Torso

When you recognise a murder weapon which could implicate a hacksaw wielding murderer who's already killed two other people, what do you do? You go to stay in a remote secluded clifftop villa with your friends, that's what! Nothing could go wrong...

This is a fantastic slice of giallo directed by Sergio Martino in 1973. It's all here- the sumptuous locales, the amazing insistent music score, the deft and stylish cinematography and direction. But, best of all, there's one of the most disturbing and iconic killers in giallo history (which is really saying something). And not only does he look great but he also kicks ass.

This film expertly builds tension with some scenes reminding me of the later Halloween. I wonder if Carpenter had seen this film before making the 1978 classic. I sure as hell hope the makers of the new Halloween film have seen this film (I bet I know the answer to that question but I'll wait until this film is released to either have my hunch confirmed or refuted).

An example of this tension within Torso would be the scene in which the lone survivor is in the villa with the killer thinking that there's no one else there. She's locked in her room but decides to try to get the key which is still in the lock on the outside of the door to fall onto a sheet of newspaper which she's slid underneath. This way she can slide the key under the door and try and free herself. But then...you'll have to watch the film to find out what happens. It's a great scene in a great film.

When it comes to giallo everyone seems to know the work of Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci and Mario Bava and for good reason. But Sergio Martino is an example of another giallo director who doesn't get the attention he deserves. This is a shame as his work is stellar. And Torso is a great 'in' for the horror fan wanting to investigate his work.

"Torso" is a simply stunning giallo. Sergio Martino's movie has some genuine edge-of-the-seat moments, a very attractive female cast, a superb score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis and beautiful cinematography.

While some of the special effects are a little on the poor side, the film succeeds in keeping the viewer enthralled in the plot and its strong points far outweigh any minor criticisms.

I really enjoyed this movie. It's not often that a film can keep me in suspense like this one did. Stylish, thrilling, erotic and gripping, "Torso" gives most other giallo films a real run for their money.

I was surprised at how well this movie was made. The direction is first rate. I saw a restored and "uncut" Danish DVD. It looked great. Although I'm not sure about the "uncut" part, as the are still images with full frontal nudity which do not appear in the movie. But there are plenty of attractive topless females. There's also plenty of violence and gore. But the story is good, too. Females are stalked by a violent psychopathic killer. They seek refuge in an isolated mansion. The police is on the trail of the killer. They story is well-written and shows the characters as having some intelligence. The only thing missing is more character development of the females. One doesn't sympathize much with any of them because we don't get to know them all that well. There's also a good explanation given for the killers motives. Overall a surprisingly good achievement.

I'm not sure why some of the comments for this film were so unenthusiastic; I usually jump all over a slow horror film, though I don't believe this to be one at all. Anchor Bay's print is great, and the film is beautifully photographed. The scene in the muddy birch forest is alone worth the price of owning this. Sure, the standard giallo plot of a mad killer, driven to kill due to a childhood trauma is no surprise, but that's not really the point is it? This is also not a gorefest, but many great giallos are not. The very essence of giallo, as I understand it, is visual style (and extremely beautiful women) over plot substance, and that certainly defines this film, which sits comfortably in my Italian horror top 15, if not top 10.

With a title like 'Torso' one would expect this Italian horror film to either be very bloody or very lurid. In this case, it's both.

Murders at a Rome college forces a group of lady friends to retreat to an isolated house in the hills. But little do they know the killer has followed them...

While director Sergio Martino isn't Dario Argento or Mario Bava his direction in this film is pretty well done. He makes the most of a simple storyline with some lush filming locations, solid scenes of tight suspense, and an all-around attractive cast. Particularly great is the beautifully atmospheric stalking sequence with Carol in the woods, as well as the highly intense scene where Jane must hide from the killer while he dismembers one of her friends. This effort will be most entertaining to the exploitation fans, as the film has plenty of female nudity and the occasional bit of gore.

The cast is fairly decent, Suzy Kendall is the biggest stand-out though as a young woman trapped by the killer.

Over all a good horror effort that would later influence the slasher genre. Torso isn't for all tastes, but for the game giallo or slasher fan it's a great treat.

*** out of ****