FILLMORE DISCOS 45 - '70s RARITIES 3

Kill Baby Kill, 1968 (****)
Mario Bava's classic prototype for all little-girl ghost films ever since is both aesthetically beautiful and memorably creepy enough to transcend the severe limitations of the genre, not to mention some rather gaping holes in its plot

Island Of Death, 1975 (*****)
epic perversity from Greece about a murderously sociopathic couple holidaying on the island of Mykonos; shameless genre-lovers will revel in this mindboggingly relentless odyssey of sleaze and shocks; also, check out the creepy mix of analog synths and acoustic sounds on the marvellous soundtrack

Burning Lips, 1976 (***)
it's testament to Leonora Fani's astounding talents that a film like this, which - with European porn theatre audiences in mind - seems to have been edited with a rusty hatchet, is actually more than watchable; her unrivalled on-screen kissing skills need to be seen to be believed

Lipstick, 1976 (*****)
the extraordinary Polnareff soundtrack and moving performances from the Hemingway sisters elevate this shocking drama to the heavens; make sure to get the full uncut version of this 70s classic

Winter Heat, 1976 (****)
all the girls in porno grindhouse Winter Heat get to genuinely enjoy Gillis at his very best mixing up his deadly repertoire of improvised verbal bullying, sleazy negative compliments, and even some surprisingly affectionate lovemaking

Suspiria, 1977 (**)
despite a couple of lush set-pieces and undeniably fabulous locations, this movie fails in several ways that matter: actors that are completely out of their depth, a dreary script, and some really poor pacing - for me, and I know many will disagree, Argento rates poorly alongside other Italian giallo directors

Midnight Heat, 1983 (**)
Jamie Gillis was untouchable in many ways, but unfortunately straight acting wasn't one of them, much as he and others would have liked it to be; Roger Watkins' (Last House On Dead End Street) brave attempt to make an arthouse porno falls flat

FILLMORE DISCOS 44
FILLMORE DISCOS 43 - '70s RARITIES 2
FILLMORE DISCOS 42 - '70s RARITIES 1
FILLMORE DISCOS 41 - GIALLO SPECIAL 3

FILLMORE DISCOS 40 - GIALLO SPECIAL 2

Another wholesome helping of decidedly unlegitimate italosleaze goodness.

What Have They Done To Solange? (*****)
sensational movie with a terrific international cast; the tone -whilst not without welcome moments of giallo sleaze- is relentlessly dark, containing shocking plot developments that nowadays nobody would dare touch, and all leading to an extremely satisfying finale

Death Walks On High Heels (****)
a gloriously creepy, if at times convoluted, giallo set in a remote unnamed English coastal village with a superbly bizarre cast of support characters and extras

Tenebrae (****)
Dario Argento has lots of amazing wonderfully wild cinematic ideas; his direction however, like the quality of the women he casts (comparatively speaking), is pretty rough around the edges - that said, Tenebrae is arguably his best and notable for its memorable climax, Goblin's fantastic soundtrack - oh, and a very scary dog

Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion (*****)
what it lacks in gore, Forbidden Photos more than makes up for in sexual intrigue, its feisty script and glossy cinematography, and above all, Dagmar Lassander's array of cripplingly beautiful outfits and sezzy looks

Who Saw Her Die? (***)
this thematically dark giallo set in the magisterial ambience of Venice (like Roeg's later and derivative Don't Look Now) is simply astounding leading up to the second shocking murder; unfortunately, the direction then becomes somewhat incoherent, Lado perhaps trying too hard to stick to the genre's formulae

Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key (*****)
you've got it all here: stellar cast featuring a perfect role for Edwige Fenech and an outrageous performance by Luigi Pistilli, finally a male actor up to the task in hand; some top-class sleaze; a twisty satisfying plot; some gorgeous cinematography; an astounding baroque Bruno Nicolai soundtrack.... and a black cat

All The Colors Of The Dark (***)
it's testament to the beguiling charisma of Edwige Fenech that she manages to single-handedly carry what would be an otherwise mediocre giallo, here, as she is caught up with some Satanic crusties in London and an unlikeable husband

The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh (****)
even Conchita Airoldi is upstaged by the magnetic painful beauty of Edwige Fenech - classic giallo, set in Vienna and a still-Francoist Sitges, which explores unusually brave themes regarding female sexuality; Nora Orlandi, a Morricone cohort, provides a memorable, at times experimental, soundtrack to the proceedings

Strip Nude For Your Killer (***)
for what 'Nude per l'assassino' lacks in terms of plot cohesion, character development, and plausibility, we are amply compensated by the quality of sleaze on display

FILLMORE DISCOS 39 - GIALLO SPECIAL 1

FILLMORE DISCOS 39 - GIALLO SPECIAL

A good giallo, before it can be considered great, must fulfil certain specific criteria:
- stunning locations unfamiliar to the viewer
- beautiful charismatic girls of all types and backgrounds that revel in the celebration of their tarterie, to wit, the showing-off of their bodies in sensationally alluring outfits
- a brilliant eclectic soundtrack by a single composer
- an unknown sex maniac killer sporting stylish black leather gloves

Torso (****)
the red-headed beauty that is Tina Aumont, plus the extraordinary proto-slasher chase scene in the woods (remorselessly imitated ever since), would alone make worth seeing what is otherwise a patchy yet tremendously fun and sexy giallo

Six Women For The Murderer (*****)
Sei Donne, in its entirety, is a vibrantly beautiful sexy feast for your greedy eyes; Bava's 1964 classic was a huge influence on the giallo genre

A Lizard In A Woman's Skin (****)
weird and highly satisfying giallo by Fulci set in 60s swinging London, it captures the sordidness of the hippie acid scene better than most films of the era

A Bay Of Blood (****)
fascinating to see the origins of the slasher-by-numbers genre, in particular the Friday 13th franchise - the ever-inventive Mario Bava was, once more, way ahead of his time

Don't Torture A Duckling (*****)
Fulci's masterpiece, way better than all his later zombie shit; there are some extraordinarily memorable and twisted scenes, some wonderful mystery and polemic, a fine cast including the incomparable Barbara Bouchet, a killer Ortolani soundtrack, and all set in astounding locations in southern Italy; what more could you possibly want?

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (**)
from a promising outset this starts to drag badly, the actors lack charisma, Morricone's score is substandard, and the cinematography is nothing special compared to the best of the gialli; Dario Argento is, once again, way overrated

The Red Queen Kills 7 Times (****)
brilliant stylish (and oft-overlooked) giallo by Emilio Miraglia set in beautiful Wurzburg, Bavaria - with a classic Bruno Nicolai soundtrack to match