Paul Naschy once again knows what the people want by writing and starring in this over the top giallo full of murder, twists, sleaze, and transvestite roller coast shoot outs.Paul is a burly cigar chewing cop who likes to slap perps about, and is given a new case: that of tracking down a killer who is wasting the city's undesirables types, including junkies and hookers. Every time a corpse is discovered, a glass dragonfly is also found at the scene. I thought it was cool that Paul was allowed to keep these on the wall of his living room for some reason, but then his wife Erika Blanc ended up doing most of the work anyway, so maybe it was best she kept an eye on the stuff.Of course, polite society gets involved and it turns out they have just as many vices as those unclean types. Paul's friends turn out to be just as bad, what with the professor who is a necrophile who likes to have strippers lie in coffins, then there's the confusing love dodecahedron involving everyone else Paul knows, except the gay guy, because being gay is enough to have you killed in a film like this. Needless to say someone Paul knows is the killer, but as the body's pile up, can he unveil the killer before the killings get closer to home?The killer is dressed in the usual gialli uniform - black gloves, comfortable shoes, comfy socks, and has quite the collection of weapons at his (or her!) disposal. People are attacked with axes, umbrellas with spring loaded blades, knives and such like, but the blood is kept subtle. Nudity isn't however, which will keep you awake between the murder scenes.My absolute favourite bit was when Paul somehow uncovered a drug ring and the gang leader, fresh from doing a transvestite show, realises the cops are arriving on the scene, takes the time to dress back up in drag again before getting on a roller coaster and firing a gun blindly while on the ride. Simply delightful. This is also a film that isn't too concerned about how life like the dummies are, which makes things funnier. If a bad Paul Naschy film exists, I haven't seen it yet. Another daft winner!

A Dragonfly For Each Corpse seems at first glance to be a by-the-numbers copy of the Italian type of giallo, incorporating most of its tropes, but there are enough deviations from the formula that make it one of the better films in its genre. At the center of this film lies the cliché of the puritan-killer, a negative altruist who believes he or she is making the world a better place by ridding it of the morally impure. Akin to the antagonist in Lucio Fulci's 1972 masterpiece Don't Torture a Duckling, the murderer in Dragonfly is even more vicious, although the psychological motivation ultimately isn't as rich, layered or political as in Duckling. Naschy portrays the police investigator assigned to the case, and his character is about as far from Waldemar Daninsky as you're ever likely to see. It's wonderful to see Naschy portraying the cop in one giallo immediately after playing the red herring in the previous one (Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll). Donning a big bushy mustache (hubba-hubba!) and perpetually puffing a fat cigar, Naschy plays Inspector Scaporella to the hilt; and as screenwriter, Naschy serves up a slice of Milanese life that runs the gamut from the posh high-end aristocrats to the low-life street scum, and the red light districts that they frequent. Even though it's a trope of the genre as a whole, Naschy and Klimovsky display a particularly strong contempt for humanity in this giallo – no strata of people are left unscathed, unlike in the films of uber-Marxist Fulci, whose compassion always lies with the salt of the earth. But what Naschy does that I've never seen in an Italian giallo is give so much life to the protagonist's love interest. Mrs. Scaporella, played by genre-icon Erika Blanc, decides to try and solve the murders on her own, but what's Mrs. Scaporella's motivation to solve the crimes before her husband does? Could she be involved in the murders in some way? Though certainly no Nick and Nora Charles, Inspector and Mrs. Scaporella make a great pair, and it's ultimately the performances of Naschy and Blanc that qualify Dragonfly as a good movie. They and their banter help elevate this bloody body count of a film to one of the best Naschy (and Klimovsky) ever made. Very hard to find a copy of this, but it's out there and worth searching for.

A "vigilante" of sorts is killing the corrupt citizens of Manila because he feels he has to clean up the city. Pimps, drug addicts, prostitutes. and homosexuals become his prime targets.Paul Naschy plays a hard-shelled, tough detective assigned to the case. He soon realizes the killer may be closer to him than he thinks.A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE is a surprisingly well-made giallo that is filled with red herrings! You never really guess who the killer is until the last frame, and even then you may be wrong. Paul Naschy delivers a wonderful performance as the detective. It's a far cry from his "Waldemar Daninsky" films. He manages to pull it off successfully. Although his character may seem corrupt, he really isn't. He just wants to make the city a safe place. The way he pulls of a hard-nosed role while displaying empathy at the same time only further cements his capability as an actor. Erika Blanc (Devil's Nightmare, Kill Baby Kill!) is equally good in her role as Naschy's girlfriend. Typically, she portrays characters with a lot of sensuality. She still does this in this film, but also shows her fans that she is quite capable of playing a more serious, mature role this time around.A few of the death scenes were very well-done, and are quite unsettling. The ending is suspense-packed up until the final frame. A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE is a wonderful attention to any Naschy fans library. It's rather difficult to track down, though. However, you can acquire a legitimate bootleg copy from horrortheatervideo.com. Check it out if you are a huge fan of Naschy (like myself).

This is a typically looney Paul Naschy take on the giallo. It has some gory deaths, nice ladies, and totally whacked out dialogue and characters. However, this is not an easy film for Naschy fans (like myself) to find. There was a very early 80's release (about 1980/81) on Video Unlimited which was excellent quality (but full-screen)and uncut: not surprising that it is VERY RARE and highly sought after by collectors/fans.