DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING: FULCI DOES GIALLO

In the small Italian town of Accendura a young boy goes missing. A ransom note is delivered and the police arrest a suspect, the town idiot who claims he is innocent. To make matters worse, the boy’s body is found strangled. With the public incited by this even they call out for the suspect’s blood. But then another boy goes missing.

The body count rises and the list of suspects remains as narrow as it did from the start. A promiscuous newcomer to the town is a suspect at one time but she has an alibi. Forming an alliance with a reporter the pair attempt to solve to murders before the police.

The police in the meantime continue to look for the more standard suspects. One is a recluse the townsfolk consider a magician. A woman who helps him is suspected as well, having had issues with the boys when they were alive.

The only tie that the boys shared was playing in the local churchyard. The priest their offers to aid the reporter and young woman sharing any and all information that he has. But as the film progresses the odds of finding out just who the murderer is remains to be seen.

The movie progresses slowly and can be a bit confusing at times. Much of the story does has the usual problem of losing something in translation. It wasn’t until watching the extras that I learned the film was talking about the difference in lower and upper class areas, something that would be unknown to most. While I enjoyed the film I found it not among my favorite Fulci films or among my favorite giallo films. Still, it is an important part of film history and deserves the spectacular treatment that Arrow Video has given it.

Director Lucio Fulci had directed another giallo film the year before with A LIZARD IN A WOMAN’S SKIN but was more well-known for the gore soaked horror films he made. These included ZOMBIE, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE BEYOND and HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY. He was considered one of the premiere Italian directors during the 70s and 80s. But for some reason only those who consider themselves horror fans are acquainted with his name.

With the popularity of first VHS and now DVD that’s changed. More and more of his movies have become available in recent years. Now Arrow is providing a fantastic looking edition of this film. I saw the film years ago on VHS from Anchor Bay. While the quality was better than a bootleg it still seemed fuzzy and faded. That’s not the case with this new edition. The film looks better than ever.

In addition to that Arrow has accompanied the feature with their usual bag of goodies when it comes to extras. Those include a new audio commentary track by Troy Howarth (the author of SO DEADLY, SO PERVERSE: 50 YEARS OF ITALIAN GIALLO FILMS), THE BLOOD OF INNOCENTS a new video discussion with Mikel J. Koven (author of LA DOLCE MORTE: VERNACULAR CINEMA AND THE ITALIAN GIALLO FILM), EVERY WOMAN THEIR OWN HELL  new video essay by critic Kat Ellinger, interviews with co-writer/director Lucio Fulci, actor Florinda Bolkan, cinematographer Sergio D’Offizi, assistant editor Bruno Micheli and assistant makeup artist Maurizio Trani and a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork.

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