Killer Nun

Suor Omicidi

The Killer Nun

Italy

D: Giulio Berruti

P: Enzo Gallo for Cinesud Produzioni//St & Sc: Giulio Berruti & Alberto Tarallo//DP: Tonino Maccoppi//E: Mario Giacco//M: Alessandro Alessandroni//Art D: Franco Vanorio//Makeup: Mauro Gavazzi.

Cast: Anita Ekberg, Alidi Valli, Massimo Serato, Daniele Dublino, Laura Nucci, Alice Gherardi, Aeede Barriault, Antonietta Patriarca, Sofia Lusy, Nerini Montagnani, Franco Caracciolo, Lou Castel & Joe Dallasandro.

A nun confesses to a priest that, because she was raped as a child, she wants revenge on all men. Meanwhile, Sister Gertrude works at the hospital where she cares for the elderly and sick. She thinks she has cancer and has already survived a brain tumor. She becomes more and more violent as she crushes a patient's dentures and slaps others around. When some of her charges begin turning up dead, she's afraid she may have killed them during one of her blackouts. The film builds to a depressing conclusion where the guilty are punished and the innocent set free.

This may be a bad film, but it's bad in a very entertaining way. Anita Ekberg was far too overweight and old to play Sister Gertrude, yet director Giulio Berruti (KILLER NUN was his second and last film) allows her to dress like a hooker and try and seduce a man in a bar. Didn't he realize what a hideous mistake he was making? No doubt such judgement led him to miscast Ex-Warhol protege Joe Dallasandro as a concerned doctor who works at the hospital. Then there's poor Lou Castel, who is so contemptful of his part he appears to be drunk (watch him trip over objects such as his crutches and tables for no apparent reason).Paola Morra, who plays Sister Matill is a real looker and her nude scenes certainly help a woefully inept production such as this. The murders are quite nasty which helps contribute to the overall trashy mood. A movie for when you want to wash away that "arthouse" experience from your pallette.

Exciting new Eurocrime film book by Matt Blake!

To quote the talented Mr Blake:

"It’s been a while, but I’m finally ready to announce that a new WildEye publication is on the way! In the Name of the Law – Italian Crime Films from 1945 to 1969 is the third WildEye book, followingGiorgio Ardisson: The Italian Jame Bond and the now out-of-print Fantastikal Diabolikal Supermen. Here’s the blurb…

During the 1970s Italian cinema discovered crime. Inspired by the likes of Dirty Harry and The French Connection, numerous producers and directors rushed rushed their own cop and gangster movies (or poliziotteschi, as they became known) into production. But it wasn’t a phenomena that emerged out of nowhere and it wasn’t entirely due to trans-Atlantic influence. Indeed, crime (or criminality) had already been an important feature of hundreds of Italian films, from the neo-realist classics of the 1940s to neo-noirs made two decades later.

This book is an exploration of this murky area; a look at films either respected or forgotten which can authentically claim to be antecedents of the poliziotteschi. In doing so it charts the progress of the genre while it was still in the process of discovering its ideal form. So buckle up your seat-belts and get ready to meet the assorted delinquents, bandits and mafiosi who were to be found in Italian films between 1945 and 1969.

A bit of context: I started working on this book about four years ago, when it was initially intended to be the first in a three part examination of the poliziotteschi genre. At around the time I finished this first section, Roberto Curti released his Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. Damn you Roberto! No, seriously, Roberto’s book is really excellent, and it made doing the second and third part of the trilogy rather redundant, at least for the moment. However, I think this part, which largely covers the period before Roberto’s book, is still very worthwhile in it’s own right: you can think of it as a prequel, but by a different director. In fact, I find a lot of the films covered here just as – if not more – interesting as the more familiar seventies crime films; and where else would you find essays on the likes of Passport For A Corpse, Barriers of the Law and Gente d’onore (as well as more acclaimed but sadly oft-forgotten gems such as Bandits of Orgosolo and Bitter Rice).

Anyway, I’m hoping to have it available early in the New Year (i.e. late January). It’s 224 pages long, Royal size (234mm x 156mm), with a nice glossy cover and 8 pages in colour. As usual, it’s packed with rare artworks, trivia about the films and…. well, all the usual. More news as it comes…http://www.thewildeye.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/in-the-name-of-the-law.jpg "

The Mad Butcher

The Mad Butcher

Italy

D: John (Guido) Zurli

P: Robert H. Oliver & Dag Molin//St & Sc: Robert H. Oliver & Karl Ross//DP:?//E: Graham Lee Mahin//M: Alex Alexander (Alessandro Alessandroni)//Art D: Frank Di Stefano//Costumes: Gloria Cardi//Makeup: Diana Green Rose.

Cast: Victor Buono, Brad Harris, Franca Polcelli, Karin Field, Carl Stearns, Sybil Martin, Michael Turner, Arthur Mann.

Otto, the local butcher, is being released from the insane asylum for good behavior. His wife had him committed after he hit a customer on the head with two pounds of liver. He separates from his spouse and spends all of his time trying to restore his business' good name. His wife continues to nag him endlessly to the point where Otto kills her and grinds the body up into hamburger. Mike, a Chicago newspaper man on overseas assignment, becomes suspicious of Otto and begins to spy on him. He ends up falling in love with one Otto's neighbors, Hansel. More people disappear while Otto's meat prices continue to drop from a surplus of supply. When Hansel disappears, but her ring turns up in a customer's sausage meal, Mike goes looking for the mad butcher.

You know from the first minute that this film's tongue-in-cheek approach will be a painful viewing experience. Black comedies only work when the participants take them seriously, an impossibility when your lead character is played by Victor Buono. His broad portrayal of Otto sinks the film early and it never recovers.  Comedies involving cannibalism rarely succeed. Director Zurli never made a good film and even went to Turkey (the last bastion for crappy filmmakers) when he couldn't get work at home. Brad Harris is his usual wooden self. He doesn't appear to understand that he's in a comedy. He overdoes it so much he appears to think he's making a silent movie. There's nudity from the female cast but even that fails to raise the film to the level of even passable sleaze. A failure that should be avoided at all cost.

The New York Ripper

LO SQUARTATORE DI NEW YORK

THE NEW YORK RIPPER

Italy 1982

D: Lucio Fulci

P: Fabrizio De Angelis for Fulvia Film S.R.L.//St & Sc: Lucio Fulci, Gianfranco Clerici, Dardano Sacchetti, Vincenzo Mannino// DP: Luigi Kuveiller//E: Vincenzo Tomassi//M: Francesco De Masi// Costumes: Massimo Lentini//Makeup: Franco Di Girolamo

Cast: Jack Hedley, Almanta Keller (Antonella Interlenghi), Howard Ross, Alexandra Delli Colli, Paolo Marco, Andrea Occhipinti, Andrew Painter, Cinzia De Ponti, Laurence Wells, Daniela Doria, Babette New, Zora Kerova, Paul Guskin, Anthon Kagan, Johs Cruze, Marsha MacBride, Rita Silva.

Lt. Fred Williams is assigned to a murder case involving a model who posed nude for men's magazines. When a second victim, brutally mutilated like the model, is found on the Staten Island Ferry, Williams decides to call in Dr. Davis, a psychologist for help. More bodies turn up as the killer (using a Donald Duck-like voice) calls Williams to brag about his exploits. Williams and Davis must work together (which isn't easy as they star off disliking each other) to stop the madman from slaughtering more women.

This was made at the height of the slasher film mania going on in America at the time and except for William Lustig's MANIAC, it out does them all when it comes to outrageous gore. An ugly looking film, Fulci and DP Luigi Kuveiller don't try and glamorize their version of Hell, aka New York City. By the end of the film you'll feel like you've been wallowing in the filth of 42nd Street for the previous 90 minutes. The murders are as graphic and brutal as any I've ever seen so you have to give Fulci credit, he made the ultimate slasher film. Apart from all the mayhem, there are some nice subtle touches as well. The chemistry that develops between Hedley (who is really British, but the dubbers fortunately give him a world-weary, seen it all before voice) and Paolo Marco (a veteran of Fulci films) as the gay psychiatrist who at first disgusts the cop, but eventually treats him as an equal, gives the audience a chance to catch their breath amidst all the mayhem. The film makes no apologies for what it is and you'll either love it or hate it. There's no middle ground.

Spasmo

SPASMO

D: Umberto Lenzi.

P: Ugo Tucci//St & Sc: Massimo Franciosa, Luisa Montagnana, Pino Boller, Umberto Lenzi//DP: Guglielmo Mancori//E: Eugenio Alabiso//M: Ennio Morricone//Art D: Giacomo Calo Carducci//Costumes: Silvia Laurenzi//Makeup: Antonio Mecacci Cast: Robert Hoffmann, Suzy Kendall, Ivan Rassimov, Maria Pia Conte, Adolfo Lastretti, Franco Silva, Mario Erpichini, Luigio Antonio Guaria, Rosita Tarosh, Monica Monet, Guido Alberti.

Lover boy Christian, meets and almost beds Barbara (Suzy Kendall), but is interrupted by an assassin. Christian "kills" him and they escape to a deserted chateau where they meet an odd couple Malcolm and Clarinda (the oddly attractive Maria Pia Conte). Before you know it, Christian admits to the killing and flees. At the same time, women are being murdered (offscreen) and near their bodies is found a plastic dummy, hanging from a tree with a knife in its belly. We finally learn that Christian and his brother Fritz (Ivan Rassimov, dubbed with a fey voice) inherited a huge business from their deceased father (he was mentally deranged and comitted suicide). It seems that Fritz has been trying to drive his brother insane to get him the medical help he needs. Unfortunately, he succeeds resulting in the death of Barbara and many others. Christian is killed by Barbara's lover as we discover that Fritz too, has begun to show tendencies of stabbing mannequins with a long knife.

The film is so convoluted and talky, that until you're able to follow all the twists and turns of the plot, you can't begin to appreciate all that Lenzi and his fellow screenwriters were trying to accomplish. For the first hour of this 90 minute sleeper, you will be as in the dark as the main character, Christian (Robert Hoffmann). For the American release of this film, George Romero filmed approximately 10 minutes of explicit violence to help spice up the film. The print reviewed here is obviously the original export version. Because we don't know who the murderer might be, none of the killings are shown when they occur (which runs counter to ALL other Gialli where you witness the murder sequence either as a participant or as a victim). While certainly original, I can see how that would pose a problem for the film's producer. There's no nudity to speak of either so Lenzi really left exploitation fans in the lurch. However, I find this all distinctly refreshing and would use this film to prove to fans disgusted by Lenzi's cannibal films, that the man really does know how to make an entertaining film that relies on plot and atmosphere alone. Morricone's score is among his best (comparable to the one he penned for WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO SOLANGE?). 

The Young, The Evil And The Savage

SETTE VERGINI PER IL DIAVOLO aka NUDE...SI MUORE

THE YOUNG, THE EVIL AND THE SAVAGE

US Video Title:SCHOOL GIRL KILLER

Italy 1968

D: Anthony M. Dawson (Antonio Margheriti)

P: Virgilio De Blasi & Lawrence Woolner for Super International Pictures & B.G.A//St & Sc: Antonio Margheriti, Franco Bottari, Giovanni Simonelli//DP: Fausto Zuccoli//E: Otello Colangeli// M: Carlo Savina//Art D: Antonio Visone//Costumes: Annamode//Makeup: Perry Mecacci

Cast: Michael Rennie, Mark Damon, Eleonor Brown, Alan Collins (Luciano Pigozzi), Selly Smith, Patrizia Valturri, Lorenza Guerrieri, Malisa Longo, Franco De Rosa, Ester Masing, Gianni Di Benedetto, Valentino Macchi.

Students are being killed off at St. Hilda's, a finishing school for young girls. There are the usual suspects: a voyeuristic gardener (Alan Collins), fencing instructor De Brazzi, and young stud Richard (Mark Damon). Inspector Duran (Michael Rennie, in a performance that defines the term, wooden) finds out that Lucille (Eleonor Brown) is about to inherit a fortune and uncovers the fact that her cousin, a man, had killed the school's newly appointed teacher Miss Brown, and impersonated her so as to get close enough to Lucille to put her out of the picture.

With opening theme music that sounds like the Batman TV show, the tone of the film is set for what at times seems like a tongue-in-cheek parody of the genre. The film is entirely too cutesy and the fact that Mark Damon goes right along with it, hurts the film's chances for establishing any type of mood. As usual, Alan Collins is used as the ultimate red herring, handling a scythe suspiciously, spying on the girls as they take their showers, etc. Eleanor Brown as Lucille is the only actress who doesn't get on one's nerves. The tiresome cliche of a corpse being discovered, only to disappear whenever someone, besides the original discoverer comes to look, is endlessly repeated. The murder sequences are pedestrian and staged without imagination. The fact that the killer is a strangler means gore is non-existant. Michael Rennie's performance is poor as usual, but at least it retains some dignity as he dubs his own voice. The gender bending killing is one of the best I've seen as the male actor posing as a female really sells the part. That old Giallo standby, the lime pit, makes a cameo appearance here. Overall, the film is just too tame an exercise in terror and you're left with spending 90 minutes with a bunch of characters  you'd just as soon not be around.

Crimes of the Black Cat

Sette Scialli Di Seta Gialla

Sales Title: Crimes of the Black Cat

Italy 1972

D: Sergio Pastore

P: Edmondo Amati for Capitolina Produzioni Cinematografiche//St & Sc: Alessandro Continenza, Sergio Pastore, & Giovanni Simonelli//DP: Guglielmo Mancori//E: Vincenzo Tomassi//M: Manuel De Sica//Art D: Alberto Boccianti//Costume: Luciana Marinucci//Makeup: Eugenio Ascani//Color.

Cast: Anthony Steffen (Antonio De Teffe), Sylva Koscina, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Jeanette Len, Renato di Carmine, Umberto raho, Romano Malaspina, Annabella Incontrera, Liliana Pavlo, Isabelle Marchal, Shirley Corrigan.

Francoise runs a model agency that is experiencing a rather serious problem. Her models are being killed off, one by one. Their death is the result of being scratched by a cat whose claws are spiked with curare, a deadly poison. The victims are given a yellow silk shaw that causes the cat to attack. A blind composer named Peter is drawn into the crime when his girlfriend Paula is killed. He discovers the owner of the cat is a drug addicted ex-circus performer and when Peter offers to supply her with heroin, she agrees to reveal who is in charge of deciding which model will be the next to die. More murders occur before the killer is revealed and takes a fatal plunge from Peter's apartment window.

Sergio Pastore's only contribution to the Giallo, his career began in 1967 with the crime film, Omicidio a Sangue Freddo and ended with his death in 1987 while working on Delitti (the film was finished by his wife, Giovanni Lenzi, aka Jeanette Len). It's a shame as he definitely had a talent for setting up unusual set pieces (the shower of glass that crashes down on Steffen in an abandoned factory) and displaying graphic gore when need be. In fact, it's the extremely violent murder sequence set in a shower—imagine Hitchcock's Psycho filmed in color and featuring the type of gore you find in a Lucio Fulci film from the late seventies—that has gained this film a sort of legendary status. That's a real shame as it's only one small part of this film's overall excellence. For once, Pastore and his fellow screenplay writers came up with a way to excuse the general poor performance usually given by Steffen, make his character blind. Now there's a reason why his character appears stiff as a board! And though Koscina was beginning to show signs of age, the denouement revealing her character's deformity is a shocking highlight in a career that usually only required to look beautiful. One of the better efforts of the genre.

TRASHMAN ON THE PROWL #2

TRASHMAN ON THE PROWL #2

TORINO CENTRALE DEL VIZIO 1979

Directed by Bruno Vani, [Uncredited: Renato Polselli]

Dialogue: Renato Polselli

Music: Stelvio Cipriani-CAM

Cast: Rita Calderoni (Helen Valdez), Raul Martinez (Mirko), Tony Matera

REVIEWED BY ROBERT MONELL

A quick look at the IMDB director’s filmography of Renato Polselli says a lot about his odd career. An interesting start in the crime-giallo genre, some key 60s Gothic horrors, forays into comedy, spaghetti westerns, sex drenched violent giallos, quasi experimental return to Gothic horror, porno-mondo affairs, impoverished crime thrillers and a final descent into the hardcore swamp.

 1983 Teresa altri desideri (supervisor)

 1980 Quando l'amore è oscenità (as Ralph Brown)

 1979 Torino centrale del vizio (uncredited)

 1978 Casa dell'amore... la polizia interviene (as Ralph Brown)

 1974 Mania (as Ralph Brown)

 1973 Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion (as Ralph Brown)

 1973 Riti, magie nere e segrete orge nel trecento... (as Ralph Brown)

 1972 Delirio caldo (as Ralph Brown)

 1972 La verità secondo Satana (as Ralph Brown)

 1966 Mondo pazzo... gente matta!

 1965 Sheriff Won't Shoot

 1964 Le sette vipere (Il marito latino)

 1964 Il mostro dell'opera

 1963 Avventura al motel

 1962 Ultimatum alla vita

 1961 Solitudine

 1960 The Vampire and the Ballerina

 1957 Solo Dio mi fermerà

 1954 Il grande addio

 1952 Delitto al luna park

 1952 Ultimo perdono

I first saw this as a vhs dupe of an Italian TV broadcast. For this review I managed to view it via the US MYA DVD (retitled LUST], which has better color (the video was virtually drained of color), is somewhat sharper and is subtitled in English, the last being essential since there is a lot of complicated dialogue/narration. Still, It’s in pretty rough shape and rather soft throughout. Not that this is essential viewing for Eurocrime fans or even Polselli collectors, but it is a rather mad, compelling oddity. The kind of film which remains almost totally unknown outside of European Trash Cinema circles and had dropped off the map for decades before the MYA DVD release.

Polselli’s career as a director started in 1952 with two films released that year, the second of which, DELITTO AL LUNA PARK sounds like a crime-giallo entry from its title, cast (Renato Baldini, Franca Marzi, John Kitzmiller) and looks like one from its poster, depicting a somewhat frightened looking woman wearing a red dress (danger!) descending a staircase as a group of rather sinister faces float in the background. What does it all indicate? I don’t know since the film hasn’t surfaced on English language video/disc anywhere. There may be an Italian video, but I’m not aware of one. If there is, please notify me as I’d be very interested in seeing a possibly significant giallo or at least a lost Eurocrime title. Polselli’s career really begins eight years later with the vampire film L’AMANTE DEL VAMPIRO (1960), featuring Walter Brandi as an ugly vampire who becomes handsome when he isn’t drained of blood by his female vampire lover. He roams the area, draining victims, then arrives at the castle where he is fed upon by the beautiful countess. A vicious cycle, but who is dominating force here? Helene Remy is also featured as a dancer who becomes the vampire’s current interest. Released in English as THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA, there aren’t any ballerinas or ballets, just a group of leotard clad starlets jazz dancing to upbeat nightclub tunes. This was first major filming of a screenplay by the important, prolific Italian screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi (THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH, LIBIDO, THE WHIP AND THE BODY, THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK), who worked in numerous genres, writing some of the key Italian horror films of the 1960s and most important giallos of the 1970.  In his first horror film Polselli evidenced some talent at creating a potent gothic atmosphere and utilizing stylized camera work to tell his story. The film borrows shots and elements from Dreyer’s VAMPYR, Lon Chaney’s THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and other classic horror films but at  least has the sense to utilize superior models. Disregarding for the moment such fare as AVVENTURA AL  MOTEL and SHERIFF WON’T SHOOT, one skips ahead to the even more experimental mix of gothic and exploitation, Il MOSTRO DEL OPERA, a 1964 remixing of another ugly vampire figure, sexy dancers and delirious mise-en-scene. But his career really kicks into high gear with the outrageous giallo sexploitationers LA VERITA SECONDO SATANA (1971) and DELIRIO CALDO (1972), both featuring Rita Calderoni is various states of undress, sexual torment and emotional dysfunction. Mickey Hargitay stars in the latter as demented police psychologist who is helping the local cops look for a serial killer, who turns out to be ….himself! A classic giallo, stuffed with 70s sex and gore, complete with a black gloved killer, this film finally got a much welcome deluxe DVD release from BLUE UNDERGROUND, complete with two versions of the title along with interviews questioning Polselli and Hargitay on the film’s production. The director and actor would team up again with Rita Calderoni in the completely off the rails BLACK MAGIC RITES aka Riti, magie nere e segrete orge nel trecento..., a mad 1973 vampire epic which features a witch (Calderoni) in love with a reincarnation of Count Dracula (Hargitay). At least that’s what I THINK is going on. No one has succeeded in deciphering this non-linear enterprise which combines the best of Ed Wood with the worst of Alain Resnais.. But it sure is NOT boring. It has since come out on Bluray from REDEMPTION-KINO DVD, which is probably the best way to experience this colorful historical nightmare.

 In 1973 Poslelli seemed to completely abandon all convention and good taste to make the rather vile RIVELAZIONI UNA PSICHIATRA SUL MONDO PERVERSO DEL SESSO, which I reviewed in my Trashman On The Prowl column in ETC #15. With hints of bestiality and worse, this fake Mondo effort features a psychiatrist who presides over a group of neurotics who recount horrid sexual misadventures which give us way too much intimate information. As I wrote in my review “this is one sick puppy” (and his later OSCENITA (1980) is even sicker). Orgies, rape, necrophilia, random perversions, more animal stuff, more incoherence, more ugly photography, with Polselli favorite Isarco Ravalioli(who goes all the way back to L’AMANTE DEL VAMPIRO) presiding over the decidedly messy proceedings. These things make Pasolini’s SALO (1975) look like restrained and responsible art filmmaking in comparison. Which brings us to TORINO, CENTRALE DEL VIZIO, a kind of follow up to CASA DELL’ AMORE, LA POLIZIA INTERVIENE, made a few years earlier with Polselli “working” with the obscure Bruno Vani, a dubious writer-director who is actually credited with directing TORINO…. Polselli, apparently took over from Vani, who also contributed footage to the equally frenetic, and seimi-incompetent, earlier crime thriller. Like CASA DELL AMORE, TORINO… features Tony Matera and brings back Polselli muse Rita Calderoni as Helen Valdez, an ex hooker who has been involved with a ruthless drug cartel which drops international caches in by helicopter. She knows where the drop is which makes her a target for the mob when she decides to resign and retire with her journalist husband, Mirko (Raul Martinez). But this is the Mob, and as the saying goes….  you’re either in, or in the way.

Opening in media res with a car chase through the city, the action then abruptly cuts back to the meeting of our lovers as they water-ski, dance and relate their stories via a bizarre narration, at least the English subs are bizarre. “ It was me, Helen..” “It was you.”,  “The day she died like a bitch there, under the castle.” “In those shitty streets… where I first saw you.” And so forth… . Since Polselli is credited with the dialogue these nonsense lines might very well have come from the pen of the man who wrote the equally (deliberately?) incomprehensible BLACK MAGIC RITES… . The car chase continues as Polselli cuts to all kinds of architectural details around town. One memorable zoom shot moves back from a close up of a sewer grate, pans up and zip zooms into a close up of a church spire (Jess Franco is outdone here). Cut back to Mirko chasing Helen and goofy looking Tony Matera as they try to outrun him in their dune buggy. Remember the dune buggies in Mario Bava’s BAY OF BLOOD (1971) and Riccardo Freda’s TRAGIC CEREMONY … (1973)? Something was up with dune buggies in 1970s thrillers. I guess Steve McQueen’s famous car chase from BULLITT (1968) was also a commercial influence. The zip zooming action gives way to more waterskiing, more mobsters moving in on Rita, who gets choked with her own hair at one point, more beatings for Mirko. All this continues for around an hour until a final confrontation between the bad guys, armed with pitchforks, and Mirko and Helen, armed with garden rakes! An upbeat narration ends it all by informing us that, “It’s the merry-go-round of life.” Yes, it is … in a way. A few arty compositions and the crazy dialogue are all that remain of the memory of Polselli’s earlier, more interesting work. He appears to have been totally burnt out at this point by the effort to keep up with the commercial realities of the rapidly changing market.

The one Polselli giallo I would really like to see, MANIA (1974), is the one which appears to be the most elusive of all.

  © Robert Monell--2015

The Psychic

SETTE NOTE IN NERO

Export Title: Murder to the tune of Seven Black Notes

US Title:THE PSYCHIC

D: Lucio Fulci

P: Cinecompany//St & Sc: Lucio Fulci, Roberto Gianviti,

Dardano Sacchetti//DP: Sergio Salvati//E: Ornella Micheli//M: Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera//Art D: Luciano Spadoni//Costume: Massimo Lentini//Makeup: Maurizio Giustini

Cast: Jennifer O'Neill, Gianni Garko, Marc Porel, Gabriele Ferzetti, Evelyn Stewart, Jenny Tamburi, Fabrizio Jovine, Riccardo Parisio Perrott, Elizabeth Turner.

Virginia has a psychic experience and almost wrecks her car. The vision she saw involved a man with a limp, burying a woman alive behind the wall of a villa. Later on she discovers that particular villa is owned by her husband and when the wall is opened up, a woman's skeleton is revealed. Her husband is arrested for murder since he was involved with her years earlier. Meanwhile, Virginia sees the man with a limp from her vision and tries to discover his link to the crime. The psychic experiences continue, revealing more and more clues to what happened in the past and what will happen to Virginia, her husband and the man with the limp in the future.

Because Fulci followed this film with ZOMBIE, THE BEYOND and CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE PSYCHIC tends to get overlooked by fans and critics alike. Which is a shame because it's an excellent thriller, with a very complex plot that relies on Fulci's sensitive direction (not something he's known for) to maintain viewer interest. His use of zooms and quick cuts to inform you that a vision is about to take place, is a clever device that helps keep confusion to a minimum. Actress Jennifer O'Neill does a fine job as the psychic who almost misinterprets what she experiences to the detriment of her own life. Gianni Garko, as her husband, comes across as a man victimized by circumstances, who, when the time is right, reveals his true nature. I also enjoyed Evelyn Stewart as Garko's take charge sister. She pumps some much needed energy into a gloomy scenario. Fulci cribs from himself here (the opening death scene is a more graphic variation on the ending he used in DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING) in places, but shows he still had valid contributions to the genre (something he abandoned later on for THE NEW YORK RIPPER).  You really should give this one a chance.

7 Cadavers for Scotland Yard

7 Cadavers for Scotland Yard

Sette Cadaveri Per Scotland Yard

Spain

D: José Luis Madrid

P: Sandro Amati & José Maria Tellez for Cinefilms S.L. (Madrid) & International Apollo Film (Rome)//St & Sc: José Luis Madrid, Jacinto Molina & Tito Carpi//DP: Diego Ubeda//E: Luis Puigvert//M: Piero Piccioni//Art D: Juan Alberto Soler & Bruno Cesari//Costume: Tony Randaccio//Makeup: Manolita Novda.

Cast: Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina), Patricia Loran, Renzo Marignano, Orchidea De Santis, Franco Borelli, Miguel Minuesa, Terestita Castizo, Isidoro Novellas, Carmen Roger, Victor Iregua.

A homicidal maniac is stalking the denizens of the flesh pits of London. The police have named him Jack The Ripper because of his prediliction for killing prostitutes with surgical precision. After the death of Peter Dockerman's wife, he becomes a suspect by the police. The Inspector on the job enlists the aid of his friend, Professor Winston. Meanwhile, the killer has resorted to sending severed body parts of his victims to the police in an effort to mock their lack of success in capturing him. Although the police are after him, Dockerman continues to work behind the scenes trying to uncover who the real killer is. Ultimately he's successful, however Peter almost loses his life during a scuffle with the insane murderer.

Director Madrid (who's also made The Horrible Sexy Vampire) is one of the more inept practioners of his craft. His films are always a chore to watch, with continuity usually the first casualty. I have to believe his lack of talent is the reason the film's editor can't match up scenes from one camera angle to the next. Paul Naschy plays the red herring (which is a cheat because it would have been much more interesting if he had indeed been the killer) role in a surly manner and there's not much reason to empathize with his character's attempt to prove his innocence. There are also endless shots of him walking the streets of London which is supposed to impress us that yes, some of the exteriors were shot there, but the tedium with which they are executed defeats this purpose rather quickly. It's pretty easy to guess who the killer is early on so the film's value as a who done it goes south rather quickly. Orchidea De Santis as the wife of Professor Winston has even less to do than usual which is a shame because when given a chance, she's more than just a pretty face. 

Unearthed! Now available till they are gone, ETC #3!!

Digging around in storage I found 10 copies of ETC #3. It sports a beautiful Stephen Bissette cover from DEEP RIVER SAVAGES and highlights the issue's interview with Umberto Lenzi. Not available on the website, this is the only place you can get one (at least till these are sold out) so don't delay! Price is $10 plus $5 shipping. (overseas  airmail is $10). Inside you'll find reviews of BLOOD LUST, CLICK YOU'RE DEAD, EYEBALL, THE ICEBOX MURDERS, LA MORTE VIVANTE, NIGHTMARE CONCERT, LE PASSAGE, SHARAZ, SMILE BEFORE DEATH, THE SUNDAY WOMAN, TRUE STORY OF THE NUN OF MONZA, WEREWOLF IN A GIRL'S DORMITORY, SWEET MOVIE and many more, a detailed Umberto Lenzi Filmography and interview with the man, an episode guide to the unreleased VALENTINA TV episodes (based on the comic strip by Guido Crepax), 2 reviews of Michele Soavi's THE SECT and an interview with Soavi himself! WHEW!! just click on the link below the cover repro.

SOLD OUT!

The Debut of ETC Soundtrack Round Up!

A big thank you to Rob Talbot for coming through with the debut (and hopefully many more) Eurotrash Soundtrack column. During the days of ETC Magazine I roped the legendary John Bender into contributing a soundtrack column...and then promptly had to cancel the magazine due to distributors screwing me over. Thanks agan Rob for reviving this idea.

Exciting times, folks.

Thanks to the resurgence of vinyl and the ease of procurement offered by the internet, there's really never been a better time for fans and collectors of this stuff. Sure, you could say that the “thrill of the hunt” of days of yore has been diminished, and that the current trendiness in various hipster circles is occasionally irksome when you can be pretty sure that most of them don't know jack (or really care) about the films themselves. But if it wasn't for these factors we simply wouldn't have anywhere near the breadth of amazing stuff that's being reissued on vinyl these days. That said, let's not forget that Italian companies like Beat and Dagored had already been churning out hundreds of these beauties on CD and vinyl for decades before any young beardy types had even heard of them. Or had beards.

Brit label Death Waltz have been causing quite a stir with their lavish reissues over the past couple of years, and are still doing good work. June saw the release of Carlo Maria Cordio's score for 1981's Grim Reaper pseudo-sequel Absurd in a gatefold double vinyl edition carrying some eye-popping new artwork – complete with embossed intestines! And, what's more, the double-LP is rounded out by the inclusion of all of Cordio's cues for Pieces. Last month brought with it vinyl reissues of Alexander Blonksteiner's fine Cannibal Apocalypse score and that good old Beat Records compilation Lucio Fulci's Horror & Thriller, both with the most gorgeous sleeve art that they've ever had.

Back in March, DW joined forces with newish kids on the block One Way Static Records for two editions of Riz Ortolani's legendary Cannibal Holocaust OST, one on red vinyl with new Graham Humphreys art and one on green and burgundy vinyl in a black gatefold sleeve bearing the film's distinctive logo. Belgian-based OWS have released far fewer Euro scores than Death Waltz (last year's Cannibal Ferox and Nekromantik being the only others so far), but mid-August will see them release Michael Holm's score for both Mark of the Devil movies on one LP, and, believe it or not, on cassette! The bad news is that they seem to be nearing sell-out on these before they've even been released, so I 'd advise against any procrastination if you want a piece of that action.

Okay, so there's the flashy, show-offy stuff from our newfound hipster-friendly chums, but what of the game's old stalwarts? Well, for Beat Records it's business as usual with recent CD releases of, amongst others, Franco Mussida & Franz Di Cioccio's OST for obscure 1982 historical comedy Attila flagello di Dio (Atilla, Scourge of God),  Francesco De Masi's 1971 spy score FBI operazione Pakistan, and Armando Travajoli's score for 1979's Edwige Fenech-starring Steno smutfest Dottor Jekyll e gentile signora (AKA Dr. Jekyll Likes Them Hot).

Beat's compadres at Digitmovies also continue to be prolific, with the score for 1975 sex comedy Peccati in famiglia (Scandal in the Family) by the brothers De Angelis becoming available on CD for the first time, along with Stelvio Cipriani's über-loungey work for 1971 Lorenzo Artale drama Edipeon - Il Sapore Della Pelle.

Old hands Dagored have also been busy, with a veritable rake of classics out over the past few months that includes Morricone's Spasmo (with three different sleeves to choose from), Cose avete fatto a Solange? (clear red vinyl – careful who you show the cover of that one to!), Escalation (yellow vinyl), Comandamenti per un gangster, and The Big Gundown. They've also re-unleashed Stelvio Cipriani's La Polizia Ringrazia (Execution Squad) into the world, and Claudio Gizzi's Andy Warhol's Frankenstein and Dracula OSTs, both on red vinyl, as is Nicolai's La dama rossa uccide sette volte (The Red Queen Kills... ahh, you know that already.)

Other newer players worthy of your attention are the Australian Omni Recording Corporation. They're responsible for one of my favourite acquisitions of the year thus far -  namely the first vinyl issue since 1972 of Gianfranco Plenizio's beautiful La gatta in calore, released back in April. 2015 has also seen them do the same for Morricone's II sorriso del grande tentator (The Devil is a Woman) and A Quiet Place in the Country, along with Berto Pisano's delirious Kill! And all with vintage sleeve art to die for.

So, exciting times indeed. Enough stuff out there for us to all to live like Euro soundtrack kings. Hey, who needs food, gas or electricity anyway?

by Rob Talbot

Soundtrack blog : http://italiansoundtrackodyssey.blogspot.co.uk/

Movie blog:  http://robtalbotcultandworld.blogspot.co.uk/

European Trash Cinema #6.5!!

Most people don't realize that when I was producing ETC the magazine, I also produced a few newsletter editions! Well, thanks to the generosity of Joshua Thomas Gravel, I can offer folks a chance to download and read this rare blast from the past!! It's sad that even I didn't remember publishing this (I have another half issue in my possession, but not this one). So, if you're interested, here it is! ETC # 6.5

The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance

La Sanguisuga Conduce La Danza

Sales Title: The Bloodsucker Leads The Dance

Italy 1975

U.S.Video Title: The Passion Of Evelyn

D: Alfredo Rizzo

P: TO Ro Cinematografica//St & Sc: Alfredo Rizzo//DP: Aldo Greci//E: Pierra Bruni & Gianfranco Simonelli//M: Marcello Giombini//Art D: Vanni Castellani//Costume: Maria Luisa Panard.

Cast: Femi Benussi, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Krista Nell, Patrizia Di Rossi, Luciano Pigozzi, Mario Del Rosa, Barbara Marzano, Caterina Chiani.

It's Ireland, 1902, and a penniless troup of actors are invited to perform at Count Monarch's castle. The group of thespians consist of wimpy Samuel, nymphomaniac Cora, and the titular lead, Evelyn. They are given an inhospitable welcome from the castle's servants as they all seem to be hiding something. In a short time various members of the acting troup are murdered with everyone acting suspicious. Meanwhile, the Count has fallen in love with Evelyn as she reminds him of his long lost wife. More murderers occur before the police show up and discover the killer's identity.

It's not often I see a film with practically no redeeming features, but The Passion Of Evelyn comes close. The first murder doesn't even occur until an hour into this film's running time and by then, the vast majority of the audience may have already given up and gone home. While we are waiting we do get several sexual encounters between the various cast members but unless you get off to the pairing of Luciano Pigozzi and Femi Benussi (a ludicrous matchup not seen since Joe Spinell and Caroline Munroe in Maniac, 1980), even that bit of activity comes across as uninspired. The dubbing here is also excrutiating, in particular the voice actor used for Giacomo Rossi Stuart who sounds quite constipated. Patrizia De Rossi (who also goes by Patrizia Webley in her sexier roles) is the single attraction, but only to those of us who never quite got over the fact that we weren't breast fed as a child.

Hatchet For a Honeymoon

Il Rosso Segno Della Follia

Hatchet For A Honeymoon

Italy 1969

D: Mario Bava

P: Manuel Caño for Pan Latina Films, Mercury Films & Peliculas Ibarra & Cia SA//St & Sc: Santiago Moncada//DP: Mario Bava//E: Soledad Lopez//M: Sante Romitelli//Art D: Jesus Herrero//Costumes: Jose Tresserra//Makeup: Elisa Aspach & Piero Mecaccia.

Cast: Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti, Jesus Puente, Femi Benussi, Antonio Mas, Alan Collins (Luciano Pigozzi), Gerard Tichy, Veronica Llimera, Fortunato Pascuale, Jose Ignacio Abadaz, Silvia Lienas, Monserrat Riba.

John Harrington has inherited his dress designing business from his mother. He is also a psychopath who has murdered 5 women on their wedding night. Each death allows him to relive a childhood trauma in more detail. He continues to kill until he meets Helen, a model at his shop. John's wife Mildred is a horrid shrew who won't give him a divorce, so he ends up murdering her too. Even after her death, Mildred continues to be seen by her friends as she haunts John and keeps her promise that she will never leave him. John only needs to kill one more woman to discover what it was he saw many years ago that has so affected him. Helen seems to be that final victim as the film reaches its haunting conclusion.

Often considered the runt of the litter when it comes to Mario Bava films, the problems can no doubt be traced to its Spanish production origins. Stephen Forsyth, who looks like John Phillip Law, plays the part of a guy who knows he's crazy but doesn't really care in a very effective manner. Because of Laura Betti's performance as the castrating bitch/wife so well, you almost feel sympathy for Forsythe and he's a killer! No doubt the reason for such fine performances is related to the script writer, Santiago Moncada. He was a prolific workhorse in the Spanish film industry writing screenplays for Jesus Franco, Javiar Bardem and many others.  Unlike most Giallli, the mystery relies not on who the killer is (that's revealed within the first five minutes), but why. Bava can't resist an in-joke or two (Forsyth is watching KILL BABY KILL on his TV set), but other than the effective cinematography, he's just going through the motions as far as direction goes. 

So Sweet So Dead

RIVELAZIONI DI UN MANIACO SESSUALE AI CAPO DELLA SQUADRA MOBILE

Sales Title: SO SWEET, SO DEAD

U.S. Video Title: THE SLASHER IS A SEX MANIAC

D: Roberto Montero (Bianchi)

P: Eugenio Lorimonte for P.C.R Produziono & Produzioni Cinematografiche//St & Sc: Luigi Angelo, Italo Fasani, Roberto Montero//DP: Fausto Rossi//E: Rolando Salvatore//Music: Giorgio Gaslini.

Cast: Farley Granger, Sylva Koscina, Silvano Tranquilli, Annabella Incontrera, Femi Benussi, Chris Avram, Krista Nell, Susan Scott, Angela Covello, Fabrizio Moresco, Andrea Scotti, Irene Pollmer, Luciano Rossi, Ivano Staccioli, Nino Fotti, Jessica Dublin, Philippe Hersent.

Rich society women are being killed off in a number of gruesome ways. The reasoning behind their deaths appears to be infidelity as photos of the women involved in illicit affairs are left at the scene of each crime. Inspector Capuana is assigned to the case and it's obvious he'll receive no help from the victims' aristocratic husbands. Professor Cassali suspects a jealous homosexual but Cappuana sets his sights on morgue attendent Gastoni. As the murders continue, Cappuana, in a last ditch effort to flush out the real killer, arrests a mentally deficient man who claims to have committed the murders. Cappuana plan works as the real killer is offended by being associated with a mental inferior and is flushed out into the open. But not before the inspector allows the madman to bump off his own wife since he discovered she too had been unfaithful to him.

Roberto Montero Bianchi, father of director Mario Bianchi, had a prolific career in all the major Italian genres, such as Western, Crime and Horror. This film was his most delirious, out of control film and unlike say, Ferdinando Merighi, who had a great cast for LA CASA D'APPUNTAMENTO and refused to exploit it, Montero does not make that same mistake here. The actresses who play victims here read like a who's who and are all featured in various stages of sex and death—ultimately what this genre is all about. Montero is by no means an artist, but his offbeat visual absurdity reaches overload in the SO SWEET SO DEAD version where the killer, in black gloves, mask and hat is seen in broad daylight, running down the beach chasing future victim, Femi Benussi. In Montero's defense, that's more a fault of the lab transfer as in other versions of this film, the scene is darkened to simulate night time. Farley Granger's performance is usually singled out as one of his worst (no arguement for the first 90% of the film's running time), but the last sequence where he allows the murderer to kill his wife before sending him to Hell, redeems an overall perfunctory delivery. For the film's 1976 re-release in the U.S., William Mishkin added hardcore sex sequences featuring Kim Pope and Harry Reems and retitled the film PENETRATION. To date, this version has never surfaced.

Nude Girl Found Killed in the Park

RAGAZZA TUTTO NUDA ASSASSINATA NEL PARCO

NAKED GIRL FOUND KILLED IN PARK

Italy 197

D: Alfonso Brescia.

P: Luigi Mondello for Luis Films & Dauro Films//St & Sc: Alfonso Brescia, Antonio Fos, Peter Skerl, Gianni Martucci, Enzo Gicca, & Aldo Crudo//DP: Alfonso Nieva//E: Rolando Salvatori & Roberto Fandino//M: Carlo Savina//Art D: Cruz Baleztena

Cast: Robert Hoffmann, Irina Demick, Pilar Velasquez, Howard Ross, Philippe Leroy, Adolfo Celi, Patrizia Adiutori.

Catherine's father takes out a million dollar life insurance policy and promptly drops dead. She begins receiving mysterious phone calls claiming her father was murdered. The insurance company sends Chris Buyer to investigate the man's death and he decides to get to know Catherine a little bit better. She invites him to her home where he meets her mother (who still carries on conversations with her dead husband) and sister Barbara (who is a nymphomaniac). He learns that Catherine has a bad heart and any sudden shock might prove fatal. All this comes into play as Barbara is found murdered, the threatening phone calls increase and Catherine claims to see her father walking the halls at night. As the film comes to it's conclusion, you have to wonder if Catherine will survive the night.

Al Brescia (aka Al Bradley) is my nominee for the worst Italian director. Name me one film he directed that reveals the least bit of talent (while his BEAST IN SPACE is trashy fun, it still proves my above point). As you can tell, Brescia is not one of my favorites. About all he succeeds at here is instructing the cinematographer to photograph Irina Demick so she looks like Barbara Steele from one of her sixties Gothic movies. Much like George Hilton, if Hoffmann is the star, you can bet your ass he's the guilty party. Here he's allowed to overact so his Mr Nice guy act doesn't fool you for a minute. Howard Ross as a mute (but still sleazy) stableboy has a sultry love scene with nymphomaniac Pilar Velasquez that is one of the few highlights of this film. Both Adolfo Celi (who was great in WHO SAW HER DIE?)and Philippe Leroy phone in their roles. Screenplay writer Martucci would go on to direct his own thriller in 1974 called THRAUMA. The most successful element of this film is the score by Carlo Savina. What a shame his work is so totally overlooked when it comes to soundtracks released on CD. Be wary of versions of this film that cut out the prologue set in WW2. It is vital to understanding the film's denouement.

The Evil Eye

LA RAGAZZA CHE SAPPEVA TROPPO

THE EVIL EYE

Italy 1962

D: Mario Bava.

P: Massimo De Rita for Cosmopolis Films, Galatea SPA, Coronet and Les Filmes Marbeuf//St & Sc: Sergio Corbucci, Ennio De Concini, Eliana de Sabata, Mario Bava, Franco Prosperi & Mino Guerrini//DP: Mario Bava//E: Mario Serandrei//M: Roberto Nicolosi (Les Baxter US version)//Art D: Giorgio Giovannini//Costume: Tina Grani Loriello//Makeup: Euclide Santoli

Cast: Leticia Roman, John Saxon, Valentina Cortese, Dante Di Paolo, Robert Buchanan, Gianni Di Benedetto, Jim Dolen, Lucia Modugno, Virginia Doro, Luigi Bonos, Chana Coubert, Adriana Facchetti, Milo Quesada.

Nora (Leticia Roman) arrives in Rome to visit her Aunt Ethel who isn't feeling well. When Auntie dies that night and Nora experiences a wild chain of events that lead to her witnessing a murder, the police, along with Dr. Bassi (John Saxon), are skeptical since there is no body. She ends up staying with friends of her Aunt's, Laura Craven (Valentina Cortese) and her husband. Nora also learns about a series of murders that took place over the past ten years, dubbed The Alphabet Murders (the victims last names followed along like the letters of the alphabet). More murders occur before it is revealed that Laura herself is the killer (she also did in her sister) and it's not the "heroic" doctor who saves her, but Laura's near-to-death husband.

Although THE EVIL EYE is usually mentioned as the precursor to the Giallo cycle, that honor should really go to Bava's BLOOD AND BLACK LACE. THE EVIL EYE is more akin to Alfred Hitchcock's fifties films, with Leticia Roman playing the Doris Day role, and John Saxon as Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart (in fact the Italian Title of THE EVIL EYE translates as THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, which is no accident). Both are bland in their appearance and actions and it is the flamboyance of the killer that makes the film memorable. The film definitely benefits from the fact that Bava acted as his own cinematographer. The B&W imagery utilizes light and shadow to effective extremes. When the Aunt dies in her bed in the middle of a thunderstorm, it acts as definite foreshadowing of Bava's technique utilized in a similar situation in BLACK SABBATH. Finally, a note about the fact that two, quite different versions of this film exists. The US print emphasizes comedy throughout, using different takes and sometimes even reshooting scenes emphasizing slapstick pratfalls and overacting. No doubt the "geniuses" at AIP required such stupidity. The European version is much bleaker and noirish, with no lessening of tension through comic relief. There are scenes unique to both versions that makes one wish a best of both prints could be created for the definitive viewing.