A Lizard in a Woman's skin

UNA LUCERTOLA CON LA PELLE DI DONNA

A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN

Italy 1971

D: Lucio Fulci.

P: Edmondo Amati for Atlantida Films, International Apollo, & Les Films Corona//St & Sc: Lucio Fulci, Roberto Gianviti, Jose Martinez Molla, & André Tranche//DP: Luigi Kuveiller//E: Vincenzo Tomassi//M: Ennio Morricone//Art Direction: Maurizio Chiari//Makeup: Carlo Rambaldi

Cast: Florinda Bolkan, Stanley Baker, Jean Sorel, Alberto De Mendoza, Anita Strindberg, Jorge Rigaud, Leo Genn, Silvia Monti.

Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) tells her psychiatrist about her dream of murdering her next door neighbor Julia (Anita Strindberg). When the neighbor turns up dead and Carol's fur coat and dagger are found near the body, Inspector Corvin (Stanley Baker) arrests her. Her husband (Jean Sorel) and father (Leo Genn) are both lawyers and base their case on the testimony of Carol's psychiatrist (Jorge Rigaud), Dr. Kerr. It allows her to be released on bail where she is soon menaced by a red-haired hippie that also appeared in her dream. More deaths occur (including Carol's stepdaughter and father) before we discover the real reason behind the killings.

Stanley Baker's role as Corvin  redefines the term "wooden performance" with his appearance in this one. Geez, what a stiff!! Mostly known for its infamous dog "evisceration" scene by Carlo Rambaldi, the film features Fulci's truly paranoiac vision of how the Sixties generation screwed up. His laughably unenlightened view of what constitutes a bad LSD trip is comparable to REEFER MADNESS during the thirties. There are a lot of highlights anyway, including another fine score by Morricone and a superlative performance by Florinda Bolkan as the suspected murderess. Anita Strindberg as the lesbian/murder victim shows her adept at playing sluts, bitches, saints, murderess or victim. Fulci's shining moments as a director come during the dream sequences. They are quite effective in this topnotch Giallo by a director who went on to bigger, but not necessarily better things.