Own the rights?
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: A gripping and lurid thriller., 20 May 2008 Author: SickBoySimon from Brentwood, USA
This little-known suspense thriller from Armand Mastroianni (director of the 1980 slasher romp He Knows You're Alone) makes for ripe entertainment for both fans of murder mysteries and horror films.NYC police are trying to find out who is behind a rash of 'handcuff' murders, while a young artist (and psychic) is finding herself drawing the horrid crimes!Cinema in the early 80's was bombarded with numerous slasher films, which is probably how this film became forgotten, but The Clairvoyant a.k.a. The Killing Hour isn't a routine killer thriller. Mastroianni's story is a solid mystery with plenty of dashes of tension and suspense to keep one engaged. The opening sequences are quite grabbing, the murders are inventive (although not gory), and the plot builds to a great showdown climax. The urban filming locations are terrific, Mastroianni's direction is sleekly well done, and the subtle piano score is a nice touch. The film also carries a kind of sexual vibe through out.The cast is quite good in their performances. Perry King is great as a TV journalist exploiting the killings. Elizabeth Kemp makes for a likable young heroine as the clairvoyant artist. Norman Parker is charismatic as the police detective who moonlights as a stand-up comic.Nicely done on all levels, The Clairvoyant makes for a perfect big city thriller.*** out of ****
A great concept on paper but a crashing bore on the screen!, 17 November 2009 Author: manchester_england2004 from Manchester, England, UK
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
THE KILLING HOUR is an American movie made in the same vein as an Italian Giallo.Whilst many may assume by the director's Italian name that this movie is a giallo, I can most assure them that it is not.The director of this movie also directed HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE. Having liked that movie and also being tempted by the attractive DVD cover depicting a gloved hand over a woman's face, I had high hopes for THE KILLING HOUR.How wrong I was.The plot of this movie is actually very interesting. A police detective and a TV show host form an unlikely alliance in tracking down the "handcuff killer". Also entering the scene is a young clairvoyant with the ability to draw pictures based on her premonitions.But the interesting aspect of the movie finishes here. The plot is really all that it has going for it.In the hands of an experienced Italian director - Dario Argento, Mario Bava or Lucio Fulci - this movie could have made a great giallo.Unfortunately, the movie was placed in the wrong hands and the superb concept on paper degenerates to a crashing bore on the screen.The director of this movie obviously failed to understand that there is more to making a giallo than just the mere presence of a glove-wearing killer, a few arrogant cops, and occasional nudity and sleaze.The movie is severely hampered by Mr Mastroianni's pedestrian direction that is without suspense, tension or the ability to invoke emotion.The few killing scenes to be found are nothing to write home about and most last too short a time to have sufficient impact upon the viewer - or even the plot for that matter!Without revealing spoilers, I can reveal that there is a killer in this movie - mostly unseen. But the killer shows very little threat or menace and as such it is almost impossible for the viewer to attach themselves to situations that should be tense, frightening and horrific.Without revealing spoilers, I can also mention the presence of another scene in this movie outside of the killings but was clearly meant to be disturbing. But even this scene lacked any impact.The two lead actors are incredibly bland with one-dimensional characters that can be found in any random American movie of this period.Kenneth McMillan basically "phones in" his performance as a police lieutenant. Believe me, he was more interesting to watch in the infinitely superior SALEM'S LOT, a movie in which he had several great scenes.On a positive note, Elizabeth Kemp delivers a good performance as the clairvoyant. But she is clearly restrained by a script lacking inspiration and a director lacking a coherent vision for the character.Overall, I do not recommend this movie at all. I would, however, advise people to see HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE because I believe the director did a much better job on this earlier effort. Or even better, check out some genuine giallos such as DEEP RED, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, TORSO and DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING just to name a few.
4 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Surprisingly good B-grade flick, 26 January 2004 Author: elevator_opratr from Pennsylvania, USA
As a fan of B-rated movies, I didn't know what to expect when I saw this film advertised in the TV guide on a local independent UHF station known for showing off-the-wall movies. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, this movie is perfect for people who love those tacky memories of the early 80's. You'll see the rotary dial phones. The 1980 Ford Fairmounts. The old rabbit-ear televisions. But this movie is more than all that. Despite having a lot of lesser-known actors/actresses, the storyline was unlike most other B-films. It was actually very good ... as a TV reporter and a cop try to figure out who's committing various murders in New York City ... both seemingly having personal interests vested in solving the crimes ... and both getting on each other's nerves in the interim ... this all being made worse when a supposed clairvoyant steps into the picture who seems to have the ability to know someone's going to die before it actually happens. All this makes for a film that I think deserves more credit than it must have ever got ... being I never even heard of it. If you manage to find it at the bottom of some discount barrel of old VHS movies, or you see it advertised on some late night channel, by all means, watch it. It'll be worth your time.
2 out of 5 people found the following review useful: strong opening after which it peters out, but still fairly good., 21 June 2006 Author: CryFi from Lansingburgh, New York, USA
I saw this on VHS under the title The Killing Hour.This movie starts off really well with several unexplained killings involving handcuffs. A woman is fished out of the river, a man swims alone in a swimming pool reminiscent of a scene from Cat People, a construction worker goes down a manhole. The latter two killings are quite graphic, though without being bloody. Meanwhile, an artist draws strange pictures.A cop who does lousy impressions in his side job as a standup comedian (yet he gets laughs, surprisingly) leads the investigation, leaking information to a tabloid television reporter. Both he and the reporter start courting the artist once they meet her.Some additional deaths occur. The ending may be predictable, since it's possible to make a good guess as to the identity of the killer early on in the movie. Unfortunately, after the strong opening, no other scene quite lives up. Some scenes have lengthy dialog that doesn't serve the plot or characters. Still, not a bad movie by a long shot.
0 out of 2 people found the following review useful: The Crab with the Crystal Plumage, 26 May 2008 Author: Jonny_Numb from Hellfudge, Pennsylvania
"The Killing Hour" is a surprisingly solid (if not overly surprising) entry in the sparsely-populated annals of American jabs at the "giallo" (a genre rooted in Italian pulp mystery novels, and popularized by the films of Dario Argento, among many others). Armand Mastroianni, who also directed the "Halloween" cash-in "He Knows You're Alone," shows considerable directorial skill with a story that's not nearly as convoluted (or as garishly stylish) as an Argento pic, but builds a fine aura of mystery and suspense nonetheless. When a woman's nude, handcuffed corpse is fished out of the Hudson River and two seemingly random men are murdered soon after (including a very effective sequence in an empty gym swimming pool), an NYC cop (Norman Parker) and a talk-show host (Perry King) become involved with a psychic art student (Elizabeth Kemp) who has a "sixth sense" about the murders. While the pace sometimes slackens due to the "suspicion building" middle act (a necessary evil in most gialli), and the film suffers from offering us only two potential killers (there are a few red herrings so transparent they don't merit mention), "The Killing Hour" is still a satisfying whodunit, complete with a chilling climax that doesn't over-explain things. Recommended.
1 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Kill an hour by doing something else!, 8 January 2007 Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England
Since this film is a thriller directed by someone with an Italian sounding name, I was expecting something like an American version of Italy's finest export - the Giallo. The film certainly has elements that resemble the Giallo, but it constantly falls down as everything in the film is just so DULL. The plot opens with the discovery of a dead body making its way down the Hudson River. We than follow the investigation into the crimes, which is a joint venture between a police detective and a TV talk show host. The story also gets an extra element of mystery through Virna Nightbourne; a clairvoyant who draws the crimes before they happen. Obviously the idea of someone being able to draw crimes before they happen is more than a little bit preposterous, but to be honest I could live with that if the resulting film was entertaining. However, the film is not entertaining; we've got a couple of decent murder scenes, and that really is the only point of interest. The way that the film plays out is far too serious given the silliness of it, and by the time it ended I was thoroughly bored! Not recommended.
Add another review
