The Bird With The Crystal Plumage - 1970 - Italy

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage - 1970 - 6/10 
AKA - L'uccello dalle Piume di Cristallo

 
Sam has writer’s block, so he heads to Rome with his English model girlfriend.
After witnessing and intervening in an attempted murder, he foolishly “gets involved.”
Sam begins investigating on his own.
So much so, that the assassin warns him, and threatens his English bird.
Does he listen?  Please.
Argento debut film is a tour de force, bristling with style and flourishes.

The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh - 1971 - Italy

The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh - 1971 - 7/10
AKA - Lo Strano  Vizio Della Signora Wardh

 
Even though Julie has married diplomat Neil, an ex-lover, the abusive Jean, provokes her.
Then, there is her friend’s handsome cousin, George, to whom she is attracted.
Meanwhile, Vienna is besieged by a razor blade serial killer!
More?  Yes, there is much more in this stylish and sex charged Giallo.
Edwige Fenech, as ever, is easy on the eyes.  Likewise, the eye-popping 1970’s Italian interiors.
Frequent nudity, hairpin plots packed with flashbacks and twists.
One of the better titles of this genre, and one that stitches together nicely.
Subs for COMMENTARY TRACK ONLY = https://subscene.cam/download/3352040

Who Saw Her Die? - 1972 - Italy

Who Saw Her Die? - 1972 - 6/10  
AKA - Chi l'ha Vista Morire?

 
After his young daughter is murdered in Venice, a sculptor tries to track down her killer.
Finding out she is part of a string of killings, which continue every time he ferrets out a witness.
Venetian locations (some seedy) add atmosphere to this convoluted Giallo.
Post-Bond Lazenby almost unrecognizable since he lost 35 lbs for the role.
Pacing hurries along, then slams to a stop periodically, matching the father’s frustrating hunt.
Ennio Morricone score is especially unsettling whenever the mysterious killer is about.
Memorable chase inside an empty dockside warehouse finds 4-5 characters playing cat n mouse.

The Sister Of Ursula - 1978 - Italy

The Sister Of Ursula - 1978 - 6/10
AKA - La Sorella di Ursula

 
The sister, Dagmar, has her hands full with Ursula.
Ursula is still in agony over the death of their father.
Worse, she is high strung, has premonitions, usually of death.
And the off-season hotel where they are staying (in stunning Amalfi) has a serial killer.
While the hotel keeps trying to gloss over and cover-up the deaths (bad for business), Dagmar hooks up with a junkie.
Speaking of hooking up, wow! is there a lot of sex and full frontal nudity in this one.
In essence, this is a Slasher, with a lot of attractive scenery.

Slaughter Hotel - 1971 - Italy

Slaughter Hotel - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - La Bestia Uccide a Sangue Freddo

 
Posh spa for neurotic females is terrorized by a psychopath wearing a mask and cape.
Weapons of death include a dagger, sword, battle axe.
Said weapons are in the lounge where patients sip cocktails with nurses and doctors.
Oh, yeah, there’s also an iron maiden in the lounge.  Three guesses if it gets used.
What’s wrong with these affluent females?
One is a nymphomaniac (takes her clothes off frequently).
One is a lesbian (takes her clothes off around another female).
One is frigid to her husband (in the hospital, she falls for the ever-cute doctor, Klaus Kinski).
Half decent Giallo, incompetently directed, looks to have been edited by a pet goat.

The Murder Mansion - 1972 - Italy

The Murder Mansion - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - La Mansion de la Niebla

 
You know, you can warn people over and over.  If the door to a subterranean world opens, don’t.  If you find catacombs, tunnels, turn around.
Six disparate travelers, driving the backroads, get lost in rising fog, seek refuge in an isolated manse.
Out on the woods, stalking one of them or more, are ghosts of the original homeowner and her chauffeur.
Giallo takes a lot of time showing characters, building tension.
Midway between Horror and Thriller, with a fair dollop of Scooby Doo.
Eventually gets going, and the conclusion is satisfying.  My version seems PG.

Oasis Of Fear - 1971 - Italy

Oasis Of Fear - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - Un Posto Ideale per Uccidere

 
A pair of free spirits (not hippies) make their way from London to Italy.
Main income comes from peddling pornography.
Smutty photos, a no-no in Italy (?!!?), gets them kicked out.
Except, enroute to the south, they break into a house to swipe gasoline.
The owner is headcase, change-her-mind-on-a-dime, female.
Sexual games, mysteries, locked rooms, lies, excuses, absurd explanations.
The young couple, to be clear, a shady pair, are completely out of their depth.
How producers talked Irene Papas into this steamy Giallo is beyond me.
She dominates every scene, although the couple, young nude skin and plenty of it, are easy on the eyes.

The House With Laughing Windows - 1976 - Italy

The House With Laughing Windows - 1976 - 7/10
AKA - La Casa Dalle Finestre che Ridono

 
Stefano arrives at the tiny village by boat.
Hired to restore a fresco of the assassination of Saint Sebastian.  A gruesome depiction.
He settles in quickly, manages to sleep with a few ladies, and the restoration proceeds.
Nevertheless, he receives warnings about the fresco, the village.  That he should depart.
The isolation builds throughout, as Stefano is shunned, and village, forest, even his own rooms seem empty.
While this lacks the stylistic flourishes of Giallo, the atmosphere and tone is overwhelming.
Not really Horror, but a thriller that delivers and a mystery that exemplifies “be careful what you ask for”.

The Killer Is Still Among Us - 1986 - Italy

The Killer Is Still Among Us - 1986 - 6/10
AKA - L'assassino è ancora tra noi

 
Half-assed Slasher film aspires.
An ugly killing of a “busy” couple in the woods.  Then another killing (using the same footage!).
Our young student, planning to be a criminal investigator, starts to suspect everyone around her.
Including her boyfriend – including her professor.
What to do?  Why, go to the Black Devil tavern, a hangout of the voyeur crowd.
Yes, blend in with peeping toms.
Deaths more cruel than imaginative.
By the fourth or fifth woodsy murder outside Roma, I wondered, “Don’t twenty year olds have apartments?”

The Case Of The Bloody Iris - 1972 - Italy

The Case Of The Bloody Iris - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?

 
The elevator is crowded, until it’s not.  And by that time, the gloves are on and the blade flashes.
She was blonde, heading towards an assignation when … well … victim #1.
Brisk moving Giallo is packed with nudity, occasional sex, and loads of suspects.
Confusing?  Sure, they all are.  Who cares!
A mouth watering Edwige Fenech headlines a parade of stunning females.
None have real jobs.  Dancing, nude modeling, wrestling, or interviews.
Highly entertaining plot gallops at a heady pace.
Fashionistas?  Edwige has a glamorous, seemingly bottomless wardrobe.

Pieces - 1982 - Spain

Pieces - 1982 - 6/10
AKA - Mil Gritos Tiene la Noche

 
Gory thriller that navigates between Giallo and Slasher.
Opening has dear mom watching her son work a jigsaw puzzle.  Of a nude model.
Mom wrecks his puzzle and junior finds a nearby axe.
Decades later, an unseen, gloved stalker starts solving that nudie puzzle.
By chopping up a bevy of college beauties.
Mounting body count of Euro lovelies baffles police!
Though set in Boston, filmed in Madrid.

There is a valuable audio commentary with Jack Taylor.
Most of the discussion is not about this film, but rather Jess Franco, with whom Taylor made eight films.
For Franco fans, this will be great.

What Have You Done To Solange? - 1972 - Italy

What Have You Done To Solange? - 1972 - 7/10
AKA - Cosa Avete Fatto a Solange?

 
The first murder occurs near the banks of the Thames.  An especially ugly one, with a long knife.
There was a witness, however.  Maybe.  See, she was distracted, her boyfriend was on top of her.
Police investigate, and start to dig into the Catholic girls school.
What a slippery nest that is.  Secrets, suspects, misdeeds.
Absolutely stunning Giallo!  At first I thought I was seeing an earlier version of Red Rings Of Fear.
No.  The plotting in this is outstanding, the direction restrained, stacking mysteries, building tension.
Recommended to anyone curious about this genre, easily a top ten Giallo.

Sex Of The Witch - 1973 - Italy

Sex Of The Witch - 1973 - 5/10
AKA - Il Sesso Della Strega

 
The family scion lies dying, expectant heirs ringing his deathbed.
With his final gasp, however, he prophesies the demise of the family, those around him.
Baffling erotic Gothic flirts with a plot occasionally, in between sex romps.
A trippy orgy, a three-way, one bounce is a boffin in the coffin.
The “look” harks to Giallo, but it dispenses with the usual tropes.
For example, male victims outnumber female.
While the guiding hand of the family devil can be seen, the moral might be one of the meek inheriting.
That’s my guess.  Like I said, this is confusing throughout.
Also a snoozer.

Woman Despiser - 1967 - Turkey

Woman Despiser - 1967 - 6/10
AKA - Kadin Düsmani

 
A mask wearing killer prowls the streets of Istanbul.
Well, not prowls Caesar, because he goes indoors to kill females, before violation.
Police are on the case, but they suffer a surplus of suspects, including a creepy, heavily mustached man carrying a violin case.
The look is part Giallo, part high Gothic, part cheap TV.  Melodramatic acting.
No great shakes, yet oddly engrossing if only for the peculiarities.
For example, when one man invites a girl to go dancing, he takes her to a belly dance club.
Often, silhouettes are used, one gathers instead of supporting actors.
Then there is strange incest angle.  No!  Two incest angles.

If subs prove elusive, I reworked = https://subscene.com/subtitles/woman-despiser/english/2633313

The Strange Color Of Your Body’s Tears - 2013 - France

The Strange Color Of Your Body’s Tears - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - L'étrange Couleur des Larmes de Ton Corps

 
Dan returns home from a trip, discovers wife Edwige missing.
Kidnapped or escaped?  Police are doubtful, neighbors elusive.
One views this hallucinatory trip for the visuals.  Lurid colors, stop motion photography.
If you attempt to follow any narrative you might end up lost, it is akin to clutching fog.
There is a peculiar chase under the bedsheets – or is it behind the wallpaper – or inside a hatbox?
The apartment building, in which this is set, is a wet dream of art nouveau.
An arthouse homage to Giallo, this is amazing, though often overwhelming.

Death Walks At Midnight - 1972 - Italy

Death Walks At Midnight - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - La Morte Accarezza a Mezzanotte

 
Endure another stale party?  Or leave, and pray the man trying to kill you isn’t nearby.
If only Valentina hadn’t taken that experimental drug (HSD).
Then had flashbacks, witnessing a brutal, disfiguring murder.
Whereupon her face and testimony are plastered in a tell-all scandal mag.
Ho hum, publicity is money and a girl has to eat.
Lively, often bewildering Giallo, has six plots and several oddball characters.
Drugs, assassins, looney bin, two-faced liars.
Actually, it all works, with a narrative both twisted and logical.
Bit over the top at times, naturally, this should hold ones interest.

Red Rings Of Fear - 1978 - Italy

Red Rings Of Fear - 1978 - 6/10
AKA - Enigma Rosso

 
Saint Theresa's boarding school.  For girls, a dangerous place.
One has seemingly been raped to death.  Her three best friends keep silent.
The detective tries to break down the girls, school administration, teachers.
As he digs deeper, events grow more lethal.
Story is sleaze, but focus is on Inspector Di Salvo, and his deteriorating relationship with his casual girlfriend.
Procedural process dominates over the usual Giallo flourishes.  Even colors seem toned down.

Black Belly Of The Tarantula - 1971 - Italy

Black Belly Of The Tarantula - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - La Tarantola Dal Ventre Nero

 
Beautiful women are being murdered … after first being paralyzed.
Police hunts for clues, yet the victims are seemingly unconnected.
Perhaps after more deaths, the killer will make a mistake.
The inspector in charge wonders if he is cut out for the job, too
Fairly coherent Giallo has a creepy voyeuristic undercurrent.
Hummable score by Morricone.  Look for Bond girls Claudine Auger and Barbara Bach.
Good, narrative wise, but lacks the style and panache of the top Giallos.

Don't Deliver Us From Evil - 1971 - Italy

Don't Deliver Us From Evil - 1971 - 7/10
AKA - Mais ne Nous Délivrez Pas du Mal

 
Vicious, moody, conte cruel drama will certainly offend many.
Two bored schoolgirls embark on escalating games and torments.
Victims include their perceived inferiors (ie: working class and peasants) and small animals.
A word to the uneasy.  Pets are mistreated in this, perhaps even killed.
Animal rights' rules were different when this originally lensed.
Although the girls share an unhealthy obsession with each other, this is not a precursor to Heavenly Creatures, as these are a malevolent pair.
As they gain experience, they target larger quarry.

 

All The Colors Of The Dark - 1972

All The Colors Of The Dark - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Tutti I Colori Del Buio

 
After a miscarriage - ahem, abortion - a woman shuns any intimacy from her husband.
She is also menaced by a blue eyed stalker holding a stiletto.
Saints be praised, she finds refuge with an orgy of pagan worshippers.
(some say Satanists, but their focal point is a triangle with an all seeing eye in the center)
Better, after one ceremony, her fear of physical encounters is gone gone gone.
Wild Italian Gaillo races along and is always visually interesting.  Color filters, kaleidoscope lenses, and bizarre sets.
The music is a groovy 60's mix of guitars and sitars.
The narrative, overloaded to be sure, is almost as good.
Mouth-watering Edwige Fenech as the moody victim, along with Susan Scott and Marina Malfatti, make this irresistible.