Celluloid Dreams is back with another hidden gem—this time writer/director Cesare Canevari’s (Matalo!) pre-Bay of Blood body-count thriller, A Hyena in the Safe. This swingin’ 1968 whodunnit unfolds over a single night on a sprawling estate, where five mysterious strangers gather one by one under the cover of a chaotic town carnival. Like most of Celluloid Dreams’ releases, this is a film I’d never heard of—but their curatorial eye remains impeccable. After checking it out, I can confidently say they haven’t missed a step.
Hyena reunites six criminals eleven months after a major diamond heist to divide the loot. The safe where the diamonds have been hidden is something straight out of James Bond lore: it rises from an outdoor pool and is lead-lined with uranium, making brute force useless. It can only be opened with six keys—and just as they prepare to unlock it, one thief reveals they’ve lost theirs. A tense stalemate ensues, forcing the rogues’ gallery to spend the night together as suspicion mounts and the criminals begin turning up dead one by one.
This surprisingly stylish potboiler—part giallo, part caper—only improves as the setup unfolds. Alliances shift, motives blur, and the film delivers a steady stream of twists. I’d be lying if I said I saw where it was headed, but the ride is undeniably fun. Featuring a cast of largely unknown performers, the film benefits from impressively solid acting paired with a densely layered script that pushes the narrative into unexpected territory. It’s the kind of movie that sends you straight to IMDb afterward to see what everyone did next.
Like previous Celluloid Dreams releases, the film arrives in a pristine transfer, limited only by the source elements. Unlike earlier titles, however, this edition comes on a single Blu-ray—still packed with extras that provide valuable historical and production context. Physical collectors will also appreciate the reproduction lobby card set and slipcover packaging.
Special Features
- New high-definition restored transfer from a studio-provided master
- Original Italian-language commentary by Guido Henkel
- “7 Guests for a Massacre” interview featurette with Cesare Canevari, Sandro Pizzochero, Ninì Della Misericordia, Adriana Morlacchi, and Diego Pisati (51 mins)
- “Schrödinger’s Diamonds: The Duplicitous Mystery of Hyena in the Safe” video essay by Andy Marshall-Roberts (25 mins)
- “The Mysteries of Villa Toeplitz” featurette (8 mins)
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Celluloid Dreams is now three for three in my book. There’s something refreshing about their curated, less-is-more approach: spotlighting lesser-known films encourages genuine discovery while giving viewers time to fully explore each release before the next arrives. Speaking of which, their upcoming title is the giallo classic The Black Belly of the Tarantula. If you’re craving a whodunit off the beaten path, A Hyena in the Safe might just be your next cinematic obsession as it was mine.
