Assault (1971)
After one schoolgirl is raped while taking a short cut through the local woods, and another is murdered in the same spot, a teacher from the school (Suzy Kendall) with the help of a local reporter (Freddie Jones) and policeman Frank Finlay, uses herself as bait to lure the perpetrator out. The idea than Kendall saw the devil in the woods adds an additional layer of creepiness
This British Giallo is great. It's full of possible suspects and red herrings as well as a couple of seedy point of view attacks on school girls in classic Giallo style. Suzy Kendall was an obvious choice for the lead having just come off Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) - Martino's Torso (1973) and Lenzi's Spasmo (1974) were still to come - and this lurid whodunit from Sydney Hayers is up there with the best of them.
There's an excellent supporting cast with Tony Beckley (It must be him, he's always done something wrong) and Anthony Ainley (Who comes across all charming and warm until he snarls and we understand why he got the gig as the Master in Doctor Who) among them.
The Blu-ray has been beautifully restored by Network and looks stunning.
Recommended.
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