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giallo

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Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975)

Photographer Magda (Edwige Fenech) and her boy toy, the fiery tempered Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo) have got one hell of a sinister situation on their hands; the fashion agency where they work has been suffering a series of those “sex crimes” that are all the rage in Milan these days (perpetrated by a man dressed all in black and topped of by a motorcycle helmet)…and as fate and the script would have it, Carlo is a suspect and Magda a potential victim. Will our dynamic duo be able to crack the case before the body count grows higher? Strip Nude for Your Killer has one thing going for it…and you better sit down, because this one is going to be a shocker…it’s loaded with exposed flesh. I know…I could scarcely believe it either. Of course that isn’t the only check in the plus column this giallo cum softcore romp has to offer; we also get some stunning cinematography courtesy of Franco

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 21, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: All the Colors of the Dark (1972)

Jane (Edwige Fenech) is plagued by nightmares. I mean, lose one unborn baby in a horrific car crash and lose your shit why dontcha? Anyway, Jane’s boy toy Richard (George Hilton) is sympathetic, but always away on business so he’s as useless as an asshole with tastebuds, as is her psychiatrist, so she does hwat any sane, rational person would do…she joins a black magic cult at the behest of her new gal pal Mary (Marina Malfatti). Surprisingly group sex and blood consumption lead to a rather shitty path for our heroine, and soon she is at the mercy of the wackiest weirdo in that creepy cult ((Ivan Rassimov); he of the trenchcoat and icy blue eyes…and predilection for murder! Directed by Sergio Martino (The Suspicious Death of a Minor, Screamers, Slave of the Cannibal God…and roughly 4,000 more), All the Colors of the Dark is absolutely packed with suspense and a sense of unease. The viewer is never sure

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 5, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: All the Colors of Giallo (2019)

Giallo; the word conjures images of black gloved killers who’s identity is revealed late in the ghoulish game, POV murder shots, and stylish direction with aesthetic splendor to spare! For those not in the know, a giallo is an Italian mystery/thriller film, oft times heavy on the ol’ stalk n’ slay…not to mention female flesh…and usually featuring elements of psychological horror and the aforementioned artistic flourishes. Speaking of not in the know, you’ll be a god-damned giallo expert after you check out the subject of this revoltin’ review: Severin’s release of All the Colors of Giallo! Comprised of three discs, All the Colors of Giallo is one hell of a deep dive into the fright flicks so near and dear to the hearts of many a horror hound worldwide. First up we get the eponymous doc, Federico Caddeo’s All the Colors of Giallo that covers the complete history of the giallo; from it’s origins in German krimi (crime) books (and

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 5, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Fifth Cord (1971)

After a New Year’s Eve murder attempt goes tits-up, booze-soaked journalistic fuck-up par excellence Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) is called upon to report on the case. As fate, and the screenplay, would have it, the killer strikes again, this time sealing the deal. Before long the body count rises as does suspicion against our boy Andrea; which makes him rather keen on solving the case! Much closer to the giallo genre…in fact with it’s black gloved killer and jaw-dropping style it definitely is one, then the previous Luigi Bazzoni flick we examined in this creepy column (The Possessed for those keeping score at home…the review for which can be found right here!), The Fifth Cord is a pretty solid fright flick. Though filmed in color, the film’s limited palette offers the same chiaroscuro visuals that made the aforementioned The Possessed so gorgeous, and Nero turns in yet another world-weary and brilliant performance. Adding to the surreal aesthetics are a pre-occupation

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Possessed (1965)

Bernard (Peter Baldwin), a sad sack novelist, decides to use that classic cure-all, namely horniness, and sets off to rekindle a relationship with his ex-lover Tilda (Virna Lisi); who works as a maid at a remote hotel located next to a lake. Everything seems hunky-goddammned-dory with the hotel’s owner, Enrico (Salvo Randone) and his daughter Irma (Valentina Cortese)…but it seems Tilda has pulled a David Copperfield and vanished. Having fuck-all to do, Bernard begins investigating the disappearance and ends up spiraling farther down a rabbit hole of perversion, insanity, and murder! The Possessed, comprised of it’s heavily art house influenced style and dark and deadly themes definitely stands as a strong and stylish fore-runner of the beloved murder heavy giallo genre. Directors Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rossellini present the material with gobs of style and chiaroscuro visuals, but there are definitely moments where the concentration on aesthetics definitely hamper the clarity of the film’s storytelling (a problem also present in a

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970)

Lonely (and rich) housewife Minou (Dagmar Lassander) spends her time pining for the affection of her husband Peter (Pier Paolo Capponi) who is never around. While walking alone one night, Minou is accosted by a weirdo who tells her Peter is, in fact, a murderer. She pays this insanity no mind, but soon the evidence appears to back up the stranger’s claims, and Minou finds herself tumbling into an ever deeper abyss of blackmail at the hands of the devious (and horny) creeper. Will Minou be able to regain a semblance of a normal life and escape this ordeal with her sanity intact or will she be destroyed by the blackmailer’s game? The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion appears to be a giallo, but honestly it isn’t; no black gloved killer appears…hell, no murder appears in the film at all…but what the film is is a mystery with giallo window dressing. Director Luciano Ercoli has infused the piece

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Dec 30, 2018
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Torso (1973)

One sick mofo with a twisted fashion sense is murderin’ college co-eds with a black and red ascot, and American exchange student Jane (Suzy Kendall) has a notion in her noggin that she has seen that sinister scarf somewhere before. With that revealed, J-dawg and her gal pals head to a remote villa for safety…but of course that murderous madman is clued in to where the one person that could blow his cover is layin’ low and he brings his horror-biz “A”-game to the countryside, stalkin’ and slayin with wild abandon! Soon Jane finds herself B.D. in a game of killer cat and mouse with the black gloved assailant in a fight for her life! Director Sergio Martino delivers one hell of a sleazy, violence packed giallo with Torso. Filled with all of the trademarks of the genre; stylish murder set pieces, a black gloved clad killer, et.al.; this entry ups the nudity and sexual content…while still managing to maintain

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 22, 2018
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (1974)

After a naked pregnant woman is found hung from the rafters in an attic (and not unlike an overcrowded submarine, she is packed to the gills with semen), Inspector Silvestri (Claudio Cassinelli) and Assistant District Attorney Vittoria Stori (Giovanna Ralli) spring into action. As the duo dig deeper they discover the victim was part of an under-age teenage prostitution ring whose “clients” (read: abusers) are some of your garden variety high society perverts. As the search widens, the bodies begin piling up…thanks to a motorcycle helmet wearing, cleaver wielding psycho. Will our heroes be able to keep their body parts intact until the crime is solved? What Have They Done to Your Daughters? is a damn solid giallo picture, and being such their are a few things you can expect to see…namely excellent practical gore and bloodshed, some detective work through a twist filled plot, and a black gloved, masked killer dispatching folks six ways to Sunday. Along with that

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 15, 2018
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Valley of the Rats is a New Spin on the Beloved Giallo Genre!

I’m just going to begin this revoltin’ review by saying Valley of the Rats is one hell of a hard fright flick to review…but I’m going to do my level headed god damn best… The long and the short of the narrative goes as follows: A dude is accused of killing his girlfriend, but isn’t formally charged with the crime. So, that being the case, he rents a limo, and rides around town following leads and having philosophical debates with various shady dudes about the evil city and how it relates to existence. As more of the case is revealed via flashbacks, the narrative becomes loser, the dialog more sparse, and the end result is akin to having a fever dream while watching a classic giallo flick (think sex, violence, and symbolism in equal measure). I’m not going to beat around the bush here my creeps; Valley of the Rats is about as nontraditional a film as you will find.

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Mar 28, 2018
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: The Cat O’ Nine Tails Gives Giallo Fans Something to Purr About!

Blind crossword puzzle author (is that what people who create those things are even called???) Franco (Karl Malden, proving he walked the streets of Rome before those of San Francisco) is taking a stroll one night with his young niece Lori (Cinzia De Carolis) when he overhears a plan to blackmail a scientist who works at a top secret genetic institute…well, not too top secret if they are blabbing about it right out in the damn street and all…oh, and there’s a robbery in there somewhere as well. Anyway Franco eventually teams up with a journalist by the name of Carlo (everyone’s favorite ‘not-quite-Charlton Heston’ James Franciscus) to solve the case, but there ends up being a metric shit-ton of the ol’ murder biz about, so these two dudes are most likely in way over their heads… Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of the giallo genre; they’ve always played out more like a typical murder mystery with a human

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Dec 28, 2017

More from giallo

Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975)

Photographer Magda (Edwige Fenech) and her boy toy, the fiery tempered Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo) have got one hell of a sinister situation on their hands; the fashion agency where they work has been suffering a series of those “sex crimes” that are all the rage in Milan these days (perpetrated by a man dressed all in black and topped of by a motorcycle helmet)…and as fate and the script would have it, Carlo is a suspect and Magda a potential victim. Will our dynamic duo be able to crack the case before the body count grows higher? Strip Nude for Your Killer has one thing going for it…and you better sit down, because this one is going to be a shocker…it’s loaded with exposed flesh. I know…I could scarcely believe it either. Of course that isn’t the only check in the plus column this giallo cum softcore romp has to offer; we also get some stunning cinematography courtesy of Franco

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 21, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: All the Colors of the Dark (1972)

Jane (Edwige Fenech) is plagued by nightmares. I mean, lose one unborn baby in a horrific car crash and lose your shit why dontcha? Anyway, Jane’s boy toy Richard (George Hilton) is sympathetic, but always away on business so he’s as useless as an asshole with tastebuds, as is her psychiatrist, so she does hwat any sane, rational person would do…she joins a black magic cult at the behest of her new gal pal Mary (Marina Malfatti). Surprisingly group sex and blood consumption lead to a rather shitty path for our heroine, and soon she is at the mercy of the wackiest weirdo in that creepy cult ((Ivan Rassimov); he of the trenchcoat and icy blue eyes…and predilection for murder! Directed by Sergio Martino (The Suspicious Death of a Minor, Screamers, Slave of the Cannibal God…and roughly 4,000 more), All the Colors of the Dark is absolutely packed with suspense and a sense of unease. The viewer is never sure

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 5, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: All the Colors of Giallo (2019)

Giallo; the word conjures images of black gloved killers who’s identity is revealed late in the ghoulish game, POV murder shots, and stylish direction with aesthetic splendor to spare! For those not in the know, a giallo is an Italian mystery/thriller film, oft times heavy on the ol’ stalk n’ slay…not to mention female flesh…and usually featuring elements of psychological horror and the aforementioned artistic flourishes. Speaking of not in the know, you’ll be a god-damned giallo expert after you check out the subject of this revoltin’ review: Severin’s release of All the Colors of Giallo! Comprised of three discs, All the Colors of Giallo is one hell of a deep dive into the fright flicks so near and dear to the hearts of many a horror hound worldwide. First up we get the eponymous doc, Federico Caddeo’s All the Colors of Giallo that covers the complete history of the giallo; from it’s origins in German krimi (crime) books (and

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 5, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Fifth Cord (1971)

After a New Year’s Eve murder attempt goes tits-up, booze-soaked journalistic fuck-up par excellence Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) is called upon to report on the case. As fate, and the screenplay, would have it, the killer strikes again, this time sealing the deal. Before long the body count rises as does suspicion against our boy Andrea; which makes him rather keen on solving the case! Much closer to the giallo genre…in fact with it’s black gloved killer and jaw-dropping style it definitely is one, then the previous Luigi Bazzoni flick we examined in this creepy column (The Possessed for those keeping score at home…the review for which can be found right here!), The Fifth Cord is a pretty solid fright flick. Though filmed in color, the film’s limited palette offers the same chiaroscuro visuals that made the aforementioned The Possessed so gorgeous, and Nero turns in yet another world-weary and brilliant performance. Adding to the surreal aesthetics are a pre-occupation

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Possessed (1965)

Bernard (Peter Baldwin), a sad sack novelist, decides to use that classic cure-all, namely horniness, and sets off to rekindle a relationship with his ex-lover Tilda (Virna Lisi); who works as a maid at a remote hotel located next to a lake. Everything seems hunky-goddammned-dory with the hotel’s owner, Enrico (Salvo Randone) and his daughter Irma (Valentina Cortese)…but it seems Tilda has pulled a David Copperfield and vanished. Having fuck-all to do, Bernard begins investigating the disappearance and ends up spiraling farther down a rabbit hole of perversion, insanity, and murder! The Possessed, comprised of it’s heavily art house influenced style and dark and deadly themes definitely stands as a strong and stylish fore-runner of the beloved murder heavy giallo genre. Directors Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rossellini present the material with gobs of style and chiaroscuro visuals, but there are definitely moments where the concentration on aesthetics definitely hamper the clarity of the film’s storytelling (a problem also present in a

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970)

Lonely (and rich) housewife Minou (Dagmar Lassander) spends her time pining for the affection of her husband Peter (Pier Paolo Capponi) who is never around. While walking alone one night, Minou is accosted by a weirdo who tells her Peter is, in fact, a murderer. She pays this insanity no mind, but soon the evidence appears to back up the stranger’s claims, and Minou finds herself tumbling into an ever deeper abyss of blackmail at the hands of the devious (and horny) creeper. Will Minou be able to regain a semblance of a normal life and escape this ordeal with her sanity intact or will she be destroyed by the blackmailer’s game? The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion appears to be a giallo, but honestly it isn’t; no black gloved killer appears…hell, no murder appears in the film at all…but what the film is is a mystery with giallo window dressing. Director Luciano Ercoli has infused the piece

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Dec 30, 2018
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Torso (1973)

One sick mofo with a twisted fashion sense is murderin’ college co-eds with a black and red ascot, and American exchange student Jane (Suzy Kendall) has a notion in her noggin that she has seen that sinister scarf somewhere before. With that revealed, J-dawg and her gal pals head to a remote villa for safety…but of course that murderous madman is clued in to where the one person that could blow his cover is layin’ low and he brings his horror-biz “A”-game to the countryside, stalkin’ and slayin with wild abandon! Soon Jane finds herself B.D. in a game of killer cat and mouse with the black gloved assailant in a fight for her life! Director Sergio Martino delivers one hell of a sleazy, violence packed giallo with Torso. Filled with all of the trademarks of the genre; stylish murder set pieces, a black gloved clad killer, et.al.; this entry ups the nudity and sexual content…while still managing to maintain

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 22, 2018
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (1974)

After a naked pregnant woman is found hung from the rafters in an attic (and not unlike an overcrowded submarine, she is packed to the gills with semen), Inspector Silvestri (Claudio Cassinelli) and Assistant District Attorney Vittoria Stori (Giovanna Ralli) spring into action. As the duo dig deeper they discover the victim was part of an under-age teenage prostitution ring whose “clients” (read: abusers) are some of your garden variety high society perverts. As the search widens, the bodies begin piling up…thanks to a motorcycle helmet wearing, cleaver wielding psycho. Will our heroes be able to keep their body parts intact until the crime is solved? What Have They Done to Your Daughters? is a damn solid giallo picture, and being such their are a few things you can expect to see…namely excellent practical gore and bloodshed, some detective work through a twist filled plot, and a black gloved, masked killer dispatching folks six ways to Sunday. Along with that

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 15, 2018
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Valley of the Rats is a New Spin on the Beloved Giallo Genre!

I’m just going to begin this revoltin’ review by saying Valley of the Rats is one hell of a hard fright flick to review…but I’m going to do my level headed god damn best… The long and the short of the narrative goes as follows: A dude is accused of killing his girlfriend, but isn’t formally charged with the crime. So, that being the case, he rents a limo, and rides around town following leads and having philosophical debates with various shady dudes about the evil city and how it relates to existence. As more of the case is revealed via flashbacks, the narrative becomes loser, the dialog more sparse, and the end result is akin to having a fever dream while watching a classic giallo flick (think sex, violence, and symbolism in equal measure). I’m not going to beat around the bush here my creeps; Valley of the Rats is about as nontraditional a film as you will find.

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Mar 28, 2018
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: The Cat O’ Nine Tails Gives Giallo Fans Something to Purr About!

Blind crossword puzzle author (is that what people who create those things are even called???) Franco (Karl Malden, proving he walked the streets of Rome before those of San Francisco) is taking a stroll one night with his young niece Lori (Cinzia De Carolis) when he overhears a plan to blackmail a scientist who works at a top secret genetic institute…well, not too top secret if they are blabbing about it right out in the damn street and all…oh, and there’s a robbery in there somewhere as well. Anyway Franco eventually teams up with a journalist by the name of Carlo (everyone’s favorite ‘not-quite-Charlton Heston’ James Franciscus) to solve the case, but there ends up being a metric shit-ton of the ol’ murder biz about, so these two dudes are most likely in way over their heads… Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of the giallo genre; they’ve always played out more like a typical murder mystery with a human

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Dec 28, 2017
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