Death on the Fourposter

A honeymooning couple checks into a remote country inn, only to find themselves at the center of a string of bizarre and deadly events. As mysterious murders unfold around them, suspicion falls on the guests, each harboring secrets. Tension escalates as the newlyweds race to uncover the killer before they become the next victims.

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  Death on the Fourposter is partway between Gothic melodrama and sleazy giallo trappings. The emphasis on a group of inane people gathered together for fun and games is fairly typical, but the setting and moody black-and-white cinematography from the gifted Raffaele Masciocchi (who photographed Riccardo Freda’s morbid classic The Terror of Dr. Hichcock, 1962) make it feel rather old-fashioned. The film promises more sleaze than it delivers, though the actresses all end up in their underwear at some point or another; the scene of the family retainer tearing at the dress of one of the actresses for no apparent reason is frankly bizarre, but not entirely unwelcome.