THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 6/13/20

 

I'm not as well-versed about giallo as the popular Italian genre's more fervent fans, so it's fun to run across a choice selection such as THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH (Severin Films, 1971) and enjoy it to its fullest while discovering even more reasons why the best of these films are so much fun in the first place.

Lovely cult favorite Edwige Fenech (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK) stars as Julie, a sadly-neglected wife returning to Austria from America because her wealthy Wall Street tycoon husband Neil (Alberto de Mendoza, HORROR EXPRESS) has business there.

Julie, it turns out, has some business of her own, which is mainly to hesitantly fall sideways into a romantic tryst with persistent suitor George (George Hilton, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK) while avoiding former lover Jean (Ivan Rassimov, EATEN ALIVE), a first-class creep who had a sick relationship with Julie years ago and who may or may not be the razor-wielding, throat-slashing psycho killer currently terrorizing the city.

 
Julie's sassy best friend Carol (Cristina Airoldi) just happens to be George's cousin and is about to share with George a windfall inheritance from a recently-deceased uncle.

Not only is Carol a fun character who gets to speak her mind about everything, but she also throws a fun party (where Julie first runs into Jean again) which embodies the late 60s-early 70s ambience of the film right down to two party girls in paper dresses having a catfight in which they claw each other's clothes off. (Carol will also play a key role in one of the film's finest sequences, an eerie rendezvous with someone who may be the killer.)

What really gets the giallo juices flowing is when the mysterious killer suddenly and for no apparent reason takes a distressingly keen interest in Julie, right down to peering through the window during one of her naked romps with George and sending her flowers along with creepy, cryptic messages. Julie and husband Neil are convinced that the culprit is the already scary Jean. But is he too obvious a suspect?

 
Director Sergio Martino (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK) and co-writer Ernesto Gastaldi keep us guessing for the film's entire running time as we ponder the guilt or innocence of just about every main character besides Julie as evidence shifts back and forth and red herrings abound.

Meanwhile, we're treated to some murder setpieces that are both genuinely creepy and unsettling but also manage to generate Hitchcock-level suspense for sustained periods of time.

One in particular takes great pictorial advantage of a terrific outdoor location to present a stalking scene that is deeply nerve-wracking. And in each case, that gleaming straight razor is always poised for bloody carnage.

With Julie's guilt over cheating on her husband compounded by fear of her elusive stalker, even the story's romance elements have a queasy decadence that keeps us on edge.  This includes a flashback of Julie's sick affair with Jean, a beautifully shot, dreamlike passage with him slapping her repeatedly by the side of the road in slow-motion during a driving rainstorm.

Director Martino  is the equal to fellow Italian giallo maestro Dario Argento in such matters, perhaps not with as fine a degree of photographic artistry but driven by the same surehanded directorial finesse that creates memorably effective scenes. 

 
The Blu-ray from Severin Films is "newly scanned in 4k from the internegative" and boasts their usual well-stocked bonus menu including interviews with director Martino, co-writer Gastaldi, actor George Hilton, and, in archival footage, Edwige Fenech. There's also an audio commentary with Kat Ellinger, author of ‘All The Colors Of Sergio Martino’, a trailer, and last but not least a bonus CD of the film's lush, lively soundtrack music.

After putting us through the mill for the entire length of the film, THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH ends on a shocking note, then pulls a fast one on us that's even more shocking and, ultimately, delightfully satisfying. It left me happy and content that once again a really good giallo had worked its magic on me.



Buy it from Severin Films

Special Features:

    Of Vice and Virtue: Interview with Director Sergio Martino
    Cold As Ice: Interview with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
    Vienna Vice: Interview with Actor George Hilton and Italian Genre Historian Antonio Bruschini
    Archive Interview with Actress Edwige Fenech
    Introduction by Actor George Hilton
    Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of ‘All The Colors Of Sergio Martino’
    Trailer
    CD Soundtrack [Limited to 3000 Units]
    The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh Comic Book [WEBSTORE EXCLUSIVE]

 

THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

TENEBRE -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

 Originally posted on 5/8/08

 

I'm a Dario Argento fan but have yet to see all of his films. So it was a real treat to get the chance to watch TENEBRE (aka TENEBRAE), the Italian director's 1982 return to the giallo style after a detour into the supernatural (SUSPIRIA, his masterpiece, and its follow-up INFERNO). According to Wikipedia, "giallo" films are typically slasher-style whodunits characterized by "extended murder sequences featuring excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and unusual musical arrangements", which would make this a prime example of the genre.

Tony Franciosa plays Peter Neal, a murder mystery writer who's just arrived in Rome to promote his latest book, "Tenebrae", only to find that a serial-killing stalker is using his new novel as a template for ridding the world of sexual deviates and other undesirables. With the help of his secretary and budding love interest Anne (Argento collaborator and former spouse Daria Nicolodi) and eager young assistant Gianni (Christian Borromeo), Neal hopes to add a feather to his literary cap by solving the real-life murder mystery himself as bodies begin to pile up. The arrival in Rome of his spurned ex-lover Jane (Veronica Lario) and the presence of a television journalist named Berti (John Steiner) who appears to be a little too obsessed with Neal and his writings are just two of the many pieces in Argento's jumbled jigsaw puzzle.

One of the first things I noticed about TENEBRE is how bright it is. Much of it takes place in broad daylight, while the night scenes are often overly-lit. Argento has stated that he wanted the film to look hyper-realistic, with no shadows for either the victims or the killer to hide in. It's an interesting stylistic choice that Argento uses effectively. The often light-bleached visuals and pallid settings also allow him to emphasize certain elements such as a woman's fire-engine red pumps or the gouts of blood that liberally decorate several moments of terror.

Some of my favorite Argento touches are well-represented here, including: a haunting flashback, the details of which are only gradually revealed to us (not unlike Harmonica's recurring childhood memory in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, which Argento co-wrote); characters not picking up on an important visual or aural clue until it suddenly occurs to them after much reflection, as in the "three irises" scene from SUSPIRIA or the mysterious painting in DEEP RED; and several POV shots that disconcertingly put us in the killer's shoes as he (or she) is on the prowl.

As usual, Argento uses sound very effectively. In particular, he shares something in common with singer Nick Lowe--he loves the sound of breaking glass--so if you see a plate glass window in this movie, chances are it's going to shatter when you least expect it. Argento uses such devices to make his murder sequences even more nerve-wracking than they already are, usually after some very careful buildup and a few fake-outs to keep us off guard. And when the killer strikes, it's disturbingly violent. But unlike the standard slasher bore such as FRIDAY THE 13TH, Argento is more interested in the imaginative cinematic depiction of violence rather than simply racking up outlandish yet by-the-numbers body counts. When he does go for the gore, it shocks us, and it happens to characters that we care about and for reasons that keep the story moving.

Oh, and speaking of nerve-wracking, Argento managed to reunite three members of the disbanded rock group Goblin (Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli, and Massimo Morante) to supply the original score. Unlike their music for SUSPIRIA, this has a synth-heavy, somewhat cheesy 80s sound that seems to be influenced at times by Giorgio Moroder's drum-machine disco rhythms. Other passages resemble their music for George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD. But it has that unmistakable Goblin sound, which somehow manages to compliment Argento's style even as it's turning your eardrums to mush.

Tony Franciosa is an old pro who did a lot of television while I was growing up, in addition to appearing in scores of fun films (a year after this, he got to do a steamy love scene with my favorite actress, Isabelle Mejias--the lucky dog--in the lively Canadian thriller JULIE DARLING). John Saxon, who plays Peter's literary agent, is, of course, always a welcome presence, and Veronica Lario is very effectively creepy as Jane. The rest of the cast is good, too--I especially liked Giuliano Gemma and Carola Stagnaro as a pair of homicide detectives--although in most cases the dubbing makes it hard to fully appreciate their performances. Daria Nicolodi does her usual fine job as well.

There are some really nice-looking women in lesser roles, adding considerably more sex appeal than you usually find in an Argento film. Ania Pieroni appears briefly as a lovely kleptomaniac who uses sex to beat a shoplifting rap but can't escape the fate awaiting her when she gets home. Lara Wendel plays a lesbian magazine writer whose promiscuous, half-naked housemate is the heart-stoppingly gorgeous Italian model Mirella Banti, in a sequence that allows Argento to indulge his stylistic impulses to their fullest.

Most interesting of all, perhaps, is the casting of Eva Robins as a woman who appears in several strange flashbacks to a traumatic event in the killer's youth. Born a male, Robins reportedly began to develop breasts and other female characteristics during puberty, to an extent that convinced her that nature intended her to live as a woman. At any rate, she's convincing enough as the "girl on the beach" in some of the film's strangest scenes.

The new DVD from Anchor Bay features an uncut, remastered widescreen (1:85:1) transfer enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Aside from the trailer and an Argento biography, there's a commentary track featuring the director along with composer Claudio Simonetti and journalist Loris Curci, which is as informative as you might expect although much time is spent waiting for Argento to figure out how to say everything in English--I kinda wished it could have been in Italian with English subtitles. "Voices of the Unsane" is a nifty 17-minute featurette with Argento, Nicolodi, Simonetti, and other principals discussing the making of the film. (UNSANE was the retitled, badly-edited version first shown in the US.) Other brief featurettes explore the creation of TENEBRE's sound effects and the filming of an intricate extended shot featured in one of the murder sequences. All in all, not a bad array of extras.

It's interesting to see Argento eschew the sumptuous, fairytale look of SUSPIRIA for a more stark and austere style here. Without the dark shadows and saturated colors, TENEBRE is like a blank canvas splattered with bright red, with a realism that's as brittle and sharp as all that broken glass. Only when the killer's identity is revealed at last in an axe and straight razor-slashed finale do we get a really dark, lightning-streaked scene, and it's horrifying enough to warrant the seemingly never-ending screams of the last person standing as TENEBRE fades out into its closing credits. And if you're a Dario Argento fan, you'll definitely want to be there when it happens.

TENEBRE -- DVD Review by Porfle

PHENOMENA -- DVD Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 5/9/08

 

Italian horror master Dario Argento draws us into the supernatural again with PHENOMENA (1985), a dark, richly-atmospheric return to SUSPIRIA territory as opposed to the stark and brightly-lit realism of his previous film, TENEBRE.

Once again, a young American girl (Jennifer Connelly) finds herself attending a remote, Gothic-looking European girls' school with a stern headmistress, an ill-fated best friend among a bunch of bratty schoolgirls, and a maniacal killer on the loose.

This time, though, there aren't any witches or diabolical forces at work--the supernatural aspect comes from Jennifer's telepathic connection to insects and her ability to control their behavior. She makes friends with Prof. McGregor (a wonderfully restrained Donald Pleasance), a wheelchair-bound forensic scientist who specializes in discerning time of death by the rate of maggot growth on a corpse, who suggests that Jennifer use her special abilities to try and track down the murderer. This, of course, puts her in grave danger, and before long she finds herself face-to-face with the killer in a nightmare of grotesque horror.

From the very beginning, the Swiss locations with their overcast skies and trees writhing in the constantly blowing wind create an eerie, forboding atmosphere. When a young schoolgirl (Argento's daughter, Fiore) misses her bus and is left behind on a deserted mountain road, she makes her way to an isolated cottage for help, then finds herself being pursued by an unseen maniac until she's cornered in a glass-enclosed observation point over a raging waterfall.

There's a super-slow motion shot of her head crashing through the glass (a familiar Argento motif that will occur yet again later on), and then we see the same head falling into the swirling water below. It's a terrifically strange and moody sequence that gets the movie off to a great start.

The scenes at the girls' academy are perhaps closer to what Argento had in mind originally for SUSPIRIA, since that film was meant to feature younger characters such as these. There's a Grimm's fairytale quality as Jennifer feels imprisoned in this dark, oppressive place and soon finds herself sleepwalking through its shadowy corridors, her mind wracked by nightmares, until another gruesome killing occurs right before her eyes.

Argento indulges himself stylistically during these dazzling sequences, and the beautiful Jennifer Connelly is a terrific young actress who perfectly embodies the type of heroine Argento has in mind. Throughout the film, her skillful performance is fascinating to watch and entirely convincing, helping Argento to sell some incredibly over-the-top situations.

The last twenty minutes or so are just plain nuts. (Look for Mario Donatone, who played Mosca, the Sicilian hitman in THE GODFATHER PART III, in a brief role.) I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that long-time Argento collaborator Daria Nicolodi shines as Frau Brückner, one of the teachers from the school, who hides a really dark secret that comes into play in a big way.

Jennifer finds herself in the middle of some of the most grotesque situations imaginable before the fiery, bug-infested finale which features some great underwater scenes. There are about three successive endings, but each one is more startling than the last. And I haven't even mentioned the chimp with the straight-razor.

Anchor Bay's new DVD release features a new remastered widescreen (1:66:1) transfer, enhanced for 16x9 televisions. There's a commentary track featuring Argento along with makeup effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer Claudio Simonetti, and journalist Loris Curci. "A Dark Fairy Tale" is an interesting 17-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. Goblin member Simonetti's music video "Jennifer", featuring himself along with Jennifer Connelly, is a fun example of 80s-style cheese, as is Bill Wyman's video for "Valley" (both excellent instrumentals feature prominently in the film, and to much better effect than the heavy metal songs that are also included). There's a trailer, an Argento biography, and, last but not least, Dario Argento's appearance on the legendary "Joe Franklin Show", which is a real treat.

My first experience with this film was a long-ago viewing of the drastically-cut version, retitled CREEPERS, which was released in the U.S. in the 80s, so it's a pleasure to finally be able to enjoy PHENOMENA in its original form and give it a long-overdue reappraisal. Argento himself rates it his most personal and perhaps best of all his films. I don't quite agree with the latter, but I do have a whole new opinion of this movie now. It's an exhilarating, bizarre, often mind-boggling excursion into Gothic horror, and a delightfully undiluted manifestation of Dario Argento's wildest imaginings.

PHENOMENA -- DVD Review by Porfle

NEXT OF KIN -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 2/23/19

 

A real gem in 80s Australian cinema, NEXT OF KIN (Severin Films, 1982) breaks through all the usual Ozploitation gore and sensationlism to give us a down-under-sized taste of Euro-inspired horror with touches of Giallo.

Not that it doesn't shock, or shies away from morbid elements that give it a nice shivery ambience.  But in the pleasingly literate script by director Tony Williams and Michael Heath, nothing's gratuitous--every dead, bloated body in a bathtub, every bashed-in skull, every punctured eyeball drives the plot relentlessly forward.

In fact, the story takes its sweet time getting started, allowing us to settle comfortably into the relatively normal world of an ivy-covered old folks' home--actually a sprawling mansion--before gradually turning it into a nightmare. It's here that Linda (Jacki Kerin, effective in her only feature film) grew up and is now returning after having inherited the place from her recently-deceased mother.

Linda's a likable sort with a good head on her shoulders, easing back into old relationships with the townspeople including old boyfriend Barney (John Jarratt, DJANGO UNCHAINED, WOLF CREEK) and taking over the home's frazzled financial management, but even she quickly becomes a nervous wreck when people start dying and generally weird, almost supernatural things begin to happen inside that dark, spooky old building.

Some of it seems to be connected to a mystery surrounding her mother's death and how certain people on the staff may be involved. This includes resident physician Dr. Barton (familiar face Alex Scott of "Lillie", "The Avengers", FAHRENHEIT 451, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES) and the efficient but enigmatic Connie (Gerda Nicolson, GALLIPOLI, "Prisoner: Cell Block H"), both of whom seem in on some secret they're keeping from Linda.

A new resident, Mrs. Ryan (Bernadette Gibson, "Prisoner: Cell Block H"), adds another shadowy presence to the group of old people whose age and infirmity are played for maximum effect in grotesque and squeamish ways.  Most disturbing of all is the dark, unknown figure who keeps popping up in Linda's periphery like Michael Myers.

The first half of the film indulges us in a slow, simmering buildup with little violence or overt terror but lots of eerie Gothic unease and creepy-crawly suspense punctuated by a few very effective jump-scares.  As the mystery surrounding her mother's death closes in around Linda, nightmare flashbacks increase her emotional distress, with whatever malignant force that was always within the house now threatening to come after her as well.

Once all this meticulous build-up has been established, the story then plunges us into the kind of bloody horror and nail-biting suspense that we've been primed for.  Even here, the film shows remarkable restraint, never getting too wildly improbable or going off the deep end, and keeps us solidly involved in what's going on until the last frame.

As a work of cinema, NEXT OF KIN is exquisite, with director Tony Williams' constantly inventive staging only occasionally calling attention to itself due to its sheer ingenuity.  (I was reminded at times of Dario Argento.) Cinematography and lighting are equally good, frequently lavishing us with the most eye-pleasing visuals that such a setting might yield. Also adding to the overall effect is a musical score by Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schultze.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films is transferred from original Australian vault elements and looks fantastic.  The bonus menu includes two commentary tracks--an informative one with director Williams and producer Tim White, and a more informal one with members of the cast--as well as interviews with Williams and actor John Jarratt, deleted scenes, trailers, early short films by Tony Williams, an image gallery, a location revisit, and more.  The Blu-ray cover is reversible.

Unlike many films of this nature, NEXT OF KIN proved to be effortlessly involving--without overly relying on lurid sensation--right up to its most satisfactory fadeout, which I found even more impressive once I learned how ingeniously executed that final shot was.  It's one of the best Australian horror films I've seen, a real standout among that industry's most memorable cult classics. 


Buy it from Severin Films

Release Date:2/26/19

Special Features:
Commentary with Director Tony Williams and Producer Tim White
Commentary with Mark Hartley & Cast Members Jackie Kerin, John Jarrett & Robert Ratti
House Of Psychotic Women Intro By Kier-La Janisse for Morbido TV
Extended Interviews from Not Quite Hollywood
Return to Monteclare: Location Revisit, 2018
Deleted Scenes
Before the Night is Out: Ballroom Footage, 1979
Original Theatrical Trailer
UK VHS Trailer
German Theatrical Trailer
Alternate German Opening
Image Gallery
Tony Williams Short Films
REVERSIBLE COVER

NEXT OF KIN -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

THE WAX MASK -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 10/3/19

 

Talk about "Grand Guignol" to the max--the 1997 Gothic gorefest THE WAX MASK (Severin Films) mixes the antique ambience of early 1900s Italy with generous helpings of the extremely morbid and grotesque in this handsomely mounted shocker.

Conceived by Italian horror/giallo maestro Dario Argento (PHENOMENA, TENEBRE, SUSPIRIA) as a vehicle for the ailing Lucio Fulci (DOOR INTO SILENCE, ZOMBIE 3, THE DEVIL'S HONEY), it's a loose remake of the Vincent Price classic HOUSE OF WAX (along with MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM and numerous other wax museum horror flicks), although that's just a jumping off point for a tale of horror and gore that aims to outdo them all.

With the unfortunate passing of Fulci before filming began, directing chores were handed to first-timer Sergio Stivaletti (THE THREE FACES OF TERROR), previously known mainly for his work in the fields of SPFX and makeup.

Working from a screenplay by Argento, Fulci, and Daniele Stroppa, Stivaletti fashioned a gorgeous-looking film that leisurely unfolds its dark narrative with a keenly efficient style that's never quite as self-consciously arty as Argento's or off-the-hook unhinged as Fulci's yet has its own elegant, colorful appeal.

The story begins with the grisly aftermath of a double murder in a Paris hotel room that's witnessed by a little girl who grows up to be the beautiful Sonia Lafont (Romina Mondello), still troubled by her past even as she gets a job in a wax museum in Rome which specializes in gruesome historical horrors.

The museum is run by the mysterious, creepily eccentric Boris Volkoff (Robert Hossein, RIFFIFI) and features incredibly lifelike wax figures in scenes of death designed to horrify. 

But even more horrific is the reason the figures are so lifelike--namely, each one contains the corpse of a murdered human being who has been processed in the museum's nightmarish basement laboratory and given a severe case of unsightly "wax buildup."

These scenes are the result of director Stivaletti's years of SPFX expertise and are absolutely mind-boggling as we watch one still-living victim, a hapless prostitute from a nearby house of ill-repute, strapped to a table and injected with some volatile serum while Kenneth Strickfaden-style electrical machines spark and crackle. 

But this densely-packed screenplay has a lot more to offer in the way of gory killings, dismemberments, and other carnage before the suspenseful finale in which Sonia's journalist boyfriend Andrea (Riccardo Serventi Longhi), her blind aunt Francesca (Gabriella Giorgelli), and a sympathetic police detective from her childhood (Gianni Franco) fight against time to prevent the hideously disfigured villain and his twisted henchmen from turning Sonia into one of the museum's unholy exhibits.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films features a 4k scan from the original negative supervised by Stivaletti himself. Severin outdoes themselves with this bonus menu loaded with interviews with production principles including Argento, Stivaletti, actress Gabriella Giorgelli, and others, along with vintage behind-the-scenes featurettes.

These bonus features include:

    Audio Commentary with Director/Special Effects Artist Sergio Stivaletti and Michelangelo Stivaletti
    Beyond Fulci: Interviews with Producer Dario Argento, Director Sergio Stivaletti, Producer Giuseppe Columbo, Production Designer Massimo Geleng, Actress Gabriella Giorgelli and Filmmaker Claudio Fragasso
    The Chamber of Horrors: Interviews with Producer Dario Argento, Director Sergio Stivaletti, Producer Giuseppe Columbo, Production Designer Massimo Geleng and Actress Gabriella Giorgelli
    Living Dolls:  Interviews with Producer Dario Argento, Director Sergio Stivaletti, Producer Giuseppe Columbo and Actress Gabriella Giorgelli
    The Mysteries of the Wax Museum:  Interview with SFX Artist Sergio Stivaletti
    The Waxworks Symphony:  Interview with Soundtrack Composer Maurizio Abeni
    The Grand Opening:  Interviews with Producer Dario Argento, Director Sergio Stivaletti and Producer Giuseppe Columbo
    Wax Unmasked: Interview with Film Writer Alan Jones
    Vintage Featurettes: Behind the Scenes, Special Effects, On Set with Dario Argento
    5.1 and 2.0 English and Italian Audio
    English with Closed Captioning, Italian with English Subtitles

Easily one of the best wax museum movies ever made, THE WAX MASK fully exploits the horrific potential of the original HOUSE OF WAX and its ilk like no previous version I've ever seen. Although lacking certain qualities of Argento or Fulci, it more than compensates with a richly-hued, stylized visual sense, lush production values, riveting scenes of carnage, and a fiery, face-melting finale.


Buy it from Severin Films

THE WAX MASK -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

ALL THE COLORS OF GIALLO -- Blu-ray/DVD/CD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 1/31/19

 

A primer, a history, and a celebration of giallo all rolled into one 3-disc set, Severin Films' ALL THE COLORS OF GIALLO pretty much covers all the bases for new fans wanting to learn more and old ones who just want to revel in it all.

As the publicity states, "‘Giallo’ is Italian for ‘yellow’, the color of the lurid pulp novels that inspired one of the most intense, extreme and influential genres in movie history."

The genesis of all this is the krimi, or German crime novel, which contains elements (shadowy settings, shocking murders, mysterious phantom killers, police procedurals) that would later be adopted by Italian filmmakers but jacked up to new levels of violence and lavish indulgences in cinematic style for its own sake.

Disc One (Blu-ray) starts off with a feature-length documentary by Federico Caddeo entitled "All the Colors of Giallo", an exhaustive history of the genre that takes us from the beginnings of the German krimi books and films, and in particular the works of Edgar Wallace, all the way through the evolution of the giallo thrillers by such directors as Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, and Dario Argento.

Several of giallo's main figures are interviewed including Fulci and Argento themselves, along with familiar screen talents such as Barbara Bouchet and Susan Scott.

"The Giallo Frames" offers even more on the subject, giving us an in-depth interview with John Martin, editor of "The Giallo Pages." 

But best of all (for me, anyway) is a full four-hour collection of giallo trailers that run the gamut of the entire genre and are accompanied by a commentary track from Kat Ellinger, author of "All the Colors of Sergio Martino."

Kat showed her depth of knowledge on the subject during her commentary for Martino's film "All the Colors of the Dark", but here she is a veritable gold mine of information and unbridled enthusiasm on each and every trailer that we see, keeping a running commentary that never fails to entertain.  Thus, the trailer collection becomes a four-hour documentary unto itself, and perhaps the highlight of the entire collection.

Disc two (DVD) delves deeper into the subject of the krimi, with the informative documentaries  "The Case Of The Krimi" and "The Case Of The Krimi: Interview With Film Historian Marcus Stiglegger."

Then we get yet another hour-and-a-half of trailers, this time mostly in beautiful, atmospheric black-and-white (with very nice picture quality as well) before turning to color for the later ones.

Klaus Kinski fans will be pleased to find that he appears in practically all of these krimi trailers, which are a lively bunch of clips providing much entertainment and amusement.

Disc three is a CD entitled "The Strange Sounds of the Bloodstained Films", containing twenty giallo soundtrack selections from such composers as Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani, Bruno Nicolai, Stelvio Cipriani, and others.  It's great stuff, whether you have it on in the background or don your headphones for an intensive listening session.

Experienced giallo fans will enjoy reliving old favorites with this collection of documentaries, interviews, and trailers, and those just getting into such lively, lurid, and lavishly cinematic fare may find their curiosity stoked into an insatiable desire.


Buy it from Severin Films

Special Features:
DISC 1 – Blu-ray
All the Colors of Giallo: A New Feature Length Documentary By Federico Caddeo
The Giallo Frames: Interview With John Martin, Editor Of The Giallo Pages
Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of All The Colors Of Sergio Martino

DISC 2 – DVD: The Case of the Krimi
Kriminal!: Trailer Compilation
The Case Of The Krimi: Interview With Film Historian Marcus Stiglegger

DISC 3 – CD
The Strange Sounds Of The Bloodstained Films: Compiled By Alfonso Carillo of Rendezvous! From The Archives Of Beat Records. Remastered By Claudio Fuiano.

ALL THE COLORS OF GIALLO -- Blu-ray/DVD/CD Review by Porfle

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK -- Blu-ray/CD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 1/27/19

 

I'm not all that familiar with the Italian "Giallo" genre (save for some Dario Argento classics such as TENEBRE) which consists of warped, horror-tinged murder stories with lots of bloody violence and other lurid elements. 

So it's always nice to catch a really good one like the Italian/Spanish co-production ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, aka "Tutti i colori del buio" (Severin Films, 1972) from Sergio Martino, the director who also gave us TORSO, SLAVE OF THE CANNIBAL GOD, and SCREAMERS.

This one is nowhere near as formally-shot and polished-looking as the usual Argento effort, but Martino has a loose, imaginative style that fits the "anything goes" nature of the material, as well as a talent for staging suspense scenes in interesting ways. 

Our heroine, Jane (cult star Edwige Fenech), has been plagued by horrible nightmares ever since the traumatic loss of her unborn baby following a car crash.  Her lover, Richard (George Hilton), is devoted but unable to help, especially since his job keeps him away for days at a time. 

Jane's sister Barbara (Susan Scott) advises her to visit Dr. Burton, the seemingly kindly psychiatrist she works for.  But Jane finds more solace with a new friend, Mary (Marina Malfatti), a mysterious woman who inducts her into a black magic cult filled with arcane rituals that take place in a creepy old castle in the country.

While the mentally and emotionally frazzled Jane may be a bit slow on the uptake, we can tell right away that being forced to drink fresh dog blood and then getting gang-banged by a bunch of stabby, whacked-out weirdos in a cult from which there is no escape probably isn't going to help her as much as a few quiet sessions with Dr. Burton.  Especially since one of the cult members is a creepy trench-coated stalker with neon blue eyes (Ivan Rassimov) who keeps following her everywhere and trying to kill her.

We're never quite sure if we're seeing something real or just one of Jane's waking nightmares, but this lively film keeps us on our toes by constantly alternating the talkier scenes with sudden bursts of action and sometimes shocking violence. 

Much of the suspense is effectively staged around the creaky, open elevator and winding staircase in Jane's shadowy apartment building, and there's a terrific sequence inside Dr. Burton's country estate where Jane discovers a grisly scene involving the elderly caretakers who've been charged with watching over her.

I noticed a few similarities here and there with ROSEMARY'S BABY, which had me suspecting Jane's lover Richard, her sister Barbara, her friend Mary, her shrink Dr. Burton--oh heck, practically everybody--of secretly being part of the cult and their sinister plans for Jane.  Director Martino does like to keep us guessing, all the way up to a nifty fake-out ending in which fantasy and reality clash with deadly results.

The 2-disc Blu-ray from Severin Films is widescreen 1080p full HD resolution with a new 4k scan from the original negative.  Audio is 2.0 English and Italian with English subtitles.  Bonus features include a very learned and thoughtful commentary with Kat Ellinger (author of "All the Colors of Sergio Martino"), interviews with Sergio Martino, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, actor George Hilton & horror expert Antonio Tentori, trailers, and the unrestored alternate US cut of the film entitled "They're Coming to Get You." Also included is a CD of the film's musical score by Bruno Nicolai.

With a fine cast (Edwige Fenech fans will be extra happy), great use of scenic London locations, and a scintillating story full of colorful characters and sinister goings-on, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is pure nerve-wracking fun all the way.




Special Features:
They’re Coming To Get You: Alternate US Cut (88 mins.)
Color My Nightmare: Interview with Director Sergio Martino
Last Of The Mohicans: Interview with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
Giallo is the Color: Interviews with Actor George Hilton & Italian Horror Expert Antonio Tentori
Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of All The Colors of Sergio Martino
Trailers
BONUS Disc: CD Soundtrack 

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK -- Blu-ray/CD Review by Porfle

SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 7/22/20

 

(SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE is part of the "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection" which also includes ORGASMO, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, and KNIFE OF ICE.)


Another sumptuous entry in the late 60s 4-film collaboration between Italian director Umberto Lenzi (EATEN ALIVE) and exalted Hollywood actress Carroll Baker, SO SWEET, SO PERVERSE (Severin Films, 1969) takes us to Paris for a giallo tale of dangerous romance and deadly revenge that lives up to its title.

The first half of the story is standard romantic intrigue of the kind that gives the rich and famous something exciting to occupy their time. Wealthy businessman Jean (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is a man's man but endures a loveless marriage with cold fish Danielle (Erika Blanc) until he's driven into the arms of the beautiful but haunted Nicole (Carroll Baker), who just moved into the penthouse suite above their Victorian apartment building.

It's the stuff of naughty pulp romance fiction, as unhappily-married Jean's dalliance with alluring Nicole plays out amidst lavish playgrounds of the wealthy even as her constant fear of violent stalker Klaus (Horst Frank) remains forever between them.

The plot kicks into gear when Jean discovers that Klaus has actually been hired to kill him by person(s) unknown, with Nicole as the unwilling bait in the trap.

Now it's a matter of Jean and Nicole working together to foil the murder plot while finding out who's behind it. Is it Danielle, or is it someone we've yet to meet or suspect?

It all sounds rather predictable, but director Lenzi isn't done yet because there are better and more shocking plot twists to come. This makes the film increasingly involving and suspenseful as it strings us along, not knowing what's going on or who to trust, and at times even unsure who's dead and who's alive.

Dynamic direction and editing create a pleasing visual flow that makes Lenzi's films easy to watch.  As with his previous Baker starrer ORGASMO, production values are fairly lavish and there are some great found locations including that beautiful old apartment building with its cast-iron elevator and winding stairs. Other locations such as the sun-blanched French seaside and the bustling Parisian cityscapes are eye-pleasing.

Jean-Louis Trintignant (THE GREAT SILENCE) makes a likable hero as Jean, while the redoubtable Carroll Baker as Nicole can't help but captivate even in a role that doesn't really stretch her considerable talents all that much.

Needless to say, she attracts attention every moment she's on the screen, especially during her brief nude scenes. Horst Frank as the vile Klaus and Erika Blanc as pathetic Danielle also acquit themselves well.

The 2-disc Blu-ray from Severin Films features a fine-looking print that's fully restored in a new 2k scan from the original negative. Audio is in both Italian and English mono, with English subtitles.

The 2nd disc is a CD containing the musical scores of this and another Lenzi film, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, as well as the main theme for another of his giallo films KNIFE OF ICE. The usual generous bonus menu contains extras listed below.

More of a dark romantic thriller than the typical bloody, knife-edged giallo (only one stabbing and it's off-camera), SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE keeps us interested thanks to a fine cast and engaging plot that pulls a few nasty but nice surprises on us. And as always, any chance to watch the divine Carroll Baker in action is its own reward.



Disc Specs for So Sweet… So Perverse:

    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    Audio: Italian mono DTS, English mono DTS
    Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
    Region FREE

Special Features for So Sweet… So Perverse:

    Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of ‘All The Colors Of Sergio Martino’
    Lenzi’s Lenses: Backstage Chat with the Director at The 1999 Nocturno Film Festival
    Equilateral Triangle: Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi on Lenzi
    Trailers
    Alternate Credit Sequence
    BONUS CD: So Sweet… So Perverse & A Quiet Place To Kill Remastered Soundtracks Plus Bonus Track: Knife Of Ice (Main Title Theme)

SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

A QUIET PLACE TO KILL -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 7/23/20

 

(A QUIET PLACE TO KILL is part of Severin's "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection" which also includes ORGASMO, SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE, and KNIFE OF ICE.)

You know you've hitched a ride on a fun movie when A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, aka "Paranoia" (Severin Films, 1970) opens with a scene as cool as Hollywood legend Carroll Baker (BABY DOLL, THE CARPETBAGGERS, HARLOW) casually donning a crash helmet and hopping into her souped-up racecar for a few high octane laps around the track.

Director Umberto Lenzi, who also directed Carroll in ORGASMO, SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE, and KNIFE OF ICE, seems to be having fun himself at the helm of this light, colorful giallo that breezes through some of the most outlandish plot twists that a decadent cast of wealthy sophisticates could get themselves into on the scenic seacoast of Spain.

The divine Miss Baker plays Helen, whose unfortunate racecar crack-up lands her in the hospital. There, she gets an invitation to convalesce at her ex-husband Maurice's oceanfront villa.

Despite the fact that she tried to kill the handsome but difficult young cad before their divorce, Helen motors her way there only to discover that Maurice has since gotten remarried to Constance, who was, in fact, the one who sent Helen the invitation.

Why, you may ask, would the current wife of Helen's ex-husband extend such an invitation to a woman for whom he most likely still harbors feelings of love, or, at least, lust?

Well--and this is the only big surprise I'm giving away because it happens fairly early and because I have to have something to talk about--it's because Constance wants to pay the cash-strapped Helen to help her murder Maurice.

While that would be enough story material for most movies to pad out till the fadeout, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL is just bursting out of the gate with this giddy revelation.

What follows is a veritable funhouse of plot twists, double-crosses, and other surprises, all involving Maurice and Constance's inquisitive friends as well as Constance's suspicious young stepdaughter, Susan, who returns home from school at the most inopportune time.

The film's original title, "Paranoia", is especially apt when the web of suspicion begins to weave itself inexorably around the guilty parties.

Lenzi's talent for setting such intrigue against beautiful and opulent backdrops is on full display here as watching the film feels a bit like a vicarious vacation in Spain.

It's a sharp contrast to the deadly events portrayed, although as a giallo this is still much less visceral than we would see in the coming decade.

The script offers some sharp, scintillating dialogue and situations--I love the scene where Helen sits between Maurice and Constance at dinner and they're both playing footsie with her--as well as vivid performances and a suspenseful story whose abrupt twists and turns are exhilarating.

The fact that the beautiful Carroll Baker spends much of her screen time in various states of undress doesn't hurt at all, nor do the fine performances from her and the rest of the cast, especially Jean Sorel (BELLE DU JOUR, A LIZARD IN A WOMAN’S SKIN) as Maurice, Anna Proclemer (ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES) as Constance, and Marina Coffa (Joe Namath's THE LAST REBEL) as wild card Susan.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films is scanned from the original camera negative for the first time in America. Sound is Italian and English mono with English subtitles. The bonus menu, whose contents are listed below, provides added fun (don't forget to hunt for the Easter egg).

While guessing which characters are secretly in cahoots with each other, which ones aren't at all what they seem to be, and who's trying to kill who, it's best to just hang on to A QUIET PLACE TO KILL and go along for the ride. Fans of Umberto Lenzi, early giallo, and the great Carroll Baker should find it a trip worth taking.




Disc Specs for A Quiet Place to Kill:

    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    Audio: Italian mono DTS, English mono DTS
    Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
    Region FREE

Special Features for A Quiet Place to Kill:

    Audio Commentary with Author & Critic Samm Deighan
    Sex and Conspiracy: Interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
    Alternate Credit Sequence
    Alternate Clothed Scene
    Short Deleted Scene

A QUIET PLACE TO KILL -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

KNIFE OF ICE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 7/24/20

 

(KNIFE OF ICE is part of the "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection which also includes ORGASMO, SO SWEET, SO PERVERSE, and A QUIET PLACE TO KILL.)


The final entry in the four-movie collaboration between director Umberto Lenzi and Hollywood superstar Carroll Baker, KNIFE OF ICE (Severin Films, 1972), moves into territory which, perhaps more than the previous three tales, typifies the popular image of the Italian "giallo" film genre during the 70s.

Rather than being an edgy but picturesque erotic/romantic thriller with minimal horror elements, this tense and sometimes shocking murder mystery is replete with foggy streets, a dark, shadowy mansion next to a cemetery, murder victims with faces frozen in wide-eyed terror, and a black-gloved homicidal maniac stalking a beautiful woman while the police are baffled by multiple suspects, some much more obvious than others.

There's also a possible supernatural element this time, since the murders seem tied to a local Satanic cult whose followers tend to have alarmingly grotesque eyes and hostile dispositions.

We'll see a lot of the main suspect, cult member Mason (Mario Pardo), a feral type who's seen emerging out of the dense fog (which this small Spanish village seems to have piped in from London) or peering from the bushes at a victim's funeral when not actually creeping around the leading lady's villa at night.

The lady in question, of course, is the divine Carroll Baker as Martha Caldwell, who lives with her uncle and his servants and has been mute ever since witnessing the death of her parents in a horrific train crash. 

Baker is fascinating to watch as always, and even more so here as she must emote using only body movements and facial expressions. Even without dialogue, she manages to create a sympathetic character we can care for.

Director Lenzi switches with easy aplomb from the opulent world of wealthy jet-setters to the more simple setting of rural Spain with its lush countryside and Old World architecture as well as simpler folk whose quiet lives are turned upside-down by the brutal murders suddenly taking place in their midst.

Poor Martha seems to be the epicenter of it all, suffering the tragic loss of friends and loved ones before becoming the killer's main target herself. Naturally, just about everyone she knows and trusts becomes a suspect, as an abundance of possible clues and red herrings present themselves to us.

The capable supporting cast includes Evelyn Stewart (THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH) as Martha's visiting cousin Jenny, Alan Scott as trusted friend Dr. Laurent, Eduardo Fajardo (NIGHTMARE CITY) as strangely secretive family chauffeur Marcos, George Rigaud (HORROR EXPRESS, EYEBALL) as Uncle Ralph, and Silvia Monelli (YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW) as stern housekeeper Mrs. Britton, whose possible love affair with Dr. Laurent may have something to do with the murders.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films is scanned in 2K from the original negative and looks great. Sound is in both Italian and English mono, with English subtitles. The bonus menu consists of an interview with Umberto Lenzi himself, an interview with author Stephen Thrower ("Nightmare USA") entitled "Carroll and Umberto’s Final Stab", the film's trailer, and an alternate credit sequence.

Lenzi himself states in the bonus interview that he had tired of making films about the glamorous lives of the rich and wanted to do something more down-to-earth in his final giallo with Carroll Baker. With KNIFE OF ICE he succeeded in creating just the kind of old-fashioned woman-in-peril murder mystery he set out to do, ending his collaboration with the "incredible" (Lenzi's word) Miss Baker with an immensely satisfying twist ending you'll not soon forget.



Disc Specs for Knife of Ice:

    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    Audio: Italian mono DTS, English mono DTS
    Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
    Region A

Special Features for Knife of Ice:

    Carroll and Umberto’s Final Stab: Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of ‘Nightmare USA’
    Until the Silence Screams: Interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
    Trailer
    Alternate Credit Sequence

KNIFE OF ICE -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle