A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (Una Lucertola con la pelle di donna) (1971)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lee ?

  
  Despite the sex and nudity early on and a couple of moments of bloody violence, this is one of the more classier efforts from Lucio Fulci, a far cry from his sleaze and splatter filled films from the 80s. It's a well plotted and stylish 'whodunnit' murder mystery all… More
  Despite the sex and nudity early on and a couple of moments of bloody violence, this is one of the more classier efforts from Lucio Fulci, a far cry from his sleaze and splatter filled films from the 80s. It's a well plotted and stylish 'whodunnit' murder mystery all set in 70s London. As the list of suspects build towards the end things got a little confusing, but it's reasonably well acted and gripping enough. Shame Fulci doesn't get enough credit for his earlier films.

• Cassandra M

  
  When people think of Lucio Fulci, it's always his gorier and largely incoherent efforts that spring to mind. Films like Zombie Flesh-Eaters and The Beyond, which are most definitely good films if you like that sort of thing (as I certainly do!); but they don't adequately… More
  When people think of Lucio Fulci, it's always his gorier and largely incoherent efforts that spring to mind. Films like Zombie Flesh-Eaters and The Beyond, which are most definitely good films if you like that sort of thing (as I certainly do!); but they don't adequately portray the man's talent. If you want to see the 'great' Fulci films, you need to go back to his Giallo days with films like Don't Torture a Duckling and indeed this film; A Lizard in Woman's Skin. Fulci's first Giallo is a trippy thriller that excellently captures the laid back style of the swinging sixties and blends it magnificently with the thrilling pace that has gone on to epitomise the Italian thriller. The film follows a young woman (Florinda Bolkan) who dreams that she is having orgies with a hippy woman that lives downstairs. Events take a turn for the worse when the young woman dreams that she's killed the hippy, who then turns up dead; brutally murdered in her apartment, in exactly the way that the woman dreamt... While this film isn't as brutal as some of the later Giallo efforts, Fulci succeeds in creating a foreboding atmosphere and manages to keep his audience on the edge of their seats. The plot line is rather strange, and Fulci makes best use of this through an excellent Ennio Morricone score, which firmly instills the trippy atmosphere in the viewers mind. The Giallo has come to be synonymous with brutal murders and lots of gore but, ironically, Fulci keeps his murders down a minimum and some of them even happen off screen. This is both a good and a bad thing as I, personally, like seeing brutal murders in Giallo's; but on the other hand it allows Fulci to keep the focus firmly on the central murder and he doesn't get sidetracked with lots of blood and gore, which does the film itself lots of favours. The mystery boils down to an excellent ending, in which the film is tied up nicely and we are treated to a great twist and some first rate detective work from the detective on the case. Highly recommended viewing and a must for Giallo fans!

• Ken S

  
  Prettyand pretty boring too.

• El Hombre I

  
  Capturing all of the debauchery of the drug soaked late 60's into a wonderful murder mystery including some trippy dream sequences, an excellent Ennio Morricone score, a strong sense of suspense, an odd assortment of characters, a strong ending, and it even manages to throw in… More
  Capturing all of the debauchery of the drug soaked late 60's into a wonderful murder mystery including some trippy dream sequences, an excellent Ennio Morricone score, a strong sense of suspense, an odd assortment of characters, a strong ending, and it even manages to throw in some Hitchcock references without letting them take over the movie. The film also takes its sweet time establishing the outline of its central puzzle and where the various characters fit into it. Fortunately that puzzle happens to be a good, engaging mystery. Despite a relatively small ring of suspects, guessing as to "whodunit" will have to be reevaluated with each new twist in the plot. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=Lizardinwomansskin.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/Lizardinwomansskin.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• John M

  
  Similar to Hitchcock's "Spellbound" about an amnesiac trying to unlock key memories that will answer a puzzling mystery. It absolutely captures the early 70's psychedelic thing without being cheesy and It has a convoluted plot and certainly isn't easy to… More
  Similar to Hitchcock's "Spellbound" about an amnesiac trying to unlock key memories that will answer a puzzling mystery. It absolutely captures the early 70's psychedelic thing without being cheesy and It has a convoluted plot and certainly isn't easy to predict. The cinematography is great, and the generally creepy, dream-like atmosphere is intensified by another ingenious score. A must for Giallo fans!

• Christopher B

  
  The dog scene is pretty nasty, but this is a fairly normal giallo film from the usually over the top Fulci. A psychadelic murder mystery that's fun for everyone.

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