Rating of
3/4
Creepy
Bribaba - wrote on 05/03/11
Classic giallo from Lucio Fulci. Thirty seconds in and it’s already time for a full-blown naked orgy, which is followed immediately by a lesbian scene on a pink bed. All this turns out to be dream on the part of Carol, a woman whose marriage is not a happy one and so, quite rightly, fantasizes about sex with her beautiful neighbour. Things start to go seriously awry when the object of her dreamy desires is murdered, and Welsh hard-man Stanley Baker shows up as a copper with a penchant for whistling like a kettle.
It’s basically who-dunnit and not a bad one, but like many Italian films of that period (1971) it’s the art direction and atmosphere that catch the eye and propel the film along. Almost all of the exteriors are shot in London and the Italian crew make great use of them, particularly Alexandria Palace. Biba bags, MG sports cars and Afros the size of a small tower are much in evidence. Dog lovers may wince at one scene in which several of man’s best friend are hung up with their guts hanging out. Fulci was taken to court over this and had to produce the models proving that the animals were fake. All this and a great score from Ennio Morricone.
