The Case of the Bloody Iris has all the best elements giallo has to offer: violence, beautiful girls, obsessed lesbians, and a crazy sex cult. Oh, and a gloved murderer in a black trench coat is murdering women in and around an apartment building. The Case of the Bloody Iris also stars genre-favorite Edwidge Fenech. While it may not be the most visually daring giallo, it has  a plot lurid enough for most fans.

• Directed by: Giuliano Carnimeo
• Written by: Ernesto Gastaldi
• Starring: Edwige Fenech. George Hilton. Paola Quattrini

Iris starts with the murders of Luna, a call girl, and Mizar, a performer at a casino. The movie takes the time to establish Mizar as a beautiful and strong woman, establishing that the killer is a credible threat. For the leading role, Edwidge Fenech stars as Jennifer, a model trying to escape from her abusive ex, Adam.  

The cast is rounded out by Andrea, the architect who owns the building where the murders have taken place, Maralyn, Jennifer’s delightfully unserious roommate, and a host of wacky neighbors. These include the overly religious Mrs. Moss, a retired, violin-playing Professor Issacs, and his weirdly predatory sapphic daughter, Shelia.

How Giallo Is It?

The visual appeal of The Case of the Bloody Iris doesn’t quite match some of the other giallo movies. The camera angles are interesting enough, but the use of color, with the exception of giallo blood, is more muted. The plot certainly has that surreal quality. The flashbacks to Jennifer’s past are dreamy and unsettling. 

This is a familiar character type for Edwidge Fenech. She also played a woman trying to escape from an abusive relationship in The Strange Vice of Mrs. Ward. At the time, she had also recently acted with co-star George Hilton in All the Colors of the Dark, a movie that focused on a woman fleeing a cult. Jennifer, however, has a bit more grit than some of the other characters Fenech played. She’s defiant and intelligent. When she becomes impatient with the lack of results from the police, she takes the investigation into her own hands.

Of course, this means there are also ineffective and incompetent police. They are commissioners Renzi and Enic. While these two aren’t nearly as bumbling as some giallo detectives, they fall more on the “comic relief” side of things.  Especially since they’re pretty bad at basic police work. 

To explain this part gets into a bit of a spoiler, but this movie came out in 1972. You’ve had a few years to watch it.  See, the police spend a lot of time surveilling the outside of the apartment building where the murders are taking place. At no point does it occur to them that the murderer might be inside the building. This pretty much renders every part of their surveillance worthless. 

The Bad

So, there are a lot of plot elements in The Case of the Bloody Iris. Sadly, most of them don’t really matter all that much.  The sex cult is really just there as an excuse to show off Fenech’s boobs. Which, you know, fair. She was a sex symbol for a reason. 

Thematically, it is a bit of a push back against strict puritanical values. While it’s true that women were murdered for being morally deviant, for most of them, we don’t see any evidence that they are bad people. They’re just employed in non-traditional professions. The characters that are presented as negative are those with unforgiving moral codes. And, the script makes sure they suffer in the end. 

It’s an interesting movie to step back and look at. The script itself does not villainize Jennifer for her past, or her choices. The villain is the one with misguided beliefs. At the same time, it’s a movie that goes out of its way to sexualize its characters outside of the needs of the script. It doesn’t quite reduce all the women down to sex, but it comes close. It’s a muddled message about women, but that’s not unexpected for the time.

I do give the script credit for trying to give every character a decent arc and challenges, even when it’s not strictly necessary. Andrea has a phobia of blood that not only must be overcome to save the day, it must be explained in a flashback. I’m not sure it adds anything to his character, but it’s interesting. 

The Killer

Any murder mystery is only as good as its killer. The motivation here is certainly interesting and giallo-appropriate. He also looks great, with the standard black trench and fedora. I will subtract style points for his latex-looking gloves.  However, he does use a variety of methods for his kills, which makes for an interesting watch.  

Final Thoughts

If you are a fan of Fenech, this is a decent watch. It’s a great showcase for all her talents, even if it’s not the strongest giallo.  Of course, much of this is dependent on personal preference. What are you looking to get out of giallo, the style? The music? Or an absolutely bonkers plot revolving around the seedier side of humanity? If it’s the latter, then check out The Case of the Bloody Iris. It’s a lot of fun. 

The Case of the Bloody Iris is available on streaming. The trailer is 60% boobs so not showing that here.