Nine Guests for a Crime Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Nine Guests for a Crime Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 2, 2022

1977’s “Nine Guests for a Crime” is a traditional whodunit, taking inspiration from Agatha Christie books as it arranges deadly games of paranoia and exposure involving a large group of characters stuck on a remote island. The concept is nothing new, and the production doesn’t try to jazz up the movie with psychedelic detours or excessive violence. Suspense is present, along with a typically convoluted mystery, but director Ferdinando Baldi looks to create a more sensual mood of sexual gamesmanship with the effort, and he has the natural appeal of the island location. “Nine Guests for a Crime” is a thunderous offering of screen tension, but it works in spurts of hostile relationships and malicious behavior, offering some welcome agitation to help with the murder investigation.

Robert (Arthur Kennedy) is bringing his extended family on a trip to a secluded island, with hopes to bring everyone together and ease tensions brewing among the collection of emotionally damaged people. Leisure is desired, but old habits remain, with Robert’s children and their spouses commencing partner-swapping games, ready to expose their secret affairs to one another. Patricia (Loretta Persichetti) has clairvoyant abilities, and she senses something is wrong with the trip, seeing death coming for the family. Her visions turn out to be true, as a killer rises up to pick off the visitors, forcing the survivors to figure out the history of the island and how they’re involved with a grim event that occurred 20 years ago.

“Nine Guests for a Crime” takes time before the murder mystery elements kick in. Introductions are prioritized, getting to know the family and their strained relationships. More interesting is infidelity, with the lovers quick to reunite in secret, and sometimes they can’t wait for that, with one husband cheating on his sleeping wife in a corner of their bedroom. The production favors a sexploitation edge, filling the feature with gratuitous nudity, trying to charm viewers with lusty adventures before more violent events arrive.

Nine Guests for a Crime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. Shot around gorgeous locations, color comes alive here, with crisp blues skies and defined greenery. Skin tones are ample and natural. Costuming brings out more varies hues, along with interiors, which are filled with period decoration. Detail is excellent, exploring bodily displays and room activities, and exteriors retain ideal dimension. Clothing is fibrous, and sheerness is protected. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and film like. Some mild wear and tear is present, along with brief discoloration.

Nine Guests for a Crime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix maintains clear dialogue exchanges, with dubbed efforts maintaining consistency. Scoring supports with decent instrumentation and emphasis. Sound effects are blunt, and atmospherics are appreciable, especially a howling wind noise that's present for long stretches of the run time.

Nine Guests for a Crime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Giallo in Sardinia" (26:52, HD) is an interview with actor Massimo Foschi.

• Audio Essay (15:25, HD) is critical analysis from film historian Rachael Nisbet.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:26, HD) is included.

Nine Guests for a Crime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What happened to Charlie? That's the question that takes over the second half of "Nine Guests for a Crime." It's a family secret that's possibly involved with a sudden uptick in murders around the island, forcing the gang to reconsider family history and actions. It's not a riveting dramatic development, but it does provide the material with a little more to chew on as murder sequences are staged, leading to a pleasantly dark ending. "Nine Guests for a Crime" should be more engrossing as motivations are developed, but pained people trying to make sense of their unions is actually more interesting to watch, giving the feature different energy. Acts of deception and humiliation carry a bit more definition here, but the endeavor soon returns to the basics in slasher events, creating a mess of island menace with a black-gloved antagonist, which should be enough to satisfy giallo fans.