User reviews

This six-hour Italian TV mini-series directed by Golden Age Giallo auteur Sergio Martino stars genre favorites Edwige Fenech, Ray Lovelock, and Alida Valli and has been described as a cross between a giallo and TWIN PEAKS -but that's only wishful thinking based on the past reputations of the talent involved. The basic plot line -a teenager's murder rips the lid off a small town's secrets and lies- is not unlike the death of Laura Palmer but the handling, although competent, is nowhere near as deep, quirky, or atmospheric as David Lynch's masterpiece. The meandering murder mystery is too long by half, isn't very compelling, and the body count is low which makes it a missed opportunity at best but the production values are high and the cast is very attractive, especially Fenech who only got better with age. Lovelock looks a bit like Brad Pitt.

It sounds like an interesting concept: giallo veteran Sergio Martino directing a mix of mostly French-Italian genre veterans, along with newcomers, in a mid-1990s attempt to revive the giallo, in mini-series (four 85-minute episodes) form. Unfortunately, it does not work at all. The series is competently made in a workmanlike fashion, but uninspired, flat, styleless, dreary. There is very little plot progression from episode to episode, and very little suspense. In fact, it plays more like a soap opera than a giallo. A maturely attractive Edwige Fenech puts in a strong performance in the lead, but my bet is that few of the people starting this mini-series will have the endurance to finish it. *1/2 out of 4.