The streaming services Shudder added a number of Giallos to their line-up in recent weeks and my sweetie-wife and I put several on the queue for watching. This week it was 1973’s The Corruption of Chris Miller starring Jean Seberg.

Two women, Ruth Miller (Jean Seberg) and her stepdaughter Chris, live in an isolated Spanish estate when a passing vagrant who had slept in their barn, and I’m not making this up, named Barney, is taken in as a handyman and live-in lover for Ruth. Chris suffers from some undefined terror that when it rains causes her to turn violent stabbing everything in sight. Halfway through the film’s running time we are told that there are unsolved vicious murders in a 100-kilometer radius around the village and Ruth and Chris apparently leap to the conclusion that it’s likely Barney that is the culprit.

The Corruption of Chris Miller is meant to be a taunt thriller filled with mystery and dread, but it fails on all fronts. The flashback sequences leading up to Chris’ violent outburst make clear why she reacts the way she does, the languid pace builds no tension and the discord between Ruth and Chris is never fully explained of explored. Frankly by the end of the film I could not tell you how Chris was ‘corrupted’ as she and Ruth both exit the story pretty much the same characters as they entered.

While many giallos fail logic tests they usually possess a strong sense of style to carry mood and atmosphere but this fails there as well and I cannot recommend it anyone.