PERVERSION STORY aka One On Top Of The Other

(Lucio Fulci, 1969)

Dr George Dumurrier's (Jean Sorel) asthmatic wife Susan (Marisa Mell) is found dead, and to complicate matters, he's been named sole beneficiary of her will. Having a mistress and lying about the operations performed in his clinic don't really add to the Dr's credibilty, and he soon finds himself under the scrutiny of the police.

The stress really starts to sink in on the newly liberated George when, at a topless go-go bar with his girlfriend, he meets a stripper, Monica (Marisa Mell again), who looks uncannily like a blonde version of his deceased wife. The freakish resemblance leads the police to believe it's an elaborate case of insurance fraud, which doesn't bode well for poor George.

I was not prepared to enjoy this as much as I did, knowing what I thought I did about Fulci. Here he's at the top of his game, at his arty best. This was early in his career, well before he became disillusioned and bitter with the film industry, and it really shows. True to the time it came out, Perversion Story is a 60's experimental experience with sharp editing, creative compositions and opticals, split-screen effects, and ,of course, nudity. To top it all off, it has a fan-funkin-tastic jazz score by Riz Ortolani.

There's little violence and gore in this early giallo, two post-Bird With The Crystal Plumage genre requirements, but the story's compelling enough to maintain interest. And there's the sex scenes too. Lots of 'em. Once again though, they're done quite tastefully and artistically. Oh Lucio, why couldn't you have maintained this standard with all of your films?

SEVEN BLOODSTAINED ORCHIDS

(Umberto Lenzi, 1972)

A number of seemingly unrelated women are being stalked and killed by a maniac dubbed the "half-moon killer", aptly named as he leaves a silver half-moon keychain on the body of each corpse. Potential victim Julia (Uschi Glas) is stabbed while on a train, but the killer is frightened off and leaves Julia for dead. She recovers, but the police, in an attempt to fool the killer into revealing him or herself, fabricate a news story wherein Julia actually died.

As a memento, the police give Julia's husband Mario (Antonio Sabato) a silver half-moon, which Julia immediately recognizes as being similar to one she'd seen at a seaside hotel two years prior. The police, as usual, are of little assistance, and Julia's cover is soon blown as she and Mario undertake an investigation of their own in an attempt to warn / potentially save the remaining potential victims.

Seven Bloodstained Orchids is one of Lenzi's better gialli. It relies heavily on it's attractive cast of genre regulars (Sabato, Glas, Marisa Mell, Marina Malfatti), great cinematography and lighting, and brutal, yet artistic, murder scenes. Notably, for a pre-slasher film, it contains a death-by-drill scene, however brief it may be. The soundtrack by Riz Ortolani is very catchy; in fact it's still playing in head! On the downside, the story, which moves at a quick pace for the first 40 minutes or so, drags for a bit until the predictable ending. Not bad, I'd say, and worth a watch. Buy it here.

RING OF DARKNESS aka Satan's Wife

(Pier Carpi, 1979)

If Blue Sunshine is the answer to "whatever happened to all those acid heads from the 60's?" then Ring of Darkness must be the answer to "whatever happened to those who dabbled in Satanism around the same time?"

The prologue opens cheesily enough with a ritualistic mating dance to some seriously wonky Stelvio Cipriani groove. It seems Satan was a softy for red spandex and modern jazz in the late 70's, but I digress. We then cut to present day, where former coven members are struggling to live like ordinary citizens. We learn that in exchange for bearing the offspring of Satan, these women have forsaken all human warmth. Carlotta (Anne Heywood) grows alarmed when her daughter Daria (Lara Wendel) exhibits signs that she may be aware of her own diabolical origins and begins lashing out at home and at school.

Daria's evil powers begin to manifest when Agatha's (Marisa Mell) daughter kills herself, and Daria's stepfather is killed in a plane crash. The coven soon find themselves outgunned by Daria and resort to desperate measures to keep her in check, but to no avail. Having offended the daughter of Satan (and Satan himself), they all become targets of her wrath. Can Daria be stopped? Can they ever?

Fans of Italian horror will have divided opinions of Ring of Darkness. My main concern was with the lack of blood and lack of action. This film almost plays more as a Satanic melodrama than a horror film, as it's not frightening in the least. Were there any less excitement, the film could very well put itself to sleep!

It's more driven by story than most films in its league, and is mildly captivating in that it's not badly written, and is carried by (relatively) strong performances by Anne Heywood, Marisa Mell, Irene Papas, Lara Wendell, and John Phillip Law. Yes, there's lots of familiar faces here! Ring of Darkness also features outstanding lighting and photography, the aforementioned Cipriani synthesizer soundtrack, and oodles of atmosphere. And a final showdown, in the nude, between Carlotta and Daria. Does that sell you? It's available on DVD thanks to MYA again, so enjoy!
Buy it here.