A Whisper in the Dark (1976)

I gotta tell you, I love slow-burning, mysterious ghost stories. The psychological impact of such films leave me wanting more, so I eagerly seek out titles I’m unfamiliar with. Such was the case with A Whisper in the Dark (aka Un Sussurro nel Buio), a 1976 production from Italy.

In this film, a wealthy family is vexed by the existence of Luca, the imaginary friend of their 12-year-old son Martino. Mother Camilla is affected the most, so much that her nerves are shot. It doesn’t help that she has two bratty daughters, or that her mother, The Countess, is visiting the mansion and her husband is a philandering fool. However, everyone soon begins to fear Martino and his imaginary friend Luca.

Why you ask? Well, it seems that anyone who has anything bad to say about Luca or Martino has something bad befall them. For example, when his sisters play a trick on him, Martino tells them Luca will get back at them. That afternoon, the sisters are to attend a party but it starts pouring rain. Even when they try to attend, their car gets a flat tire. In another instance, Martino discovers his father is having an affair and the adulteress is scared away by a toad placed in her bath.

Pretty tame stuff, but it spooks the family enough that they bring in an “expert” to analyze Martino. When the professor threatens to take Martino away he mysteriously dies. Are all these instances mere coincidence or does Luca really exist?

A Whisper in the Dark starts off very strong. It has the creepy atmosphere of the surrounding countryside and forest, plus the foreboding mansion that lend it much gothic beauty. Then there are some spooky scenes, including Martino “interacting” with Luca, an artful shot of a lone red balloon floating through the gardens, the light sound of a child laughing, a swing swinging on its own, a weirdly unsettling kid’s costume party and a very effective scene where Camilla is kissed by invisible lips.

There is no doubt that the film is beautiful, lushly shot by director Marcello Aliprandi and cinematographer Claudio Cirillo (who actually plays a detective in the film and also does a cute intro before the film!). However, the film never really goes anywhere and the creepy scenes are far and in-between. Mostly we see the family interacting (dear lord those sisters are grating! If I was Luca I would have gotten rid of them long ago) instead of any real ghostly activity. And the fact that there is only one death was pretty disheartening. Of course, since the film is so ambiguous this is supposed to make us question if Luca really exists or if everything is just unhappy circumstance, but for me this wasn’t enough.

While I enjoyed the psychological games the film played with the audience, I just wish a little bit more had been done to scare the audience instead of puzzle them. The ending gives no resolution, but repeats a similar pattern of Martino telling everyone that Luca prefers peach jam on his toast, not plum (yes, a table setting and food is laid out for the invisible Luca). Previous to this scene is a bizarre dream-like sequence where Camilla decides to take care of Luca’s ghost (since he may be her own miscarried child) for herself and through fog and snow leads him out of the mansion’s gates. The next morning she wakes up on the muddy ground (sans snow or fog) and finds Luca back to his old tricks at the breakfast table. So much for resolution…

A Whisper in the Dark is a film I desperately wanted to love. Ghost stories are my absolute fave and the right ones send a delightful shiver down my back, but this film only left me mildly interested. While it is a beautiful film and has its unsettling moments, more should have been done with it. If you are like me and like subtle, atmospheric horror it does deserve at least a look, though!

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The Virgin of Nuremberg (1963)

The Virgin of Nuremberg was a medieval torture device that most of us know as the Iron Maiden. It was an upright sarcophagus with metal spikes on the inside. The victim was tied inside and when the doors were shut their body would be penetrating with the strategically placed spikes. These spikes were designed to not penetrate any vital organs, therefore extending the agony of the victim and ensuring they died a slow death.

In The Virgin of Nuremberg (aka Horror Castle), a 1963 film directed by Antonio Margheriti, this torture device plays an integral part of the plot. Max (Georges Rivière) and Mary (Rosanna Podesta) Hunter are staying at a castle in Germany Max has inherited. One night, Mary is awoken with screams…and sees a mysterious figure in a red cloak kill a maid. It seems that the original owner of the castle has returned…and is back killing innocent victims with the castle’s old torture instruments! Who is this madman, what are his ties to the Hunters and how can he be stopped?

The Virgin of Nuremberg is a decent gothic horror tale. While not as good at Margheriti’s later effort Castle of Blood, it is still an elegant and atmospheric film. Plus, Christopher Lee stars in a small role as the castle’s disfigured man-servant!

The story of the castle’s owner and his sordid history were interesting. You were never quite sure whether he was back from the dead or if it was just someone posing as him, which kept me in suspense until the final “unveiling” of the killer (whew, and what an unveiling it is!). The castle’s inhabitants and servants also did a nice job of creating enough red herrings to keep me guessing. The character of Rosanna wasn’t that developed, but Podesta did a good job of playing the stereotypical “damsel in distress” in her white flowy nightgowns that faints away at any sign of trouble.

The setting of the big, dark castle was appropriately creepy and I especially liked the shadowy torture room filled with steel cages, surgical implements and various torture devices. The eye-popping color red is used throughout the film (as accent colors in rooms as well as the killer’s red robe and, of course, the blood!) and really pops against the rest of the dark castle. The gothic visuals really add to the film’s ambiance and made me enjoy it even more.

Quite a bit of blood is spilled in the film, surprising for its time. It is certainly not a gorefest, but there are some nice deaths throughout the film. Memorable scenes include a woman with her eyes gouged out impaled within the ubiquitous iron maiden, a cage with a hungry rat inside place over a living woman’s head and, as previously mentioned, the unveiling of the killer.

The Virgin of Nuremberg is a stunning Italian gothic horror film and while it isn’t appreciated as much as other films in the genre, I believe it definitely deserves a look!

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Shock (1977)

Shock was legendary director Mario Bava’s final film before his death. That right there should be enough reason to get anyone to check this film out, but luckily it’s also a fine film that lives up to its title!

Shock is about a family – Dora (Daria Nicolodi), her son Marco (David Colin Jr.) and new husband Bruno (John Steiner) – who move into the old house Dora shared with her first husband/baby-daddy Carlo (Nicola Salerno). It seems that dear old Carlo was an unstable piano player and died under mysterious circumstances, leaving Dora very traumatized. When Dora and her new family settles into the house, strange things start to occur – furniture moves of its own free will, Dora suffers intense nightmares and little Marco starts to behave rather oddly. Is the move back to the house causing Dora to go a little mad or has Carlo come back from the grave to torment his ex-wife?

Surprisingly, I had never seen Shock before (I don’t know how it slipped by me since I’m a huge Bava fan!), but I’m so very glad I finally got around to watching it because Shock was everything I was hoping it to be! It is full of creepiness, scares, and yes, even shocks!

I loved how it blended the is-she-crazy-or-isn’t-she storyline along with the supernatural/haunted house theme AND the creepy kid bit. Not only that, but it blended these different sub-genres successfully. The film flowed smoothly and all these different storylines fit together very well.

There were also some truly memorable scenes, including one where a rotting hand strokes Dora’s cheek as she sleeps, some disturbing sexual advances young Marco makes towards his mommy, a nice scare involving a rotting hand bursting through the grass, razors hidden between piano keys, a basement that leaks blood and so on. The evocative score also helped build a sense of dread, as did the forebodingly dark lighting throughout the film. Even when the action is set outside a dreary pallor hangs over the film, echoing Dora’s fragile state.

The action was primarily focused on Dora and Marco (hubby Bruno is a pilot, so he was usually away for days at a time), which in the hands of lesser director might get boring In Shock this is certainly not the case and my eyes were glued to the screen watching as Dora spiraled into a hysterical state and things became progressively worse in the household. It also really kept me guessing and the conclusion, which is carefully hinted at, was extremely satisfying, ending on a decidedly downbeat tone. Acknowledgement should also be given to actors Daria Nicolodi (a fan favorite in Italian/Euro horror), David Colin Jr. and John Steiner. Had there performances not been up to par they really would have dragged the film down, but luckily they were all at the top of their game. Nicolodi and Colin Jr. must especially be recognized since, as mentioned above, they were the main focus of the film. Nicolodi was excellent as the caring but unstable mother and Colin Jr. was downright creepy (and a little bit sleazy) as the young son. Really impressive acting from Colin Jr., especially considering his young age!

Shock kind of lacks Bava’s visual flair from earlier films, but that doesn’t make it any less effective. As a modern haunted house/ghost story the austere visuals work quite well and I think any kind of flashy visuals would have taken away from the story. Plus, there are plenty of memorable scenes (those mentioned above, as well as many more) without the need for Bava’s typical gothic and/or over the top stylings.

Shock may not be Mario Bava’s most sophisticated work, but it definitely is a film that creates a sense of creeping uneasiness that is extremely effective. And you just can’t go wrong with flying razors and a kid possessed by his own dad putting the moves on his mom!

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The Killer Must Kill Again (1975)

Expecting another typical giallo, I was surprised to find how sadistic The Killer Must Kill Again really was. This is definitely not your standard Italian giallo, but something much more sinister and disturbing.

It begins with Giorgio (George Hilton) being nagged by his crazy, but rich, wife Norma (Tere Velázquez). Going out for a drive, Giorgio witnesses a serial killer (Michel Antoine) dumping a body, so he then blackmails the killer and hires him to kill his bitchy wife, making it look like a kidnapping so her rich daddy will pay the ransom.

Well, during the kidnapping/murder things go awry as two kids (Alessio Orano and Cristina Galbó) steal the serial killer’s car…with the body of Norma in the trunk. The serial killer then tracks the two kids down to a seaside town where he indulges in some sadistic revenge.

I wouldn’t call The Killer Must Kill Again a giallo, but rather a mean-spirited and violent crime thriller. First off, we know who the killer is all along, so we don’t have the standard giallo whodunit. Secondly, the killer is only after the two kids, so all other victims are people that get in his way. However, the film is just as suspenseful besides these facts and does a wonderful job at ratcheting up the tension while we anxiously wait for the killer to catch up to the two oblivious teens.

While we wait for the killer to arrive, we begin to feel closer to the two teens, making what subsequently happens to them (especially the innocent character that Cristina Galbó plays) all the more hard to watch. When the killer arrives, he finds the virginal girl all alone in an abandoned house (her loverboy is off getting busy with a slutty local, played by Femi Benussi, but annoyingly dubbed – almost to the point where I wanted her to hurry up and die). The killer brutally rapes her in a very uncomfortable and shocking scene that cuts back and forth between the chilling rape and her boyfriend getting it on with the other woman. You are simultaneously disgusted and titillated by the two different scenes, making for a very awkward viewing experience. Kudos to director Luigi Cozzi for making us feel such dissonance with this scene!

Besides the character development that makes us feel for the victims, I thought the actors also did a wonderful job. The real standout was Michel Antoine (aka Antoine Saint-John) as the killer. Not only were his cold, chiseled features scary, but his silent demeanor was also menacing. Without his stoic performance the film might have fallen apart, but he owned his role as a sociopath. The other actors were equally good, though George Hilton faded into the background when the killer/kids storyline took precedence. I especially liked Cristina Galbó as one of the kids – she brought such innocence to the role! I also thought the handsome Alessio Orano did a great job as the sleazeball boyfriend.

Though the likable kids suffer thoroughly at the hands of the killer, their outcome is not as expected. I also liked the tidy wrap-up at the end of Giorgio’s storyline, but after witnessing such disturbing violence I had hoped the ending would have a bit more resonance. While The Killer Must Kill Again has its fair share of nasty brutality (especially towards women), its ending was a bit too “happy” for me. It is a solid film, but probably one I’ll only watch once. Take that to mean what you will…

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Book Review: Valley of the Dead by Kim Paffenroth

What if Dante’s Inferno was based on truth? What if in his life Dante faced such insurmountable horror that he wrote it all down but had to pass it off as fiction because it was just too unbelievable?

Well, that is the premise behind Kim Paffenroth’s new novel, Valley of the Dead.

From the back cover:

Working from Dante’s Inferno to draw out the reality behind the fantasy, author Kim Paffenroth unfolds the horrifying true events that led Dante to fictionalize the account of his lost years…

For seventeen years of his life, the exact whereabouts of the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri are unknown to modern scholars. It is known that during this time he traveled as an exile across Europe, working on his epic poem, The Divine Comedy. In his masterpiece he describes a journey through the three realms of the afterlife. The most famous of its three volumes, Inferno, describes Hell.

During his lost wanderings, Dante stumbled upon an infestation of the living dead. The unspeakable acts he witnessed – cannibalism, live burnings, evisceration, crucifixion and dozens more – became the basis of all the horrors described in Inferno. Afraid to be labeled a madman, Dante made the terrors he experienced into a more ‘believable’ account of an otherworldly adventure filled with demons and mythological monsters.
But at last, the real story can be told.

This may sound like another piece of classic literature being updated to include monsters like zombies (see Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, its sequel and a ton of other reconstituted classics), but Valley of the Dead is different. First off, it doesn’t take the original text and warp it to fit the author’s goal. Instead, VotD is an entirely original work, and the only text used from the original epic Inferno are a few lines before each chapter. Author Kim Paffenroth delivers another original, stunning and exciting novel that weaves an epic journey through a zombie-infested landscape with philosophical leanings. Through his story, Paffenroth perfectly captures the sheer ruthlessness of the human race as well as showing their compassion.

The cruelties that the living humans inflict not only on the zombies but on each other are truly shocking. It seems that with each new page Paffenroth has Dante encounter some truly horrific stuff – an army slaughtering innocent men, women and children, rape, cannibalism, witch burnings and many more evil acts besides all the zombie slaughtering going on. However, contrasted against the chaos and depravity are the virtuous lead characters of Dante, soldier Radovan, pregnant peasant Bogdana and monk Adam.

I am not intimately familiar with Dante’s Inferno, so I can’t really say what scenes in Paffenroth’s book take their cue from the classic poem, but the scenes in VotD are truly horrific and quite hellish! I really enjoyed how Paffenroth created such a vivid picture of the surrounding countryside Dante and his companions must traverse to escape the zombies. It starts off with green fields and lush forests, but as they are forced to escape higher and higher into the mountains the landscape becomes more desolate and otherworldly…and yet it seems the undead dwell there nonetheless. Despite the hopeless evil that seems to surround Dante and his friends, they grimly continue on in hopes of escaping the zombies and I was rooting for them the whole way.

As in his previous novels (Dying to Live and its sequel), Paffenroth’s character development is extremely strong. We care for each and every one of the main characters and through their journey really understand who they are and what they stand for. This makes the horrors they must face all the more cringe-worthy and terrifying for the reader. The characters seem to always be in constant danger, whether from the undead, the approaching army and from the strangers they encounter. This creates a tension that makes the book hard to put down! And when the characters do have to stand their ground and fight (which they do plenty of times in the book) we are treated to suspenseful battles.

However, to balance out all the action is the somber tone that permeates the story. Like in Inferno, Dante laments the horrors occurring around him and is disheartened by all the violence. While it isn’t quite Hell in VotD, it’s damn close! The tone reflects this and is more thoughtful, pensive and philosophical. I think this restrained, downbeat tone works beautifully within the confines of the story and perfectly matches the appalling actions that Dante and his friends are witness to.

Valley of the Dead is another stunning novel from Kim Paffenroth that mixes philosophical meanderings with gruesome zombie action and a creative re-telling of Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s inspiration for his most famous work, Inferno. Any fans of intelligent and sophisticated zombie stories will no doubt enjoy VotD!

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The Devil's Nightmare (1971)

Another little seen Satanic film from 1971 is The Devil’s Nightmare (La Plus Longue Nuit du Diable) aka Castle of Death aka Nightmare of Terror aka Succubus, etc., etc. Usually only familiar in Euro-sleaze or Euro-horror circles, The Devil’s Nightmare is a surprisingly entertaining flick dripping with gothic atmosphere and surreal scenes.

The film begins during WWII, where the Baron’s wife is giving birth. Upon learning that the babe is a girl and that his wife died in childbirth, he stabs the baby to death. Quite a shocking opening from a 1970’s film!

We then jump ahead a few years, where a reporter is interviewing the Baron in his dark and dreary castle about his family’s past. He seems to think his family is cursed, having made a pact with the Devil centuries ago that states the oldest daughter of each generation must serve the devil by becoming a succubus (and explaining the earlier scene where he killed his daughter). After this illuminating interview, the reporter makes the mistake of tarrying too long taking photographs of the castle and meets a grisly end. We then meet a group of travelers who are forced to take refuge in the Baron’s castle after becoming lost and taking directions from a creepy, corpse-like man. Each of these seven travelers is supposed to represent one of the Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride), though some are easier to distinguish than others.

That night, they are introduced to a mysterious visitor (played by stunning redhead Erika Blanc, known for her sleazy Euro-horror roles in films like The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave and Kill, Baby… Kill!), who begins to lead each traveler down the road of temptation! Turns out she is a succubus and lures the sinners to their damnation with their specific vices. The only one who doesn’t fall under her decadent-but-deadly spell is the lone priest in the group, but can he stop her and the Devil before all their souls are damned to Hell?

While the story, written by Jean Brismée (who also directed) and Pierre-Claude Garnier, seems like a pretty straightforward allegory inspired by medieval morality tales, it also features a surprising and clever twist ending. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming, and when it actually happened it threw me for a loop! Quite the wicked little surprise that shows you should never make a deal with the Devil! Besides the ending, the story is kept lively by the colorful and sinful characters, keeping the audience rooting for their deaths! There is the annoying married couple, with the sleazy husband who covets other women (Envy) and the distrustful yet rich wife (Greed), a nymphomaniac brunette (Lust), a lazy blonde (Sloth), a holier-than-thou priest (Pride), a cranky old man (Wrath) and a hungry tour guide (Gluttony).

There isn’t much gore to speak of, but some of the ways the travelers are done away with are pretty amusing. The glutton of the group eats himself to death and chokes on poisoned wine (and the close-ups of him stuffing his greasy mouth are probably the most disturbing of the movie) while a greedy woman drowns in a mound of gold. Other kill scenes make little sense and don’t seem to tie into the specific person’s sin (like the Sloth woman dying from snakebite while she sleeps). Still, the scenes of the succubus stalking her prey, with her sunken cheekbones and ghoulish makeup, are always entertaining.

I also enjoyed the Baron’s creepy gothic castle that looked like it was transplanted straight from Transylvania. With its intricate stonework, gaudy Baroque furnishings and rich red drapes, Dracula would have felt right at home! Of course, Satan’s succubus considered it pretty comfy as well.

My only complaints were that the film drags a bit too much in certain parts, especially during some drawn-out lesbian scenes that go on for way too long. Maybe certain guys will enjoy them, but the soft-focus, girl-on-girl action did nothing for me, especially with the ridiculous paisley decorating scheme and the horrible ‘70s music lurking in the background. I also wished that some of the deaths tied more into each traveler’s particular sin instead of running out of ideas halfway through the film and having them die in seemingly random ways.

Though The Devil’s Nightmare certainly has its faults, I was still surprised by the entertainment value it offered. This film isn’t for everyone, but those that appreciate classic Euro-horror will most likely get a kick out of it. If you haven’t seen it, it at least deserves one viewing! It would be a sin not to see it!

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The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971)

Few who read this site need an introduction to maestro Dario Argento, the Italian writer/director who is famous for his distinctive style and crafting some of the finest giallo films ever committed to celluloid, such as Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Deep Red, Suspira and so on. Some people love his films while others hate them, but neither can deny the impact Argento has made on the film scene. Though The Cat O’ Nine Tails (Il Gatto a Nove Code) may be considered by some as one of Argento’s “lesser” works, I believe that it is one of Argento’s most straightforward and easily accessible films…but still boasts Argento’s signature style.

The film tells the tale of blind Franco Arno (Karl Malden), who one night walking with his young niece Lori (Cinzia De Carolis) hears two men arguing. Arno asks Lori to describe the men as one of them is speaking about blackmail. The next morning, it is discovered that someone has broken into the Terzi Institute, which is researching criminal behavior as it correlates to genetics, and espionage is suspected, though it appears nothing was taken. However, the man that Arno overheard talking soon turns up dead and Arno seeks the help of journalist Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus) to solve the case. Meanwhile, more people connected to the Terzi Institute start turning up dead. Can Arno and Giordani find out who the killer is…before they are next?

Many people don’t appreciate The Cat O’ Nine Tails, and while it doesn’t have the same flashy style of other Argento movies, I still believe it is a fine film. Its storyline is much more linear than most of Argento’s films and even people that gripe that his films are “style over substance” can enjoy the straightforward whodunit story of The Cat O’ Nine Tails.

Despite the more subtle nature of this film, it certainly isn’t without the usual Argento pizzazz. There are lots of intriguing camera angles and lots of fluid camera movement. It even features the killer POV and extreme close ups of the killer’s eye that are used in other Argento films. Though it lacks the vivid colors of some of Argento’s other films, there are plenty of weird camera angles, constant movement and beautiful shots to keep the viewer engaged…and there is never any doubt that you are watching an Argento film.

The acting in the film is excellent, from Karl Malden as the blind Arno to James Franciscus as the journalist Giordani and even Cinzia De Carolis as the young Lori. Even the dubbing didn’t ruin the fine performances! The actors all made us believe in them, even when it was revealed that one of the leads may be the killer in a chilling and tense cemetery sequence.

There isn’t much blood in the film, as the killer prefers strangulation, but this didn’t dampen the experience at all for me. There is one jarring sequence in which a victim is pushed in front of a train and his body tumbles as the train’s brakes screech, but this is the most disturbing the film gets. Despite the lack of gore, the scenes in which the killer is stalking his or her intended victim are tense and the attacks are sudden. It is also interesting to note that most of the victims are male, quite a rarity in most giallo films, which was refreshing to see.

Speaking of rarities, there is also a subtext of homosexuality running throughout the narrative…not something you see everyday in a ‘70s giallo. Yet, it also speaks to Argento’s style and his boldness to cover “taboo” (at least back then) subjects.

Also of note is Ennio Morricone’s jazzy score, evocative of the times and Rome locale. It added enough punch to the proceedings and was quite effective during exciting sequences, particularly a high speed car chase and the thrilling scenes leading up to the finale.

My only complaint was the “reveal” of the bland killer. There are plenty of red herrings throughout the film and you probably can’t guess who it is just because of the numerous suspects, but even so the surprise is a bit disappointing and the ending a bit lackluster compared to other Argento films.

All in all, though, The Cat O’ Nine Tails is another excellent Argento films that shouldn’t be ignored or even considered as being inferior to his other works. It might be without his typical over the top flair and a bit more “mainstream”, but it still delivers a taut storyline that will keep you guessing to the end. Check out this underrated and under-watched Argento movie!

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The Puzzle (2008)

The Puzzle is a short 5-minute film from writer/director Davide Melini and is an Italian/Spanish production. Though it is such a short film, it surprisingly accomplishes a lot.

The film begins with a mother (Cachito Noguera) receiving a call from her son (Alessandro Fornari), yet again asking for money. Exasperated and angry, the mother tells him no and hangs up. She then returns to one of her favorite pastimes – completing a puzzle. Yet, as the night progresses and she gets closer to finishing the puzzle, a disturbing image soon appears.

The Puzzle is stylishly shot and for being such a short, to-the-point film it is nonetheless enjoyable. You almost want the story dragged out a little longer just to see what writer/director Melini would do with it. The film utilizes colors and lighting very effectively, showing the mother’s home as very bright and cozy in the beginning of the film, but making it very dark and foreboding in the last few minutes.

The tension is further mounted by the help of a solid score as well as the knowledge that something terrible is going to happen. At the end, something shocking does happen and though you expect something, this doesn’t rob the effectiveness of the act when it actually does happen.

There’s not very much time for character development or a complex story, but the film still succeeds in creating suspense. In the first few moments we do get a feel for the mother’s character and that is all we need for the simple story. The story might be simple, but it nonetheless pulls the viewer in and creates a lot of tension.

Davide Melini has created a fine short film with The Puzzle. If this is any indication of the caliber of film he can make, I look forward to his feature-length projects!

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)

There might be those that grow weary of the routine plot of gialli films. They usually rely on similar circumstances, plot twists, glamorous characters and black-gloved killers. If you are a fan of giallo, though, you just can’t get enough of ‘em! There is just something about their sophisticated style, vivid visuals, gory death scenes and elaborate who-done-its to keep you hooked!

In 1972’s The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, director Emilio Miraglia never strays far from the giallo formula, but still manages to create a tension-filled film with candy-colored set-pieces, an impressive cast and sufficient plot twists to keep you guessing!

In the wealthy Wildenbruck family, an old legend says that every hundred years two sisters, the Red Queen and the Black Queen, will violently quarrel. The Black Queen will kill the Red Queen, but a year later the Red Queen will return for revenge, killing six people before finally killing her sister, the Black Queen. Sisters Kitty (Barbara Bouchet) and Evelyn Wildenbruck never really got along in childhood and as grownups have drifted apart. Kitty is a fashion photographer working for a fashion house and still visits her family’s castle where she and Evelyn were raised by their grandfather. Evelyn hasn’t been heard from for some time, but it’s assumed she’s living in America, where she moved to one year prior.

One night, their grandfather has a heart attack after a fright and the Red Queen, wearing a flowing red cape and cackling loudly, is seen near the castle. When the grandfather’s will is read, it is discovered that no one can touch it until the following year. Did the grandfather know something about the 100 year curse that his heirs don’t?

Soon after, murders begin occurring. It seems as if people from the fashion house where Kitty works are being targeting. After the general manager is killed, the police come up with a sketch of the murderer from an eyewitness. Kitty recognizes the face as the face of her own sister Evelyn! Problem is, she killed Evelyn a year ago.

Has the prophecy about the Red Queen come true or is someone else to blame for the murders? Could it be Kitty’s lover, vying for the general manager position, top model Lulu seeking revenge, drug-addict Peter seeking money or is Evelyn really back from the grave?

Red Queen’s luscious visuals and lurid color palettes make for a sensational viewing experience. Rather than bathing entire shots in bright hues of red and blue (think Argento’s Suspiria), each object – a bright yellow car, a blood-red cape, a cool blue and green apartment – pops out at you. The colorful 70s fashions also help bring a real liveliness to the film – plaid polyester suits, batiks, bold cuts and colors contribute to the sense of excitement. The settings – the Wildenbruck’s opulent castle, the fashion house’s posh office and the characters luxurious apartments, for example – all seem larger than life as well! These visuals grab your attention and help pull you into the story.

Giallo fans know the story is usually the weakest point in the film (gialli usually rely more on visuals than a cohesive storyline), yet Red Queen did a fine job of working all its kinks out. It also hid its secrets pretty well, with the villain never being obvious until close to the end. Except for a few rough patches (unnecessary rape scene, I’m looking at you!) the story flowed smoothly and made sense.

The acting was also done extremely well. Barbara Bouchet was fantastic as Kitty Wildenbruck. She was both an independent woman, yet vulnerable at the same time. As she begins to unravel, you can’t help but feel sympathetic towards her. Even though she was behind Evelyn’s demise (or was she?) it is very easy to feel sorry for her when everyone around her starts dying and she’s forced to face her demons. The rest of the cast is equally impressive. All the ladies in the film are absolutely gorgeous and include the previously mentioned Barbara Bouchet as well as Marina Malfatti, Maria Pia Giancaro and Sybil Danning. Unfortunately for us girls, the men aren’t as attractive as the women, but nonetheless they put on a good show.

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times isn’t as gory as some other gialli, but it does deliver. Make sure not to miss the scene where an escaping mental patient is purposely impaled on an iron fence or the death by VW Bug. Just like the rest of the film’s visuals, the blood is brightly garish!

Gialli often follow the same formula – a deep, dark secret is revealed which unleashes a black-gloved killer, usually in a posh clique, and everyone is a suspect. Still, despite the formula that most seem to follow, they can still be incredibly entertaining. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is no different and is a sophisticated, sexy, stylish and sinister romp into the world of giallo.

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What Have You Done to Solange? (1972)

What Have You Done to Solange? is a prime example of a giallo done right. It is brutal and unflinching, but also takes the time to build up a very suspenseful story filled with memorable and believable characters. Its murder mystery stands out as one of the better stories of the giallo genre and is expertly executed by director Massimo Dallamano.

On the banks of the Thames in London, a Catholic schoolgirl is brutally murdered. A handsome Italian teacher, Mr. Rossini (Fabio Testi), and his pretty young pupil, Elizabeth (Cristina Galbo), are engaging in some extracurricular activities when Elizabeth sees flashes of the murder through the trees. The next day, Mr. Rossini finds out via the news that a girl was indeed murdered on the banks and the murderer is still at large. Even though Elizabeth was witness to the murder, he begs her not to come forward lest their relationship be revealed.

As more girls from the Catholic school where Mr. Rossini teaches are killed, suspicions fall on the good-looking and flirtatious foreign teacher. He and Elizabeth reluctantly come forward to tell what they have seen as Elizabeth remembers more and more what she saw. Mr. Rossini, with help from his German wife Herta (Karin Baal) who is also a teacher at the school, uncover more and more about the secret lives of schoolgirls and learn about a girl named Solange (Camille Keaton, who would later star in I Spit on Your Grave) who might be the key to the hideous murders.

This is seriously one of the best giallos I’ve ever seen and I can’t believe I haven’t seen it until recently. What Have You Done to Solange? does what many giallos and horror films don’t; it focuses on a well-developed story instead of splattering the screen with senseless grue. The mystery of the murders is the focal point for the film as the audience is taken through many red herrings and twists and turns. The horrifying murder scenes are not explicitly shown, which I think was a very wise choice. The murders are very graphic, brutal and hard to look at AFTER the fact, much less while it occurs. The young age and vulnerability of the victims makes the murders that much harder to see, even if just the aftermath is shown. Though the murder scenes are not shown, they still had a very strong lasting impact on me.

The story keeps building the entire time and there’s never a second to catch your breath. I was impressed how the story drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. This is a giallo, so yes, there are some slow moments but these still add to the story and tension. The suspense just keeps building and building and the ending was anything but a letdown. Unlike some giallos, the ending was entirely believable and shocking at the same time. Everything was tidily wrapped up, actually made sense and the revelation of the murderer genuinely surprised me.

The score by maestro Ennio Morricone only heightened the affect of the tight scripting. It helped create an even more mysterious and tense atmosphere. Morricone’s score in What Have You Done to Solange? is haunting and atmospheric; a perfect companion to the events unfolding on-screen.

The acting and the directing of the film were superb as well…even the dubbing didn’t bother me all that much. I haven’t seen any other films by director Massimo Dallamano, but I wish he had directed more giallos. I pretty much loved all the actors, especially the smoking hot Fabio Testi. For the guys, there are copious sleazy shots of naked girls in the showers.

If you are a fan of the Italian giallo genre, I highly recommend What Have You Done to Solange? if you haven’t already seen it. It is definitely one of the better-made giallos that relies on a solid storyline instead of just pretty visuals to entertain the audience.

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Castle of Blood (1964)

Exquisitely creepy and essentially gothic, Antonio Margheriti’s Castle of Blood is the perfect moody film for dark, stormy nights. Heck, I watched it while the sun was still shining and it still made my apartment feel like a dank, dark crypt. Much like Mario Bava’s classic Black Sunday, Castle of Blood is full of foggy cemeteries, beautiful damsels in distress, cursed ghosts and a very gloomy yet suspenseful atmosphere.

Journalist Alan Foster is planning to meet with great author Edgar Allan Poe at a pub. When he arrives, Poe is regaling a group of men with one of his fantastical tales. After the tale is finished, Poe goes on to tell Alan that his tales are based on truth. Poe’s friend, Lord Blackwood, agrees with him and he and Poe challenge the scoffing Alan to stay at a supposedly haunted castle overnight. It is a special night, the night of the dead, where the ghosts of the castle supposedly come back to reenact their last moments on earth. According to Blackwood, no one has ever been able to last the entire night in the castle.

Alan begrudgingly agrees to the proposition and the three take a two hour carriage ride to the isolated and seemingly abandoned castle. Poe and Blackwood drop Alan off and tell him they shall return at dawn to see how he fared. Alan opens the creaky iron gates of the castle, creeps through an overgrown cemetery and is spooked by a little black cat before heading into the dark castle. Here he does some exploring and finds that he is not alone. A woman named Elisabeth appears and soon she and Alan have fallen in love. Trouble is, Elisabeth is a ghost and soon the other inhabitants of the castle appear. Alan starts to wonder if he is going mad but soon discovers that the apparitions are after more than his sanity…they want his blood!

For fans of old, black and white, atmospheric haunted house movies, Castle of Blood is a must-see. If, on the other hand, you need constant gore and action to keep your attention during a movie you may want to skip this one. The first 10 minutes alone show Alan just making his way into the castle and poking around. I love these kind of movies, though, the kind that are full of creaky doors, black cats, overgrown cemeteries, eerie fog, nefarious mysteries and murders!

The acting is quite well-done, though perhaps a bit over-dramatic for today’s audiences. Still, Barbara Steele shines as the doomed Elisabeth Blackwood and Georges Riviere is excellent as the unbelieving Alan Foster. The rest of the cast does a spectacular job as well and each character helps create a foreboding atmosphere as the movie progresses to the finale.

Margheriti’s direction is excellent. Everything is in the chiarcoscuro style and very Gothic-inspired. Scenes of rolling fog in between gnarled trees and broken tombstones look gorgeously creepy and the cramped, dark corners of the castle are truly claustrophobic. Margheriti builds on the dread with each scene and really delivers at the end.

The Synapse DVD release of Castle of Blood has previously unreleased scenes, such as a lesbian scene, a nude scene and a few extra scenes that add further explanation. These scenes were so rare to find that the only prints that existed were French. Therefore, you will notice that when these scenes pop up they have French audio with English subtitles. After getting over the language switch, you’ll find that these never-before-seen-scenes add a lot to the overall movie. Synapse has done a great service to movie fans by adding these “lost” scenes back into this film.

Castle of Blood is a must-see for fans of old haunted house films. The Synapse DVD is highly recommended for its restoration of “lost” scenes, but I recommend seeing this film any way you can!

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The Black Cat (1981)

I was excited to learn that Lucio Fulci had directed The Black Cat, based on the Edgar Allen Poe story of the same name. I figured it would be another Fulci film that just might stand proudly among the greats Don’t Torture A Duckling, Zombi and The Beyond. Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed by the boring Black Cat.

The Black Cat tells the tale of Professor Miles (Patrick Magee), a man obsessed with communicating and talking with the dead. He sneaks into the cemetery at night like a common graverobber, seeking to record the voices of the deceased. He also has a black cat, whom he has some kind of psychic link to. Meanwhile, Jill (Mimsy Farmer) is a visiting photographer in the small town who is intrigued by Professor Miles’ experiments. When deaths that appear to be accidents start occurring, Jill believes Professor Miles’ black cat is to blame.

I would tell you more, but I was too busy fast forwarding through the oodles of extreme close-ups fixed upon people’s startled eyeballs.

I think the most disappointing thing about The Black Cat was that it was only loosely based on Poe’s tale and hardly resembles it at all (except for the end). Instead, we get a killer cat that stalks people and appears and reappears at will. Sure, it causes an impalement, a couple to die from gas poisoning, a woman to burn alive and lots of scratches, but the film plods along and is unusually subdued for Fulci. It even seems devoid of his usual panache and relies way too heavily on the close-ups of eyes to signal tension between characters.

This subdued approach let me down big time…it seemed to lack the shocking images of The Beyond and Zombi as well as lacking a tense storyline like Don’t Torture a Duckling (probably my favorite Fulci film). The story meandered, went nowhere and doubled back, losing me along its uneventful journey.

The acting and the characterization were also off as well. The acting is nothing special with the exception of some performances that were so outlandish it felt like they were falling into parody. Example: when a woman’s house went up in flames, she ran directly to a room engulfed in fire and tried to beat at it with a pillow. Her stupidity is rewarded as she goes up bigger and brighter than a Roman candle. This unbelievable action is only one of several instances where the characters’ kooky actions just don’t make sense. Many a time I was left rolling my eyes and reaching for the fast forward button.

I think had I been in a lazier mood, The Black Cat could have been a little better, but as it stands I still think it is a film that falls very short of the standard Fulci set with some of his other films. The Black Cat may be worth checking out if you are a Fulci completest, but anyone else is recommended to check out other, better Fulci films.

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All the Colors of the Dark (1972)

All the Colors of the Dark is a trippy, hallucinatory film starring the gorgeous Edwige Fenech and is directed by Sergio Martino.

After suffering the loss of her unborn child in a car accident, Jane (Edwige Fenech) has frequent, reoccurring nightmares of a horrifying event from her childhood. Her live-in boyfriend Richard (George Hilton) tries to tell her it’s all in her head, but Jane can’t help but feel that the murderous man in her nightmares is following her in real life. After a visit to the psychiatrist that her sister (Nieves Navarro) suggests, the madman follows her home. Now everywhere she turns, his piercing blue eyes seem to find her. When Jane becomes friends with a neighbor (Marina Malfatti), the neighbor suggests she attend a sabbat to get rid of all the bad energy. When Jane arrives to the ceremony, she is startled and horrified to find a devil-worshipping cult. They make her drink dog’s blood, then proceed to rape her in an initiation that also involves getting a tattoo. Jane is now under the cult's control and they make her do some horrible things. The blue-eyed man is still around, too, and is trying to kill her. Things only get worse from there, as Jane can’t seem to tell between reality and her nightmares. Is the cult controlling her or is everything in her head?

Director Sergio Martino crafts a delirious, nightmarish film with All the Colors of the Dark. The ominous, freaky tone is set straightaway with Jane’s disturbing nightmares and continues throughout the picture with murders, satanic rituals, orgies, creepy stalkers and frightening flashbacks. Giallo and Italian exploitation regulars Fenech, Hilton, Ivan Rassimov, Malfatti and Navarro put on their usual great performances and the rest of the supporting cast do a wonderful job as well. I was especially impressed with the frightfully creepy, dirty and just unpleasant-looking people that made up the satanic cult. Imagining those people touching me (let alone groping and raping!) gave me the willies!!

My favorite part of the film, though, was the direction by Martino. He really created a disorienting atmosphere that made you feel like you were in Jane’s shoes. Just when I thought I had things figured out, I was surprised and left thinking, “What’s going on?!” There are also some very sleazy moments and copious amounts of nudity. Fenech bares all, as usual, and the other lovely ladies of the film won’t disappoint you sleazehounds out their either.

My only complaints were that the film does drag a little bit in parts and the ending left something to be desired. The ending left many unanswered questions as to what actually occurred, but I believe it was done on purpose for the viewer to make up his or her mind. It did bother me a little, because I couldn’t quite figure out what was real and what wasn’t.

Nonetheless, All the Colors of the Dark is a definite must-see for those that appreciate gialli and Italian exploitation.

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A Blade in the Dark (1983)

A Blade in the Dark (La Casa con la Scala Nel Buio) is directed by Lamberto Bava, but displays little of his skill. It is slow-moving, predictable and fails to entertain.

A musician moves into a villa to write a score for an upcoming horror film. Meanwhile, a killer on the property brutally murders women and hides their bodies. The musician starts to suspect that a killer is on the loose and is hiding the bodies in the large house. More and more women who show up at the villa end up disappearing. Are these disappearances (and killings) related to the former tenant in the house? How is the film that he is working on connected to the strange disappearances?

I was so disappointed in this movie...I was expecting a fun ride but all I got was a trip on the SS Snoozeville. I couldn't care less about the characters, the acting was pretty iffy, the plot didn't go anywhere, the pacing was offensively slow, I figured out the killer by the middle of the film and the killer's motivations were sorely lacking and unbelievable. This film is chock full of unnecessary scenes that seem to exist solely to fill time. The pacing is slower than molasses and in serious need of a kick in the pants. There is no suspense and no tension. If you are a giallo fan like me, you will know who the killer is halfway through the film.

The kills aren't very memorable, though there are a few bloody bits; nothing we haven't seen before, though. There are a few great camera angles, such as the one used underwater in a pool. Unfortunately, this wasn't a kill scene.

Unless you are a collector, skip this borefest and rent one of the many better giallos...perhaps even a Mario Bava (Lamberto's father) film.

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Black Sunday (1960)

Black Sunday (aka The Mask of Satan) is an amazing gothic masterpiece by director Mario Bava. It evokes a feeling of tension and dread throughout, contains an engaging story and features beautiful cinematography. It's hard to believe that this is Bava's first feature, as it is so well done. It brings to mind the classic black and white Universal films, filled with fog, beautiful women and men, menacing monsters and gorgeous sets. The ominous mood is set from the opening scene all the way through to the finale.

The film opens with Princess Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele) being accused of witchcraft. She is branded with the mark of Satan, then a hideous mask (called the mask of Satan, with sharp spikes on the inside) is pounded into her face before she and her servant (who has suffered the same fate) are both burned at the stake. Before she is executed, she vows revenge on the family of her brother, the prince, who has condemned her.

A few centuries later, we meet Katia (again, Barbara Steele), the descendant and splitting image of Asa. She lives in the Vajda castle with her brother and her father. Meanwhile, two traveling doctors stop at the now ruined church where "the witch" was laid to rest. The two decide to scope it out, and accidentally awake Asa, who is hellbent on revenge against the Vajda's. She in turn summons her servant and the two begin to terrorize the Vajda family. The two traveling doctors soon get involved with the family, one falling under Asa's spell and the other falling in love with Katia. Soon the killings begin, with the victims sporting two puncture marks on their necks. Asa has returned with vampiric powers and will stop at nothing for revenge against the family who destroyed her.

A great moody, atmospheric film that was nothing like what I was expecting. Truth be told, with Bava as the director I was expecting a giallo along the lines of Blood and Black Lace, filled with lots of blood, violence and exploitative shots of women. On the contrary, Black Sunday takes a more classic (and classy) approach, bathing everything in shadows and fog. It has its share of sadistic scenes, especially the torture scene at the beginning of the film, but everything is engulfed in a dream-like, fairy tale atmosphere that I found truly refreshing.

I'm glad I finally got around to seeing one of the classic films of horror cinema...check this out if you enjoy classic films with a gothic atmosphere and want to see where horror got its start!

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Nightmare City (1980)

Radioactive vampire zombies!!


What more needs to be said about this gory movie lensed by Umberto Lenzi, responsible for other gory flicks like Eaten Alive and Cannibal Ferox?!

The plot: Radioactivity infects a plane, causing all those on board to reanimate and come back as super strong, fast zombies. The plane lands and the zombies disembark with knives, machetes, hatchets, etc. to cause death and destruction to the city. The radioactivity reanimated the cells in these zombified people's bodies, resulting in super-strength. These zombies need blood to keep their red blood cell count up. All those that come in contact with the zombies will also be infected, turning into super strong, bloodthirsty, fast-moving zombies.

Can the government, a lone journalist and a mishmash of other characters survive the zombie siege on their city? My guess was no, but this movie kept me glued to the screen for an hour an a half anyways.

This was a fun movie - the premise of radioactive vampire zombies alone was reason enough to watch for me! The gore is plentiful, if not a little cheesy and fake, but enjoyable nonetheless! The fast-moving zombies (wearing masks that looked like dried puke) were intelligent and sure did a bloody number on the city. The gore was pretty extreme - someone's eye gets painfully skewered, a woman's breast gets cut off, lots of women's breasts get stabbed, a man gets his arm shot off, lots of zombies get their brains blown out, there's lots of hatchets to people's heads, etc. etc.

The story has numerous plot holes and the ending is pretty weak, but what do you expect from a movie all about showcasing the gore? A perfect movie watch while you kick back with your friends, have a cold one and both gawk and laugh at the bloody gore.

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Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)

I love watching movies in Italian (screw dubbing!) because, for the most part, I can understand them (I am Italian and speak it). Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key is a not-too-gory giallo with one of the best titles in cinema.

A privileged but failed writer named Oliviero spends his days boozing it up with local lay-abouts and takes pleasure in tormenting his wife, both physically and emotionally. When his mistress is murdered, Oliviero is the main suspect, until being cleared by the police. More and more bodies pile up and his wife wonders if he really is the killer.

While the first half of the film is pretty slow and mainly features Oliviero slapping his wife around, the second half picks up with several interesting twists and surprises. It features the famous Edwige Fenech as Oliviero's niece. There's lots of nudity, including a lesbian scene between Fenech's character and Anita Strindberg's character of the wife and a sex scene between Fenech and Luigi Pistilli (Oliviero), which is usually expected in a giallo. A black cat named Satan plays heavily into the storyline, much like Edgar Allen Poe's "The Black Cat."

This was an enjoyable giallo, despite being heavy on misogyny (Oliverio toward his wife), but pretty easy on gore. It certainly isn't the best in the genre, but it's worth checking out for the ending.

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Cannibal Ferox (1981)

On the recommendation of Warren over at 150 Days of Sodom (check his site out if you haven't already; it's great!), I decided to view the infamous Cannibal Ferox.

I had always thought of Cannibal Ferox as the ultimate in gore and torture, so I shied away from it for so many years...until now! I could not be held back any longer from its grisly allure.

Does Cannibal Ferox live up to the hype? For me, a first-time watcher of these exploitative cannibal movies, it certainly did. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, perhaps because of my low expectations going into it. Nonetheless, I thought it was a well made and entertaining film.

The story is simple...in New York City, both the mob and police are out to find a couple of guys (Mike and Joe) who have skipped off with a considerable amount of the mob's dough. Meanwhile, three college kids (siblings Rudy and Gloria and their friend Pat) are in the Amazon, trying to disprove that cannibalism exists for Gloria's thesis. They venture deep into the Amazon jungle to try to find a small village no one has heard of but could prove their theory.

They run into Mike and Joe deep in the heart of the jungle, who tell them they have been attacked by cannibals. Joe has been injured and their guides have been killed. After deciding to stick together, the group stumbles upon the village and the carnage left there. It seems the only villagers left are the old people and the younger children. The group decides to take refuge in the village's huts to try to care for Joe, who is now dying. Joe tells Gloria and Rudy that Mike has lied to them about being attacked by cannibals. The truth is, Mike and Joe were after precious emeralds that the villagers possessed. When they wouldn't hand the emeralds over, Mike tortured and killed some villagers while most of the male villagers were on a fishing expedition. Now, the male villagers could return at any time!

After learning this information, Gloria and Rudy try to get Pat to get out, but find that she has left with Mike. They flee, but are soon captured by the returning male villagers. Now, the villagers seek retribution for what was done to them and to their village...

This is an exploitation gem! Yes, it is extremely violent and some parts are difficult to watch. There is mutilation, castration, decapitation, humiliation, cannibalism, shots of real animals being killed (something I DO NOT condone but is still shocking and disturbing) and so on. The animal deaths were very difficult to watch, just because I knew they were real. Even for standards nowadays, this film is still pretty brutal - just watch for the castration scene(s) and the scene where Pat is hung on meat hooks by her breasts.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. It really kept up the tension, even though it did switch back from the Amazonian jungle to New York City every few scenes. I was very impressed with this film, and wouldn't mind adding it to my DVD collection.

If you haven't checked this film out yet and can handle excessive torture and real animal deaths (even I had to cover my eyes a bit), then get this movie! It's worth it...

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The Beyond (1981)

The Beyond is a movie by Lucio Fulci, the man behind Zombi and other gory Italian flicks.

It begins in the 1920's, with many men surrounding a house in the Louisiana bayou. Inside, a man is painting and a woman is reading a very old book about the Seven Gateways of Hell. The men outside burst in with torches and seize the painter, saying he has brought evil to the area. The painter in turn says that he is the only one that can protect them, for the house was built on one of the Seven Gateways to Hell. The other men ignore him, dragging him to the basement where they crucify him to a wall and throw acid on him.

The movie then jumps to present day, where Liza has inherited the same house from a relative. She is turning it into a bed and breakfast, but lots of work needs to be done. She hires painters, handymen, plumbers and so on to spruce up the decrepit old house. While the painters are painting the outside of the house, one of them sees a woman with milky white cataract eyes through a window. He is so frightened that he falls several stories to his death.

Liza is befriended by the local doctor, John McCabe, who tries to help the painter after his nasty fall. Meanwhile, the plumber arrives to take a look at the flooded basement. When left to his own devices he opens up a wall to get to the reason for the flooding and finds the gateway to hell!

Liza meets blind woman Emily and her faithful German Shepard on her way into New Orleans. Emily has the same milky white eyes that the painter saw through the window! After Emily has Liza over to her house, Emily warns her to leave the house, leave and never return!

Soon, more people in the house, including the servants, go missing in the house. There are many strange supernatural occurrences and Liza begins seeing things. The doctor is there for her as he tries to help her (while he probably thinks she is just crazy or under too much stress). Things escalate when John and Liza escape the house only to find the streets of New Orleans empty. They go to John's hospital and find that the dead walk!

When this movie came out, it was lambasted by critics (and still is) but soon garnered a cult following. I am used to how these Italian films are presented (usually with a lack of cohesive plot), but those that have never seen an Argento, Fulci, etc. may be a little thrown for a loop. These films focus more on the mood they want to invoke rather than the plot. If one can realize and accept this (and are fans of gore!) I believe more people would enjoy these movies.

The gore in this film is truly nasty (which is a compliment!) and Fulci definitely delivers. Fulci does not shy from showing anything, including a couple of scenes involving acid and someone's face! I was delighted (and grossed out at the same time) that this film featured Fulci's signature eyeball gouging. We also get to see a dog rip someone throat out, among many other gory scenes.

The acting is pretty decent, but the plot does have some pretty big holes in it. Still it is an enjoyable film if you love gore a la Italian masters.

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The New York Ripper (1982)

A killer is loose in New York, sexually mutilating beautiful women. The killer talks like Donald Duck, both to his victims and when taunting the police over the telephone. An older detective tries to solve the case before another woman is cut to ribbons.

This film was directed by Lucio Fulci, who also directed the films Don't Torture a Duckling and Zombie. While I enjoyed those films, I could not get into The New York Ripper. The violence was just too misogynistic for me. Plus, Fulci seemed to come up with the killing scenes first before applying the convoluted back story. There were many suspects, all of them seedy and mysterious characters. The psychologist who was helping the detective seemed like he could have done it, as could have the gigolo, the rich but lonely and kinky wife or the lone survivor of an attack by the Ripper. To quote Randy in Scream, "Everyone's a suspect!"

I wholeheartedly agree with Killing in Style's review of the film. It does appear that Fulci used the story as padding for the killing scenes. The highly violent, erotically charged and misogynistic killings definitely come first in the film, while the plot comes second and sort of fades into the background. Killing in Style points out:

...it could be compared with porn as it uses a similar parasitic approach: diverting a rather classic and well-coded cinema style to use it to its own advantage. When porn leverages any stereotypical scenaristic frame as a pretext to fit in as many porn scenes as possible, Fulci hijacks the early 80s American cop film codes and structure to stuff it with ultra-violent (and sometimes almost pornographic) sequences.

The "almost pornographic" death scenes make this a very uncomfortable film to watch. The camera caresses every angle of each character about to die, and continues to caress them as they are killed by the Ripper.

For everything I want to say about this movie, go to Killing in Style's excellent review of the film - he basically covers it all!

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