The Perfume of the Lady in Black

Barely a murder mystery at all. A chemist begins to unravel psychologically, haunted by visions of a woman in black who may be her dead mother, and the film tracks her slow collapse until the horror underneath surfaces in a shocking final act.

It is closer to Repulsion than to a standard giallo, patient and dread-soaked, with a nasty sting waiting at the end for anyone lulled by the slow build. Mimsy Farmer is superb as the unravelling lead.

A psychological horror film wearing giallo clothes, and one of the cycle's best-kept secrets.