Time for a whodunnit. In the realms of Giallo there are many elements that often make an appearance, and a lot of them are present and correct here. There are seedy affairs going on, there are potential doppelgängers running about, and there's a killer with black gloves using a lot of knives while a strangely pleasing and jazzy score plays over the violence. But there are a lot of other regular inclusions such as vague and erratic narratives, dream like sequences and sudden plot twists... which may or may not do the story any favours. Let's take a look at both the style and the substance of this particular murder mystery and see which side comes out on top.
In an opening sequence two young sisters Kitty (the good one with blonde hair) and Evelyn (the crazy one with black hair) get into a fight over a doll, and race around their grandfather's castle home. This seems like pretty standard sibling rivalry, but things start to get weird when grandad explains to them what the film's title is all about. Apparently two queens, one Red and one Black, were rivals centuries ago and after some sort of romantic melodrama the Red Queen was killed. However she later came back to life to kill the Black Queen and six others related to the family. Evelyn enjoys this tale so much that she re-enacts it then and there, taking a conveniently placed dagger and stabbing the doll over and over. Maybe his housekeeper shouldn't leave things like this lying around the place.
If it's not clear this old story is all foreshadowing, and it's done with a lot of style but without much tact. Bruno Nicola's music swells and we're transported to the present day where adult Kitty (Barbara Bouchet) works for a big corporation that makes fashionable clothing. Evelyn meanwhile is said to be living in America, but it's soon obvious that this is not true. When the murders start to occur there are a lot of suggestions that she's back in town, particularly after their grandfather's will is read. But while there are lot of red herrings as things get out of hand, it's made clear surprisingly early on that Evelyn cannot be the killer. So what's going on - is the family curse coming true?
There are plenty of strange goings on as a figure wearing a red cape and black gloves runs amok stabbing people in the night. Sometimes in the day as well. Who could it be, and what's the connection to the family fortune? Kitty's other sister and her boyfriend are obvious choices but they're going to receive their share. Meanwhile some of the deaths involve directors at Kitty's workplace, suggesting someone wants to rise up the ranks by offing their superiors. But could it actually have some link her boss having an affair while his wife is locked in a psychiatric hospital? Or does the blackmailer skulking in the shadows asking about Evelyn know what's going on? If this sounds like perhaps one too many plot threads to cross off as things go awry, that's because it is.
The main issue here is the mystery element, as there's just too much stuff going on to result in a satisfying reveal at the end. Things don't always have to make sense in this genre of course, and it's often convoluted and weird to say the least. But a lot of the plot is devoted to mundane police work and a series of very real suspects rather than anything wild and supernatural. It doesn't help that new red herrings are still being introduced about half way into the film when there are already so many characters. As a result the whole thing feels longer than its actual running time. There is at least a crazy climax involving a rat infested flood outlet of some kind, but by this stage the meat of the story is discarded in favour of this outlandish final set piece.
To be fair the style of the film is at least fairly striking, and where better to show off eye popping sets and swooping camera moments than the world of fashion. There's a lot of white and red as you'd expect in this sort of thing, and there are creative uses of clothes models, camera lenses and 1970s vehicles and architecture. The standout imagery comes in the form of a nightmare in which Kitty sees Evelyn flying down a stark hallway, dagger in hand and caper billowing behind her. However the overall production feels a little cheap and there's a lot of time spent in less interesting offices and bedrooms as the characters sit around bemoaning the situation - in between all of the over sexed melodrama.
It's also a shame that there are no particular standout characters and Kitty often just looks dazed or mildly upset throughout, while a myriad of secondary players fail to make an impact. The castle locations feel underused and too much time is spend in the drab streets of Germany; I'd have preferred to see a historical version of this with the original two Queens living in more Gothic trappings. This is a very typical genre piece, and a very typical example of both '70s style and '70s sleaze, and there are enough shock sequences and violent deaths to cater to most Italian horror fans. But there are also a few scenes of drug use, nudity and rape that feel as though they're here just to boost the overall levels of x-rated content. But while it might be archetypal, it's certainly not exemplary.
3/5
