The Crimes of Petiot (1973)

best movie i've ever seen.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The killer in this one dispenses with the knife but keeps the standard issue black hat/mask/raincoat combo to gun down couples in Berlin, killing the man on the spot and taking the woman off to be murdered while a tape recording condemns a woman named Magdelene. The police are baffled but have identified the area where the serial killer operates - a snow blown park in Berlin.Paul Naschy plays a businessman drawn into the case via his nosey journalist wife, who, with the help of her journo-friends Heinrich and Conrad, thinks that she can bring down the killer without the help of the police. Of course, this doesn't work out for anyone as the killer then makes off with her female colleague, and to make matters worse sends a threat to everyone involved, saying he's going to kill the lot of them one by one.There's not much by way of violence, gore, or nudity in the his one but it's got a fast pace to it, and quickly makes clear that the killer is either Heinrich, Conrad or Paul, with suspicion drifting between all three of them. The killer certainly works his way through the people of Berlin to keep your interest, and the last half hour is more of a lengthy chase scene with an even lengthier flashback thrown in for good measure. The film keeps you guessing throughout and it must be mentioned that the police are more competent than usual for this type of film. One thing I noticed was a fairly bizarre shot of Paul, Heinrich, and someone else standing on an escalator that went on forever for no reason whatsoever. This is a fairly rare giallo that I watched in a subtitled version with horrendous audio. I found it zipped by quickly, as most Naschy films do, and was entertaining, as most Naschy films are.

Some Nazi killings during World War II seem connected to a string of present-day murders committed by masked assassin clad in black.Are they based on revenge or is there another motive?Both civilians and police try to solve the mystery.Marcel Petiot was a French doctor and medical serial killer convicted of multiple murders after the discovery of the remains of 26 people in his home in Paris after World War II.He is suspected of killing more than 60 victims during his life."The Crimes of Petiot" is very loosely based on his story.This rare giallo with Paul Naschy is suitably bloodless.The masked killer dressed in black murders his victims with pistol Luger.The snowy setting is pretty atmospheric as is the score.6 out of 10.