Sex Killer, The (1967)

...aka: Girl Killer, The

Directed by:

Barry Mahon

Barry (THE BEAST THAT KILLED WOMEN) Mahon directed this black and white grindhouse "roughie" about a lonely, disturbed young stock clerk named Tony (whoever plays "Tony" decided he didn't want to be credited). Ostracized by his co-workers, Tony takes to the street with a pair of binoculars to spy on topless rooftop sunbathers. His girlfriend (whom he takes on a date to a coffee shop) is actually the head of a mannequin and she isn't very chatty, so he eventually starts spying on and strangling women who are conveniently in some stage of undress. One of his first victims is a hooker, whom he forces to strip before killing her. A blonde in a mesh top is dead after about five seconds of strangulation. In the most memorable attack, he jumps in on a woman wearing only a jacket over her shoulders and rips it off, sending the short-haired bitty streaking down the hallway buck naked in a panic. The plot is almost nil, there's very little dialogue (a good thing judging by what is shown) and the whole thing runs a measly 56 minutes (also a blessing for this type of film), but the black-and-white photography isn't bad, there's a virtual smorgasbord of female flesh (white, black, British...) and the location work is excellent.

By default, it's fascinating to just sit back and watch the hustle and bustle of New York City circa the mid 1960s and for that reason alone you may want to check this out if you're game for something otherwise silly. The cast includes a few 'nudie' movie veterans, including Rita Bennett, Sharon Kent (INDECENT DESIRES) and Uta Erickson (A THOUSAND PLEASURES). It was released on a "Sharpshooter Triple Feature" DVD from Something Weird Video, alongside ZERO IN AND SCREAM and THE ZODIAC KILLER.

★1/2