms of genre tropes, including sex, nudity, violence and mystery, and not to mention a production crew, on and off screen, that is a who’s who of Italian genre film royalty. The Case of the Bloody Iris boasts a glamorous cast headed by the inimitable Edwige Fenech and George Hilton, a tight screenplay from legendary Italian genre film scribe Ernesto Gastaldi, and one of the finer giallo film scores by prolific composer, maestro Bruno Nicolai. In retrospect, the talent involved makes The Case of the Bloody Iris a greatest hits type of film but was in fact released at the height of giallo popularity.
The Case of the Bloody Iris, in typical giallo fashion, is a lurid murder mystery. The tenants of an apartment complex are shocked by the murder of two young women. With one of the victims’ apartments left vacant, models Jennifier (Edwidge Fenech) and Marilyn (Paola Quattrini) move in together only for Jennifer to become the target of the same gloved killer that previously spread fear throughout the community. A pulpy, sultry who-done-it unravels with revelations of Jennifer’s history and the private lives of the building’s tenants coming into play. The plot, while not the strongest of Gastaldi’s scripts, still makes for a compelling watch. Coming from the mind that penned All the Colours of the Dark, Torso, Almost Human and many other staples of Italian genre film, the screenplay is no slouch but does not reach the heights of the aforementioned films.
Whilst the film feels a touch paint by numbers at times, it is wonderfully crafted and is great non-Argento entry point into the genre and a comfort blanket for those who know the genre well and just want some solid, pure giallo fun.
The Disc
The Case of the Bloody Iris is a sumptuously textured film, with a plethora of visual treats to take in. From the beautiful cast to the chic wardrobe choices and set design, the film is as stylish as any of its contemporaries. There is no doubt that the film excels on a technical level which makes it a prime candidate for a 4K UHD presentation, as has been expertly produced by newcomers in the world of home video, Celluloid Dreams. What can be said here apart from, bravo? No strangers to the world of media production, with years of experience in the video game industry, father and son duo Guido and Lucas Henkel the founders of Celluloid Dreams bring films they love to home video in the highest quality they can. The frame-by-frame restoration, taking months to complete, is evident in the pristine picture quality with no signs of compression or artefacts associated with a suboptimal encode. The audio shines on this disc also, with Nicolai’s playful score perfectly balanced in the mix and the English and Italian language dialogue tracks doing their part to round out an audio-visual masterclass in home video releasing.
A brand-new featurette containing interviews with Gastaldi and Carnimeo graces the special features suite and offers behind the scenes accounts during production. It takes skill to be able to edit an interview so that it is entertaining and informative, whilst keeping the audience engaged, but also paying respect to the interviewee and not cutting too much from the conversation and thus changing the tone and information conveyed. Additional featurettes with George Hilton and Paola Quattrini embellish on the experiences of the cast and crew during production. A special mention goes to the commentary track from Guido Henkel. Solo commentary tracks are particularly tough to get right, as the back and forth of a pairing or a group allows the track to feel more like a podcast and conversation based. However, Henkel does an incredible job in what I must assume is his maiden project as a commentator. The track is well thought out, informative and expertly paced.
This debut disc sets the bar very high for future Celluloid Dreams projects and should make their peers take notice. Painstakingly restored, with a high standard of quality, indicates that Celluloid Dreams won’t be putting out releases with great frequency, however this will make each new release an event for those interested in the company’s future output. On a technical home video standpoint for the main feature, this will undoubtedly make a lot of end-of-year lists for release of the year. Watch this space. Celluloid Dreams are the real deal, folks.