The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance

La Sanguisuga Conduce La Danza

Sales Title: The Bloodsucker Leads The Dance

Italy 1975

U.S.Video Title: The Passion Of Evelyn

D: Alfredo Rizzo

P: TO Ro Cinematografica//St & Sc: Alfredo Rizzo//DP: Aldo Greci//E: Pierra Bruni & Gianfranco Simonelli//M: Marcello Giombini//Art D: Vanni Castellani//Costume: Maria Luisa Panard.

Cast: Femi Benussi, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Krista Nell, Patrizia Di Rossi, Luciano Pigozzi, Mario Del Rosa, Barbara Marzano, Caterina Chiani.

It's Ireland, 1902, and a penniless troup of actors are invited to perform at Count Monarch's castle. The group of thespians consist of wimpy Samuel, nymphomaniac Cora, and the titular lead, Evelyn. They are given an inhospitable welcome from the castle's servants as they all seem to be hiding something. In a short time various members of the acting troup are murdered with everyone acting suspicious. Meanwhile, the Count has fallen in love with Evelyn as she reminds him of his long lost wife. More murderers occur before the police show up and discover the killer's identity.

It's not often I see a film with practically no redeeming features, but The Passion Of Evelyn comes close. The first murder doesn't even occur until an hour into this film's running time and by then, the vast majority of the audience may have already given up and gone home. While we are waiting we do get several sexual encounters between the various cast members but unless you get off to the pairing of Luciano Pigozzi and Femi Benussi (a ludicrous matchup not seen since Joe Spinell and Caroline Munroe in Maniac, 1980), even that bit of activity comes across as uninspired. The dubbing here is also excrutiating, in particular the voice actor used for Giacomo Rossi Stuart who sounds quite constipated. Patrizia De Rossi (who also goes by Patrizia Webley in her sexier roles) is the single attraction, but only to those of us who never quite got over the fact that we weren't breast fed as a child.