Watch Me When I Kill!: Shameless Fan Edition

Introduction

This latest release from Shameless Screen Entertainment is Antonio Bido's first feature film, Watch Me When I Kill (aka Il Gatto dagli occhi di giada or The Cat's Victims). Released in 1977 at the tail end of the Giallo period, it begins with Mara (Paola Tedesco) who stumbles across the aftermath of a murder in a pharmacy. Having tried to enter whilst the killer was still on the premises and heard his voice, she finds herself becoming a potential target.

She enlists the help of an old friend, Lukas (Corrado Pani) whose investigation is hampered by potential leads turning up dead or refusing to divulge much information. It appears the murders are linked to a trial several years ago as the convicted murderer has recently escaped from jail and the first two victims were jurors. In true Giallo style the body count rises and Mara must hope Lukas finds the killer before he finds her and, of course, there is that all important twist at the end.

Video

The DVD contains an introduction from Antonio Bido asking you to enjoy this 'beautiful presentation' of his film. The picture is remarkably good given how little known the film is - it's not exactly Suspiria - and the effort that Shameless put in to bring out an complete version has paid off. There are some problems with clarity and occasional detritus but the quality is about par for a film of this nature.

Watch Me When I Kill is very stylishly shot, with Bido obviously influenced by Hitchcock along with his compatriot Dario Argento - perhaps even to the point of homage; one murder scene is Bido's homage to Psycho.

Audio

Just as the visual quality is more than reasonable and influenced by Argento's work, the stand-out aspect of the audio is the score which, if you didn't know otherwise, you'd think was performed by Goblin. The mix of deep bass and high acoustic notes from the Deep Red score are duplicated here by Trans Europa Express to excellent effect - I don't know if Goblin's lawyers were troubled by the similarity, but they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

The English dub is fairly clear, with no major problems and the voices aren't unintentionally funny.

Extra Features

As this is a 'Shameless Fan Edition' it comes with more extras than the usual trailers and, like the The Designated Victim and Oasis of Fear, there is a Fact Track by the Wilson Brothers. This is a cross between a serious trivia track and an MST3K commentary as they make poignant and useful comments about the film, cast and crew whilst making jokey comments about the action with Corrado Pani's moustache getting some stick.

There is a 20 minute interview with Antonio Bido (in Italian with subtitles) where he talks about the origins of the film, how he became interested in filmmaking and how it's a shame that the stereo soundtrack has been lost over time.

There are two alternate opening sequences which show the different titles and treatment given to the opening credits for the international and US releases. Also included are the international and US theatrical trailers for the film, a picture gallery and the usual assortment of trailers for other Shameless releases.

Conclusion

Watch Me When I Kill isn't pure Giallo as the detective story and fairly tame (at least by Giallo standards) murders put it more as a mystery thriller than other films from that era in Italy. The nods to Hitchcock and Argento are fairly blatant, but done as homage rather than theft so they add to the film rather than detract from it. The acting is of Giallo standard - nothing that would ever trouble industry awards but perfectly serviceable and suitable for the film - Corrado Pani (looking a little like Charles Bronson) makes a decent investigator, cheap cigars and a seventies moustache adding to his 'charm'.

By no means the best film to come out of Italy in the 1970s, Watch Me When I Kill is still a suspenseful and involving thriller and is a fine addition to the Shameless library, especially when you consider the new and exclusive extra features.