The name Umberto Lenzi is not one normally associated with the stylish and sexy giallis of his time, but rather the Italian cannibal genre -- in particular, Cannibal Ferox and the film he coined his best, Man From Deep River. With that in mind, one would almost expect his 1972 giallo, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, to be heavy on the sleaze. The opening scene would seem to indicate as much -- we watch a group of prostitutes trying to score with random Johns and one ends up in the bushes. However, instead of finishing the trick, she's viciously attacked and left for dead. But that's about as grotesque and frantic as things get in Orchids, which ends up being filled with bits and pieces of genre savvy but essentially falls flat because of its story and uneven pacing -- especially during act two, which is interminable.

This is just one of the things that tends to infuriate me about Lenzi though -- false starts and narrative apathy. For example, pseudo occult symbolism becomes a major part of the plot, but when the meanings are revealed they're as disappointing as the killer turns out to be. This probably shouldn't be surprising. Lenzi is, after all, the director who did an amputated limb scene where the victim just had the cut off appendage buried in the sand. He's always been known for taking a few shortcuts in his work. While Orchids doesn't suffer from the same kind of laziness and is actually well made from a Lenzi standpoint -- it just doesn't make the mark and plays it safe. It's a very textbook-like example of the giallo form.

Newlyweds Mario and Giulia find themselves caught in the middle of a mystery when a killer starts murdering seemingly unrelated women. The young couple is forced to unravel the case on their own when Giulia becomes a target and the police can't seem to catch the killer. The amateur sleuths' main clue is the killer's calling card -- a weird crescent-shaped object covered with zodiac symbols left at every crime scene. Can they stop the killer before he strikes again or is Mario destined to be a widower before his honeymoon is over?

I've read reviews in the past praising Orchids as a fine example of the krimi films -- similar to What Have They Done to Solange. The difference for me though is the characters -- Antonio Sabato (yes, father of soap opera star Antonio Sabato Jr.) is totally miscast. He's not the tough guy that krimis are known for -- instead he's far too pretty and as wooden as a coffin. That coupled with the lack of sleaze and grit makes Orchids about as close to a krimi as peanut butter is to jelly. During its release the film was heavily marketed as a krimi because it was a co-production between West Germany and Italy -- but aside from this technicality, it's a shoddy example of the genre. The investigation is completely inept, the cop is not someone we're rooting for and the plot becomes so convoluted at times I simply lost interest. Not even the gorgeous Marina Malfatti could distract me from the blandness of it all. Her death scene was incredibly well shot and pretty brilliant, but I'm hesitant to give it away because it's one of the only reasons to watch the film. Luckily it's early on so you won't have to sit through the whole thing if you become as bored as I was.

On the plus side, Lenzi's scene compositions are technically sound, the editing is good, and he manages to really capture the typical giallo ambiance in the early stages of the film (the shots of the killer are nice and his use of light and shadows is good too). His direction isn't flashy, but it's effective and it never draws attention to itself -- which would have been great if he'd had a better story and more likable characters. Riz Ortolani has achieved another fine score in Orchids, which is dark and seductive.

Ultimately, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids is one of Lenzi's more technically accomplished films, but all the directorial competence in the world can't save a movie with a miscast leading man and a meandering second act. It's a shame, because the opening and ending of Orchids are decent -- but neither is good enough to overcome a bloated and unfocused middle that feels like it goes on forever. Hardcore giallo fans will probably want to watch this just so they can say they've seen it, but for a more casual viewer, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids isn't worth the effort.