La morte cammina con i tacchi alti (International title: Death Walks on High Heels) is a 1971 giallo film directed and co-produced by Luciano Ercoli.

[1] A beautiful French stripper named Nicole Rochard (Susan Scott) learns that her father was stabbed to death on a train, and she is questioned by the police about some missing diamonds.

Later while performing at nightclubs Nicole is watched and filmed by a distinguished looking gentleman (Frank Wolff), who meets her in person in her dressing room after sending her flowers.

The man appears in person wearing a black ski-mask with piercing blue eyes and threatens the woman with a razor and demands to know where the diamonds are.

In the morning, Nicole discovers Michel has a pair of blue contact lenses and flees in a panic believing him to be the masked man.

Dr. Matthews has to leave for work but upon his return he takes Nicole to a nearby tavern where they meet Captain Lenny (George Riguad) about a new boat.

The police immediately launch an investigation and the hardnosed Inspector Baxter focuses on the small details including the drugged Dr. Matthews asking for "Nicole" post-surgery even though his wife is named Vanessa.

Later that night after Matthews has gone to bed, the same masked man who threatened Nicole shows up and sneaks into the house and brutally murders Vanessa.

This theory is confirmed by a visit to the other side of the cottage where a rope and anchor with room for a body and ice bricks is found in the water.

Smith is hauled in for questioning and it all comes out that he was blinded in the diamond heist when Ernest Rochard accidentally turned the blowtorch towards his face.

Baxter, Bergson, Dr. Matthews, and Smith travel back to the cottage where a fight has broken out between the transvestite Hallory, dressed in the clothes of Nicole, and a furious Michel.

The case is seemingly closed as the men go to leave when the fisherman Phillips appears and mentions that he gave a bunch of ice to Dr. Matthews.

Allmovie gave the film a mixed review, citing its "demented screenplay" and "Luciano Ercoli's often overreaching direction" as drawbacks.