In August 1964, the
fumetti neri series
Kriminal began publication. The comics often contained themes of sex and violence, which included the title character seducing scantily-dressed women, then strangling or stabbing them to conceal his identity. Director
Umberto Lenzi stated that he initially wanted to make a comic book-inspired film with an adaptation of
Diabolik. Lenzi found himself unable to get the rights to
Diabolik, which had purchased by
Dino De Laurentiis. Lenzi then attempted an adaptation of
Satanik, but eventually settled on
Kriminal. Lenzi argued with Kriminal's creator
Luciano Secchi about the changes he made with the character, which Lenzi would later describe as "a bit
Nazi-skin
fascist. We made a fun film." Lenzi opted for a lighter tone in contrast to the combination of sex and violence present in the
fumetti. The lead role was played by Dutch actor
Roel Bos under the name "Glenn Saxson", who previously had leading roles in
Spaghetti Westerns such as
Go with God, Gringo. Bos did a screen test for Lenzi, who was looking to portray Kriminal as a younger character compared to his
fumetti counterpart. Shooting for the film lasted approximately two months. Interiors were shot in
Rome, while exteriors were filmed in
Madrid,
Istanbul,
The Black Sea and
London. Most of the physical stunts in the film were performed by Bos' double Attilio Serverini, except for one of the more dangerous sequences involving Kriminal running atop a speeding train. ==Release==