For tonight's GIALLOWEEN selection I wanted something fun and light. I wanted something that would take my mind away from all of the sleaze of 1982 New York. So...I went with Strip Nude for Your Killer!
In 1975, Andrea Bianchi made one of the most memorable gialli of all time. Memorable because it is perhaps one of the silliest...yet earnest films that you will watch. I mean that in the nicest way possible. This is a classic film that will either really dig...or really dislike. I really don't feel like there's a middle ground with this one. While I think that some of the stuff that goes down does get a little lost in the translation and comes across much more humorous than it might have been intended...ultimately, it is quite an effective giallo filled with some great sequences that will surely entertain.
Funny how I've explained how silly the film can be when it all starts off in a very bleak place. A death in a gynecologist's office. Yup. Not the funnest place to be for a death scene. Especially when the viewer is hit in the face with quite the felted mound that the female victim possesses. Yes, friends...grooming was very different in the 70's. One could acquire an unkempt pubis area at will without so much as a side eye and it would be considered normal practice. Now...I'm not talking crazy afro puffs or anything. More like a chiseled mound...not unlike the neatly trimmed hedges that one may find on the front porch. Ok...enough with the short and curlies...let's get back to the film.
So, a woman dies during an illegal abortion (eww) and a killer in motorcycle racing leathers is on the loose. There's more in between, obviously...but, it that previous sentence doesn't grab you...I'm not altogether sure what will. The design of the killer in this film is certainly one of my favorites of the genre. Just the fact that there's a killer going around wearing a motorcycle helmet and a leather jump-suit feels so goddamn badass in an odd way...it has to be amazing!
We are introduced to a womanizing photographer named Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo) who, right out of the gate, is already doing his best to sex up a new potential model at the spa. He ends up shagging her in the steam room with a promise of a high-fashion photo shoot...so, there's that. Carlo is such a douche in this film...but, he's got a certain weird charm about him. He does odd things like handstands in bed and rocks a sweet speedo...how could you not love the guy?
It is here where I would like to introduce the very first mention of the immortal Edwige Fenech this GIALLOWEEN season. She plays a fellow fashion photographer named Magda. Perhaps the most awkward goddamn name in giallo history. She's rocking a pixie haircut here...which I personally adore...as it lends a new look for our girl, Edwige. While I prefer her more traditionally long black hair...if there was ever a line of Edwige Fenech action figures with different variant looks...the Magda one would be one of the first ones I would get. She's just so chic in this film.
Moving along with the film...there are certain sequences that are so bonkers...they come off entertaining as hell. The Maurizio/Doris car ride, for instance, is sheer madness...but, it comes out of left field when it happens that you have no choice but to be in the car riding along with the two as they speed off maniacally into traffic. Incidentally, the scene comes off as genuine as it appears that Franco Diogene (the dude who plays Maurizio) is actually driving the vehicle in real Italy traffic while Erna Schurer (Doris) genuinely appears frightened out of her shit. Really entertaining stuff. Not to mention the awkward sex attempt that follows and the blow-up doll. Yup...you read that one correctly. There's some choice stuff here, friends.
Anyway, the gore is standard fare for this type of thing, there's a reasonable twist-ending...and there is plenty of J&B flowing. This one's pure giallo gold in my book. Strip Nude for Your Killer is available from Blue Underground on Blu-ray...a confident purchase, as far as I'm concerned. If you like your gialli varied with splashes of cheeky 70's flavor and odd performances played straight...this one should fit the bill. Just be warned...it is important not to go into this one with high-class expectations and a yearning to see something akin to an Argento film...because this one's giallo...served light and fluffy. Also...EDWIGE FENECH. That is all.
Funny how I've explained how silly the film can be when it all starts off in a very bleak place. A death in a gynecologist's office. Yup. Not the funnest place to be for a death scene. Especially when the viewer is hit in the face with quite the felted mound that the female victim possesses. Yes, friends...grooming was very different in the 70's. One could acquire an unkempt pubis area at will without so much as a side eye and it would be considered normal practice. Now...I'm not talking crazy afro puffs or anything. More like a chiseled mound...not unlike the neatly trimmed hedges that one may find on the front porch. Ok...enough with the short and curlies...let's get back to the film.
So, a woman dies during an illegal abortion (eww) and a killer in motorcycle racing leathers is on the loose. There's more in between, obviously...but, it that previous sentence doesn't grab you...I'm not altogether sure what will. The design of the killer in this film is certainly one of my favorites of the genre. Just the fact that there's a killer going around wearing a motorcycle helmet and a leather jump-suit feels so goddamn badass in an odd way...it has to be amazing!
We are introduced to a womanizing photographer named Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo) who, right out of the gate, is already doing his best to sex up a new potential model at the spa. He ends up shagging her in the steam room with a promise of a high-fashion photo shoot...so, there's that. Carlo is such a douche in this film...but, he's got a certain weird charm about him. He does odd things like handstands in bed and rocks a sweet speedo...how could you not love the guy?
It is here where I would like to introduce the very first mention of the immortal Edwige Fenech this GIALLOWEEN season. She plays a fellow fashion photographer named Magda. Perhaps the most awkward goddamn name in giallo history. She's rocking a pixie haircut here...which I personally adore...as it lends a new look for our girl, Edwige. While I prefer her more traditionally long black hair...if there was ever a line of Edwige Fenech action figures with different variant looks...the Magda one would be one of the first ones I would get. She's just so chic in this film.
Moving along with the film...there are certain sequences that are so bonkers...they come off entertaining as hell. The Maurizio/Doris car ride, for instance, is sheer madness...but, it comes out of left field when it happens that you have no choice but to be in the car riding along with the two as they speed off maniacally into traffic. Incidentally, the scene comes off as genuine as it appears that Franco Diogene (the dude who plays Maurizio) is actually driving the vehicle in real Italy traffic while Erna Schurer (Doris) genuinely appears frightened out of her shit. Really entertaining stuff. Not to mention the awkward sex attempt that follows and the blow-up doll. Yup...you read that one correctly. There's some choice stuff here, friends.
Anyway, the gore is standard fare for this type of thing, there's a reasonable twist-ending...and there is plenty of J&B flowing. This one's pure giallo gold in my book. Strip Nude for Your Killer is available from Blue Underground on Blu-ray...a confident purchase, as far as I'm concerned. If you like your gialli varied with splashes of cheeky 70's flavor and odd performances played straight...this one should fit the bill. Just be warned...it is important not to go into this one with high-class expectations and a yearning to see something akin to an Argento film...because this one's giallo...served light and fluffy. Also...EDWIGE FENECH. That is all.
Thanks for reading,
Peter Neal
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