''The French Sex Murders'' (Italian: ''Casa d'appuntamento'' (Translation: ''House of Rendezvous'') is a 1972

giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

film directed by Ferdinando Merighi under the pseudonym "F. L. Morris", and edited by

Bruno Mattei Bruno Mattei (30 July 1931 – 21 May 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor who directed exploitation films in many genres, including women in prison, nunsploitation, zombie, mondo, cannibal, and Nazisploitation films. Ma ...

. It was released as ''The French Sex Murders'' in the US, and ''The Bogey Man and the French Murders'' in the UK. It stars

Rosalba Neri Rosalba Neri (born 19 June 1939) is a retired Italian actress. Early life Born in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Neri was regarded for her beauty even in youth, winning a beauty pageant when she was still young. Eventually pursuing an acting ca ...

Anita Ekberg Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (; 29 September 193111 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and stunning figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini ...

Barbara Bouchet Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...

Howard Vernon Howard Vernon (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996) was a Swiss actor. In 1961, he became a favorite actor of Spanish film director Jesús Franco and began starring in many low-budget horror and erotic films produced in Spain and France. After po ...

and

Gordon Mitchell Gordon Mitchell (born Charles Allen Pendleton; July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003) was an American actor and bodybuilder who made about 200 B movies. Biography Charles Allen Pendleton was born in Denver, Colorado, and began working out in hi ...

. The actor who played the police inspector in this film (Robert Sacchi) was a professional Humphrey Bogart lookalike, which explains the alternate "Bogey Man" title. Special effects technician

Carlo Rambaldi Carlo Rambaldi (September 15, 1925 – August 10, 2012) was an Italian special effects artist, winner of three Oscars: one Special Achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1977 for the 1976 version of ''King Kong'' and two Academy ...

handled the throat slashings and beheadings that take place in the movie.

Plot

A petty criminal named Antoine (Peter Martell) is blamed for the murder of a prostitute who was killed at Madame Collette's exclusive whorehouse in Paris. He is sentenced to death by guillotine, and he swears revenge on everyone who helped convict him. At the last moment, he manages to escape from the prison – but is then decapitated in a motorcycle accident. A scientist Prof. Waldemar obtains the criminal's severed head from the morgue for purposes of experimentation. The judge, who sentenced Antoine to death later turns up murdered, and then one by one, the prostitutes at Madame Collette's begin turning up murdered as well. Everyone believes that Antoine is causing the murders to happen, and that he is wreaking vengeance from beyond the grave.

Cast

Main

as Madame Colette *

as Marianne *

Evelyne Kraft Evelyne Kraft (22 September 1951 – 13 January 2009) was a Swiss businesswoman and former actress. She was best known for her roles in the films ''Lady Dracula'' and ''The Mighty Peking Man''. Background Born in Zürich, Switzerland on 22 Sept ...

as Eleonora (Credited as Evelyne Elgar) *

as Professor Waldemar * Pietro Martellanza as Antoine Gottvalles (Credited as Peter Martell) *

Barbara Bouchet Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...

as Francine *

Robert Sacchi Robert Patsy Sacchi (March 27, 1932 – June 23, 2021) was an Italian-American character actor who, since the 1970s, was known for his close resemblance to Humphrey Bogart. He appeared in many films and TV shows playing either Bogart or a char ...

as Inspector Fontaine * Eva Astor as Florence * Renato Romano as Mr. Randall * Rolf Eden as Pepi * Franco Borelli as Roger Delluc * Piera Viotti as Tina * William Alexander as George *

Ada Pometti Ada Pometti (born 13 May 1955) is an Italian film, television and stage actress. Life and career Born Nunzia Agata Pometti in Catania, Sicily, she graduated from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, and she worked at the Teatro ...

as Doris the Maid * Alessandro Perrella as Doris' Lover

Cameo/Uncredited

* Flavia Keyt as Prostitute *

as Man in Nightclub *

Mike Monty Mike Monty (October 23, 1936 – August 4, 2006) was an American character actor, born in 1936 in Chattanooga, Tennessee as Michael O'Donoghue but he changed his name to Mike Monty late in life. Career He left the United States for Italy i ...

as Detective * Xiro Papas as Thug in Bar * Riccardo Petrazzi as Other Man Repairing a Van *

Dick Randall Sir Richard John Randall (13 October 1906 – 15 November 1982) was a senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of the Treasury between October 1966 and October 1971. Life and career Dick Randall was born ...

as Mr. Hassan * Goffredo Unger as Man Repairing a Van

Critical reception

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

gave it a mixed review, writing "The contrived script ..is completely off the hook, which fans of the giallo form will be expecting, but those who come to the film cold may be somewhat nonplussed."

References

External links

* *
''Casa d'appuntamento''
at

Variety Distribution Variety Distribution is an Italian-based film distribution company. It distributes Italian films worldwide, produced from the 1930s onward. History Variety Distribution (formerly Variety Film and Variety Communications) has been in the film ...

Giallo films 1972 films 1970s crime thriller films Films scored by Bruno Nicolai 1970s Italian films {{crime-thriller-film-stub