The Cat O'Nine Tails (1971) / Death in the Shadows (1985) (DVD)

THE CAT O'NINE TAILS (1971): In the dead of night, a genetics laboratory is broken into, leaving a security guard dead and a cage mysteriously empty. To catch the culprit, journalist Carlo Giordani teams with his old mentor Franco, a former reporter reduced to writing puzzles for the newspaper since going blind. As the pair pursue their investigation, more and more people associated with the genetics laboratory are found horrifically murdered. It is soon revealed that an innocent man, tortured and mutilated by the scientists, is striking back at his former captors and now, he has Carlo and Franco dead in his sights...

The Cat o'Nine Tails is a classic Italian giallo horror movie from the master of the genre, Dario Argento. For this film, Argento employed two well-known American stars. Everyman character actor Karl Malden is best known for classics such as On the Waterfront (1954), Baby Doll (1956), One-Eyed Jacks (1961) and Patton (1970). He won an Academy Award for his supporting role in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). The Cat o'Nine Tails was filmed shortly before he was cast in the prime time TV drama The Streets of San Francisco (1972-1977). Handsome co-star James Franciscus had even more success on television. He starred in several well-remembered series of his own, including Mr. Novak (1963-1965) and Longstreet (1971-1972). I Passed for White (1960) and Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) are among his best-known leading roles on the big screen.

DEATH IN THE SHADOWS (1985): While walking home one night in the rain, a middle-aged woman is killed by a hit-and-run driver, seemingly on purpose. Her daughter Valerie is shocked when the autopsy reveals that the woman she thought was her mother never bore a child. Desperate for answers, Valerie begins to research her "mother"'s background, and begins to unravel an elaborate conspiracy designed to keep the identity of her real parents secret from her. But as she gets closer and closer to the truth, she is stalked by a mysterious masked assailant - a madman who will go to any lengths to prevent Valerie from learning the truth of what really happened that rainy night...

An unusual Dutch horror film from husband and wife, editor-and-director team of Ton Ruys and Vivian Pieters, Death in the Shadows is more influenced by the Italian giallo genre than its country of origin. This was the only film for stunning 21-year-old lead actress Maayke Bouten, who resembles a cross between Brooke Shields and Jennifer Connelly. Despite her lack of film credits, she clearly wasn't shy, judging by her abundant nude and underwear scenes in Death in the Shadows.

• horror