Director Tonino Valerii is best known for his great Westerns , such as "I Giorni Dell'Ira" (aka. "Day Of Anger" 1967), "Il Prezzo Dell Potere" (aka. "The Price Of Power", 1969) and the comical "Il mio nome è Nessuno" (1973). Films like these make Valerii the Italian Western's most memorable director besides the three Sergios (Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci, and Sergio Sollima). But Valerii, who also served as assistant director to Sergio Leone for "A Fistful Of Dollars" and "For A Few Dollars More", is not only a great Western director. "Mio Caro Assassino" aka. "My Dear Killer" of 1972 is an excellent and highly intriguing Giallo and the ideal proof that Valerii is also a master of Thriller/Horror cinema. This is arguably THE Giallo with the most complex plot ever, and the constant twists make this film a tantalizing and absolutely unpredictable experience that no lover of Italian Horror can afford to miss. "My Dear Killer" does not deliver casual entertainment however - This film's exceptional complexity requires the viewer to concentrate on the plot. I can assure however, that no Giallo fan will regret concentrating on this film, which is stunning throughout and excellent in all regards.

Ispector Luca Peretti (George Hilton) is investigating a murder series that is somehow connected with the kidnapping of a little girl that occurred a year earlier... As my fellow Giallo fans should appreciate, the death toll rises constantly, and the twists and number of suspects make it almost impossible to guess who the killer is. This excellently photographed film has the typical atmosphere of good Gialli from the early 70s, and the many twists are highly elaborate. Regular Giallo leading man George Hilton is great in his role as the investigating inspector. The cast furthermore includes such great regulars of Italian genre-cinema as Piero Lulli and William Berger, and all other performances are also very good. This is may not be quite as blood-soaked as some other great Gialli, such as Sergio Martino's "Torso" or most of Dario Argento's films, but the exotic choices of murder weapons should also make this interesting enough for the gorehounds out there. The film's main focus is the complex plot, but the killings are depicted in a violent and very stylish manner. None other than maestro Ennio Morricone delivers the great score, the highlight of which is an exceptionally eerie lullaby theme song. From the great beginning to the ingenious end - "Mio Caro Assassino" is a complex and tantalizing must-see for all Giallo-fans, and also highly recommended to all other lovers of suspense and great cinema in general!

Director Tonino Valerii is best known in the USA for the spaghetti western "My Name is Nobody," but "My Dear Killer" is no less an excellent example of the giallo genre than "Nobody" was to its own. The plot revolves around a series of murders committed by an unknown assailant intent on keeping the deaths of a small child and her father unsolved. As is the case with most gialli, there's a detective one step behind the murderer, a lush and creepy music score (this time by Morricone), a houseful of suspects, creative and illogical murders, and a downbeat and melancholy plot. What elevates this one above all the others made in that banner year for the genre (1971), though, is the detail given to the script and production. The characters are all fully formed and functional to the story, which itself is well thought-out and clever. The resolution is well-handled, and even if the killer's identity is impossible to guess beforehand, the means in which he (or she) is finally discovered will make you smile. Add to this one of the saddest musical-score main themes in movie history, featuring a woman's voice singing a haunting child's melody, and you have a giallo that fans of the genre should definitely not miss.

An insurance investigator, Police Inspector Peretti (George Hilton)helped by a Brigadier (Manuel Zarzo) are assigned by his chief ((Saldo Randone) the investigation of a killing via mechanical digger . As there happens several murders with bloody and gruesome executions. Some drawings seem to implicate about anybody are dieing . Meanwhile the series killer goes on a real massacre on various unfortunate victims as a man supposedly commits suicide, a women is strangled, another attacked in her apartment. Slowly more people are found dead and the inspector investigates the strange killings with numerous suspects (Monica Randall, Alfredo Mayo , William Berger).

Tonino Valeri 's great success is compelling directed with startling visual content.This frightening movie is plenty of thrills, chills, body-count and glimmer color in lurid pastel with phenomenal results. This is a classic slasher where the intrigue,tension, suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room, corridors and luxurious interior and exterior.This genuinely mysterious story is well photographed by Manuel Rojas with magenta shades of ochre ,translucently pale turquoises and deep orange-red .

The movie belongs to Italian Giallo genre that was invented by Mario Bava along with Riccardo Freda(Secret of Dr. Hitchcock) , they are the fundamental creators . These Giallo movies are characterized by overblown use of color with shining red blood, usual zooms, and utilization of images-shock . Later appears Dario Argento(Deep red, Suspira,Inferno), another essential creator of classic Latin terror films. Tonino Valeri's so-so direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and humorous and more inclined toward violence and lots of killings . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Manuel Rojas . Very good musical score by the classic Ennio Morricone. The picture is well directed by Tonio Valeri , an expert on Western as proved in ¨The hired gun ¨ , ¨My name is nobody ¨ with Fonda and Terence Hill , ¨The price of power ¨ with Giuliano Gemma and Van Heflin , ¨The day of anger ¨with Lee van Cleef and ¨ Taste of Killing¨ with Craig Hill and George Martin . Rating: Good, this is one more imaginative slasher pictures in which the camera stalks in sinister style throughout a story with magnificent visual skills.

Anyone who ever saw "My Dear Killer" is most likely to agree when I claim that it's nearly impossible to find another horror film with a more convoluted plot! I never thought I'd say this, but this movie almost exaggerates with the constant adding of new twists and complexity! "My Dear Killer", which is a giallo in the purest definition of the term, features nearly a dozen murder victims and an equal amount of suspects. Paying close attention to the development of the plot is difficult enough already, so guessing along for the killer's identity is pretty much out of the question. And yet, it's another wondrous example of Italy's finest horror sub genre, with brutal slaughters, controversial themes and great music! Giallo-regular George Hilton ("All the Colors of the Dark", "Case of the Bloody Iris") plays Peretti, a police detective charged with investigating the eerie murder of an insurance inspector. He was obviously getting too close to someone's dark secrets and, in order to solve the case; Peretti has carry on with the decapitated victim's research. All traces lead to the unsolved kidnapping and eventual murder of a young girl in the area. The killer clearly doesn't know how he is to getting caught, as he precautionary starts to eliminate everyone close to the case. Be advised that the above is a very vague description of the plot, as a more detailed summary would cover several pages. Apart from a few minor holes in the plot and a handful of illogicalness, "My Dear Killer" is a hugely compelling and intense murder-mystery. Especially the violence will appeal to hardcore horror fans, as the killer even uses circular saws and construction machinery! Tonino Valerii is not a very eminent Italian horror filmmaker (or at least not as eminent as, say, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci or Sergio Martino), but his directing is truly stylish and he obviously read the "big book of giallo-guidelines" carefully before he started making this movie. Highly recommended!

The Italian mystery, or 'Giallo' sub genre is great. You can almost always count on an entertaining ride while watching a Giallo and while 'My Dear Killer' isn't one of the top examples of the sub genre, it definitely does deliver a good time and fans of the style of films will not be disappointed by it. Some Giallo's follow a more urban setting (Seven Blood Stained Orchids, The Case of the Bloody Iris) while others take place in the rural countryside (Don't Torture a Duckling, House With the Laughing Windows). The latter often make for the better films, and My Dear Killer is a part of the rural Giallo section. I actually prefer the cityscape for a mystery setting, but it doesn't matter because it's always the plot that's more important than the setting anyway. The plot is here is pretty much Giallo-standard, and it follows a detective on the case of a murder that seems to be linked to a horrific crime that took place years earlier. As usual, he follows leads and gets deeper and deeper into the mystery; when he finds that there's more to the case than originally met the eye...

The film starts off with a very unusual murder scene. It sees someone killed via a big mechanical digger, and while this scene is rather silly and over the top; it does show that the film obviously isn't afraid to go over the top. I was surprised to find after the opener that the film only features on other stylish murder and although it's very nice; girl sliced up with a circular saw, I tend to expect a bit more gore when watching this sort of film. The locations in the movie are rather uninspired, but this doesn't stop director Tonino Valerii presenting a nice atmosphere that helps to make the film more exciting and interesting. The lead role is taken by Giallo regular and star of The Case of the Bloody iris, George Hilton. It's quite clear that he's done this sort of thing before, as his performance gives the impression that he's not all that interested in his subject material. Still, it doesn't matter because the plot is interesting enough and this, combined with an intriguing mystery and some nice nudity and gore make this an admirable entry in the list of 'Giallos'.

This giallo belongs to the more notorious Italian thrillers of the Seventies, which is hardly surprising once one has seen it entirely. Director Valerii unfolds a rather shocking (for not to write perverse) story including a handful of dubious characters, kidnapping of little children and sadistic killings of helpless elderly people.

The story is very interesting and Valerii presents enough twists to keep the whodunit running until the "Hercule-Poirot-like" climax, in which all suspects are together in the same room, while the inspector solves the mystery. From time to time there are the typically stylish murder scenes, the nastiest showing a gory murder with a circular saw. All the characters are all portrayed convincingly by the actors, and Ennio Morricone's soundtrack is cool as ever.

Together with Lucio Fulci's masterly "Non Si Sevizia un Paperino" (Don't Torture a Duckling) and Aldo Lado's beautiful "Chi l'ha Visto Morire?" (Who Saw Her Die?) the ultimate giallo about child abuse and still sure to leave the audience gasping for breath after it's over. Don't miss this one, but be prepared.

From the opening strains of its eerie, baby-lullaby theme song to its haunting final shot of a child's drawing, "My Dear Killer" (1972) is a giallo pervaded with a sense of tragedy. A year before the action depicted in the film, a young child had been kidnapped from her wealthy parents' country villa and left to die, and now a wave of homicides, seemingly connected to this tragedy, opens the case anew. Giallo regular George Hilton plays Inspector Peretti here, a character who surely deserves a medal or promotion of some sort for getting to the bottom of this case; indeed, "My Dear Killer" is one of the most complicated gialli that I have ever seen. It is the type of film that you watch by the skin of your teeth, just barely comprehending the plot as things unspool; a repeat viewing--in my case, anyway--reveals that this seemingly unfathomable plot does make perfect sense. Anyway, Hilton (mustachioed here, for a change) is excellent, as usual, director Tonino Valerii keeps things nice and suspenseful, and the maestro, Ennio Morricone, provides a score that, if not his most memorable, is appropriately nerve jangling (and eerie, as I mentioned up top). While not a particularly violent giallo, a pair of set pieces should make this film of interest to all the gorehounds out there: one decapitation murder using an enormous dredging machine, and, most horribly, the death of a gorgeous schoolteacher with a circular power saw. (Don't all women have this tool lying around their apartment?) This latter scene, although not overly graphic, still proved kind of hard for me to watch. As far as the killer's identity is concerned, I suppose it IS possible to figure this one out, but my advice would be to just relax and enjoy the fun. The DVD that I just watched, by the way, from the fine folks at Shriek Show, looks just fine, but includes no subtitling option...not even with the interview extras, which are all in Italian! A pity...I would have enjoyed Hilton's comments on this very entertaining giallo, all these years later....

"My Dear Killer" is another fun and decent entry in the Italian Giallo thrillers genre and begins interestingly enough with a man standing at a eerie lake and then meets his end with a gloriously twisted tractor accident/murder, and straight away lets the viewer know what's in store for the rest of the movie.

The plot is very interesting for starters as we get the main character a detective trying to solve this crime, which then leads him to a kidnapping case from before where the child and father were both murdered. Then along the way of course everybody who was involved meets some sort of sticky end, which was another aspect that excited and interested me, especially the girl who gets attacked with a buzzsaw, which was both terrifying and well done.

Okay there are some bad points, like for starters the pacing was rather slow at times and some of the characters didn't quite stand out, I couldn't tell some of them apart and there weren't enough colourful characters to fully ingage in. But what saves things are the delightful twists and turns round every corner, and especially loved the scene at the end where the detective gathers round the last remaining suspects in a Agatha Christie kinda way, about the reveal the identity of the killer, which was delightful, especially when the lights go out and then someone screams.

All in all a fairly entertaining addition to the Giallo genre, but not one of the best ones though, but still decent enough.

I just saw this movie. It has a good seventies feel, is a solid thriller with a few obvious clichés typical of those days. The nude scene of the little girl, even though short, would never pass in this day an age but is a reminder of where we were then and where we are today that it causes such a shock, considering the plot deals with the kidnapping of another child the subject matter is still sadly relevant today. It has more than a tint of early Dario Argento in it without the gore that the DVD sleeve suggests. The music, with the child like chorus, has an eerie feel but it now feels very dated. I cannot comment on the English version of the film as I saw the original Italian and that too was dubbed as it was common practise those days and it still is in some section of the industry. The main actor holds the screen well and in general the acting is passable, even though a bit camp as, again, it used to be in those days.

A man is decapitated by a dredger when trying to find an unspecified item from a swamp. The victim, Paradisi, worked as an insurance investigator on 'the Moroni Case' – an unsolved crime where a little girl was abducted and held to ransom. Her father delivered the ransom but he and the child were subsequently killed. The swamp murder sets off a series of killings as the killer feels the law getting too close. Inspector Luca Peretti is called in to get to the bottom of the mystery.

My Dear Killer is a very good classic-style giallo. It has a very convoluted plot, even by the genre's standards. So it demands that the viewer pays close attention. Director Tonino Valerii has managed to put together a quite gripping mystery-thriller here, where the various twists and turns are incorporated into the narrative very effectively indeed. The film has the occasional giallo theme of child-killing. This ensures that there is an especially uncomfortable undercurrent to proceedings. Indeed, one of the suspects appears to be a paedophile and there does appear to be a very young naked girl in his apartment – this scene is extremely shocking to be honest. More typical of the genre is the usual array of violent murder scenes, the most famous of which involves a circular saw. The stalk and kill sequences are all well-handled and quite tense and scary; although, overall, the focus is far more on the police procedural mystery than the more gory violent aspects.

George Hilton puts in a very good performance as Peretti and really holds things together well. His character is fairly rounded with a home life too, which adds to the overall depth. Adding to the atmosphere immeasurably too is Ennio Morricone. Il Maestro provides yet another nice score that fits the tone very well, especially good is the creepy lullaby theme that echoes the child-killing background to the story.

As I said this is a giallo with a much more pronounced whodunit angle, with the mystery always given precedence. Sometimes this can make a film a little tedious but not in this case. The Agatha Christie side of the story lends itself well to a central police figure and the final scene with all the characters gathered is in particular from the Christie mould. In any case it seems like the best way to present this particular story. In fairness, this isn't one of the more visually striking gialli out there - it was director Valerii's only entry in the genre and maybe because he was more used to making westerns this reflects the grittier look and feel. But, this aside, My Dear Killer is certainly a consummate giallo that does not disappoint at all.

Inspector Peretti (giallo regular George Hilton) investigates a series of brutal murders, which begins with a man being decapitated by a large digger. The most graphic is a young woman being butchered by a buzz saw & the DVD case proudly displays this on it's cover. It is also uncut. This would have been very gory for 1972 but these days it is relatively tame. Probably the most shocking scene involves a nude young girl, full frontal. Plot wise it is quite complex and very heavy on dialogue, those watching it purely for it's gore will probably being reaching for the FFWD button. However the finale, when the killer is revealed, is excellent. Perhaps this is a film that would benefit from a repeat viewing.

This one starts out originally enough. You don't usually see someone getting murdered by being decapitated by the jaws of a hydraulic digger. The dead guy was some sort of insurance investigator (yet again), but why he wished to dredge up a water filled quarry, and why anyone wanted to kill him, is a mystery only George Hilton can solve.

Yep - George Hilton's back in yet another giallo, only this time he has a moustache! Plus, he's playing this one ultra-serious too. First off, he tracks down the driver of the digger only to find he's hanged himself...except he hasn't, as George proves using the actual corpse of the driver to demonstrate!

George has a quarry-sized mystery on his hands here which seems to be tied in with the kidnap and subsequent murder of a little girl some eighteen months prior, and it seems that the killer is trying to rub out all of the people involved. And some that aren't really that involved, for good measure. George has to retrace what happened back then to find out what's happening right now, and you know what means, right? Suspects!

Suspects! include shifty businessman William Berger, his sister, who is married to the one handed guy, and then there's the staff (especially the driver), and there's the guy who likes to paint nude children (can't see that scene occurring these days!) and also has a bunch of statues in his cupboard, similar to the one that the killer used. Patty Shepherd appears as a teacher, but isn't a suspect, so of course the killer cuts her up with a bandsaw in a rather gory scene - while she's watching Django.

The film veers wildly from gory scenes like that to drawn out scenes of policemen standing around, but, although lacking in the usual craziness, still manages to be a decent giallo due to George Hilton (and William Berger), a nice Ennio Morricone soundtrack, and taking the unusual step of having all the suspects gathered in a room for the reveal of the killer. What - no rooftop chase?

Bearing in mind that I'm not the world's biggest giallo fan, this typical entry in the genre is very much of the "seen it all before" type. There's a mysterious black-gloved, black-coated (sigh) killer going around bumping off lots of different people in diversely unpleasant ways; a dogged inspector tracks down the murderer but always ends up staying one step behind until the end, and lots of people argue, fight, and make love along the way. The story of this one is as garbled and confused as ever, and, typical of this genre, you're never really given the full picture of what happened, and too many characters make things hard to bear. This time around it's something to do with kidnapping and unpleasant hints of child abuse.

However, the film does have some plus points in its favour. It's set entirely in the Italian countryside, which looks very nice indeed, and the central crime scene – a stagnant lake surrounded by derelict buildings – is an aesthetically pleasing, almost Gothic one. The film is enhanced whenever Ennio Morricone's typically excellent music plays, this time taking the form of a sad lament sung by a crying woman – it's really eerie and adds a little atmosphere to the proceedings. The giallo genre is renowned for its sadistic slayings and this film is no exception; people are bludgeoned, strangled, and, in the gory highlight displayed prominently in the film's advertising, a woman is taken to pieces with a circular saw – a very nasty scene indeed. However, my favourite murder is the one which opens the film, which is so over-the-top that it has become my favourite opening scene of any giallo; a JCB picks a guy up BY HIS HEAD and decapitates him! A great, cheesy moment that hints at similar moments to come but sadly no more arrive.

The script is quite interesting for a change and the film has been well dubbed into English. George Hilton, one of the giallo genre's hardest workers, is fine as the inspector, if a little unsympathetic; he's supported by a range of interesting character actors in the likes of William Berger and Manuel Zarzo, and attractive Euro-actresses like Patty Shepard and Helga Line whom the director somehow contrives to make look unattractive. The film does have some intermittently good 'detective' moments straight out of an Agatha Christie book, including the fun 'whodunit' climax. But in all other respects it's very much by the book.

After a gruesome murder, a police investigator looking into the incident finds a connection with the victim and an unresolved child abduction case in the past and races to solve the connection of the cases before more victims wind up dead by the killer.

This here was quite the enjoyable giallo with a lot to like about it. A lot of this is due to the film's incredibly gripping central mystery at play here, which manages to come off incredibly well with the way this one makes for a wholly enjoyable storyline. What initially appears as a simple murder at first leads into a supposedly-unsolved abduction case from the past that creeps back into focus here that's quite logically worked into the main story and forces him to bring that one to light as well. That this here is a pretty entertaining and engrossing mystery comes off as a big plus for the film for it manages to make for a wholly more enjoyable time here with two such mysteries at first that need solving, and it's worked through in quite a logical manner with a nice assortment of clues that get worked over here as the scenes of him attempting to unravel everything with the help of the inspectors and later his girlfriend which enables him to find the last remaining piece in the puzzle needed. By the manner of which he manages to reason and uncover clues, he comes off as one of the more competent representatives of the law that one will find in the genre and proves to be a capable nemesis for the elusive which is fortunate since the bulk of the film is devoted to this investigation. Alongside this fun factor, there's plenty to like with the actual slashing and stalking that's put into play here, which has plenty to like about this one. The opening attack with the digger is a stand-out, the different stalking scenes against the two women early on are rather fun with the big scene involving the murder of the teacher in her house after a meeting with the killer and then uses a hand-held circular saw in a really messy sequence and the thrilling sequence at the old woman's house is a fine stalking scene as well, all giving this some rather enjoyable giallo sequences to match the investigations. There's a few minor flaws here, which starts with its peculiarly odd pacing. This one isn't as fast paced as many other films in this style, as instead of allowing for some pleasingly intricate mysteries to mature and unfold it's just a little too laid back for it's own good. There isn't enough dramatic contrast in the film for it to truly engage despite the solidly- laid-out mystery there's very small spurts of action to carry it along. The other small problem with the film is that it simply ends much too abruptly once the identity of the killer has been revealed, which seems to get announced just seconds before it ends rather than having a little more time to process everything that happens so quickly. Otherwise this one here manages to be one of the better second-tier efforts in the genre.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language, Nudity and a brief sex scene.

While investigating the gruesome murder of an insurance adjuster, Inspector Luca Peretti (George Hilton) begins to unravel the unsolved kidnapping and murder of a young girl. Meanwhile, a killer proceeds to bump off anyone who might be able to help Luca with vital clues.

My Dear Killer opens with a hilarious decapitation scene, the victim grabbed by the scoop of a mechanical dredger and hoisted into the air, his head popping off as a result. It's a hugely entertaining way to start proceedings, but then the plot kicks in and things start to drag. Numerous shifty characters and an overly complex storyline make My Dear Killer more of a chore than many a giallo; consequently, boredom and confusion are never far away, lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on the unwary viewer.

Director Tonino Valerii attempts to compensate for his over-elaborate narrative by incorporating a slew of classic giallo trappings and just a little exploitative content: a gloved killer, haunting music (by Ennio Morricone), children's drawings, numerous mean-spirited deaths and a smattering of topless nudity from a couple of babes, plus one gratuitous and rather controversial shot guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows. The result is still a bit of a hard slog, but at least there are a few moments that should please die-hard fans of the genre.

Look, it was a pretty good whodunit movie, but the translation, horrible,(who brings in a ballistics team for a HANGING???) and the gore was less than gore. It was unconvincing and pedestrian. Hershel Gordon Lewis has better gore, and of course less plot, but whatever. This movie had a good plot, I mean, the screenwriter actually had an idea, but to call this a gore movie, or to even say that the buzzsaw scene was good is a LARGE overcompensation. It was a dull blade in a drill with red fake blood on it. It doesn't cut her, it sprays paint on her. The killer even DROPS the drill and the blade HIT HIS LEG! If it was even sharp in the filming it would've cut through his pants! Jesus.....OK, I'm done ranting.

The British DVD edition of this one promises "giallo" fare of the most menacing, gory and misogynistic kind, but actually it is -- despite a pretty ridiculous decapitation and the infamous buzz saw scene which lasts about two and a half seconds -- a pretty meek affair, not even a "giallo", and far from depravity despite another infamous scene with a naked child girl -- well, you might have seen one before. "My Dear Killer" is alright in terms of characterization, especially in the scenes between Inspector Peretti (George Hilton) and his spouse (Marilu Tolo), competently directed, quite thrilling, but shares the problem of so many Italian movies of the same period: The script builds tension to the max, but can't deliver. Actually, it's nothing more than an Agatha Christie rip-off with some pseudo-gritty moments and a dull conclusion reminiscent of Hercule Poirot's most gammy moments. The biggest sleaze factor of the movie is Hilton's moustache: Those were the seventies.

By-the-numbers giallo with a stronger grip on investigative methods and less on lurid moments than what we're used to in this sub-genre, though the comparatively coherent storyline and some effective set-pieces cannot save this unremarkable pic from sinking.

The sleazy and/or freaked-out characters are as randomly portrayed as ever, so that the culprit's identity leaves one rather cold, despite a nicely handled denouement.

And a short scene with a nude young girl just underlines the movie's ruthlessly exploitative nature.

3 out of 10 telltale drawings

An unseen killer is murdering people that know too much in connection with an earlier unsolved case of a missing girl. I like the giallo genre, but this one by Tonino Valerii is laid back to the point of being tedious, a few gory set-pieces can't even help this film. The ending is horribly cliché and the film has one scene that featured a fully naked prepubescent girl that repulsed me. There is NO reason to put a nude eleven or twelve year-old in any film. EVER! I'm going to sell my copy of the DVD because of that.

My Grade: D-

DVD Extras: Interview with Tonino Valerii and George Hilton; Trailers for "What have you done to Solange?", "Spasmo", "Seven blood stained Orchids", and "Hitcher in the Dark"

Eye Candy: Marilu Tolo as the detective's girlfriend gets topless, but she's not that good-looking

A man is decapitated with a steam shovel.It's not an accident,though because steam shovel operator is later found hanged and apparently murdered.When the other bodies begin to pile up Inspector Luca Peretti connects this case with the kidnapping and murder of a little girl and her father."My Dear Killer" by Tonino Valerii is a tightly woven giallo full of surprising twists and turns.There are some interesting flashbacks and very memorable soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.Giallo regular George Hilton shines in his excellent performance as Inspector Luca Peretti.The storyline is extremely complex and demands full attention of potential viewer.If you like Italian gialli you can't miss this classic.8 ransoms out of 10.A brief shot of a young naked girl is quite shocking and unexpected.

Insurance adjuster Paradisi is murdered when he fails to notice a very loud mechanical crane is being lowered close to his head. It decapitates him. The suspect in his murder is discovered shortly thereafter at an abandoned warehouse hanged in way to suggest suicide by the clumsy killer. Seemingly the entire cast is filled with creeps anyone of whom could be a homicidal maniac.

Dapper police inspector Perretti (Hilton) investigates diving in head-first with his typical work ethic and sound deductive reasoning uncovering a complicated child abduction caper tied in with the murders. But his credibility begins to appear questionable as more corpses pile up and all he has for a lead is a child's book of drawings.

Giallos were a genre shaped by the Hitchcockian tradition, and the Agatha Christie type whodunit but also the film noir genre. They co-opted aspects of each. In Giallos you quite frequently saw a convoluted criminal scheme plot point - a staple of film noir. The whodunit aspects seen here are readily apparent within the collection of stock characters. As for the Hitchcockian side you have the stark visual imagery, jarring plot-twists and deeply psychological motives of the characters.

Another staple of these Giallo's was the subjective camera/point of view shot of the killer just before a grisly murder. Logic could get discarded in scenes like this and the one here offers us the interior of a victim's home where she just happens to have left power tools laying around. The bloody kill which leaves some particularly artistic blood spatters of course leaves no explanation how the power tool was still operational are its cord became out of reach of its outlet.

Laid-back in terms of investigating goings-on, but otherwise a decent textbook giallo. Once again a bit more unsettling then others because it involves the death of a child. All ingredients are present (exept for the foreigner doing the investigating): a few bloody killings, a black-gloved killer, a decent whodunit/investigation-plot, a bit of occasional female nudity,... Of course, the re-dubbing isn't the best and the acting is fairly wooden, but we forgive any giallo for that, don't we? Good thing was that this time I didn't guess who the killer was. In fact, I wasn't really looking for the killer along with the detective. I was way too amused for that, with seeing how one clue lead to another several times. I did think that the killer's motivations were a bit weak though. But at any rate, if you're a fan of gialli, this should be another one worth seeing.

An insurance investigator is decapitated by someone operating a dredger near a polluted quarry. Inspector Luca Peretti(George Hilton, in fine form)and partner Chief Marò(Salvo Randone)are on the case and soon discover that his death, that of Vincenzo Paradisi(Francesco Di Federico), is tied to the kidnapping of a little girl(..the Moroni case), and the horrifying double murder that resulted shortly afterward. Peretti must exhaust every lead, even the most minute detail, trying to uncover Vincenzo's past(..his investigation of the Moroni family)if he wishes to discover the killer.

Director Tonino Valerii crafts a very difficult, complex story that wields some very unsettling, unnerving truths about the Moroni family and the sadistic lengths a killer will go to remove key evidence linking him/her to the murder of Paradisi. Particularly disturbing is the discovery of a sculptor/artist who spent "abnormal" amounts of time with the deceased girl, Stefania, and it's subtly implied that he's an obvious pedophile. Clues develop that might shed light on just who was responsible for the murder of Stefania and her father..an artistic rendering of a specific house, drawn by Stefania, and a mirror of such great importance that someone is willing to kill viciously for it. Other potential victims, such as Vincenzo's girlfriend(Helga Liné), a school teacher(Patty Shepard), and a belligerent penniless brute, Mattia(Dante Maggio) who lives in a shack located near the quarry where Paradisi was murdered(..also involved, is Mattia's live-in girlfriend, Adele, portrayed by Lola Gaos). Mattia collects various items left in garbage cans or nearby the quarry and he attains a key piece of evidence that makes him a target. The school teacher is involved because Stefania was in her class and the art book in her possession contains a left-over piece of a drawing ripped from it(..the larger piece of the drawing was in possession of Vincenzo's female companion, who was strangled shortly after removing it from a safe deposit box). The film shows that the killer stays one step ahead of Peretti almost every step of the way..as soon as the Inspector figures out a potential detail(..or character) detrimental to solving the case, almost always the killer gets to it or them first. There were several people involved with this film's complicated, exceptionally convoluted story-line and it unfolds with one hell of a revelation(..the girl, Stefania, was bright enough to implicate her killer while her hands and feet were bound by wire, using a mirror she rolled down a hill for another to discover). The finale has Peretti confronting all suspects, using a mirror to reflect each person's face..it's a nifty indictment of each person who perhaps were responsible, in one way or another, in the result of Stefania's left to starve next to her dead beloved father's body! Tullio Valli is the one-armed brother of the murdered Moroni, Oliviero and his estranged wife, Carla, is portrayed by Mónica Randall. William Berger is Giorgio Canavese, under suspicion for perhaps assisting in the kidnapping operation, who runs a shipping business, and is involved with trafficking drugs.

While not particularly gory, the violence is still potent and shocking enough(..one's head is cracked over the head with a statuette, another is attacked with a Black and Decker saw, with the opening decapitation quite stunning way of opening this giallo)and there is some nudity(..both Shepard and Marilù Tolo as Peretti's girl, remove their shirts displaying their breasts)to keep giallo fans satisfied. It was neat watching Hilton is a rare detective role, sporting a mustache, but his life away from the investigation(..his strained relationship with Marilù Tolo ) serves as nothing more than filler, an attempt at giving his character a backstory regarding how his work interferes with his love-life. Eerie, spine-tingling score by composer Ennio Morricone. Fans of Helga Liné will be severely disappointed because her role is of no real depth..basically a victim role, whose character is bumped off due to a drawing, clinched tight in her dead hand. Alfred Maya is especially creepy as the pedophile whose studio is used as a place where he brings naked girls(..one such scene is shown as Peretti is questioning him, with a nude girl interrupting their conversation).

I thought that My Dear killer was quite a good film. Following a mysterious decapitation of an insurance investigator involving a mechanical digger. Police Inspector Peretti (George Hilton) is put onto the case. Slowly more people are found dead, a man commits suicide, a women is strangled, another attacked in her flat... but all the clues lead to an unsolved case of kidnapping and murder, which all comes from a little girl's drawing. This was quite a good film although i did find there was very much in the storyline, and i felt as though the film went quite slowly. Although i do think that decapitation sense was done very well.