Color, 1973, 85 mins. 10 secs.
Directed by Jesús García de Dueñas
Starring Lola Flores, James Philbrook, Teresa Rabal, David Carpenter, Maria Rohm
Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray) (US R0 HD) / WS (1.85:1) (16:9)
Based on the title and the 
artwork, you would immediately assume that the Spanish thriller El asesino no está solo (The Killer Is Not Alone) is one of 
the country's numerous 1970s attempts to mimic the gialli pouring out of Italy at a breakneck pace. What you actually get is a little trickier to pin down as it's more of a study in warped male psychology a la Killer of Dolls, Cannibal Man, etc., and what would later become a slasher subset throughout the '80s. Featuring a score blatantly pilfering The Frightened Woman and that melancholy, overcast atmosphere that made Spanish '70s films so compelling, it's a fascinating one-off feature from film critic and TV specialist Jesús García de Dueñas who gives the steady pacing and characterization an odd atmosphere that makes it stand out from the pack.
In the red light district of the Spanish city Avilés, a prostitute (Rohm) with ginormous shoes is stalked by and brings home a young, well-dressed trick, Julio (Murder in a Blue World's Carpenter), who responds to her verbal barbs by bloodily strangling her with a piano wire. Against the backdrop of Spain's Holy Week, he flees to Madrid and we find out that he's the son of a respected businessman and has major psychological issues 
stemming from his 
childhood. Despite attempts to lay low, Julio stands out at the boarding house he's chosen for cover and, faster than you can say Peeping Tom, continues his murderous activities while getting uncomfortably close to Mónica (Viridiana's Rabal), daughter of the landlady (Flores). In between romantic idylls involving rhinoceros spotting, will Mónica become his next victim?
A seemingly straightforward story about a boyish psycho on the verge of capture is often given an unexpected grace note during the running time here, including some hallucinatory kink sequences and unexpected editing choices that turn something as simple as a family dinner into something quite queasy. The actual horror content here is fairly restrained after the gory opening scene, with cinematographer Fernando Arribas (The Blood Spattered Bride) focusing more on dreamy visuals and striking shots of the countryside. This may not click entirely with newcomers to Spanish horror, but if you've been around that block a few times, there's a lot here to savor.
Never theatrically released in the U.S. and impossible to see for decades outside of fan-subbed bootlegs, The Killer Is Not Alone finally came to Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro in their usual pattern of a limited red case edition followed by a general retail one (the only difference with the former being the inclusion of a reversible 
sleeve and a booklet with an essay by Ismael 
Fernandez). The presentation here looks very satisfying and about on par with some of the strongest Spanish genre restorations in recent years; some scenes appear to have a lighter and paler look than others as you can see from the grabs here, but when it needs to look rich and colorful, it delivers. The DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono Spanish track sounds excellent and features good, newly improved English subtitles. A new audio commentary by Troy Howarth and Rod Barnett is as informative as you'd expect (and quite funny at times) as they cover the backgrounds of the actors, note the numerous Spanish horror connections, grapple with how to classify this including its semi-giallo classification, and dive into other thrillers and horror films revolving around similar ideas. "The Psycho-Killers of Late Francoism" (23m20s) is a new interview with Ángel Sala director of the Sitges Film Festival, about the loosening of allowing horrific deeds to be shown on Spanish turf by this point, the growing inspiration of the giallo, some rare gems from the era to seek out, and this film's own unique take on sexual repression and Holy Week iconography. The original trailer is also included.
Reviewed on May 15, 2025
artwork, you would immediately assume that the Spanish thriller El asesino no está solo (The Killer Is Not Alone) is one of the country's numerous 1970s attempts to mimic the gialli pouring out of Italy at a breakneck pace. What you actually get is a little trickier to pin down as it's more of a study in warped male psychology a la Killer of Dolls, Cannibal Man, etc., and what would later become a slasher subset throughout the '80s. Featuring a score blatantly pilfering The Frightened Woman and that melancholy, overcast atmosphere that made Spanish '70s films so compelling, it's a fascinating one-off feature from film critic and TV specialist Jesús García de Dueñas who gives the steady pacing and characterization an odd atmosphere that makes it stand out from the pack.stemming from his childhood. Despite attempts to lay low, Julio stands out at the boarding house he's chosen for cover and, faster than you can say Peeping Tom, continues his murderous activities while getting uncomfortably close to Mónica (Viridiana's Rabal), daughter of the landlady (Flores). In between romantic idylls involving rhinoceros spotting, will Mónica become his next victim?sleeve and a booklet with an essay by Ismael Fernandez). The presentation here looks very satisfying and about on par with some of the strongest Spanish genre restorations in recent years; some scenes appear to have a lighter and paler look than others as you can see from the grabs here, but when it needs to look rich and colorful, it delivers. The DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono Spanish track sounds excellent and features good, newly improved English subtitles. A new audio commentary by Troy Howarth and Rod Barnett is as informative as you'd expect (and quite funny at times) as they cover the backgrounds of the actors, note the numerous Spanish horror connections, grapple with how to classify this including its semi-giallo classification, and dive into other thrillers and horror films revolving around similar ideas. "The Psycho-Killers of Late Francoism" (23m20s) is a new interview with Ángel Sala director of the Sitges Film Festival, about the loosening of allowing horrific deeds to be shown on Spanish turf by this point, the growing inspiration of the giallo, some rare gems from the era to seek out, and this film's own unique take on sexual repression and Holy Week iconography. The original trailer is also included.