Doctor Craig Mannings is having visions where he sees himself killing women, but he slowly realises he's actually seeing through the eyes of a killer. What happens to be link? Low-budget psychotic thriller (with a touch of Giallo) that's bizarre and seedy, but not in an exploitative sense… favouring European atmospherics and erotica than all-out crass and graphic exploitation. That's not say there aren't any sleazy and trash elements, but there's a certain style and chic to the production that lifts it up a notch. One thing that sticks with you is Ennio Morricone's layered music score. Emotional, simmering and truly unsettling. This complements Michael Moriarty's dual performance of two extremes. This two-sided turn is a magnificent blend of confidently underplayed and insanely creepy. Moriarty is a joy to watch, especially when he comes face to face with himself. This is where the tension arises, as a viewer we know what might happen while the characters are playing the chase up game. Moriarty playing the evil twin role simply got under my skin and the acts of violence handed out by this character are merciless. The twist when it comes is nightmarish, but the ending paints a very haunting suggestion that gives the film an effective sting because of its convincing performances. Nice touches by director Albert De Martino. Writing-wise there can be some inconsistent patterns (mainly past developments and character motivations), but it feels more like a mood piece with our two central characters (Moriarty superbly at work) interacting. One wanting to help, while the other wants no such thing. There's real solid support by Penelope Milford (who's fantastic in the very final scene), Geraldine Fitzgerald and quick cameo part for Cameron Mitchell.

"Blood Link" is such a disappointment in just about every area you can think of. Even the great film music composer Ennio Morricone can't muster much enthusiasm in his role. For starters, the movie is really slow- moving. If the characters were a lot smarter, things would have run more quickly and smoothly. And the character's dumbness leads to a number of unanswered questions. While Michael Moriarty has given good performances in the past, he seems too wimpish as the good twin, and not psychotic enough in the role as the evil twin. Did I find anything entertaining about the movie? Well, part of the movie was filmed in places familiar to me, and it was fun recognizing these locations. And there is an unintentionally funny sequence when the meek Michael Moriarty beats up Cameron Mitchell. But the rest of the movie is a tough slog.

Blood Link is a German and Italian co-production; although it was clearly made for an American audience. The film has got itself in with the 'Giallo' style that had it's heyday in Italy during the seventies; although the reason for that is probably merely down to the fact that it's directed by Alberto De Martino; as despite some Giallo elements, I wouldn't call this film a Giallo on the whole. Blood Link is more of a psychological thriller that takes in themes relating to psychology and a psychic link between two people. Craig Mannings and his girlfriend are doctors trying to create a new way of exploring pain and dreams. Craig decides to test the new methods on himself but ends up finding a way into his presumed dead ex-Siamese twin brother's conscience. He discovers that his brother is living in Hamburg and murdering people; but this doesn't stop him from going to Hamburg and tracking him down. When he arrives in Hamburg, the killings continue until the inevitable meeting between the two brothers.Michael Moriarty has had an interesting career; the highlight of which for me is his role in Larry Cohen's excellent 'The Stuff'. His performance here is not quite as over the top, but it is rather more impressive. Moriarty is not an obvious choice for the lead role in a film like this; but he fits into it excellently and makes both characters he plays very believable. The film is interesting throughout and several good ideas are explored; not least the idea of a psychic link between two brothers that used to share a physical link, but there's also some good ideas relating to the sexuality of the 'bad' twin. There's a few murders scenes; none of them particularly bloody or over the top but good enough and fitting within the movie. Cameron Mitchell's aging wrestler's character has a highlight scene in that respect. The film manages to stay interesting for the duration and it all boils down to a suitably dark and compelling conclusion. The premise of the movie is similar to David Cronenberg's later Dead Ringers; and while the latter is the better film, there's lots to like here and Blood Link is certainly worth a look.

A man shares a psychic link with his siamese twin brother who he thought perished in a fire but has actually become a serial killer in Berlin, Germany (don't ya hate it when that happens?). This is kind of an interesting movie, not good necessarily but interesting. Basically its a latter-day Italian giallo except that it is a German co-production with American actors, it has a slightly bigger budget than usual, and it was apparently not post-synced. It was also made at a time when big-budget Hollywood films were actually beginning to imitate Italian gialli instead of just the reverse. In fact, the two films it borrows most liberally from--Brian DePalma's "Sisters" and the John Carpenter-scripted "Eyes of Laura Mars"--were themselves very heavily influenced by gialli making this film a kind of trans-Atlantic cinematic feedback.The acting is very good. Michael Moriarity plays dual roles as the protagonist and his psychopathic brother. Cameron Mitchell has a pretty decent cameo as an aging prize fighter. Penelope Milford is also pretty good. The script has Milford and all the other women in this movie generously shedding their clothes, even though doing so often requires their characters to be unbelievably stupid. One woman goes to bed with the identical twin of a man who she has just watched beat her elderly father to death, even though she really only has his own word that he is in fact the twin. Milford herself basically lets the homicidal brother rape her in an ill-conceived effort to save her unfaithful boyfriend from a murder charge. The ending might be an interesting attempt to explore the same psychological and metaphysical ground touched on in "Sisters" or the later David Cronenberg movie "Dead Ringers", or it could be just another sorry excuse to show Milford naked--hard to tell with these kind of movies. An interesting film though, especially for Michael Moriarty and/or giallo fans.