The Night Killer Blu-ray Review

Claudio Fragasso (He made Troll 2) made a little known film back in 1990.  It was supposed to be a suspense film, but it apparently was not to exciting.  So the company brought in Bruno Mattei to spice it up a bit.  What followed was the film Non Aprite Quella Porta 3 which translates to Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3.  Just a little FYI this has nothing to do with the Chainsaw films.  What it is called here in that states is Night Killer.  It’s a combination of Black Christmas, When a Stranger Calls, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween.  Yes all of those elements were thrown together and what followed ended up being a strange, yet pretty fun film.
 
The Night Killer  is an odd film to say the least in the beginning we meet the Night Killer right of the bat.  He attacks a few dancers at a playhouse practicing there routine.  He guts one with his claw glove, then another, then finishes off the next.  We cut to credits and we meet a girl named Melanie.  She’s alone in her house giving herself a breast exam when her phone rings.  The man on the line tells her she has a daughter and her marriage is over.  She slams the phone and gets another call that features obscenities I will not write here. She ends up getting scared and calls the cops who tell her to lock her house up tight.  Problem is she has two different phone lines and the crazed guy calling  her is in the house using the second line.  It’s the Night Killer. She manages to shoot him, but he doesn’t die.  He grabs her and takes her away to obviously do bad things to her for quite some time.
 
When we see her again she is in the hospital but has lost part of her memory.  The important part about that she has a kid, and that she doesn’t remember what the Night Killer looks like.  Turns out this guy (We actually see him before the opening credits) is on a killing spree.  He wears a weird latex mask that makes him look like a Spencer’s Halloween version of Freddy Kruger and has a glove with claws on it.  He needs those claws for his go to move of punching people in the stomach and gutting them. Melanie ends up becoming distraught and contemplating suicide when she get released.  She overdoses on some booze and pills on the beach but is saved by a man named Axl, who a few scenes before appeared to be stalking her. 
 
Will she remember what the killer looks like?  Will the police catch him?  I mean eventually yes.  This movie is Bat Shit Insane.  There really is no other way to put it.  It very violent and gory in parts, and very sleazy in others.  Gutting, throwing off buildings, burning’s.  There’s lots going on from the Night Killer, as he stays pretty busy. Also he’s about the only person in this film with a brain.  The rest of the characters are pretty stupid.  The cops have no idea what to do other than hope a traumatic event will trigger flashbacks and return the memory of Melanie, which is really a twisted plan if you think about it.  It actually is pretty cruel, and possible illegal.  Melanie goes from Suicidal to vengeful every few scenes, and is pretty stupid in the man department (You will see.) Fans of these films will get a kick out of the sheer insanity of this film.  It’s a good film, well made, and great for horror fans, it’s just nuts.
 
Its always been a really hard film to come across but now my good friends over at Severin have given this the full Blu-ray treatment.  A pristine transfer was done on this one in terms of both video and audio.  It looks and sounds great. The film has a really weird, yet typical for this time frame synth score that really bellows out of your surround sound.  The colors are crisp and everything looks great.  Severin also threw in a few really cool special features to top it off.
 
 The Virginia Claw Massacre: Interview With DirectorClaudio Fragasso
· Mindfuck: Interview With Screenwriter Rossella Drudi
· Trailer
 
From the amazing cover art, to the Night Killer Himself the film is really cool.  Fans of horror and suspense, as well as fans of just insanity should definitely pick this one up today. The Killer really looks slick, and the atmosphere alone is a definite sell point.  But if you just want to watch a movie and say “What the hell did I just watch” then get this now!
 
Overall 3.5 out of 5 Stars