BADass SINema Unearthed - Blu-ray 4K UHD Review

Mario Bava’s thriller, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, is really where the Italian giallo began.  Yes, it is borrowing heavily from Hitchcock  But there is a breathless agility to its overall mystery that operates a bit more fantastical than Hitch dared as a young woman (Letícia Román), while vacationing in Italy, witnesses a brutal murder and, with the help of a handsome young doctor (John Saxon), launches her own investigation and uncovers a series of crimes known as the ‘Alphabet Murders,’ . . .

. . . only to realize that she may be next on the killer’s list.  Gulp. 

While gutted and trimmed by American International Pictures and made a bit more comical for American audiences (released as The Evil Eye in the United States), both versions of the movie share an undeniable truth: the Italian Giallo has arrived!

This simple film - sleek and stylish in crisp black-and-white photography - set the norms for this slasher sub-genre and quietly established the rule of the Italian made thriller.  The black gloves; the sexy women; the lurid photography; all and more can be found here as an American tourist, Nora Davis, finds herself at odds with the police and with a painting which seems to be looking at her (it is!!) as she undresses.

And that’s only the beginning. 

Shot and filmed around Rome by Bava himself, the setting for this mystery is absolutely gorgeous and detailed, providing a wonderful sense of texture to the squares and fountains in the city.  But there’s a dreadful sense of foreboding, too, especially when the young woman discovers that her witnessing of a murder is questioned since there is no body to be found.

At her aunt's funeral, Nora meets a close friend of her aunt's, Laura Craven-Torrani, who lives in Piazza di Spagna. Laura is travelling to Switzerland the next day and offers Nora to stay in her house. At Laura's, Nora comes across newspaper clippings about the "Alphabet Killer", a serial killer whose victims have been murdered in alphabetical order by surname. The killer has already murdered three women whose last names begin with "A", "B" and "C". The latest victim was Laura's sister, who was killed ten years earlier in front of Laura's house. Nora receives a telephone call, in which an anonymous caller taunts her by saying that "'D' is for death".

Suddenly, her whole world is called into question. 

The Girl Who Knew Too Much is easily one of Bava’s most entertaining films.  It is also his most overlooked film as it relies on one too many coincidences.  Yet, the film works to create a sense of playful fun as Nora finds herself confessing her anxieties to Dr. Marcello Bassi (Saxon), who was treating her now-deceased Aunt. 

With clever camera angles and a great sense of location, The Girl Who Knew Too Much arrives on blu-ray (with your choice of which version to watch) thanks to Shout Factory as it is now a part of The Mario Bava Collection.

Shout Factory Exclusive / Limited Deluxe Edition / Blu-ray - 2,500 copies

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - July 31, 2025
Screen Formats: 1.66:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Video: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Twelve-disc set
Region Encoding: blu-ray locked to Region A

Blu-ray Specifications: Nora Davis (Letícia Román) jets away to Rome to vacation with Edith, an old family friend. Unfortunately, her trip is anything but relaxing. On the first night, Edith dies – and as Nora runs into the night for help, she becomes an eyewitness to a murder as she sees a woman stabbed to death on the Piazza di Spagna. Being a young woman with an insatiable appetite for murder mysteries, Nora can't get anyone to believe her story, but with the help of the attentive Dr. Marcello Bassi (John Saxon), she learns that a murder did occur on that very spot – 10 years earlier – when an unfortunate woman fell victim to the "Alphabet Murderer."

VIDEO

The film is presented with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer using an aspect ratio of 1.66:1.  The ambitious scale of Bava's atmospherics is represented in absorbing style with an image that is surprisingly clean given the age of the film, without any over-processing lending the picture an artificial appearance.  Certainly, despite the clarity of the presentation, the film is still allowed to breathe and retains a level of grain that ensures an authentic and credible appearance.  Even dark scenes are rarely problematic, with the blacks proving extremely solid, and the level of accuracy ensuring that this gothic masterpiece is visually absorbing throughout.

AUDIO

The uncompressed, LPCM 2.0 mono soundtracks are divided between each cut of the film – the AIP cut features an English dub and the Italian cut features an Italian dub.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• See Special Features below.

Special Features:

Mario Bava's The Girl Who Knew Too Much (La ragazza che sapeva troppo, 1963) is more than a stylish homage to the thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock. It was the first movie to show the influence of a distinctly Italian breed of thriller known as the "giallo" – named after a series of mystery pulps with yellow ("giallo") jackets published in Italy and renowned for their lurid cover art and attention to violent detail.  This release features both versions of the film, plus a commentary with Bill Bria, and trailers.

THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1.66:1, 86 MINUTES):

• Audio: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio Mono With English Subtitles
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Critic Bill Bria
• US Trailer
• Poster And Still Gallery

THE EVIL EYE (1.78:1, 92 Minutes):

• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono With English SDH Subtitles
• Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite 4K UHD Grade

The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1960)

MPAA Rating: unrated.
Runtime: 86 mins
Director: Mario Bava
Writer: Ennio De Concini
Cast: John Saxon; Letícia Román; Valentina Cortese
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Look deep into "THE EVIL EYE" and know the true meaning of fear!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Hey, beautiful. You got some shape on you, all right."
Theatrical Distributor: American International Pictures
Official Site: https://shoutfactory.com/products/the-mario-bava-collection-limited-deluxe-edition#
Release Date: May 20, 1964
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 31, 2025
Synopsis: A mystery novel-loving American tourist witnesses a murder in Rome, and soon finds herself and her suitor caught up in a series of killings.