The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave

Giallo madness with several alluring redheads

A psychologically damaged man living in a castle in Europe (Anthony Steffen) handles his grief over his deceased wife, Evelyn, by bringing home redhead prostitutes or strippers for some macabre thrills. His doctor advises him to marry, which he does, but will this solve his problems?

"The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave" (1971) is a Giallo film, aka Italian psychological crime/thriller with bits of sexploitation, horror and, maybe, the supernatural. Mario Bava’s contemporaneous “A Bay of Blood” is a good example.

While these kinds of movies can be creepy with slasher elements, they’re also sexy (Erika Blanc's coffin dance), perverse (Blanc in panties and thigh-high boots being chased by a guy with a whip), ridiculous (the bloody catfight in the third act) and highly-stylized, not to mention they function as murder mysteries.

A highlight here is the female cast, including Maria Teresa Toffano (Polly), Blanc (Susie) and Marina Malfatti as new wife, Gladys, not to mention Paola Natale as Evelyn in flashbacks.

It’s curious that the story takes place in the London area because it’s clear that it was shot in Italy. Why not just have the story occur in Italy? In any case, if I’m in the mood for colorful Italian horror from the early 70s, I’ll go with “The Devil’s Nightmare,” which also costars Erika Blanc. Yet there’s enough here to entertain if you like Giallo flicks.

The film runs 1 hour, 43 minutes, and was shot at Thiene Castle, which is an hour’s drive northwest of Venice in northeastern Italy, with studio work being done in Rome.

GRADE: C+/B-