ll Coltello Di Ghiaccio (aka Knife Of Ice) (1972)

Set in Spain, a young mute woman (Carroll Baker) who lost her voice in a traumatic incident during her childhood lives with her seriously ill Uncle (George Rigaud) and a couple of servants. When a series of murders targets local women in the area, it might be the work of a satanic cult and the mute may be their next victim. Directed by Umberto Lenzi, this was the last of the four giallo films he made with Carroll Baker. A mute girl living alone in a large house taking care of an older invalid and a series of killings of young women with her a likely target. Sound familiar? Yes, this plays out like a giallo version of THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE. To the film's credit, it's unlikely you'll figure out the film's "twist" ending, it sure took me by surprise. It's a very well done thriller with only a modicum of violence. Indeed, the most graphically violent scene in the film is a bullfight done under the film's credits which is repugnant and serves no purpose in the film's narrative. The film's title is courtesy of Edgar Allan Poe, "Fear is like a knife of ice". With Franco Fantasia, Eduardo Fajardo and Silvia Monelli.