What 70's or 80's serial killer movie is this?

May 11, 2009 8:10 PM

Help me identify this 70s / 80s serial killer movie featuring a scene where a barber gives the detective a shave.

I saw this movie on TV when I was a kid, and I don't remember it terribly well, but the scene that sticks out in my mind is where the detective is getting a shave from a barber. The barber says something to the effect of, "they say this killer is a barber, but a barber would never hack them up like that. With a barber it would be nice long strokes. Yessiree, nice... long... strokes." As he says this he is shaving the detective's throat.

Also, I'm not sure if this is the same movie, but I vaguely remember the main plot being about a deaf or blind person who witnesses a crime, possibly a child. Beyond that, the movie is lost in the mist, I don't really remember an actor or anything else that would let me track it down on IMDB.

posted by whir to media & arts (5 comments total)

Is it the old, filmed theatrical version of Sweeney Todd? This is the bit where he's shaving the judge; putting the actors names in will help distinguish it from the newer one if you're looking for videos.
posted by cobaltnine at 8:17 PM on May 11, 2009

Blue Velvet ?
posted by eli_d at 8:17 PM on May 11, 2009

The Cat o' Nine Tails, from 1971? Read the first review. A maniac killer, a blind man, and a barber who shaves the detective's neck while griping about the fact that reporters are saying the killer might be a barber.
posted by iconomy at 9:11 PM on May 11, 2009

Thanks iconomy! I'm almost positive that it is Cat o' Nine Tails from the lengthy description on that Amazon review - the scene involving the barber matches up exactly, and the auxiliary blind character also comports to my memory of the movie. I had no idea it was Argento.
posted by whir at 9:46 PM on May 11, 2009

Cool! There's another good description here, along with a photo of Franciscus being shaved, which may jog your memory. Also, Youtube has a few shorts and trailers you could check out, just to be 100% sure.
posted by iconomy at 10:09 PM on May 11, 2009