Knife of Ice is a 1972 Giallo thriller film about a mute woman at the centre of a series of murders in the mountains of Spain, which police suspect are being committed by a drug-addled satanist.
Directed by Umberto Lenzi (Nightmare Beach; Nightmare City; Eaten Alive!; Free Hand for a Tough Cop; Eyeball; Spasmo) from a screenplay co-written with Luis G. de Blain. The Italian-Spanish co-production stars Carroll Baker (A Quiet Place to Kill; Paranoia), Evelyn Stewart, George Rigaud and Franco Fantasia.
Our review:
A famous singer, Jenny Ascot (Evelyn Stewart), visits her cousin Martha Caldwell (Carroll Baker) at her home in the Pyrenees. Caldwell has long been rendered mute after witnessing both her parents being killed in a train crash. While Ascot and Caldwell are travelling to Caldwell’s home, they notice a strange man who seems to be following them. That night, at Caldwell’s villa, Ascot hears noises, and when she investigates, is killed by an unseen figure.
The police believe the killing is connected to the murder of a teenage girl hours before, and their prime suspect is a local hippy they are convinced is a drug-addicted Satanist. However, two more murders occur while this suspect is in custody. Several other locals are placed under suspicion, including a doctor (Franco Fantasia), a chauffeur (Eduardo Fajardo) and an occultist (George Rigaud). Eventually, the man whom Caldwell and Ascot saw following them is arrested, and the police discover that his girlfriend had been found murdered several days earlier. However, after this man is taken into custody, Caldwell’s friend Christina (Rosa María Rodríguez) is also murdered, prompting police to reopen the investigation…
Somebody is stalking mute heroine Carroll Baker and murdering those close to her. Is it the Manson-esque Satanist? The sinister chauffeur? The handsome doctor? The mild-manned janitor?
This is one of director Umberto Lenzi’s more pedestrian thrillers, routinely plotted and adequately shot, with some welcome allusions to the Gothic tradition in a few nocturnal scenes. Aside from the revelation of the killer’s identity and motivation – which seems astonishingly trite – the only real shock in this tame Giallo is that Carroll Baker remains fully clothed throughout.
Kevin Grant, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“It is very much an ‘old-fashioned’ film that sells its drama like its black-and-white predecessors did a few decades before it. The film looks good, but it is not one of Lenzi’s visual stunners. The Spanish villa provides the necessary vintage glamour and the rest is basically good management of light, shadow, and different types of filters. Marcello Giombini’s soundtrack is rather underwhelming.” Blu-ray.com
“Lenzi gets a good amount of suspense going once helpless Martha is alone in the house, and as goofy as the out-of-nowhere twist ending is, it’s effective. Baker is very good in Audrey Hepburn/Wait Until Dark mode and Knife of Ice gets a nice Italian horror vibe going with an electronic score by Marcello Giombini–with some help from the inimitable wordless vocals of Edda dell’Orso–that prefigures some of Goblin’s work for Dario Argento.” Good Efficient Butchery
Trailer:
Free to watch online in 1080p HD:
Cast and characters:
Carroll Baker … Martha Caldwell
Alan Scott … Doctor Laurent
Ida Galli …Jenny Ascott [as Evelyn Stewart]
Eduardo Fajardo … Marcos
Silvia Monelli … Annie Britton
George Rigaud … Uncle Ralph
Franco Fantasia … Inspector Duran
Dada Gallotti … Mayor’s Wife
Lorenzo Robledo … Vice-Commissioner
Mario Pardo … Woody Mason
Olga Gherardi … Rosalie
Consalvo Dell’Arti … Mayor
José Marco … Father Martin
Carla Mancini … Bookshop Clerk
Luca Sportelli … Train Station Employee
Rosa M. Rodriguez … Christina
Original titles:
Italy: Il coltello di ghiaccio
Spain: Detras del Silencio
Technical specs:
1 hour 31 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.35 : 1
