The College Girl Murders is a 1967 German Krimi thriller film about a series of mysterious deaths at an exclusive school involving a deadly gas.
Directed by Alfred Vohrer (The Hunchback of Soho; Dead Eyes of London) from a screenplay written by Herbert Reinecker, based on Edgar Wallace’s novel The Black Abbot and subsequent play The Terror. Produced by Horst Wendlandt.
The Rialto Film production stars Joachim Fuchsberger (What Have You Done to Solange?), Uschi Glas (Seven Blood-Stained Orchids) and Grit Boettcher.
Reviews:
“Jazzy 60’s music? Creeps staring at women from hidden windows in a swimming pool? Frustrated cops trying to put it all together, yet with a red hooded killer always one step ahead? Pits of alligators ready to menace comely young women? Uschi Glas from Seven Blood-Stained Orchids? Ewa Strömberg from Vampyros Lesbos? Yes, this film has all of that and more.” B&S About Movies
“The College Girl Murders has a madcap, flashy style that makes it one of the more unusual krimis of the period. The hooded monk killer is an interesting character that steals every scene, and apparently, he’s connected to an earlier film in the series titled The Sinister Monk […] With Bibles and pistols that shoot poisonous gas, the film is very gimmicky, modeled after the popular trend in 60s spy movies and TV shows.” DVD Drive-In
“The plot won’t hold up to close inspection, the comic relief is a matter of taste, and I wouldn’t bother trying to solve the mystery in advance because it doesn’t work that way. Nevertheless, its sense of fun will keep you going.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“The German film marks a solid krimi — not just among the Wallace adaptations, which number so many that they make up their own subgenre, but among the country’s thrillers of that era. It boasts a genuine whodunit plot, lovely ladies ripe for the offing, gadgetry galore and one way-out ending in which the authorities scamper out of frame as soon as they notice a card reading “ENDE” floating in the turtle aquarium behind them.” Flick Attack
“Joachim Fuchsberger’s performance as the straight man, Higgens, is pretty damn good. He does so well that if they had played this movie straight, he would have knocked it out of the park. This cat turned in some solid acting. And, to some degree, his good acting hurts this movie because you can almost see what it could have been.” Horror DNA
“This sure is weird. The plot of this movie is full of random moments, complex scenarios and bizarre humor. The problem is that the whole thing does not really balance itself out. The humor is just inexplicable and feels incredibly out of place. The Inspector’s character, in particular, is all about reacting in silly ways to trying to solve the crime.” Mondo Bizarro
“Though nominally a thriller, the suspense throughout the film is routinely developed. This is never, for instance, a film that hangs on plot twists and turns like a good thriller should. What does drive The College-Girl Murders however is the richness of colour and the wildly imaginative happenings throughout […] Director Alfred Vohrer throws in some wonderfully lurid set-pieces and touches…” Moria
” …a narrative mess with a mad scientist thrown in as well as a supervillain with an alligator pit, and plenty of totally pointless subplots, as well as a resolution, totally pulled out of a hat. Plus, Siegfried Schürenberg’s Sir John was hardly ever any creepier as in this one […] And that all said, it’s fun to watch, as at least everything’s put together well and moves at a steady pace…” Search My Trash
“Admittedly once revealed the ridiculously elaborate scheme does not really add up yet the film remains compelling, consistently lively and plain loopy fun. A fast-paced horror comic book with a playfully knowing sense of its own absurdity. Some horror fans take issue with the strong comedic component in these krimi films which might be an acquired taste.” The Spinning Image
“The College-Girl Murders offers up a modicum of silliness. It also boasts some rather lush color cinematography. The problem is; the stuff with the police inspectors searching for the killer is awfully dull […] It also doesn’t help that the detectives on the case are kinda annoying. One cop gives us a lot of unfunny comic relief while the other one basically just stands around chewing gum and acting smug.” The Video Vacuum
“ …it is also not just a luridly colored, third-rate rehash of the far more artistically satisfying B&W version. In fact, even if, as a whole, Vohrer’s version of the story begins to display the trademark laziness and slap-dash quality of his later, often almost unbearable cinematic mistakes, the general tackiness and campiness makes the ridiculous flick fun.” A Wasted Life
“The film is also fairly fast-paced, and it kept my attention throughout… even if part of the reason I kept watching was to see if the film could get any dumber. (It didn’t disappoint; toward the end, a couple of twists are offered that are stupendously idiotic.) I can’t really recommend this movie to anyone. It’s technically well made with average acting all around, but the story is too silly, and un-funny, to make it worthwhile.” Watching the Detectives
Release:
In the USA, Dark Sky Films released The College-Girl Murders on DVD on August 30, 2005.
Cast and characters:
Joachim Fuchsberger … Inspektor Higgins
Uschi Glas … Ann Portland
Grit Boettcher … Betty Falks (as Grit Böttcher)
Konrad Georg … Keyston
Harry Riebauer … Mark Denver
Tilly Lauenstein … Harriet Foster
Ilse Pagé … Sekretärin
Siegfried Rauch … Frank Keeney
Claus Holm … Glenn Powers
Günter Meisner … Greaves
Hans Epskamp … Bannister
Heinz Spitzner … Harrison
Jan Hendriks … Brent
Rudolf Schündler … Sergeant Hanfield
Narziß Sokatscheff … Cress Bartling (as Narziss Sokatscheff)
Tilo von Berlepsch … Polizeiarzt
Kurt Waitzmann … Carrington
Suzanne Roquette … Mary Houston
Susanne Hsiao … June Bell (as Suzann Hsiao)
Inge Sievers … Mildred Miller
Ewa Strömberg … Pam Walsbury
Bruno W. Pantel … Busschaffner
Kurt Buecheler … Winston Robson
Siegfried Schürenberg … Sir John
Eva Ebner … Aussteigender Fahrgast (uncredited)
Herbert Kerz … Monk double (uncredited)
Alfred Vohrer … Edgar Wallace / Durchsage Polizei (voice) (uncredited)
Wilhelm Vorwerg … Doctor Cabble (uncredited)
Filming locations:
Berlin, Germany
CCC-Atelier, Spandau, Berlin, Germany (studio)
Technical details:
88 minutes
Eastmancolor
Aspect ratio: 1.66: 1
Audio: Mono (Klangfilm Eurocord-Magnetocord)
Original title:
Der Mönch mit der Peitsche “The Monk and the Whip”
Trailer:
