
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
1971

A Fashion House of Models… Becomes a Terror House of Blood!
Isabella, a young model, is murdered by a mysterious masked figure at a fashion house in Rome. When her diary, which details the house employees' many vices, disappears, the masked killer begins killing off all the models in and around the house to find it.

Isabella, a young model, is murdered by a mysterious masked figure at a fashion house in Rome. When her diary, which details the house employees' many vices, disappears, the masked killer begins killing off all the models in and around the house to find it.
Cameron MitchellMassimo Morlacchi
Eva BartokContessa Cristiana Cuomo
Thomas ReinerInspector Silvestri
Ariana GoriniNicole
Dante DiPaoloFranco Scalo
Mary ArdenPeggy Peyton
Franco ResselMarchese Riccardo Morelli
Claude DantesTao-Li
Luciano PigozziCesare Lazzarini
Lea LanderGreta
Giuliano RaffaelliZanchin
Harriet MedinClarissa
Heidi StrohBleach Blond Model
Enzo CerusicoGas Station Attendant
Calisto CalistiButler (uncredited)
Romano MoraschiniSuspect at Police Station (uncredited)
















When the glamorous model "Isabella" is found murdered, "Insp. Silvestri" (Thomas Reiner) is drafted in to investigate. Pretty quickly he discovers, as do we, that she kept a diary and it now becomes distinctly dangerous for anyone who has handled this book as the masked killer seems hell bent on retrieving it. There are suspects a-plenty for the killings, and an intriguing sub-lot between a penniless Marquis (Franco Ressel) being blackmailed for an alibi by the boyfriend of one of the deceased, makes the main plot a little more puzzling too. It packs quite a lot into ninety minutes and the story is peppered with red herrings but not in an Agatha Christie fashion. They are more plausible, the characterisations malevolent, duplicitous and back-stabbing and for much of this, we really have no idea who is committing these heinous crimes, nor why. The score is left in the reliable hands of Carlo Rustichelli and though the dialogue isn't that bad, it is this that works well to create a sense of menace - and mischief, as the investigation reaches it's denouement. Tangentially, it takes a swipe or two at the rather insincere worlds of modelling and fashion in general, and is easily as good as the best horror thrillers to emanate from Hammer. Despite the whole thing having something of an episode of "Columbo" to it, it's still worth a watch.
Availability for your region. Streaming data provided by JustWatch.

1971

1980

1978

1971

1972

1987

1997

1984

1975

1977

1972

1973

2017

1971

1967

1996

1948

1972

2023

1987