STACK #138 Apr 2016

FEATURE DVD & BD

KEY FILMMAKERS Dario Argento Dubbed “the Italian Hitchcock”, Argento can also be considered the ‘Godfather of giallo ’. He helped to define the genre with the influential The Bird

with the Crystal Plumage and Deep Red, and continued to dabble in it in later years with films like Tenebrae and Opera .

Mario Bava

This maestro of the macabre

aped Hitchcock with proto- giallo The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963), then set the standard for things to come with the groundbreaking Blood and Black Lace , which also pre-empted the slasher film. The prolific, versatile and talented Martino put his own stamp on gialli with a winning trifecta of titles – The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh , Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, and Torso. Sergio Martino

hit in its native Italy, Argento’s film opened the floodgates for a wave of giallo thrillers and imitators. An American writer (Tony Musante) in Rome witnesses a murder in an art gallery and is subsequently targeted by the killer – a vital clue to the mystery lies with the avian of the title. Argento followed Bird with two more giallo

giallo thrillers are for you, and if they are, you’ll want to proceed deeper into this twisted and stylish Euro labyrinth. Explore the work

DVD & BD

GIALLO SCREAM QUEENS

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

of Sergio Martino, in particular Torso (1973), which features a nail-biting game of cat and mouse between the killer and an American student in a rural villa; and the

brilliantly titled Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972), a bizarre adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat . Revisit Mario Bava with Hatchet for the

films in 1971, The Cat o’ Nine Tails and Four Flies on Grey Velvet , both of which are worth a look. But you should proceed directly to his later, masterful Deep Red (1975) – the

Edwige Fenech This vivacious model turned actress was a familiar face in giallo films, including Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970), The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh , Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key , and Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975).

Honeymoon (1970), which

quintessential giallo . Argento takes the genre

Anita Strindberg Swedish actress and giallo

features a bridal store owner whose repressed childhood trauma triggers murderous impulses – the point of difference being it’s told from the killer’s perspective. Then there’s Lucio Fulci, who is beloved for cult horror films like Zombie Flesh-Eaters and The Beyond , but has also made a couple of terrific, albeit atypical, gialli – the psychedelic Lizard in aWoman’s Skin (1971) and the dark and disturbing Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972). He also directed the gruesome and sleazy The NewYork Ripper (1982), if you’re feeling particularly adventurous and have a strong stomach.

to the next level, adding graphic violence, a jangling Goblin score, a plot that almost makes sense, and a brilliant stroke of audience misdirection – the killer’s face

regular, whose chiseled features brought a severe beauty to her roles in Lizard in a Woman’s Skin , Case of the Scorpion’s Tail (1972), and Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key.

is subtly revealed following the opening murder. Further Viewing After experiencing the very best from Bava and Argento, you’ll have a good idea whether

Suzy Kendall

British actress who appeared in Thunderball and To Sir with Love but also did a lot of work in Europe, including giallo classics The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Torso .

Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key

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