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Death Walks on High Heels (1971) movie poster

Timeline

Death Walks on High Heels (1971) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1971 · 108 mins · Italian
JustWatch #31,696 2
Directed by
Luciano Ercoli
Starring
George Rigaud, Frank Wolff, Simón Andreu, Luciano Rossi, Daniela Giordano, José Manuel Martín

Exotic dancer Nicole is terrorized by a black‑clad assailant who wants the stolen gems her murdered father left behind. Fleeing Paris, she tries to evade the knife‑wielding pursuer, reaches England, only to discover death stalking her at every turn. As she navigates streets, the threat tightens its grip, turning her flight into a deadly chase.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (12)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Death Walks on High Heels
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Death Walks on High Heels (1971)

Where can you watch Death Walks on High Heels? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on ARROW, Cineverse and Fawesome: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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12 events in order · contains spoilers

Death Walks on High Heels Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Death Walks on High Heels (1971) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Nicole learns her father's murder and diamonds case

    Nicole Rochard learns that her father, Ernest Rochard, was stabbed to death on a train. The police question her about missing diamonds tied to his past heists. The revelation casts a pall over the investigation and Nicole's security.

    Where
    Paris, France
  2. Rochard's past complicates motives

    It is explained that Ernest Rochard was a famed thief who had since tried to go straight, but the diamonds' fate remains uncertain. The backstory hints that old criminal ties still threaten Nicole. The police weigh whether the diamond theft is connected to her father's past.

    Where
    Paris, France
  3. Threatening calls begin

    Nicole starts receiving threatening calls from a mysterious caller using a voice changer. The calls heighten her fear and signal that someone is watching her. She grows increasingly paranoid about who might be behind the menace.

    Where
    Paris, France
  4. Masked intruder confronts Nicole

    The man with the voice changer appears in Nicole's life physically, wearing a black ski-mask and threatening her with a razor. He demands to know where the diamonds are. The threat intensifies Nicole's sense of danger.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Nicole's dressing room, Paris
  5. Nicole spends the night with Michel

    Nicole goes to her boyfriend Michel's apartment and spends the night there. The events leave her unsettled and more distrustful of those around her. The ambiguous situation foreshadows a wider web of deceit.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Paris, France
  6. Morning discovery and meeting Matthews

    In the morning, Nicole discovers Michel has blue contact lenses and flees, convinced he is the masked man. She meets Dr. Robert Matthews, a British eye-surgeon, who agrees to take her away from Paris. They plan to fly to London together.

    When
    Morning
    Where
    Paris, France
  7. London and the countryside retreat

    Nicole and Matthews fly to London, where she goes on a shopping spree and he takes her to his countryside retreat. Locals are wary, and Matthews tries to present Nicole as his wife while his money is said to come from his wife, Vanessa. The sense of deception deepens.

    Where
    London, England
  8. Surveillance and schemes in the countryside

    The village is watched by Hallory, a sinister handyman with a false hand, and Captain Lenny, among others who spy on Matthews' house. A telescope observer and a mysterious woman in black offer large sums to Nicole, heightening the sense of manipulation in the village.

    Where
    English countryside village
  9. Surgery and a muffled shooting

    Matthews returns to London to perform an eye operation on an elderly man named Smith; after the procedure, a mysterious woman shoots him in the shoulder, sending the investigation into high gear. The doctor surviving the shot deepens the mystery around who targeted him.

    Where
    London, England
  10. Investigation begins and suspicions rise

    Inspector Baxter leads the police inquiry, focusing on fine details such as the drugged Matthews asking for Nicole post-surgery. Vanessa and Smith deny knowing Nicole, while others are questioned to piece together the timeline.

    Where
    London, England
  11. Nicole's body found; Lenny's role emerges

    Nicole's body is fished out of the water by a local fisherman, and Michel is questioned by the police. Captain Lenny is identified as a spy who had been watching the village nightly, adding a new layer to the motive behind the events.

    Where
    Fishing village, England
  12. The twist: double-cross and frame-up

    Vanessa had paid Nicole to leave Matthews, and blue contact lenses on Michel are revealed to be a Matthews frame-up. It is disclosed that Matthews and Rochard were partners in the diamond scheme, with Rochard being double-crossed for the diamonds. The diamonds are finally recovered, and the investigation closes with Baxter and Bergson seeing Michel off at the airport.

    Where
    Cottage in England / London / Airport

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:08

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Timeline questions answered

Death Walks on High Heels Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Death Walks on High Heels (1971): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why was Nicole's father murdered?

Nicole's father, Ernest Rochard, was a famous thief who had supposedly gone straight. He was stabbed to death on a train because he had hidden diamonds from his past heists, and someone wanted those stolen gems.

  • ernest rochard
  • father
  • murdered
  • diamonds
  • thief
Q2

Who actually killed Nicole?

Dr. Robert Matthews killed Nicole. He was the mastermind behind the diamond scheme who had double-crossed Ernest Rochard. He murdered Nicole to silence her after his wife Vanessa revealed his involvement in the diamond heist.

  • nicole
  • killer
  • matthews
  • murder
  • diamonds
Q3

Why did Nicole think Michel was the masked man?

When Nicole woke up at Michel's apartment the morning after the masked intrusion, she saw him wearing blue contact lenses. This connected to the masked intruder's blue eyes, making her panic and flee, convinced he was the one who had threatened her.

Foreshadowing: The masked intruder was described as having blue eyes, which becomes significant when Nicole discovers Michel's lenses.

  • michel
  • blue contact lenses
  • masked man
  • suspect
Q4

What was Dr. Matthews' involvement in the diamond scheme?

Matthews was secretly partners with Ernest Rochard in the original diamond heist. He double-crossed Rochard and killed him to keep the diamonds for himself. He then orchestrated the entire situation, framing Michel, eliminating Nicole, and killing his own wife, to cover up his crimes.

  • matthews
  • diamonds
  • partnership
  • ernest rochard
  • double-cross
Q5

Why did Matthews kill his wife Vanessa?

Matthews killed Vanessa because she had visited Nicole at the cottage and confessed that she had paid Nicole to leave Matthews and return to Paris. This revelation threatened to expose Matthews' role in the diamond conspiracy, so he murdered his wife to keep her silent.

  • vanessa
  • matthews
  • wife
  • murdered
  • confession
Q6

Why was Nicole's body submerged in ice-filled water?

Matthews placed Nicole's body in the pond with ice bricks to distort the time of death. The coroner explained that bodies kept on ice can appear to have died earlier than they actually did, which was part of Matthews' attempt to create a false timeline and cover his tracks.

  • ice
  • body
  • time of death
  • pond
  • cover-up
Q7

Why were blue contact lenses used to frame Michel?

Dr. Matthews deliberately planted blue contact lenses on Michel to frame him as the masked mastermind behind the threats against Nicole. The lenses made Michel look like the masked intruder, redirecting police suspicion away from Matthews.

  • blue contact lenses
  • michel
  • frame-up
  • matthews
Q8

What was Captain Lenny's role in the story?

Captain Lenny was a spy in the village who had been watching Nicole and reporting back to whoever paid him. He was corrupted by money payments and was surreptitiously monitoring the cottage and its visitors. He was eventually arrested for his role in the surveillance.

  • captain lenny
  • spy
  • village
  • paid
  • surveillance
Q9

How did the police eventually solve the case?

The police pieced together multiple clues: the drugged Matthews asking for "Nicole" after surgery despite his wife's name being Vanessa; the discovery that ice had been delivered to Matthews' cottage; Smith revealing he and Ernest Rochard had planned for Nicole to hold the diamonds; and finally, the fisherman Phillips revealing Matthews had received ice, exposing the cover-up.

  • police
  • baxter
  • investigation
  • clues
  • solve
Q10

What did Smith reveal about the diamonds?

Smith revealed that he and Ernest Rochard had planned together for Nicole to hold onto the diamonds from the original heist. This explained why Nicole was being targeted, because she was the key to recovering the stolen gems.

  • smith
  • diamonds
  • ernest rochard
  • nicole
  • heist
Q11

Why was Hallory wearing Nicole's clothes?

Hallory, the sinister handyman with a prosthetic hand, disguised himself in Nicole's clothes to trick the police or others into thinking Nicole had fled with another man. This was part of the ongoing conspiracy to cover up the true events and misdirect the investigation.

  • hallory
  • disguise
  • nicole clothes
  • village
  • misdirection
Q12

Who shot Dr. Matthews in London?

After Matthews performed eye surgery on the elderly blind man Smith in London, a shadowy woman entered and shot Matthews in the shoulder. While the shooter's full identity is not explicitly revealed in the summary, it appears to be part of the conspiracy, possibly Vanessa or someone else connected to the diamond plot.

  • shooting
  • matthews
  • london
  • wounded
  • conspiracy

Movie threads

More Movies Like Death Walks on High Heels, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Death Walks on High Heels tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with Giallo-Style Stalker Paranoia like Death Walks on High Heels

Lurking killers and psychological terror in a world of style and suspicion. If you liked the tense atmosphere and psychological terror of Death Walks on High Heels, explore more movies like it. This thread gathers similar thrillers and murder mysteries where characters are hunted by unseen stalkers, creating a gripping experience of suspense and paranoia.

  • suspenseful
  • paranoid
  • anxious
  • erotic
  • violent
  • deceptive
  • Tone: tense, paranoid, dark
  • Pacing: steady, suspenseful
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories typically follow a protagonist, often isolated or in a vulnerable position, who becomes the target of a mysterious, black-clad assailant. The plot is driven by a series of threatening encounters, red herrings, and a deepening sense of dread as the truth behind the stalker's identity and motives is slowly uncovered, often culminating in a violent confrontation and a twist revelation.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their shared focus on building a pervasive sense of danger and psychological manipulation. The similarity lies in the tense tone, high intensity, and the specific narrative structure of a deadly cat-and-mouse game enriched with mystery and stylish, often violent, set pieces.

Complex Whodunit Mysteries with a Final Twist like Death Walks on High Heels

Intricate murder mysteries where no one is trustworthy and the final reveal changes everything. Fans of the intricate plot and shocking double-cross in Death Walks on High Heels will enjoy this selection of similar movies. Discover more complex murder mysteries and thrillers with deceptive characters, multiple red herrings, and an ending that completely颠覆s your expectations.

  • deceptive
  • intricate
  • suspenseful
  • untrustworthy
  • double-crossing
  • puzzling
  • Tone: suspenseful, deceptive, cynical
  • Pacing: steady, intricate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves an initial crime, often a murder, that sparks an investigation filled with potential suspects, each with hidden agendas. False leads and betrayals are common, deliberately misleading the audience. The story's complexity culminates in a final twist that exposes the true orchestrator of events, revealing a conspiracy that was hidden in plain sight.

Why they belong together: These films share a commitment to complex, layered storytelling that challenges the viewer. The grouping is defined by a steady pacing that allows clues to unfold, a high degree of narrative complexity with multiple deceptions, and an ending feel that is mixed or shocking due to a major revelation.

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Every angle

Death Walks on High Heels (1971) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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