A hysterically misogynistic gialli that mixes bloody but rote murder setpieces with generous dollops of pure sleaze. As a murder mystery it's confusing and uninspired, but as a showcase for lead actor Nino Castelnuovo's spectacularly loathsome woman-hatin' photographer 'hero' Carlo, 'Strip Nude' is hilariously grimy and over the top.
So to start off a lazy Friday I wake up and decide to chill out with Andrea Bianchi's Strip Nude for Your Killer.
Going into this film and having a conversation with Herman about it prior to viewing I wasn't sure what to expect. On one hand it's a sleazy giallo which I'm sure to love, the other it's a Bianchi film. Though unable to pass judgement on Bianchi as this is my first film directed by him that I've seen?and what a film it was.
Starting off with a woman dying during an abortion the doctor takes her back to her house and leaves her in a bath. Something that is very crucial to the killers back story (wait was that a spoiler?). Throughout this movie I was constantly trying to guess the killer's identity, whether they are male or female as it is set around a fashion studio it could be either sex.
Strip Nude for Your Killer differs slightly from other films in the giallo sub-genre, this time round the killer doesn't have the raincoat and hat get up. Trading it in for full leather clad and a motorcycle helmet, something I'm willing to try next Halloween.
This outing from Bianchi is, truth to tell, a bit of a sleazy effort dealing with primarily the idea of sex as a road to alienation. True enough this film may be outwardly misogynistic but it sets its target as male sexuality and how pathetic that can sometimes be. From the arse watching photographer to the guy who can never make it with a real woman because he so loves his blow up female companion we see manhood it in it's most raw and pathetic nature.
Even though the only overtly gay character plays up to the John Inman school of stereotype of gayness his invite beyond the threshold to someone obviously a darling could well be a red herring, or possibly the solution to this riddle.
Bianchi is far from subtle in emphasising how sex, reproduction and sexuality can lead to its own hang ups, but even in the hands of the director who brought us the man boy character of Michael in Burial Ground we get his drift. Sex not bad, but don't be weird about it mmmmkay?
I was also amazed by a scene where a car is driven very fast round the town to get to a house. As I was watching it I began asking questions whether they had got permission to do it from the Police or just went a head and did it anyway. The entire sequence was very reminiscent to a french short called C'était un rendez-vous (1976).
The acting is actually very good, I was very surprised how the film turned out for me as I went in expecting very little. One scene in particular involving a fat man and a blow up doll really show how lonely some people can be, it?s a truly sad scene.
Though not a gory film in general there are some scenes of bodily carnage towards the end. Many of the death sequences are dull usually just a quick stabbing, nothing special. The outcome was a very enjoyable giallo with interesting characters, a fairly intelligent plot and has re-watch value.
I am compelled to recommend this to anyone who has never seen it before and lovers of the giallo sub-genre. Also as a bit of a cry for help can anyone recommend some Bianchi movies too me? I only know of his zombie caper Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror.
As Edwige said in the movie ?Someone has stolen my legs?
Cheesy and sleazy, this film is a lot of fun as a black leather clad killer begins killing off everyone involved with a modeling agency. Bad dubbing and frequent nudity are the highlights of the day, this one is a lot of fun for fans of the genre.
Nothing fantastic, but really good for what it is. Lots of sleaze, lots of silliness and a weak explanation for the events of the prior 90 minutes' events. This reminded me a lot of Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace, just not quite as good. The bad dubbing is actually one of the high points, believe it or not as the generally foxy female cast. Okay Edwige Fenech more than anyone but it didn't make my viewing experience a waste of time. The killer was pretty cool even if the explanation wasn't. Just good, unclean fun.
This ok for what it is: and it's obvious from the title that what it is is a 1970's Italian soft porn slasher with bad dubbing. However, it is these type of movies that have a special place in my heart! More of an unintentional comedy than a horror with it's amusing dialogue, etc. And there is plenty of 70's muff for one to enjoy!
MCT:May 10, 2008
MCT:March 18, 2008
MCT:March 2, 2008
