The opening credits on their own are so stylish!

All the perfunctory cop investigation scenes in the world can’t take away from the fetishised beauty of the set pieces depicting a masked brute working their way through the models at an upscale fashion boutique. Incredibly sinuous camerawork and inventive lighting; the scene of Claude Dantes slowly appearing in a mirror is worthy of Cocteau. Some of the more sadistic murder scenes still make you wince almost sixty years later.

Now I understand where all the giallo inspiration came from. Mario Bava did a tremendous job with the direction, swaying the camera in and out of the action, increasing our paranoia as he masterfully winds our string.

It's easy to see why this is so highly regarded as a great, if not thee greatest giallo ever made. It's a little slow at times, but it looks amazing. I'd compare it to a very high-end Hammer horror movie, only here we have a murder mystery. Despite the name, there is not much blood, this is a mystery; there are deaths, yes, but they happen mostly off screen - and one of them, involving a bathtub, is so artistic it's almost beautiful. I'd say for giallo fans, this is a must watch, but if you're a giallo fan you've likely already seen it.