August 21, 2018
Written by: Gianfranco Clerici and Lucio Fulci
Starring: Jack Hedley, Almanta Suska, Howard Ross
Quote: "He used a blade. Stuck it up her joy trail, and slit her wide open. He could have done a slightly better job if he had more time. But overall, it was a good, efficient butchery."
Trivia: Kitty's death by razor blade was originally longer and more gruesome. Why the extra violence was cut is unsure, but images found on the Japanese DVD cover confirm that more gore was filmed.
This is another film that received very negative reviews. Allmovies claimed that director Lucio Fulci tried to appeal "to the lowest common denominator as never before in his career, Fulci showed with this blatant play for the sicko slasher crowd that the days of well-plotted, stylish Italian horror were gone, replaced with the most vicious sort of sexual violence and perversion." I don't disagree with the above review. The movie is vile, crude, and mean-spirited. It lacks the sleek cinematography and beauty of Mario Bava and Dario Argento's Giallo films. But, who the hell says that movies need to be beautiful? Especially when it comes to the slasher genre! Sometimes movies should be disgusting. Sometimes movies should be offensive. Sometimes the world can be a pretty ugly place and this movie is a reflection of fact. The movie is yet another of the historic Video Nasty films banned in the UK. Event today, the 2011 DVD had several minutes censored from it in the UK.
In the film, a fiendish killer is killing beautiful women in the most depraved ways possible. If that weren't enough, afterwards (and sometimes before) he makes calls to the victim and the police in a duck voice (yeah, like Donald Duck) taunting the police. The killer also uses this voice as he murders his women. The voice is stupid, it is silly and maybe it is because of that that it seems like such a degenerate idea using the Donald Duck voice in tandem with the extreme sexual violence. It really feels dirty.
The murders in the film are also especially vile and misogynistic. A lot of the violence against the women in the film is focused on their feminine parts. According to a doctor in the film, the killer took his knife and "stuck it up her joy trail" when he killed his first victim. Another woman has a broken bottle shoved inside her. There are eyeball slashings (I am Un Chien! Andalou!), throat cuttings, and nipple slicings. It becomes obvious very quickly that the killer's motive is a simple hatred of women.
The doctor's quote about the woman's "joy trail," reminds me of how little Italians understand American dialogue. I have watched and written a dozen or so movie discussion on Italians films so far and the chunky dialogue really sticks out. The dialogue is often crude, sexist, but with an attempt at sounding tough. I don't know if the dialogue is what Italian filmmakers think Americans talk like? Brash and tasteless. Or if this is just how Italian horror dialogue is written? But it seems to be completely unique to Italian cinema. I imagine it is probably the former since much of Italian horror cinema was created for the American market since it is much, much bigger than the Italian market. I actually like the dialogue, since it adds an unintentional element of comedy to the film. Just some thoughts.
The whole time, the killer is being tracked by a tired old police offer and a professor of psychology he has contracted to help identify the killer. This is a largely forgettable part of the movie since they both do not seem to be very good at their jobs. The professor seems pompous and spends much of his time playing chess and making vague claims like the killer is a "misogynistic psychopath." No shit buddy? What tipped you off? Really, it is the killer that drives the movie. These other two are simply there to move the plot.
One last note, we get a great view of the infamous 42nd street in Manhattan, New York during one of the scenes. The filmmakers included a five minute sex show scene that is completely gratuitous and has no necessity for the rest of the film, but fits in nicely. This softcore element just really highlights the sleaziness of the film. New York, around 42nd Street, was a sleazy and violent time. It was also a time when some of the best, craziest, sleaziest, and most violent films were made. It was time when exploitation films ruled. Would I like to live there? Hell no! But I'm glad to know there was a time when it did.
If you're in the mood for Italian horror and want a beautifully created film, go watch Suspiria. But if you want to experience just how dirty and filthy the slasher genre can be, this is a good place to start.
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