La lama nel corpo (1966)

Country of Origin: Italy/France
Year of Production: 1966
Running Times: 75m (USA (1972 re-release))/86m
Length: 2700 metres
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: Technicolor
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Director: Michael Hamilton (real name: Elio Scardamaglia)

CREW

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Ci. Ti. Cinematografica / Leone Film / Orphée Productions
Producer: Michael Hamilton (real name: Elio Scardamaglia)

SCRIPT
Script: Julian Berry (real name: Ernesto Gastaldi), Martin Hardy (real name: Luciano Martino)
Novel: The Knife In The Body by Robert Williams

DIRECTION
Assistant Director: Roberto Pariante

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Marc Lane (real name: Marcello Masciocchi)

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Richard Hartley (real name: Alberto Gallitti)

MUSIC
Music: Frank Mason (real name: Francesco De Masi)

SOUND
Sound: Dino Fronzetti

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Massimo Giustini

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Alberto Salvatori

CAST

William Berger (Dr Robert Vance)
Françoise Prévost (Giselle)
Mary Young (Lizabeth Vance)
Barbara Wilson (Mary)
Delphine Maurin (Laura)
Max Dean (real name: Massimo Righi) (Fred)
Harriet White (real name: Harriet White Medin) (Sheena)
Philippe Hersent
Ann Sherman
Patricia Carr (real name: Rossella Bergamonti)
William Gold
Anne Field
Grant Laramy (real name: Germano Longo)

PLOT SUMMARY

In a remote clinic for the deaf, patients are being stalked by a hooded killer. There are those whosuspect that the murders are being committed by Dr Robert Vance, head of the clinic, who may be killing women to help him in his experiment to reconstruct the damaged face of his sister-in-law. But there are others at the clinic who may have both the motive and the inclination to be the killer...

Canada
Theatrical Distributors: Astral Films (1968); Ambassador Film Distributors (1974)

Denmark
Video Distributors: TV Bio

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Europix Consolidated Corp
Video Distributors: VCI Home Video

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Canada
Rating: 13+ (in Quebec); PG (in Ontario)

TIMELINE

1966
February
19: Italy - passed by the ratings board

March
17: Italy - theatrical release

October
11: France - theatrical release

1967
December
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

1968
June
7: West Germany - theatrical release

1969
March
13: UK - trade show screening at the Preview Theatre, London

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Blade in the Body, The
Knife in the Back, The
Murder Clinic, The - Canadian/US title
Murder Society, The
Night of Terrors
Nuits de l'épouvante, Les - French title
Revenge of the Living Dead

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987)

PERIODICALS

Bianco e Nero vol.27 no.9/10 (September/October 1966) p.75 (Italy)
credits

Cahiers du Cinéma no.196 (December 1967) p.104 (France)
review

Filmwoche no.4 (11 January 1969) p.7 (Germany)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.36 no.424 (May 1969) p.103 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Today's Cinema 22 March 1969 p.11 (UK)
review

Variety 10 January 1968 p.6 (USA)
credits, review

book into film, giallo, hospitals

Last Updated: 17 January, 2010