Solid, sleaze-tastic giallo about a series of murders centered around a circle of friends at an all-girls school. In the kind of ghastly twist that you can usually count on from Italian genre flicks of the time, the killer’s hallmark here is that he always stabs his victims in the vagina. And that’s it. You might say he’s a man who appreciates brevity.
Helping out in the police search for this party animal is schoolteacher Fabio Testi, whose concern for his students is so great that he even cheats on his wife with one of them. The film goes back and forth on whether he’s likable or a total jerk. All that we know for sure: He’s got an awesomely tacky, ultra-70s apartment for his extramarital escapades. Also, Camille Keaton, in her first major film role, is a terrific presence as the local headcase girl with eyes as distant as the moons of Pluto and no dialogue. Meanwhile, in the grand tradition of cinematographers-turned-directors, Massimo Dallamano (he worked on Sergio Leone’s first two westerns) piles on the style. The widescreen compositions are eye-catching (and shot by Joe D’Amato!) and everything moves at a snap. When the story does grind to a halt, it’s usually for a good reason. Like a sex scene. Or that very necessary tour of the girl’s shower room while the cast washes up after gym class.