The Sinister Monk
The Sinister Monk is a 1965 film from West Germany, directed by Harald Reinl, running 82 minutes. reelscum files it under krimi.
- Year
- 1965 · 1960s films
- Country
- West Germany
- Runtime
- 82 min
- Director
- Harald Reinl
- Updated
- 29 Oct 2026
- Obscurity
- cult (51/100)
Defined in the glossary: Krimi
A whip-wielding monk killing heiresses. Closest the krimi got to giallo.
One of the krimis that most resembles what Italy would do next. A whip-wielding killer in monk's robes murders the heiresses standing between a hidden villain and a fortune, and the film has more overt sadism and a stronger central menace than the average Wallace adaptation.
The theatrical costume, the elaborate method and the inheritance plot are the direct ancestors of the giallo's black-gloved killers. Klaus Kinski, a krimi regular, lurks in the cast. It is one of the more lurid entries.
The missing link between the German krimi and the Italian giallo, in one film.
Trailer
The numbers
Nobody has rated this yet. Be the first to make a claim you'll have to defend.
Your call
Where to watch
Legal options in USA
Links open in a new tab (↗). Availability data via TMDB and changes constantly, so confirm on the service. Legal options only. Checked 8 Nov 2026. All options ↗
Discuss with AI
Open a chatbot with a question about this film already typed out. Useful for a second opinion, plot detail, or where to find a copy.
On these lists
- Krimi: the German pulp thrillers
West Germany filmed most of Edgar Wallace in fog, with a hooded killer and a wildly overqualified cast. Comfort food with a body count.
Filed alongside
The Black Abbot
The standard-issue Wallace krimi. Hood, abbey, inheritance, fog.
The Inn on the River
The Rialto Wallace machine at full tilt: fog, a harpoon and Klaus Kinski looking guilty.
The Dead Eyes of London
Blind killers, insurance fraud, and the best fog in the series.
The Fellowship of the Frog
The first Rialto Wallace krimi, and the reason the other thirty exist.
The Creature with the Blue Hand
Kinski playing both twins and a killer's claw that snaps shut like a bear trap. The krimi going out swinging.
The Indian Scarf
Ten heirs in a Scottish castle, strangled one at a time. Kinski included.
The College Girl Murders
The point where the black-and-white krimi tips over into full-colour giallo delirium.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
The one usually called the first giallo. Still half a krimi.