The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) aka La Sindrome di Stendhal

3.5 / 5 Jun '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Dario Argento
Written by: Graziella Magherini, Dario Argento
Actors include: Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, Marco Leonardi
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Giallo
Length: 120 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I'm not sure why this has such a terrible reputation, I mean it's certainly not one of Dario Argento's best but it's not his worst either. I suppose some may be disappointed because it is unusual for a horror flick and the story is a bit strange plus it is a bit too long. The story is about a Detective called Anna (Dario's daughter Asia Argento) who we meet in a museum where she loses herself and passes out looking at a painting. This is apparently what Stendhal Syndrome is (yes a real problem that affects quite a few I guess), getting lost in art and getting confused. Anyhow Anna has temporary amnesia making her job extra difficult since she's trying to track a serial rapist/killer. From there it's a strange journey of hallucinations, rape, obssession and blood...even a blond wig! According to some, this is the first Italian film to utilize CGI which generally I hate but it was small doses and it did work here. It certainly does feel like a giallo and one of the best late entries I've come across so far. Sure it's not something that you'll need to rush out and see but I think fans of the genre and of Argento should give this a try.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) aka La Ragazza Che Sapeva Troppo aka The Evil Eye

4 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: What Does It Want? What Will Satisfy Its Cravings?
Directed by: Mario Bava
Written by: Mario Bava, Enzio Corbucci
Actors include: John Saxon, Letícia Román, Valentina Cortese
Genre: Giallo, Thriller, Horror
Length: 86 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
So this is arguably the first giallo film, and although it's not my favorite it's still pretty darned amusing. It's actually Mario Bava's final black and white film which gives it a sort of class however I hate to say this but I'd rather it were in color. Thing is with gialli films there is often so much garish color and that is a huge tool in many of them. This doesn't rely on that obviously but it does have a good story, some interesting characters and plenty of little twists and even quite a sense of humor. When American girl Nora sees too much (go figure) she ends up being knocked out in near Trafalgar square. After she's taken to hospital she meets a charming Doctor Marcello (John Saxon who is so much younger here than I'm used to) who wants to help her. See the thing she saw was the latest victim of the Alphabet Murderer (killing by last name in order A, B and C are already dead) and she wants to try to solve the crime. Of course things get dangerous and there are surprises around every corner, but it's a pretty engaging little flick really. We do get the gloves, a giant set of stairs, various red herrings and well the stage is pretty well set for everything that followed (though I didn't spot a bottle of J&B...maybe I missed it?). Definitely one to watch though I hate to say I prefer the sleazier titles!

Availability:  On DVD

Blow-Up (1966)

 4.5 / 5 Feb '10

Tagline: Michelangelo Antonioni's first British film

Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni

Written by: Michelangelo Antonioni, Julio Cortázar

Actors include: Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, David Hemmings

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Length: 111 minutes

Banned: Nope

Review:

Pretty darned impressive and highly influential little chiller from Michelangelo Antonioni (it's his first English language film). The style is marvelous, absolutely perfect in getting across the vibes of the '60s in swinging London. The music from Herbie Hancock was superb in setting the mood, and there was even a surprise performance from the Yardbirds, how cool is that? The film is about an arrogant photographer who snaps a bunch of pictures of a couple innocently kissing in the park but ends up in the midst of a murder! See after he takes the shots the Woman in them (Vanessa Redgrave) begs for them back and even shows up at his apartment to seduce him for the negatives. Naturally he's curious why she's so desperate for them and starts to examine them closely and he starts to learn why! It's really very interesting as far as the plot goes plus the combination of the art world and models and strange goings ons make this pretty irresistible. I actually prefer Blow Out (which is directly influenced by this) by a bit because it's more satisfying, but this one is a definite must too, very groovy and fascinating in it's own way.

Availability:  On DVD

Solamente Nero (1978) aka The Bloodstained Shadow aka Only Blackness

3.5 / 5 Mar '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Antonio Bido
Written by: Marisa Andalò, Antonio Bido
Actors include: Lino Capolicchio, Stefania Casini, Craig Hill
Genre: Horror, Giallo, Thriller, Mystery
Length: 109 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well unfortunately this starts out very slow, the gloomy serious nature of the film does add to it, and the cinematography is quite nice. However the restraint wasn't appreciated by me (this is a giallo film, I want sleaze!) and the cast for the most part is very unfortunate looking (and what was wardrobe thinking?). If you can get through the dull first half the second half is definitely more what one would expect from this kind of film. The soundtrack is one of the highlights though thanks to Stelvio Cipriani who's work creates tension and definitely adds to the film big time. Since a schoolgirl was murdered in the past (or the opening credits for us) and the murderer is never caught a young man named Stefano returns to his home (where the murder happened). He wants to try to figure out what happened along with his help of his seriously older brother (uh more like Dad) the local Priest. When another young girl is killed in front of the Priest and some ominous things start happening it's a rush to find out who is doing the killings. It does seem to borrow from better films like Profondo rosso [Deep Red] and 4 mosche di velluto grigio [Four Flies on Grey Velvet] and it's definitely not one of the best core gialli, but it's still worth a viewing for fans I'd say.

Availability:  On DVD

Body Puzzle (1992)

2.5 / 5 Jun '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Lamberto Bava
Written by: Lamberto Bava
Actors include: Joanna Pacula, Tomas Arana, François Montagut
Genre: Horror, Giallo, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 95 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well, I am typically a fan of Lamberto Bava but this wasn't nearly as good as I'd have expected. It did manage to have some nice scenes of gore and dismembered body parts if that be your thing. The story is rather dull (even though it's going to sound exciting). It's about a serial killer who removes parts from his victims (who is known to us right off the bat) sends them to a Woman. The Police scramble to solve the mystery, although it's no mystery to us making it feel pretty boring. It's very dry and wooden feeling, nothing special whatsoever. Although perhaps this would qualify as a giallo it probably wouldn't satisfy genre fans. I've definitely seen worse and cheaper, but I actually saw this when it first came out but totally forgot I ever watched it. That's not a good sign, and odds are within a year I'll forget again. Oh well, Lamberto's weakest still has a few decent qualities I guess.

Availability:  On DVD

Passi Di Danza Su Una Lama Di Rasoio (1973) aka Death Carries A Cane

2 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Maurizio Pradeaux
Written by: Alfonso Balcázar, Arpad DiRiso
Actors include: Robert Hoffmann, Nieves Navarro, George Martin
Genre: Giallo, Horror, Thriller
Length: 84 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well, this one started out a lot stronger than it finished but it never really made a good impression I'm afraid. It's ridiculous and with the dubbing the first bit feels like a comedy and really I did laugh a fair bit until it got excruciatingly dull. Oh sure there were many pointless song and dance numbers and it did have a fair bit of nudity and the typical giallo trappings but nothing to make it remarkable in any way. The plot is about a woman who witnesses a murder, the other people who witness the murder end up razored and caned to death...could she be next? They certainly didn't have special effects despite trying to do series of flashes of things that could add up to someone being murdered. It also wasn't satisfying in the least in the conclusion, it really felt like a pale imitation of better films. The story suffered, the music was dreck and it wasn't really worth bothering with despite the awesome title.

Availability:  On DVD

Concerto per pistola solista (1970) aka Weekend Murders

3.5 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Michele Lupo
Written by: Sergio Donati, Massimo Felisatti
Actors include: Anna Moffo, Ida Galli, Gastone Moschin
Genre: Giallo, Horror, Comedy, Thriller
Length: 98 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was kind of a neat little black comedy/giallo offering, rather a strange hybrid but a serviceable one. The characters here are beyond colorful and weird, the story is revolving around a will and of course there is a murderer at large that seems to be bumping off the folks in the family. Georgie is a son who doesn't seem to be all there, he likes to play dead and act death scenes out to freak out his overbearing Mother. There is a local Police man who looks like an idiot but probably isn't as dumb as he looks, also a detective is part of the tribe who seems to actually be the idiot. There are many others too and of course one naturally will try to figure out the plot but I think it's more fun on this one to just ride it out and enjoy it and wait for the cards to be dealt to us. It's not as creative and bloody and far out as some of the other giallo films but it does succeed in being amusing and a little bit different. It's also strange that this is an Italian feature but it was shot in Britain and it feels very British. Not the greatest but recommended for fans of the genre who wouldn't mind a chuckle or two.

Availability:  On DVD

American Nightmare (1983)

3 / 5 Sept '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Don McBrearty
Written by: Steven Blake
Actors include: Lawrence Day, Laura Staley, Neil Dainard
Genre: Horror, Giallo, Thriller
Length: 88 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
So oddly this is a Canadian giallo (though why they called it American Nightmare is beyond me) that has a low budget and some lame acting but it's still very watchable. The plot concerns a maniac who is going around slashing strippers with a razor, one of which is from a prominent family. Her brother comes looking for her and poking around the seedy underbelly of Toronto questioning girls who worked and lived with her. There is even a love story thrown in when the brother falls for one of the stripping roommates...seriously. It does have a fair amount of blood in it, and the mystery comes to an amusing resolution (it's a bit more sordid than one might think). It's just very dry and talky in places, and there are way too many strippers doing way too many dances for my liking, now if you are into that sort of thing you might consider it to be a bonus! As far as this style of film goes, it's definitely not one of the greats but it is worth a viewing for fans I'd say.

Availability:  Not on DVD

The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971) aka Una Farfalla Con Le Ali Insanguinate

2 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Duccio Tessari
Written by: Gianfranco Clerici, Duccio Tessari
Actors include: Helmut Berger, Giancarlo Sbragia, Ida Galli
Genre: Horror, Giallo, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 105 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I was surprised how little I liked this, it literally put my Husband and I to sleep three times (so maybe our judgement is effected by the fact that we watched it in 3 pieces over 2 days). Still it was the dullest giallo I've ever seen, all technical chatter about the solving of crimes and then a trial that was excruciating to sit through. The subs on this were extremely small so I felt like I'd read a novel by the end and usually I don't even notice subs. The film also seemed to skip out on the gratuity of other gialli and the colors and humor and violence...all not there. The actors were fine, it was nicely filmed and the scenery was lovely...that is the only good I can think of here. The story is about a girl who turns up murdered, then they go through the nonsense to find who they think is the killer. Then we watch the court trial. Then the story picks up slightly afterwards but it's too little too late by that point. I know this is a well regarded film amongst fans of giallo so you probably don't want to take my opinion on this one.

Availability:  On DVD

Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion (1970) aka Le Foto Proibite Di Una Signora Per Bene

3.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N//A
Directed by: Luciano Ercoli
Written by: Ernesto Gastaldi
Actors include: Nieves Navarro, Dagmar Lassander, Pier Paolo Capponi
Genre: Giallo, Horror, Thriller
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this is a sleazy little giallo from Luciano Ercoli and probably my least favorite of his but still a fun flick. Let's see what I can explain here, Minou wears crazy wigs, she is newly married to a fellow named Peter who her sex obsessed friend Dominique (Nieves Navarro) set her up with. Dominique (who also wears a weird wig occasionally) thinks being raped would be splendid, she seems to be into fetish stuff and well having sex with anyone who is nearby. She also might have had a prior relationship with Peter before setting Minou up with him. Minou is being harassed by a Man who claims he has evidence against Peter that could put him away in jail, and they only thing he'll take in exchange for his silence is extreme sex with Minou. Weirdo still, Minou seems to kind of like it in way... Oh it's very bizarre and irresponsible in many ways, it's also groovy and has some hilarious disco sequences and memorable dialog and the actors are superb. This won't be for everyone, but fans of this style of Eurosleaze should be entertained.

Availability:  On DVD

Il Coltello Di Ghiaccio aka Knife Of Ice aka Detrás Del Silencio (1972)

2.5 / 5 Dec '10
Tagline:   N/A
Directed by: Umberto Lenzi
Written by: Luis G. de Blain, Umberto Lenzi
Actors include: Carroll Baker, Alan Scott, Ida Galli
Genre: Horror, Giallo, Thriller
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Meh...I'm actually usually rather fond of Umberto Lenzi movies but this one did nothing for me. It's a giallo indeed but it's missing the excess flair and nudity and violence. It involves a young Woman named Martha (relatively well acted by Carroll Baker) who is mute because of a railway tragedy that occurred when she was 13. She lives with her Uncle in the countryside, but when her cousin Jenny arrives things turn disastrous. Jenny turns up dead and soon they realize there is some sort of maniac killing young women around and maybe Martha could be next! It is a rather dry and humorless effort which didn't help with moving things along either. I also hate to say that there weren't really any surprises with this, I predicted what would happen and I was right, not too much fun in that. I really had expected more from this one but they can't all be winners!

Availability:  Not on DVD currently

Midnight Killer (1984) aka Morirai A Mezzanotte

3 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Lamberto Bava
Written by: Lamberto Bava, Dardano Sacchetti
Actors include: Valeria D'Obici, Leonardo Treviglio, Paolo Malco
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Giallo, Thriller
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well it's definitely a later entry into the giallo field and it's one of Lamberto Bava's worst but it's certainly not terrible, it is at least stylish in a way. The fashions are awful, and it's missing the gratuity one would expect in this style of film. The deaths are decent and a bit of creativity is used, and the nudity quotient wasn't fulfilled much to my Husband's dismay. The beginning in this film is quite strong at least, it starts with a violent fight between a fellow named Nicola and his Wife. Nicola leaves the seen and flees to an ex-girlfriend's house who just happens to receive a phone call while he's there stating the death of Nicola's wife. It's of course a mystery and a few other girls are killed along the way. I think I might have rated it higher were the ending more satisfying, but it sort of cheapened the film I thought. You could do worse, especially during this time frame with this style of film but you could definitely do better too.

Availability:  I don't believe it's currently on DVD

Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura (1971) aka Cold Eyes Of Fear

3 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari
Written by: Leo Anchóriz
Actors include: Giovanna Ralli, Frank Wolff, Fernando Rey
Genre: Giallo, Thriller, Horror
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although this starts out amusingly enough, and it does qualify as a giallo in some aspects, it kinda doesn't in others. It's a story that takes place in the '60s where an Italian girl out to dinner with a date is taken away by anonther man (who looks just like Doc Baker from the LOHTP series) for sexy time. Doc Baker (let's just call him that for the sake of ease) takes her to his rich solicitor Father's house, but unfortunately some criminals show up to rob the place. It's really just a thriller with the two being held hostage for most of the film. It is missing the excess that I love from this style of film and it's not satisfying on a death or sex level and the plot isn't very interesting either...even as it unfolds. Credit to them for making a nice looking film and getting the mood right, it's just rather forgettable and it drags a bit. Still a big fan of the genre will want to stumble upon this at some point, I just wouldn't recommend looking for this with any sort of urgency.

Availability:  On DVD

Enigma Rosso (1978) aka Virgin Killer aka Red Rings Of Fear aka Rings Of Fear

2.5 / 5 Feb '11
Tagline: Sweet sixteen ... they'll lose more than just their lives.
Directed by: Alberto Negrin
Written by: Peter Berling, Marcello Coscia
Actors include: Fabio Testi, Christine Kaufmann, Ivan Desny
Genre: Giallo, Horror, Thriler
Length: 85 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Apparently this is the third part of the "schoolgirls" trilogy, the first two parts being Cosa avete fatto a Solange? [What Have They Done to Solange?], and La polizia chiede aiuto [The Police Want Help] both had the same director, and this one has a different fellow in charge. That may be why this film is way inferior to the other two. The muddy giallo plot involves the murder of a young girl (killed by a big dick). They start questioning her friends (they were quite a clique) and of course anyone else who might have done something so terrible. There are red herrings, and unnecessary nudity left right and center. What it is missing is violence, and gratuity and satisfying plot conclusion. By the time they actually got to the ending I couldn't have cared less (though I suppose they tried a little bit). It just lacked whatever character the first two had, it's very bland and forgettable really, heck I only saw this two days ago and I'm having trouble remembering it. Not a must see but it's okay I guess if you are a gialli addict.

Availability:  On DVD

...E Tanta Paura (1976) aka Plot Of Fear

3.5 / 5 Nov '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Paolo Cavara
Written by: Paolo Cavara, Enrico Oldoini
Actors include: Corinne Clery, Michele Placido, Quinto Parmeggiani
Genre: Giallo, Horror, Thriller
Length: 98 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although not one of the classic giallo films, this still has some memorable moments and is a reasonably entertaining entry although it's seldom mentioned. It's relatively well filmed and it appears to have a budget and is rather well made. The story involves a murderer who is leaving illustrations from a child's book with the victims. We also follow around the detectives who are trying to solve the crime of course. The story involves sex, weird parties, violence, mystery and even some gore...it has all the successful trappings of the genre. It even for some reason has appearances by Tom Skerritt and Eli Wallach in this film. It's easy enough to watch and it comes together nicely enough in the end. Definitely one for Ital sleaze fans to check out, but beware! There is an edited version floating around with far less murder footage in it.

Availability:  non USA DVD only