Death Packs a Suitcase (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Jesús FrancoRelease Date(s)
1972 (October 14, 2025)Studio(s)
Central Cinema Company/Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica/Tele-Cine Film (Kino Cult #38)- Film/Program Grade: C
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Jess Franco directed films in a number of genres but he’s best known for horror and erotic pictures. Usually low-budget or B movies, they tend to prioritize exploitation over plot. In the Spanish-German Death Packs a Suitcase (also known as Der Todesracher von Soho), Franco ventures into the realm of whodunits.
In foggy London, a black-gloved serial killer packs the suitcases of his victims before murdering them with a dagger. This modus operandi seems far-fetched but sets up an intriguing mystery. Who would go to such trouble rather than simply snuff out the victim? Chief inspector Sir John (Siegfried Schurenberg) of Scotland Yard assigns detective Ruppert Redford (Fred Williams) to the case. Redford, puzzled by the details of the killings, enlists the aid of famous crime novelist Charles Barton (Horst Tappert). With each man working from a different perspective, they become an investigative “odd couple.”
Death Packs a Suitcase is based on a popular series of German crime thrillers from the 1960s and early 1970s inspired by the works of British author Edgar Wallace and his son Bryan Edgar Wallace. Filmed in Spain, it contains giveaways that clearly show the location is not London. Cars drive on the right side of the road rather than the left. Special effects attempt to replicate London’s heavy fog but tight camera work avoiding wide establishing shots gives away the ruse. Architecture is Spanish, not British, and streets look typically Spanish.
The plot is so labyrinthine, it’s often unintelligible but the film looks great. Franco uses lots of low-angle shots and odd perspectives that give it an eccentric sensibility. He doesn’t rely on zooms to save time and money as he does in many of his films, preferring to incorporate tracking shots. One especially imaginative composition is a scene set in front of a mirror that reflects the action taking place behind a character. Another shot looks up at several levels of a building as its staircase spirals up. Red light bathes the screen in a critical sequence, and backlighting silhouettes a character at the end of a tunnel. Hazy outdoor photography attempts to convey London’s foggy streets.
The main problem with the film is its convoluted plot, with an abundance of red herrings and suspects and a tendency to veer into sub-plots that are never resolved. Motivations of the murderer are never made clear. Is the killer motivated by jealousy or greed or simply story-telling convenience?
Those familiar with Franco’s exploitation films will find him surprisingly restrained in Death Packs a Suitcase. There’s only one brief scene of female semi-nudity (I guess Franco couldn’t resist) and no gore or profusion of blood. Perhaps Franco wanted to show that he could focus on story and characters, leaving the gruesome stuff behind.
The film starts intriguingly enough, but soon gets bogged down in extraneous digression. For a mystery, there’s so little sustained suspense that viewer engagement is undermined. There are a few touches of humor, but they seem awkward and strained. The characters have some interesting traits, but they can’t carry a plot that isn’t sure if it’s primarily a murder mystery, a satire of one, or an experiment by the director. The film’s low budget is reflected in its rudimentary production design, speedy shoot, and inconsistent performances.
Death Packs a Suitcase was shot by director of photography Manuel Merino on 35mm Eastmancolor film with spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The Blu-ray features an aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The broad color palette ranges from darker clothing hues for mysterious characters and brighter tones for Redford’s attire and the dresses of the women. Clarity is excellent and details are well pronounced, as in a pair of diamond and emerald earrings, women’s hairdos, a garish smoking jacket, and wallpaper patterns. The cinematographer is interesting and varied and includes scenes shot from unusual angles, long tracking shots, and atmospheric nightscapes. A day-for-night scene has a bluish cast.
The soundtrack is German 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. English subtitles are an option. Dialogue is clear and distinct, though actors often speak rapidly. The English subtitles are a must unless you understand German. Sound effects include gunfire, echoing voices in a tunnel, soft tinny music from an organ grinder, and daggers hitting victims’ backs. Rolf Kuhn’s jazz score gives the film a Peter Gunn vibe as Inspector Redford tries to identify the killer.
The only bonus material on the Region A Blu-ray release from Kino Cult (#38 in the line) is an audio commentary by film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. They discuss many of the actors in the cast, both principals and supporting players, providing brief career overviews for each. Many of the actors in Death Packs a Suitcase have appeared in other Jess Franco films. The opening views of London are stock footage. The director is listed as “Jess Frank,” a variation on Franco’s name. To accommodate a low budget, the film’s shooting schedule was only 20 days. The commentators agree that “a lot in the movie doesn’t make much sense,” but point out inventive, striking photographic compositions. Franco is at his best when he’s not constrained by narrative. His visuals are arresting and “fun to look at.” Because the rights to Edgar Wallace’s stories were held by others, Franco looked to works by his son, Bryan Edgar Wallace, hoping to capitalize on the Wallace name. Though a number of scenes in Death Packs a Suitcase drag on and on, they have a “hypnotic quality.” The love of pulp fiction was very much a part of Jess Franco’s DNA. The actors have a degree of range that they don’t always have a chance to show off. After completing Death Packs a Suitcase, Franco went on to work with other producers.
As Jess Franco films go, Death Packs a Suitcase is far from his best. In taking on this detective mystery, he conscientiously avoids the gore and nudity that are trademarks of his sex thrillers. Though the picture boasts some interesting, creative photography, it can’t compensate for the shortcomings of the screenplay by Franco and Artur Brauner. The film is so confusing and packed with unnecessary characters and sub-plots that it’s difficult to follow the narrative.
- Dennis Seuling