Death Smiles At Murder.. what a hoot to revisit that one!
Personally I'm on the side of it not being a Giallo. It has Gialloesque traits but to me the supernatural and gothic characteristics are far more overpowering, especially when it comes to the identity of the killer and, without wanting to give anything anyway for anyone that hasn't seen it, her 'state' at the time. Overall it reminds me more of a Poe story than a giallo and I think you can really see some obvious Poe influences in there.
Anyway, I really like the film. It's got it's bad moments but I think D'Amato does just enough to hold the confusion together. The cinematography is very rich in parts, has a good cast and the overall 'plot' is very good and well-intentioned, although could have been executed better but that just adds to the surreal experience, which is one of the film's biggest plus points. It touches on some seedy subjects too without going over the top, although none of the murders are particularly memorable. Incest, necrophilia, lesbians and murder... what more do you really need?
I wonder what it would have been like if D'Amato had made it ten years later?
