Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Case of the Bloody Iris 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker June 7, 2024

The Case of the Bloody Iris (aka 'Perche' Quelle Strane Gocce Di Sangue Sul Corpo Di Jennifer?') makes it's US 4K and Blu-ray debut courtesy of Celluloid Dreams. Starring genre icon Edwige Fenech and George Hilton in their third on-screen pairing, the moody, atmospheric, and tense film will keep viewers guessing and entertained until the end. It features an excellent 4K restoration from the original negative and a delightful Italian 1.0 DTS-HD Mono track with English subtitles, as well as a well-done English 1.0 DTS-HD mono track for those who prefer that option. A Blu-ray disc is also included. Orders placed through the Celluloid Dreams website will include an exclusive slipcover and six 12" x 8.5" lobby card reproductions.

The Case of the Bloody Iris has been something of a "holy grail" title on Blu-ray and 4K. It wasn't until 2018 that the film finally received an official Blu-ray release, a Region B "locked" release from Shameless. That release was a substantial step forward from the DVD releases of the early 2000's, but it wasn't perfect. Being a Region B release kept it out of a good many collectors' hands, and though Shameless did a solid job with the release, the finished product still left room for improvement. As a matter of full disclosure, The Case of the Bloody Iris is one of my absolute favorite gialli, so it was with cautious optimism that I approached this disc that serves as the initial outing for Celluloid Dreams.

The initial goings-on are admittedly a bit disjoint and confusing: a young woman enters a phone booth, makes a call, and then crosses the street to a luxury apartment building where she enters the elevator and is promptly murdered; cut to Andrea (George Hilton) trying to pick a model for an ad and the photographer just happens to select the same woman, Mizar (Carla Brait) who, along with a few other tenants, just found the murdered girl in the elevator; the photographer, Arther (Oreste Lionello), then proceeds to photograph models Jennifer (Edwige Fenech) and Marylin (Paola Quattrini) wearing body paint and little else in front of a motorcycle while Andrea observes. From here, these independent threads begin to weave together. Andrea, still not sure about hiring Mizar, follows her to a nightclub where she is employed to challenge the well-dressed men in attendance to wrestle her. Any man capable of pinning her in three minutes or less can "have her", the white bikini-clad Mizar says, though her confidence suggests she's never lost. One such match plays out in real-time as Mizar dramatically beats her challenger for the night. Meanwhile, Jennifer is confronted by her ex-husband, Adam (Ben Carra) who is anxious to have her back in his life and back in his sex cult, though it's clear she is anxious to move on. After Mizar is murdered, Jennifer and Marylin move into the dead woman's apartment, and it's not long before Jennifer begins seeing a terrifying figure dressed in black. Will these two models be the next victims?

Edwige Fenech was, for all intents and purposes, at the height of her powers here. Her history with sex comedies in the late '60s demonstrated her uninhibited nature on-screen, and her undeniable beauty surely drove ticket sales. But it was her switch to more serious fare, specifically the giallo films she appeared in, that would be more significant drivers of her fame and enduring legacy. Beginning with Mario Bava's Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970) and Sergio Martino's The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971), which also starred Hilton, Fenech gave performances that proved there was much more to her than her physical appearance and the films themselves are some of the finest entries in the genre. Here, in The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972), Fenech dominates the screen time while displaying an expansive range of emotions and moods, sultry, seductive and powerful one moment, nervous, vulnerable, and terrified the next. Never, though, does she take her performance a step too far where she could be reduced to or labeled by any one element of her performance.

Directing from a script by the prolific Ernesto Gastaldi, who also penned Torso (1973), Almost Human (1974), and Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I have the Key (1972), Giuliano Carnimeo (listed here as Anthony Ascott) crafts a film that oozes tension and style. While some gialli had a tendency to struggle under the weight of their own excesses, entertaining as they may be, The Case of the Bloody Iris keeps every critical element in proper proportion. The sex cult is mentioned, and the flashback is shown, but it functions purely as a window into the mind of Jennifer's ex-husband and her past and provides them with equal but opposite motivations. The murders are varied, but not sadistic, and the body count, while modest, is more than adequate to substantiate a threat to Jennifer and Marylin. Red herrings are present but not overused, and likewise the plot is relatively straightforward by genre measures. And there are enough potential killers to keep the audience guessing until the very end. Through it all, the police are there to not only try and solve the baffling murders, but to provide some needed comic relief. Without much difficulty, one could find a giallo that is sleazier, more graphic, or more insanely plotted, but one would find few that are better.

The Case of the Bloody Iris 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The work performed by Celluloid Dreams on this 4K restoration is, in a word, stunning. The care and attention given are visible in every frame. Even from the opening moments, innumerable improvements are made manifest. The mottled finish of the pay phone is clear, pristine, and precise by way of both color and texture. The darker areas on the street as our first victim makes her way to the luxury apartment building that before were impenetrable, now yield visible details. The opening credits are crisp and brilliantly white. As we move through the film, the 2160p transfer with HDR10 showcases the colors of the 1970s fashions and are suitably wonderfully vibrant and saturated, with deep and regal blues and reds that pop. Blacks are deep and inky but never crush. Fine detail typically dazzles with viewers able to investigate environmental particulars, search for clues in the brief and controlled appearances of the killer, and delight in the various wardrobes and make-ups worn by Fenech, Quattrini, and Braitt, from tweedy jackets, to gossamer evening wear, to slinky bikinis. Skin tones are almost universally realistic and healthy, though there are a few brief moments where Hilton and Police Commissioner Enci's (Giampiero Albertini) faces can skew a bit orange, but these are admittedly rare. Fine grain is present and again most often resolves naturally, though sharp-eyed viewers may catch a few fleeting moments where the grain is blotchy and chunky, such as on the wall behind Mizar and the cantankerous Mrs. Moss as they await the elevator at the start of the film. Likewise, despite the impressive work done on the transfer, some minute traces of damage and/or debris can be found by those specifically seeking them out, with the most significant moment being around the 14-minute mark as Fenech's Jennifer leaves the photography studio. Looking back at the same scene on the Shameless release from 2018, the same issue is present though it is much more pronounced there than it is here. But do not focus on those few small issues that constitute mere moments in this 94-minute film; The Case of the Bloody Iris has never looked better than it does here in 4K.

Please note: all screen shots are sourced from the included 1080p disc.

The Case of the Bloody Iris 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As one would expect from a film of this era, audio options are limited to Mono. Viewers have the choice to watch the film's English dub courtesy of the English 1.0 DTS-HD Mono track which does an admirable job and is a perfectly satisfactory experience, or to watch the film in the original Italian via the Italian 1.0 DTS-HD Mono track. I watched about half of the film with the English track before I switched to the Italian and started watching the film from the beginning. In so doing, I did notice some instances where the dub was quite different from the English subtitles on the Italian track. Take, for example, the moment in which Professor Isaacs (Jorge Riguard) shouts down to the people in the lobby after the first body is discovered. In the English dub he states, "A girl's been murdered here if you must know!". However, in the Italian track, the subtitles display his line as, "There's a body in the elevator!". While both lines get the viewer to relatively the same place, they are substantially different. For that reason, from my vantage point, as good as the dub is, the subtitles on the Italian track are likely more accurate, and, if nothing else, little can compare with the original cast's own work. It seems that English subtitles are forced here, so even those fluent in Italian will have the English translation appear at the bottom of the screen. Bruno Nicolai's score sounds precise and elegant as the theme is revisited throughout the film, and the limited and usually mundane sound effects are realistically rendered. Dialogue is crisp and clear with no anomalies or defects detected. It's an excellent Italian audio track.

The Case of the Bloody Iris 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As some of the supplemental features contain spoilers, it is not advised that you watch these first unless you are already very familiar with the film. Two of the features, the interviews with Hilton and Quattrini, are brought over from the Shameless 2018 Blu-ray release, and while the Hilton interview has the same running time, here Quattrini's is one second shorter.

• 'Drops of Giallo' - Ernesto Gastaldi & Giuliano Carnimeo Interview (29.26) - Giuliano Carnimeo (Director) discusses the beginnings of his career, beginning with his first film, a western with giallo qualities which also happened to star Hilton. Gastaldi dominates the run time here. He shares that the film's title was Luciano Martino's idea. Gastaldi states that it was tough to come up with new ideas for these films, as the genre was hot, and he would literally begin writing the next film as soon as the previous one was submitted. He speaks at length about The Case of the Bloody Iris, discussing what he thinks made it unique and more realistic, and his love for scenes in elevators. In Italian with English subtitles.

• 'Flowers of Blood' - George Hilton Interview (20.43) - Hilton begins by discussing his history with Carnimeo, and his early film roles. He loved working with Fenech and spoke of the friendship they shared off-screen, with him introducing her to Luciano Martino who would become her long-time partner and his friend. Hilton shares the reasons he felt he was cast in this film, it's tense ending and the first time he appeared in a film with Fenech. Hilton also shares remembrances about many members of the cast and crew. In Italian with English subtitles.

• 'Marylin' - Paola Quattrini Interview (11.50) - Quattrini vividly recalls a great deal about shooting The Case of the Bloody Iris, particularly how she hated the bathtub scene so much that to this day does not put her head under the water. She shares her love for Genoa where the film was shot, and her fond memories of the cast and crew, particularly Fenech. She also speaks at length about the modeling scene she shares with Fenech at the film's start, where both women wear body art "shirts" and skimpy shorts. She also recollects how passersby were genuinely concerned for her during a critical scene due to it being an open set. In Italian with English subtitles.

• Outtake Reel (1.44) - A succession of short trims and cuts that play out over the film's theme song.

• Image Gallery (5.16) - Scroll through an assortment of behind-the-scenes pictures, advertisements, and lobby cards.

• Italian Trailer (2.54) - In Italian with English subtitles.

• English Trailer (2.54)

• Commentary Track by Guido Henkel - Henkel has obviously prepared well for this commentary track. Rarely silent (and then only very, very briefly), he provides a wealth of information about the cast (particularly Hilton and Fenech), locations used, the impacts of having an open set for the exterior shots in Genoa, cinematography, and the prior work of the director among other topics. Fans will find it to be an enjoyable and informative track.

The Case of the Bloody Iris 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Celluloid Dreams' The Case of the Bloody Iris 4K is stellar and easily a contender for one of the best releases of 2024. Genre fans will delight in Gastaldi's script, the varied and unusual murder scenes, and the various locations used around Genoa that somehow feel both familiar and unsettling. Hilton may receive top billing, but as good as he is, it's Edwige Fenech who is the real star here. She turns in an amazing performance as Jennifer, a beautiful model fleeing from her ex-husband and in a terrifying fight for survival. The 4K presentation is beautiful; a long overdue gift to the film's fans and of sufficient quality to entrance those coming to it for the first time. While the list of supplemental material isn't voluminous, the interviews and commentary are very well done. The Case of the Bloody Iris 4K earns my Highest Recommendation.