Someone is murdering the great chefs..... I mean someone is murdering the patients in one of psychiatrist Klaus Kinski's therapy groups. These attacks are preceded by threats of shooting and executed by stabbings.

This should be a short in which cop Joe Regalbutto pulls out the handcuffs, arrests Kinski, and that's it. This being feature film, we need to spend some time getting to know the victims and dragging a few red herrings across the bloodhounds' path. Given the title, one expects foreboding music, a few dark-lit Dutch angle shots, and a last minute revelation. The movie delivers, but in such a mechanical fashion that I wasn't impressed.

With Christopher Lloyd as Gilbert.

Newspaper advice columnist Julie (Marianna Hill) receives anonymous threatening letters. She's divorcing Doug. She attends a therapy group run by Pieter Fales (Klaus Kinski). His building has a new handyman (Christopher Lloyd). Female members of the group start getting murdered.

Non of the women are compelling and that includes the lead character. Her acting is rather stiff. The general level of acting is inferior with some outright bad. The women are nothing more than gristle for the meat grinder. It's one after another and non of it is exciting or scary. The big black guy following her into the elevator is meant to be scary but his innocence is never in doubt. Each kill unfolds without any energy. Pieter would function better if all his creepiness is kept hidden from the audience. Doug has one really bad overacting scene. All in all, it's repetitive and boring.

Newspaper advice columnist Julie (a fine and appealing performance by Marianna Hill) receives death threats in the mail from a mysterious person. Meanwhile, the female members of a therapy group run by peculiar psychiatrist Pieter Fales (a surprisingly restrained portrayal by a hilariously miscast Klaus Kinski) are being bumped off by a scissors-wielding maniac. Are these two things connected? Writer/director David Paulsen relates the compelling story at a steady pace, generates a reasonable amount of tension, delivers a satisfying sliver of bare distaff skin, and makes good use of the gritty urban locations. Alas, Paulsen skimps on the gore and Kinski is less than convincing as a womanizing heel. Moreover, Craig Huxley's overdone quivery synthesizer score proves to be more distracting than effective. Fortunately, the sturdy cast holds the picture together: Donna Wilkes as Pieter's troubled estranged daughter Alison, Craig Wasson as Julie's morose, yet amiable ex-husband Doug, Richard Herd as jaded homicide detective Donahue, Joe Regalbuto as Donahue's more sensitive partner Jake, and Christopher Lloyd as creepy handyman Gilbert. Norman Leigh's glossy cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. A rather flawed, but overall pretty solid and enjoyable little flick.