The Girl Who Knew Too Much
Director: Mario Bava Run Time: 86 min. Format: 35mm Rating: NR Release Year: 1963 Language: Italian with English Subtitles
Starring: John Saxon, Letícia Román, Valentina Cortese
Mario Bava ignites the Giallo genre with his Rome murder mystery, THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. A 35mm presentation!
Considered to be the first Giallo, Mario Bava’s seminal film The Girl Who Knew Too Much (aka La ragazza che sapeva troppo) is a beautiful composition of a murder mystery meets horror movie. Nora is a young American visiting family in Rome when the shock of her Aunt’s sudden death sends her into the stormy night…and into her own whodunit. Her obsessive desire to prove that someone killed a young woman on the Spanish Steps involves a rather handsome detective (John Saxon) and a sequence of unfolding haunting events. (One scene in particular was reconstructed by Martin Scorsese in his remake of Cape Fear). As is typical with the Bava’s master cinematography and storytelling, The Girl Who Knew Too Much perfectly balances out the fright with humor and gorgeous imagery as it shows one of the first final girls in contemporary horror film.
Part of Nitehawk’s FINAL GIRL October program.