A serial killer is on the loose, and it's up to Inspector Griffith to end their reign of terror. This extremely rare crime thriller was only available briefly from the now late lamented Video Search of Miami, and the print they utilized was, frankly, execrable. For starters, the film was shot in Italian, but VSOM's print was dubbed in French with English subtitles. In addition, it's horribly pan and scanned and is badly washed out in that special 'faded Eastmancolor' way we all know and love. And then there's the odd alternate title, Teledrome - suggestive of a 1980s home video boom retitling to somehow convince gullible renters that Hipnos follia di massacro was related to David Cronenberg's Videodrome. Don't YOU be the person who falls for this pitch: this is (at least until the final 20 minutes) a pretty straightforward cop movie with, unfortunately, not a great deal to recommend it (at least in this form). A good cast (Robert Woods, Rada Rassimov, and Fernando Sancho - here seen without a sombrero!) offers minor compensation.
UPDATE 12/31/18: I acquired an unsubtitled Italian-language dub of this film. It's in somewhat better condition than the VSOM print and is letterboxed, though not in the correct aspect ratio. Three years from now I'll probably be reporting on a pristine Blu-ray edition of this film with multiple language options!
UPDATE 12/31/18: I acquired an unsubtitled Italian-language dub of this film. It's in somewhat better condition than the VSOM print and is letterboxed, though not in the correct aspect ratio. Three years from now I'll probably be reporting on a pristine Blu-ray edition of this film with multiple language options!
