suddenly appears and stabs her to death. The police use optography to generate an image of the last thing Dalia saw before death but only get a blurry picture of four dark smudges against a gray background. The technician says the image looks like "four flies on gray velvet." Knowing the killer will likely come for him next, Roberto waits with a gun in his darkened home. Roberto's friend Godfrey calls, but the line suddenly goes dead. Just then, Nina arrives home. Roberto urges her to leave for her safety, but he notices Nina's pendant necklace. It is a fly enclosed in glass, and as it swings, it gives the appearance of several flies on a grey background. As Roberto realizes Nina is the killer, Nina grabs Roberto's gun and shoots him in the shoulder. Holding Roberto at gunpoint, Nina explains that her physically and mentally abusive stepfather committed her to the Villa Rapidi asylum. His death cured her condition but left her frustrated because she had wanted to kill him. Because Roberto bears a striking resemblance to her stepfather, Nina decided to torment and murder Roberto as a surrogate for him. She married him and planned the elaborate, cruel game she had played with him. Nina repeatedly shoots Roberto, but Godfrey arrives, distracting Nina so that Roberto can knock the gun from her hands. Nina speeds away in a car, but she crashes into the back of a truck. The truck's rear bumper decapitates her, and the car explodes in a mass of flames. Cast Michael Brandon - Roberto Tobias Mimsy Farmer - Nina Tobias Jean-Pierre Marielle - Gianni Arrosio Bud Spencer - Diomede/Godfrey Aldo Bufi Landi - Pathologist Calisto Calisti - Carlo Marosi Marisa Fabbri - Amelia, the Maid Oreste Lionello - The Professor Fabrizio Moroni - Mirko Corrado Olmi - Porter Stefano Satta Flores - Andrea Laura Troschel - Maria Francine Racette - Dalia Production Some of the earlier cast considerations for the main role Roberto Tobias were Terence Stamp, Michael York and even some members of the Beatles. Argento did not want to use the "image caught in the retina" plot device since it was too fantastic. Release Four Flies on Grey Velvet premiered in Italy on 17 December 1971. From 23 December 1971 to 30 January 1972, the film grossed $1.2 million from 46 theatres in Italy. Critical reception From contemporary reviews, Howard Thompson, in