The Murder Clinic
| The Murder Clinic | |
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 Italian film poster for The Murder Clinic | |
| Directed by | Lionello De Felice[1] |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Francesco De Masi[1] |
| Cinematography | Marcello Masciocchi[1] |
| Edited by | Alberto Gallitti[1] |
Production company |
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| Distributed by | Regional (Italy) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
| Country |
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| Box office | ₤96 million |
The Murder Clinic (Italian: La lama nel corpo) is a 1966 Italian-French film directed by Lionello De Felice.
Production
The film was shot in Villa Parisi in Rome.[1] Most sources indicate producer Elio Scardamaglia as the director of the film, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi stated that Lionello De Felice was the films real director.[2] Gastaldi stated that De Felice left the production near the end of shooting with only a few scenes remaining.[2]
Cast
- William Berger as Dr. Vance
- Françoise Prévost as Gisele
- Mary Young as Lisbeth
- Barbara Wilson as Mary
- Germano Longo as Ivan
- Philippe Hersent as Fred
- Harriet White as Sheena
- Massimo Righi as Fred
- Anna Maria Polani as Jane
- Delfi Mauro as Laura
Style
Roberto Curti, author of Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969 described The Murder Clinic as an example of the way Italian gothic horror films would change and make way for the giallo genre in the 1970s.[3]
Release
Murder Clinic was released in Italy on March 17, 1966 where it was distributed by Regional.[1] The film grossed a total of ₤96 million Italian lira on its theatrical release.[1] In 1971, a re-release poster played off of actor William Berger own trouble with the law with a tag line of "William Berger, guilty or innocent?"[4]
The film was released in the United States under numerours titles including Revenge of the Living Dead, which tried to promote the film as a zombie movie.[4] The film was released on DVD by Code Red as part of "Six-Pack Volume Two" box set.[1]
Reception
Curti described the films direction as being "nondescript" and that the many red herrings in the film were unconvincing.[3] Curti also noted that "The film only comes alive when Françoise Prévost is on-screen."[3] In his book Italian Horror Film Directors, Louis Paul described the film as a "handsomely crafted gothic thriller."[5]