The third teaming of actress Carroll Baker with director Umberto Lenzi, yet another sex-and-murder soap opera made in Italy after Baker's Hollywood fortunes had dried up (temporarily, anyway). Here, Carroll is a racecar driver who cracks up on the track; she takes refuge with her handsome ex-husband, who has remarried a wealthy older woman with a daughter from a previous marriage. Double and triple crosses--as well as scenes featuring a nude, unblushing Baker--are in abundance, yet the 'shocking' plot taxes one's patience, particularly since the characters are so vapid. Excellent point-of-view cinematography from the driver's seat lends the narrative far more excitement than the guessing game of who is sleeping with who. ** from ****

Umberto Lenzi and Carroll Baker made quite the giallo duo. Their 1969 pairing Orgasmo had been released internationally as Paranoia and this film, known as Paranoia in Italy, was retitled A Quiet Place to Kill. That's not the end of the confusion, as this year Severin will release this on their Lenzi/Baker box set and Mondo Macabro also released An Ideal Place to Kill, another Lenzi film that you may also know as Oasis of Fear.

Would it simplify things if we used this movie's Spanish title Una Droga Llamada Helen (A Drug Named Helen)?

Baker plays race car driving Helen, whose life is beyond a mess. How else can you explain why she'd accept an invitation from her ex-husband's new wife Constance Sauvage to stay at their palatial home? And what if Helen and Constance soon bond over the fact that they hate Maurice (Jean Sorel, The Sweet Body of Deborah) and murder him on a sailing trip?

Of course, this being a giallo, things don't work out that well and Constance ends up dying at sea. Her daughter shows up and that's when things get worse for all involved. This is a classy giallo, filled with lush camerawork and a solid script from Marcello Coscia (The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue),Bruno Di Geronimo (What Have You Done to Solange?),Rafael Romero Marchent (the director of Santo vs. Dr. Death) and Marie Claire Solleville (Orgasmo).

Helping out on this film's cinematography? None other than Aristide Massaccesi himself, the man of many names who most know as Joe D'Amato.

I was somewhat confused as it appears that Italian director Umberto Lenzi, who will always be known in my book for his notorious cannibal flicks, has two movies that share the same alternative title, and they were only made one year apart. Even on the disc extra he seems a little confused himself when talking about it! Anyway, this Paranoia is not a horror movie, Furthermore there is no unknown killer, we know who the killer is, but the police don't. So I'd be hard pressed to call this a genuine Giallo, though it certainly has some traits of that sub-genre. As is so typical of Italian movies from this time Paranoia is stunningly beautiful, every scene is like a piece of art. Accompanied by beautiful naked women, fast cars, bottles of J&B whiskey and a jazzy soundtrack this is a very cool movie, with some great plot twists and turns One of the highlights is a fast car ride along a winding road with sharp hair pin turns and sheer drops into the sea. It actually made my palms sweat! Great movie.