Inspector Peretti (giallo regular George Hilton) investigates a series of brutal murders, which begins with a man being decapitated by a large digger. The most graphic is a young woman being butchered by a buzz saw & the DVD case proudly displays this on it's cover. It is also uncut. This would have been very gory for 1972 but these days it is relatively tame. Probably the most shocking scene involves a nude young girl, full frontal. Plot wise it is quite complex and very heavy on dialogue, those watching it purely for it's gore will probably being reaching for the FFWD button. However the finale, when the killer is revealed, is excellent. Perhaps this is a film that would benefit from a repeat viewing.

While investigating the gruesome murder of an insurance adjuster, Inspector Luca Peretti (George Hilton) begins to unravel the unsolved kidnapping and murder of a young girl. Meanwhile, a killer proceeds to bump off anyone who might be able to help Luca with vital clues.My Dear Killer opens with a hilarious decapitation scene, the victim grabbed by the scoop of a mechanical dredger and hoisted into the air, his head popping off as a result. It's a hugely entertaining way to start proceedings, but then the plot kicks in and things start to drag. Numerous shifty characters and an overly complex storyline make My Dear Killer more of a chore than many a giallo; consequently, boredom and confusion are never far away, lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on the unwary viewer.Director Tonino Valerii attempts to compensate for his over-elaborate narrative by incorporating a slew of classic giallo trappings and just a little exploitative content: a gloved killer, haunting music (by Ennio Morricone), children's drawings, numerous mean-spirited deaths and a smattering of topless nudity from a couple of babes, plus one gratuitous and rather controversial shot guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows. The result is still a bit of a hard slog, but at least there are a few moments that should please die-hard fans of the genre.

Laid-back in terms of investigating goings-on, but otherwise a decent textbook giallo. Once again a bit more unsettling then others because it involves the death of a child. All ingredients are present (exept for the foreigner doing the investigating): a few bloody killings, a black-gloved killer, a decent whodunit/investigation-plot, a bit of occasional female nudity,... Of course, the re-dubbing isn't the best and the acting is fairly wooden, but we forgive any giallo for that, don't we? Good thing was that this time I didn't guess who the killer was. In fact, I wasn't really looking for the killer along with the detective. I was way too amused for that, with seeing how one clue lead to another several times. I did think that the killer's motivations were a bit weak though. But at any rate, if you're a fan of gialli, this should be another one worth seeing.

The British DVD edition of this one promises "giallo" fare of the most menacing, gory and misogynistic kind, but actually it is -- despite a pretty ridiculous decapitation and the infamous buzz saw scene which lasts about two and a half seconds -- a pretty meek affair, not even a "giallo", and far from depravity despite another infamous scene with a naked child girl -- well, you might have seen one before. "My Dear Killer" is alright in terms of characterization, especially in the scenes between Inspector Peretti (George Hilton) and his spouse (Marilu Tolo), competently directed, quite thrilling, but shares the problem of so many Italian movies of the same period: The script builds tension to the max, but can't deliver. Actually, it's nothing more than an Agatha Christie rip-off with some pseudo-gritty moments and a dull conclusion reminiscent of Hercule Poirot's most gammy moments. The biggest sleaze factor of the movie is Hilton's moustache: Those were the seventies.