Film Synopsis
Death Carries a Cane (1973) follows a photographer who inadvertently glimpses a savage murder through a tourist telescope and soon finds herself entangled in a series of killings marked by a cane-wielding assailant. As suspects emerge and witnesses are silenced, the hunt for the killer tightens around shadows, red herrings, and mounting dread. This giallo thriller blends mystery and brutal slasher violence in a tense study of voyeurism and menace.
Critical Perspective
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Death Carries a Cane contains a few memorably nasty murder scenes, but beyond that is a strictly by-the-numbers affair. The film is clearly indebted to the gialli of Dario Argento, but director Maurizio Pradeaux fails to bring the same kind of style and flair to the material. … Once again, a character witnesses a murder, but the police and even the woman’s boyfriend are firm in their skepticism. This tired set-up might have worked a bit better if, for one, the dullard of an inspector decided to err on the side of caution and investigate properly right away! The list of red herrings grows exponentially, but for all that the suspense quota is rather low. The characters are bland, the dialogue scenes drag on for an eternity and the mise-en-scène does not warrant much interest, either. … This film is so utterly pedestrian that one waits in vain for something, anything original to show up. It never does transpire.
Troy Howarth, So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, Volume 1, 1963-1973 (Midnight Marquee Press, 2015)
Death Carries a Cane 4K UHD & Blu-ray editions
See which disc extras are included across selected editions.
| Disc Extras | Indicator BD-ALL 4K/UK 2025 | Vinegar Syndrome BD-ALL/US 2024 | Indicator BD-B/UK 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson | |||
| The Devil Wears Pradeaux - Interview with Eugenio Ercolani on Director Maurizio Pradeaux | |||
| A Life in the Suite - Interview with Editor Eugenio Alabiso | |||
| Symphonies of Sleaze - Interview with Pierpaolo De Sanctis on Composer Roberto Pregadio | |||
| VHS Opening Title Sequence as “Tormenter” | |||
| Stills Gallery [Indicator] | |||
| Stills Gallery [Vinegar Syndrome] | |||
| German Theatrical Trailer |
Edition and Packaging Notes
- Indicator’s 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions include an 80-page booklet with writing by Roberto Curti, and archival interviews with actors Nieves Navarro, Robert Hoffmann and George Martín.
- Vinegar Syndrome’s Blu-ray is included in the “Forgotten Gialli, Volume 6” box set with Naked You Die (1968) and The Bloodstained Shadow (1978).
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Collector’s guide
Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.
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A Life in the Suite (21:19)
| Editions |
Vinegar Syndrome BD 2024
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|---|---|
| Extras | Audio Commentary by Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson Vinegar Syndrome BD |
| A Life in the Suite - Interview with Editor Eugenio Alabiso Vinegar Syndrome BD | |
| Stills Gallery [Vinegar Syndrome] Vinegar Syndrome BD |