A Dragonfly for Each Corpse (1975)

A masked killer is murdering the pimps, prostitutes and drug addicts of Milan, and leaving a dragonfly ornament on each corpse. Paul Naschy is the police inspector trying to stop him.As far as giallos go, this is unremarkable stuff. The murders are unconvincing at best, and laughable at worst. There are far too many scenes of chases which showcase very lame gunfire. The plot constantly throws distractions at you like a coat button, a tattoo, golf clubs, extra marital affairs, and two deadly fairground rides, but they don't add up to an engaging story. Paul Naschy does a decent job as the detective, although I couldn't stop staring at his ridiculous comb-over (actually all the male characters in the cast have terrible hair),but most of the rest of the acting is wooden. Even Erica Blanc, who has made striking appearances in other movies, does not impress. To cap it off, the climax is very weak.Currently quite hard to see on DVD and Bluray, this movie has not aged well. Groovy theme music and early 1970's fashions aside, it does not have a lot to recommend seeking it out.

"A Dragonfly for Each Corpse" along with "Blue Eyes of a Broken Doll" is unquestionably the best Spanish giallo of early 70's.Paul Naschy plays Inspector Scaporella,who investigates a series of brutal murders committed by mysterious Dragonfly Killer.He or she kills various degenerates,drug users and prostitutes in Milan.The killer is particularly merciless as he axes to death one man and two women during one episode of mass murder.His or her trademark is to leave dragonfly or a high-fashion button on the bodies of freshly slaughtered victims.It seems that he killer's modus operandi is reminiscent of the ancient sect of the Caldeans...Trashy and campy giallo with several sadistic killings and a healthy dose of sleaze.Naschy performance is pretty over-the-top and it's nice to see Eurohorror regular Erica Blanc in her another outrageous role.8 out of 10.

The popularity of the Giallo, which is a typically Italian cinematic product, truly skyrocketed during the early 1970's, so inevitably the rest of the European exploitation countries wanted a piece of this profitable cake as well. And righteously so! This trend resulted in a seemingly endless series of non-Italian thrillers that attempted to stay very close to the "fundamentals" of the Giallo-formula, whereas the genuine Italians productions were already making versatile variations on their own invention. You can immediately recognize "A Dragonfly for Each Corpse" as a non-Italian 70's Giallo just because it's so prototypic. There's the absurd title, for starters, but also the stereotypical macho police detective hero, the rhythmic soundtrack, the gratuitous depiction of sleaze, the absurdly nonsensical plot twists, the far-fetched red herring and the copious amount perverted sub-themes (including even necrophilia). Still, during the pre-credits opening sequence, I got worried for a second that perhaps director Léon Klimovsky and writer/lead star Paul Naschy misunderstood the Giallo concept after all, because the first murder victim is a man! Usually only blond and preferably voluptuous beauty queens are massacred in this sort of films… The city of Milan is pestered by a series of vicious murders, but Inspector Scaporella doesn't really know whether to catch or congratulate the culprit, as all the victims are in one way or another related to the underground, like drug addicts, prostitutes and perverts. The Dragonfly Killer appears to be on a devoted cleansing mission and leaves a little dragonfly marble at the scene of each new crime as a status symbol. For you see, dead dragonflies were used in an ancient culture as a warning to those who were living immoral and impure lives. Inspect Scaporella's investigation doesn't advance very fast, even though his entire circle of friends seems to be involved, but that's probably because he wastes time discussing the case with his wife and even placing bets with her. She claims being able to solve the case before he does, going solely by her female intuition. And you know what? She's right, too! "A Dragonfly for Each Corpse" is a reasonably satisfying example of the genre, but nothing too memorable. The plot and characters aren't as absorbing as, say, the films of Dario Argento or Sergio Martino, but everybody clearly tried their hardest. Some of horror scenes are very explicit and vicious, like when the inspector receives a human head at his home wrapped as a birthday present. The killer also uses a wide selection of weaponry to commit his murders, including spiked umbrellas, axes, golf clubs and oriental swords. It's safe to say that the fans of immense bloodshed are spoiled a lot more than the admirers of convoluted scripts and unpredictable endings. Paul Naschy, writer and lead actor of copious Spanish werewolf flicks and period pieces, is pretty cool as the inspector. He's a macho copper with a porno mustache and a lot of anger in that tiny body of his. Just looking at the amount of cigar he smokes is enough to get lung cancer. Recommended for the more experienced and tolerant Giallo fanatics amongst you.

A Dragonfly for Each Corpse is a Spanish take on the popular Italian thriller known as the Giallo, and stars prolific Spanish horror star Paul Naschy. The Giallo was well established by 1974, and it's clear that director León Klimovsky knew this; as his film continually attempts to imitate the Italian films...but this isn't really a problem, as many of the actual Italian productions imitate each other, and it has to be said that the director hasn't done a bad job of making a non-Italian Giallo. The central plot theme has been seen in cinema many times before this film was released, and many times after; in films like Dario Argento's Tenebrae, and popular American thriller 'Seven'. We follow a killer who has taken it upon himself to clean up the streets, by picking off everyone that offends his eye. His trademark is a dragonfly, which is left at the scene of each crime, thus earning the killer the name 'The Dragonfly Killer'. We focus on the police investigation into the killings, which is lead by hard-bitten copper Inspector Scaporella.By keeping the focus away from the murders and more on the investigation, director León Klimovsky has passed up on the opportunity of making a really interesting movie. The way that the investigation is handled isn't bad, and there's enough intrigue generated to see it through; but the way that the film is handled takes the attention away from the murders...which is never good in a film like this. There is a fair amount of blood in this film, however, but it never reaches the highs that you'd expect it to given the splatter at the beginning. Paul Naschy manages to put in a good performance as the cop at the centre of the story, but some of the rest of the cast bring it down; and the film suffers from far too many nuisances with the script, which gets a little too ridiculous too many times. By far the biggest problem with the film comes at the conclusion. Giallo's are infamous for not making a lot of sense and leaving things wide open...but there's barely an explanation at all here, and it's a shame because it could have been the highlight. But even so, this is entertaining enough; and the hilarious roller-coaster getaway ensures that I won't be forgetting it soon.