THE MURDER CLINIC

 

This is another Tubi discovery. THE MURDER CLINIC is a 1966 color Italian thriller, original title LA LAMA NEL CORPO. The version I watched on Tubi had German main titles and an English dub track. 

Set in England in 1870, the story deals with devious activities at a medical clinic run by a Dr. Robert Vance (William Berger). New nurse Mary (Barbara Wilson) discovers that a number of young women have been horribly murdered by a black-garbed hooded figure wielding a straight razor. Dr. Vance, however, is reluctant to call in the police, while everyone at the clinic, staff and patients alike, acts suspicious. After a number of strange incidents the truth is revealed. 

THE MURDER CLINIC is technically a Euro Gothic due to its 19th Century setting, but it also has plenty of giallo and even krimi elements. If you took a Gothic story, a giallo story, and a krimi story and put them into a blender, THE MURDER CLINIC is probably what you would get. The movie might have been better if it concentrated on just one genre. The movie has too much going on in it--there are so many subplots and red herrings that the viewer has to constantly remember what all the interrelationships are. Dr. Vance is conducting some sort of weird experiment, while a horribly disfigured woman is secretly confined upstairs. A severe-looking matron (played by Euro Gothic veteran Harriet Medin White) bosses everyone around in a creepy manner, while there's a male attendant who's fooling around with the female staff. And then there's a shady seductress (played by Francoise Prevost) who arrives at the clinic after an "accident", and who manages to frustrate or tease all the many characters. With all these story trimmings, the final revelations come off as a bit of a letdown. 

Various sources credit two men for the direction of THE MURDER CLINIC: Lionello De Felice and Elio Scardamaglia. There's also some debate on who actually directed most of the film, and why there were two directors. Whoever should get the most credit, the possibilities inherent in the story (co-written by the ubiquitous Ernesto Gastaldi) are not fully realized. The film is diverting enough, and there are some atmospheric moments, but a Mario Bava or even an Antonio Margheriti could have easily made much more out of the material. 

The movie does have plenty of beautiful women in it, and, as expected, they all get plenty of chances to cavort about in sleepwear. Francoise Prevost gets the showiest role and makes the most of it, while Barbara Wilson is perfect as the innocent young kindly nurse. (Considering this was a European production, I highly doubt that "Barbara Wilson" was this actress' real name.) Spaghetti Western veteran William Berger is a unusual choice for the role of Dr. Vance, and he seems a bit uncomfortable playing it. unless the actor was trying to show how all the man's many secrets were weighing him down. 

THE MURDER CLINIC is a decent enough Euro Gothic, but it kept reminding me of more famous and much better films.