DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE (1972)

Der Todesrächer von Soho

A black-gloved killer stalks London, packing the suitcases of their victims before murdering them with an exotic dagger. Surrounded by potential suspects but lacking hard evidence, a smooth-talking Inspector (Fred Williams, The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse) seeks the help of famous crime-novelist Charles Barton (Horst Tappert, German TV's Derrick). Euro-horror filmmaker Jess Franco took a break from his decadent sex thrillers (Vampyros Lesbos) to demonstrate his versatility with this whodunit. Working carefully within the genre of the German "Krimi" film, Franco nevertheless managed to infuse the film with personal touches: dynamic camerawork, seductive women, comic flourishes, all set to a jazz soundtrack by Rolf Kühn. Also released as Der Todesrächer von Soho (The Avenger of Soho), Death Packs a Suitcase was adapted from a story by Bryan Edgar Wallace, who carried on the literary tradition of his father, legendary mystery-writer Edgar Wallace (The Dark Eyes of London).