Originally titled La Casa Della Paura/The House of Fear, The Girl in Room 2A is American director William Rose’s 1974 giallo. Produced by Dick Randall, the man behind the infamous Pieces and Don’t Open‘Til Christmas, it’s his entry into the Italian thriller boom of the 1970’s that was spearheaded by Dario Argento with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.
Beautiful Margaret Bradley (Daniela Giordano) has just been released from jail on a trumped-up drug charge and is sent to live at a boarding house run by a mysterious woman named Mrs. Grant (Giovanna Galetti). Mrs. Grant has a middle-aged son, Frank (Angelo Infanti) who has taken a shine to the new boarder. Settling into her new life, it isn’t long before this peaceful new home becomes a nightmare of hallucinations and nefarious goings on.
In one genuinely creepy scene, Margaret imagines being back in jail when looking out the bedroom window and begins to cry only to have a man appear in her room out of nowhere. There is a plot involving a sadistic cult, a missing woman, and a stranger (John Scanlon) who may hold the key to everything that will bring Margaret to safety. Although, for a “murder mystery”, there really isn’t one and the only real mystery is finding out what is going on with this weird woman she lives with.
A low budget thriller, The Girl in Room 22A is shot in a very straight forward manner with very little stylistic flourish that typified the best gialli of the 1960’s and 70’s. The most interesting visual thing in the film is probably the red cape and costume worn by the head of the cult at the heart of the mystery of the film. The character looks like the Marquis De Sade via the blank faced assassin of Mario Bava’s Sei Donne Per L’assassino/Blood and Black Lace.
Berto Pisano’s score is often reminiscent of Ennio Morricone’s work in Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Once the plot ramps up, the music then sounds like something from a strange action film. I am going to assume this is two different scores fused together by the same composer. It just doesn’t feel cohesive at all, and it’s strangely comical in spots as well, turning a few physical altercations into Keystone Cops shorts.
A film full of gratuitous nudity and sex, The Girl in Room 22A is a decent giallo made by an American exploitation and soft-core porn filmmaker in Italy. Daniele Gioradano, a former Miss Italy, is decent in the lead role. She isn’t asked to do much besides look scared at times and just walk around and deliver some dialogue with no great emotional range. Giovanna Galetti however as the creepy Mrs. Grant is the real standout, her face is interesting to say the least, and she just has a very disquieting presence. The rest of the cast is adequate with only Raf Vallone (El Cid, The Godfather 3) and Rosalba Neri (Lady Frankenstein) in small parts bringing any star power to the proceedings.
The DVD from Mondo Macabro looks as good as the source elements will probably let it. The 1.85:1 anamorphic image is clear of any damage, but isn’t the sharpest I’ve seen. Color reproduction looks natural, with the previously mentioned red costume of the villain really standing out nicely in the darker scenes. Italian and English audio options are available with the English version synced to an Italian print of the film. There are brief segments that were removed from the English dub so these bits were never recorded. They revert to Italian language with English subtitles. The dialogue is always clear, but the Italian track is clearly the winner here. Although the film was shot in English, the Italian dub was done with more care.
The disc’s bonus features are scarce. A brief interview with Daniela Giordano is interesting and worthwhile. There is a text biography of William Rose on the disc that isn’t listed on the features, a trailer for the film, a selection of Mondo Macabro previews finishing up the extras.
If you are a fan of the giallo, this obscure film is a must see as it has a few interesting scenes and a really weird performance by Giovanna Galetti. For those who love Pieces and Don’t Open ‘Til Christmas, also available from Mondo Macabro, it’s worth checking out to see more of what interested Dick Randall as a filmmaker and producer. And in all reality, if you like naked women and violence check it out because that’s really who these films are made for.
Film Score 2.5/5 Disc Score 2.5/5
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