I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses is yet another obscure 70's movie that has attained cult film status purely on the basis of its presence on the infamous British video nasty list. Without this notoriety films such as this one would be more or less forgotten. It does have to be reiterated once again though that this movie, similar to many others on the video nasty list, is really not very shocking at all. It's in essence a courtroom drama that uses flashbacks to tell its story. And it's seemingly based on a notorious true Canadian crime. In it, a woman is murdered and her millionaire husband is accused. The narrative then looks back and considers the roles of several people.
The only familiar face for me was the German actress Elke Sommer who starred in a couple of Mario Bava films earlier in the 70's. She is good enough as the femme fatale murder victim. In fact, the opening of the movie is certainly unusual, with the name actress being brutally murdered right away. It's intriguing for sure but ultimately the film as a whole is not especially well done. It really feels like a TV movie most of the time, which is why the occasional nasty moments are so jarring, such as the murder and especially a scene of necrophilia, the latter of which must surely have cemented the film's 'nasty' status. Also of note is a soundtrack by Howard Shore. It sounds really familiar to a lot of the work he did for David Cronenberg and it does have a decent icy ambiance at times.
It's obvious that this film does not have a very good reputation. And perhaps that's not surprising. It's not violent enough for those seeking a video nasty and it's too salacious for anyone seeking out a courtroom drama. It doesn't seem to be aimed at a very wide demographic at all. But, you know what? I've seen a lot worse than this. Its mystery may not have been exactly the best but it did keep me interested nevertheless. And, you know how I said earlier that it began a little strangely; well wait until you see how it ends. It's hardly a typical ending that's for sure.
