with Linda, Giovanni jumps out to grab her before he dies. Linda surprises Sandra by garroting her with film reel, laughing maniacally while dragging her corpse around. Giulia arrives to find Sandra's body buried under film. Linda traps Giulia in the house, taunting her with threats, messing with the lights, and dropping a ton of tennis balls from the ceiling. Giulia hides in a cabinet when she sees Linda, who finds her and wedges the knife in the closed door. When Bruno arrives, Giulia takes her chance to run, but Linda pierces her heart with her kitchen knife. With Bruno happening upon the scene, Linda charges him, only for Bruno to knock her out with a brick. Bruno is then surprised when only a wig is where Linda was left. The killer jumps out, revealing himself as Tony all along. When Tony tries to stab him, Bruno rams the knife in Tony, who slowly dies while muttering "I'm not a female child" a few times. Bruno talks with a crew member, revealing Tony was too insecure and childlike inside to stave off Linda, his alter-ego, so he murdered other women out of rage and to prove he was a man. The final reel put back together reveals the boy in the basement, a young Tony, leaving with a skirt and a wig with pigtails. Cast Andrea Occhipinti as Bruno Michele Soavi as Tony Rendina/Linda Lara Lamberti as Julia Rubini (as Lara Naszinski) Fabiola Toledo as Angela Anny Papa as Sandra Stanko Molnar as Giovanni Valeria Cavalli as Katia Giovanni Frezza as young boy in film clip Lamberto Bava (cameo in editing room) Production Lamberto Bava was offered to direct A Blade in the Dark while he was assisting Dario Argento on Tenebrae (1982). The film was written by the husband and wife writing team of Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti. Bava and Sacchetti recalled that their collaboration was difficult, with the two being more friendly during the production of A Bay of Blood (1971), but their approach to this film was at odds with each other. The film was initially commissioned to be made for Italian television by producer Mino Loy and have been aired in four 30 minute segments. Bava explained that his initial goal was to have a shocking murder at the end of each segment. Producer Luciano Martino offered Bava his villa as a location for filming.