7 Murders for Scotland Yard
Alternative Titles: Seven Murders for Scotland Yard; Jack el destripador de Londres; Jack the Ripper of London; Jack the Mangler of London
Director: Jose Luis Madrid
Year: 1971
Starring: Paul Naschy, Patricia Loran, Renzo Marignano, Orchidea De Santis
Context:
Paul Naschy, real name Jacinto Molina Alvarez, is a genre icon having appeared in many cult Spanish genre films such as NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF, CURSE OF THE DEVIL, THE MUMMY'S REVENGE, NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF and many many more. Being an ex-weightlifter many of his roles would see him make use of his athletic build, 7 MURDERS FOR SCOTLAND YARD included. Thanks to his terrific and influential body of work he was inducted into the Fangoria hall of fame back in 2000.
Oddly the ex-acrobat suspect he played in this film seems to have a different name depending on the version. The back of the Cornerstone Media box calls him Peter but in the film he is Pedro (in line with his character being Spanish) while IMDB credits his character as being named Bruno.
Renzo Marignano who plays Inspector Campbell actually has an uncredited role in Dario Argento's FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET in which he plays a funeral exhibition attendant.
Synopsis:
Several murders have taken place in London, all on prostitutes and displaying the same techniques as the infamous Jack the Ripper and the police suspect an alcoholic Spanish ex-acrobat. Can the Detective in charge gather enough evidence in time to stop the slayings?
Review:
Opening with a killers POV shot we are treated to the sights of sleazy London, Soho perhaps, and in a sequence that is perhaps ahead of it's time our mysterious killer picks up a prostitute and returns to hers, only to be noticed by the little girl living downstairs. During this exchange the tone is almost oppressive as the lack of any kind of emotional or even physical interaction between the prostitute and her john is amplified by the silence of the scene. The absence of any audio makes the viewer feel complicit and the whole act seems not only sordid but a formal, depressing chore for one and a basic, loveless need for the other with no human connection needed nor wanted and this continues until a knife is drawn and the inevitable occurs.
Cut to our lead man, Naschy, who we immediately link to the attack due to a cut on his hand although this is handled with much less subtly (and effectively) than the previous scene. This heavy handed approach continues as we see him drunkenly push a prostitute away with disdain.
Genre veterans (and even those who have seen only a few films) won't be taken in by this clear attempt to push suspicion onto Naschy but in a film with ultimately only a few key characters I guess it has to be done for the sake of the story. To its credit however the opening twenty minutes is packed with information and more importantly kills which will no doubt hook many viewers in.
In this opening period we have learned quite a bit about Naschy;'s character including his background, his physical status and his clear alcoholism and its root cause - all of which play right into the hands of the police as there are too many coincidences between the killer's style and his background so when those around him start dying Inspector Campbell, in charge of the investigation, only has eyes for one man regardless of how many alibi's he has. Going as far as to state that the fact this key suspect has alibi's is even more suspicious, poor Naschy just can't win and combined with the death of his lover he sets out to prove his innocence taking on the much coveted amateur detective role.
It is with this change that the script does succeed, for every discovery by Naschy highlights the incompetence of Inspector Campbell, if it is in fact incompetence. In fact Campbell initially has something of a Sherlock Holmes vibe about him as he launches into the investigation to find the trope-ridden sexually motivated psychopath killer but it does seem strange that his closest confidents are not fellow police but rather a school teacher and his wife, whose character ultimately serves a pivotal plot point in the film.
Once the mystery is unravelled it’s a shame that the killers motive is not worth the build up making for a rather lacklustre, but not necessarily bad ending. However alongside the sometime plodding pace in the final third and limited characters it does mean that the film loses its lustre on repeated viewings.
On evaluation there are some noticeable script holes, heavy handed red herrings, pacing issues and some absolutely ludicrous acting on display but despite all of this the film still succeeds at least on first watch thanks to a few genuine moments of intrigue, decent revelations, a homicidal maniac and Naschy's charm.
The Jack the Ripper influence on shaping the story is clear and no doubt allowed an easier sell to foreign markets trading in on an already well known story and strong awareness although wisely the script only uses it as a starting point to frame the killers activities rather than focusing on a reimagining of the story or its theories.
Being a co-production but most likely financed primarily with Spanish money and featuring a largely Spanish cast and crew it should be no surprise to learn that it lacks the style of beauty of the Italian productions not to mention their flair in regards to murder set pieces, but Madrid and Naschy do manage to hit the right notes on enough occasions and all of the ingredients are there for a genuine classic but sadly it is not executed well enough, making this an enjoyable second tier giallo. Oh for a nice suprise keep a tally of all the murders.
Version Reviewed:
We watched the 2012 DVD release by Cornerstone Media International which presented the film in 2.35:1 ratio and with English audio only. As you would expect on a cheap release the film quality hasn't really been improved and it is showing its age but is perfectly watchable. Sadly the only extras included is a slide gallery that looks like it was authored in some standard Microsoft Window's program and isn't really worth exploring.
