The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is a 1972 Italian-German giallo thriller feature film directed by Emilio Miraglia [as Emilio P. Miraglia] (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) from a screenplay co-written with Fabio Pittorru (Nine Guests for a Crime; Calling All Police Cars; The Weekend Murders). The movie stars Barbara Bouchet, Ugo Pagliai, Marina Malfatti and Marino Masé. The Italian title is La dama rossa uccide sette volte.
The soundtrack score was composed by Bruno Nicolai (Eyeball; The Antichrist; All the Colours of the Dark; Count Dracula; et al).
Plot:
Germany: Young sisters Kitty and Eveline attack each other violently but are stopped from stabbing each other by their grandfather. They’ve been driven insane by an old painting, a depiction of ‘The Red Queen’, a figure said to curse their family, appearing every hundred years to claim seven victims.
In 1972, Kitty (Barbara Bouchet) is working as a photographer for Springe fashion house. She receives a call from her other sister, Franciska (Marina Malfatti), informing her that their grandfather has died, apparently from a heart attack induced by the appearance of a mysterious figure in a red cape. When Hans Meyer, the sleazy manager of Springe, is stabbed to death, it seems Eveline might be responsible…
Reviews:
” …what really outshines here is the murders by the red queen, the great music from Bruno Nicolai, the attractive female cast, the vintage 70’s designer fashions, and the exotic European settings. The film combines the giallo film style and Gothic horror tale with panache, and if you enjoy those two things, then TRQK7T is likely to be a treat. ” At the Mansion of Madness
” …its constant plot twists and shifts in tone are considerably better executed than in The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave. It also features a brilliantly-executed climax involving a crowd of rats and a sealed room slowly filling with water, which more than makes up for the nonsensical narrative’s failure to successfully tie up the various disparate plot strands.” The Digital Fix
“It is all rounded off with a spot of epic scenery chewing – and a climax worthy of the Perils of Pauline. Red Queen certainly isn’t the best example of the genre – it’s unevenly paced and sometimes a little incoherent – but for those looking for some seriously demented, 70s Italian gialli fun you could do worse than check this out.” Hysteria Lives
“The Red Queen delivers everything you could want from a giallo. It boasts a winding plot that keeps you guessing, but unlike many of the entries in this genre, it holds up to scrutiny. ‘Evelyn’, clad in her blood red cape, is a classic giallo antagonist, laughing maniacally after each murder. In Bouchet, Malfatti and Sybil Danning […] you have a trio of classic European beauties…” The Movie Waffler
“The Red Queen Kills Seven Times feels like a 98-minute tour through a decade of Italian horror filmmaking. The familial, haunted-castle backstory involving the Red Queen evokes the gothic era of the early 60s, when Bava and Steele reigned as king and queen, while the bright, gaudy fashion world aesthetic recalls Bava’s transition into color filmmaking. These two contrasting styles clash throughout…” Oh, the Horror!
“Deliciously convoluted plotting reworks familiar ingredients: a creepy castle, a blonde heroine exploring cobwebbed corridors, feverish dream sequences, another lovely score from Bruno Nicolai and an undead menace named Evelyn. Allotted a bigger budget this time round, Miraglia maintains his sumptuous compositions and imaginative use of psychedelic light and shadow.” The Spinning Image
“Chock a block with red herrings galore and a surplus of characters, Miraglia’s stylish and classy giallo is definitely worth seeing. It’s a satisfying blend of gothic and modern horror. Lovely scream queen Bouchet is always a pleasure to watch and the whole enterprise is buoyed by a number of thrilling death pieces.” The Terror Trap
“Production/costume designer Lorenzo Baraldi returns to provide the same level of unique style that he brought to Evelyn and the design of the red queen’s costume ensures that we would remember this character. The contribution of cinematographer Alberto Spagnoli is also worth mentioning as he makes great use of the European architecture to his advantage.” The Video Graveyard
“The Red Queen successfully captures the haunted, murder mystery feeling of the giallo film era. High fashion in a gothic setting, sets the tone of the film as director Emilio Miraglia creates a classic crime mystery with supernatural overtones.” Without Your Head
Choice dialogue:
Elizabeth Hoffman: “All men are filthy beasts!”
Buy Blu-ray (US and UK releases): Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
- New audio commentary by Alan Jones and Kim Newman
- Exclusive new interview with Sybil Danning
- New interview with critic Stephen Thrower
- Archival introduction by production/costume designer Lorenzo Baraldi
- Dead à Porter archival interview with Lorenzo Baraldi
- Rounding Up the Usual Suspects archival interview with actor Marino Masé
- If I Met Emilio Miraglia Today archival featurette with Erika Blanc, Lorenzo Baraldi and Marino Masé
- My Favourite… Films archival interview with actress Barbara Bouchet
- Alternative opening
- Original Italian theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
Cast and characters:
- Barbara Bouchet … Kitty Wildenbrück
- Ugo Pagliai … Martin Hoffmann
- Marina Malfatti … Franziska Wildenbrück
- Marino Masé … Police Inspector
- Pia Giancaro … Rosemary Müller (as Maria Pia Giancaro)
- Sybil Danning … Lulu Palm
- Nino Korda … Herbert Zieler
- Fabrizio Moresco … Peter
- Rudolf Schündler … Tobias Wildenbrück (as Rudolf Schindler)
- Maria Antonietta Guido
- Carla Mancini … Elizabeth Hoffmann
- Bruno Bertocci … Hans Meyer
- Sisto Brunetti … Policeman (uncredited)
- Dolores Calò … Dress-Fitter at Fashion House (uncredited)
- Nestore Cavaricci … Policeman (uncredited)
- Carolyn De Fonseca … Lulu Palm (voice) (uncredited)
- Alfonso Giganti … Springe’s Department Director (uncredited)
- Marc Smith … Martin Hoffmann (voice) (uncredited)
Filming locations:
Weikersheim and Würzburg, Germany
Stabilimento SAFA-Palatino, Piazza dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo 8, Rome, Italy (studio)
US release:
Released in a truncated form as The Corpse Which Didn’t Want to Die; Blood Feast and Feast of Flesh.
Trivia:
In 2006, No Shame released the film in the USA in a unique box set with Emilio Miraglia’s The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave that included a Red Queen figurine.
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