Gialli | Wildside Cinema

Suspected Death of a Minor (Morte Sospetta Di Una Minorenne – 1975)

Crime, Gialli, Horror, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

Jun 062010

R2 DVD Release

When faced with a Sergio Martino film, you can usually rely on it being a very well produced exploitation movie. Be it The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh or Mountain of the Cannibal God, you’re going to be entertained! That is what Martino does best, and he knows it. During the early 70s he was producing some of the best Gialli of the era, in fact it could be said that he brought the sleaze and OTT violence to the genre. Before he got his grubby hands on it, it was still respected (critically) as a genre. When he released Torso on the unsuspecting Giallo fans, you can just imagine their reaction. He had finally taken the plunge and made the violence on screen overly sexual. The genre was never the same again Continue reading »

Giallo (2009)

B. Harris, Crime, Drama, Gialli, Horror, Thriller 2 Responses »

May 212010

Theatrical Poster

A demented psychopath dubbed “Yellow” is torturing, disfiguring and murdering beautiful women in Rome and it’s up to an emotionally damaged American police detective and an Italian flight attendant to follow the clues that lead to the identity of the killer and, hopefully, to the whereabouts of the flight attendant’s sister.

There was a time when the mere mention of Dario Argento’s name brought gasps from film geeks worldwide. The amazing impact his films have made on the horror genre cannot be underestimated, the man is legendary, his cinematic contributions are legendary. Thankfully the best of his films, like The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Deep Red and Suspiria, will remain with us long after he tarnishes Continue reading »

Terror Express (1979)

Crime, Gialli, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

Nov 152009

R2 UK DVD

When Wes Craven released a low-budget slice of sadism upon the world in 1972, few would have thought that it would inspire a whole slew of knock-offs across the globe, mostly from that gloriously little country – Italy. Last House on the Left is responsible for it fair share of great exploitation flicks, without it we may never have had Night Train Murders, Last House on the Beach, or even Last House on the Edge of the Park! That, my friends, would be a sorry, sorry world to live in. Ferdinando Baldi may not have the reputation of the film’s writer, George Eastman, but boy, oh boy he knew how to make a sleazy little movie!

Three thugs hold-up a carriage Continue reading »

Film Review: Seven Blood Stained Orchirds (Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso – 1972)

Crime, Drama, Gialli, Horror, Italy, J. Felton, Krimi, Slasher Films, Umberto Lenzi No Responses »

Nov 252008

DVD Artwork

When you here the name Umberto Lenzi the first thing that springs to mind is probably cannibal movies. Lenzi being the director responsible for such beauties as Eaten Alive and Make Them Die Slowly, as well as the zombie movie Nightmare City. So you may (or may not) be surprised to know that he wasn’t always a gore machine.

Seven Blood Stained Orchids was made a few years before the aforementioned movies and actually shows that he was capable of making well acted, tightly plotted thrillers with almost no bloodshed. I did say almost, this is Lenzi we are talking about here!

Maybe he was just jumping onto the bandwagon of whatever was Continue reading »

Film Review: ‘Don’t Torture a Duckling’ (1972) Kicks Misogyny Up a Notch as Only Fulci Can

Crime, Gialli, Horror, Italy, J. Felton, Lucio Fulci, Thriller No Responses »

Oct 102008

DVD Artwork

When most people think of movies by Lucio Fulci a couple of things usually come to mind, either his Zombie related movies and/or that he isn’t a particularly good director. However, I have yet to meet anyone that has seen all of his near 60 movies that he directed. I know for sure that I have only seen maybe a dozen tops. As for his skills as a director, well he may not be the most original when it comes to ideas, but his directorial skills are severely underrated in my opinion.

The thing is if you don’t like his style chances are you won’t give Don’t Torture A Duckling a second look. Well, that would Continue reading »

Who Saw Her Die? (Chi I’ha Vista Morire? – 1972)

Crime, Gialli, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

Aug 262008

R2 / PAL DVD

French Alps, 1968. A Child is murdered by a figure in black. Forward a few years to Venice as Franco (Lazenby) awaits the arrival of his daughter, Roberta (Elmi). The two enjoy the sites of Venice and meet Franco’s friends, all of whom seem a little on the edgy, perverted side. Tragedy comes when the figure in black strikes again, taking poor Roberta and leaving her lifeless body floating face-down in a canal.

Distraught by the lack of help from the police, Franco decides to bring the killer down himself, with the help of his ex-wife Elizabeth (Strindberg), but his hunt for the truth will lead him down a dangerous path and reveal an Continue reading »

The Cat O’ Nine Tails (1971)

Crime, Dario Argento, Drama, Gialli, Thriller No Responses »

Aug 262008

DVD Release

A break-in occurs at a genetic research company, followed by several murders. An old blind man, Franco Arno, who lives near the company with his young niece, thinks he overheard a conversation relevant to these crimes, and links up with a reporter, Carlo Giordani, to investigate further. The killer, suffering from a genetic tendency to violence that the company had been researching, threatens the lives of the investigators as they get closer to the truth.

The second film of horror/thriller specialist Dario Argento relies much more on plot than his other works. For me that’s not really a virtue, as I tend to prefer his later supernatural fantasies like Suspiria, where Argento lets his imagination run Continue reading »

The Card Player (Il cartaio – 2004)

Crime, Dario Argento, Gialli, Italy, Thriller No Responses »

Aug 152008

DVD Artwork

A serial killer is kidnapping women and challenging police to online poker games, with the abductees’ lives as the stakes. One detective, Anna, investigates the case with John, an Irish forensics expert from the British embassy. They must follow up on what the psychological profile of the killer suggests: s/he gets off on taking risks. Their investigations lead them into the Roman underworld of illegal video poker bars, where they find an expert poker player willing to help them save the women’s lives.

Some Dario Argento fans may find the absence of the director’s usual extravagant stylization in The Card Player a disappointment. I would disagree, in that it’s good not to repeat yourself all the time, and that the contemporary hi-tech Continue reading »

What Have They Done To Your Daughters? (1974)

Crime, Drama, Gialli, Horror, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

Jul 212008

Shameless Screen Ent.

The discovery of an apparent suicide of a schoolgirl leads the police to more bodies and a shocking secret. There is a prostitution ring that has been targeting the schoolgirls and fueling the depraved desires of the rich, powerful and privileged men of the area. It’s going to take the best of the best to bring down the ring AND the clever-wielding killer dressed in motorcycle leathers!

Massimo Dallamano’s second entry into his ‘Schoolgirls-in-peril’ trilogy is a blast from start to finish. Following up the legendary What Have You done to Solange? Couldn’t have been easy, but the execution of this is assured and impressive Continue reading »

Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1973)

Crime, Gialli, Horror, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

May 122008

OOP DVD

An ex-convict, Gilles (Naschy) gets hired as a care taker for three beautiful sisters. While settling into his new found freedom and responsibility he starts having troubling nightmares; nightmares that show him strangling women! Not to soon after, slaughtered blonde women are turning up near by… missing their lovely blue eyes! Is Gilles just a misunderstood loner, loved by the ladies and loathed by the blokes? Or is he capable of the murderous act that are being carried out?

Blues Eyes of the Broken Doll is a Spanish attempt to cash-in on the popular ‘Giallo’ genre that was hugely popular at the time in Italy. All in all, it’s a solid effort and and Continue reading »

Torso (I Corpi Presentano Tracce di Violenza Carnale – 1973)

Crime, Gialli, Horror, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

May 062008

R2 UK DVD

Beautiful art-students are being picked off by some loon in a balaclava! So naturally it’s time for the ever-decreasing group to get away from all the violence and head into the back of beyond for a holiday in a huge mansion… deep in the woods… on top of a mountain – genius! Of course, the killer has followed them there and it’s not too long before the already depleted numbers start to decrease even further!

Torso is a blast from start to finish. The film is packed with gorgeous women (including Bird with the Crystal Plumage alum Suzy Kendall), often in the buff (excluding Kendall Continue reading »

The Sister of Ursula (1978)

B. Harris, Crime, Gialli, Horror, Thriller No Responses »

Mar 172008

U.S. DVD Release

Dagmar and her bitchy sister Ursula hit a little seaside motel for some rest & relaxation but it doesn’t last long as somebody is murdering young women in the hotel and mutilating their genitals! Ursula, unable to connect personally with anybody, remains in her room and begins having strange dreams of her deceased Father! Has Ursula’s impotent Father returned from the grave to exact his revenge on women? Whether Ursula is just crazy or it’s one of the guests doing the killing one thing is certain, whoever is doing the killing is using a massive phallus on the victims, leaving them tattered and bloody!

Yeah, that’s right, a phallus…a big Continue reading »