The Killer Is Still Among Us (1986)

Very effective, brutal, gory and sexy thriller in the giallo mould. Mariangela D'Abbraccio is lovely as the leading lady as a criminal student getting involved in an ongoing and terrible series of sex killings of young couples making out in the backs of cars (and one tent). Not quite as creepy as it might be but not short on sleaze and as for the bar where voyeurs hang out before setting off to spy on such young lovers - unbelievable! Some great moments and some of the most extreme sequences of sexual violence I have seen.I prefer the alternative title, 'The Killer Is still Among Us' which is much more fitting when it comes to the astonishing cinema ending.

It's notoriously difficult to get your hands on an English language version of this late Giallo, and while I did manage to get one; my copy is very dark which did perhaps mean I didn't get the best out of this film as a lot of it takes place at night. Even so, it's clear that The Killer Is Still Among Us is not among the best of the genre. Its reputation suggests it to be nasty, which it is; but despite a promising beginning and the odd interesting moment, this is a sadly misguided and lacklustre effort. The film begins with a scene that sees a couple in a car butchered by an unseen assailant. The action then switches to a girl named Cristina who is studying criminology. With all these murders going on right under her nose, she naturally decides to use them for her thesis and begins looking into the murders by way of the victims. This soon turns out to be a big mistake as Cristina begins receiving threatening phone calls and then her acquaintances begin getting picked off by the same killer she is investigating.The film often gets compared to the likes of The New York Ripper and Giallo a Venezia as it's along the same lines in terms of nastiness. This film is probably more violent than the latter two titles; but it's not done with as much style and while the violence is good (if you like that sort of thing), it's not enough to lift the film sufficiently. It's clear that director Camillo Teti was not the most sensitive man to ever live, as an interesting fact about this film is that there actually was a killer on the loose around the Florentine area at the time this was made! The story is really not all that interesting; the first half flows well and lead me to believe that it might develop into something noteworthy but unfortunately it never does; which is quite surprising considering that the screenplay was written by Giallo luminary Ernesto Gastaldi. It all boils down to a very odd conclusion that takes place in a cinema and doesn't make a whole lot of sense, though it does lead to the film's most shocking sequence. Overall, The Killer is Still Among Us is not of the Giallo greats and is actually one of the worst that I've seen.

This late arrival of the giallo sub genre is notorious for one simple but justified reason. It's NASTY! And we're not just talking "nasty" in terms of cheesy make-up effects, but the overall tone is truly sadistic and misogynistic! Although we're really only referring to one sequence in particular, it's more than sickening enough to last a lifetime. Sadly this reputation doesn't imply that "The Killer is still among us" is a good or even worthwhile viewing experience. Quite the contrary, it's easily the WORST giallo I've seen thus far and the complete lack of some rudimentary elements will surely disappoint the loyal fans of this wondrous sub genre. Camillo Teti's film takes its inspiration from a factual Italian serial killer case that took place in Florence but never got solved. If the murders were really committed as explicitly as displayed in the film, it's indeed rather disturbing & repulsive, but then there still isn't enough material to revolve an entire movie on. I'm personally intrigued by murder cases that really took place, but an open ending doesn't go well with the whole concept of a giallo. The search for the killer's identity is actually the whole point of a giallo, so the least Teti could have done was invent a fictional climax to close his film with. Now it's simply a series of vague clues and weak red herring that lead to nowhere at all and you just can't speak positive about such a film. The absence of closure unfortunately isn't the only problem, as the script contains numerous holes and severe improbabilities. There's a sick individual on the loose in Florence and his main target are young couples that make love in their cars on the forestry edge of town. An ambitious criminology student takes an interest in the case and hopes to dedicate her final thesis to the killings. So she starts her own private investigation that introduces her into a world of voyeurism and perverted maniacs. Even her brand new lover, who's an autopsy surgeon, behaves suspiciously and he never seems to be around when the murders occur. Another major flaw is that this girl seemingly is the only person who cares about the murders. There're never any policemen around and if she discovers something interesting, she goes to see her university professor instead of the nearest authorities. No wonder the case never got solved. Frankly, the film is painfully boring until that one horrible moment comes into the picture. The killer cuts open the tent of a young couple, promptly kills them and then sadistically mutilates the dead girl's genitalia. It's really sick, hard to stomach and incredibly gratuitous. Yuck!

If you thought that GIALLO A VENEZIA took the giallo genre to its logical conclusion of violence, this one wins hands down. It was made pretty late for a giallo (late 80s) and I guess that is reflected by the outrageous bloodshed that presumably was tacked on to get some kind of financial return on this one...Stylistically, this is reasonably effective. It has a bit of a "TV movie" look that I really don't like. The atmosphere that my favourite gialli (such as DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING or EYE OF THE LABYRINTH) manage to conjure up is simply not present here. Still, the plot seems pretty neat if a little too straightforward for a film of this nature (then again I'm a sucker for the contrived and complex!).Once again, the sexual violence is the focus of this film. The scene in the tent is really very nasty and explores the farthest reaches of sexual exploitation, only dabbled with previously by the likes of THE BEAST IN HEAT and DELIRIUM...Still, it's worth a look I guess. I'd still rather watch a well-crafted but less excessive giallo any day of the week.