Torso

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.

Jane (Suzy Kendall- THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE) and her free-spirited, female college friends head out for a weekend of frivolity at a country villa. This, after a be-gloved, masked maniac has already killed two of their number. The police are on the case, and seem to have some definite clues. However, the killer is pretty crafty, and is on a mission.

Once at the villa, Jane and company are having fun, when, guess who shows up to crash their party?

TORSO is another great giallo from the genre's golden age. With an interesting, psychological motive for the madness, several suspects, and almost non-stop nudity, this gem also packs some thrills and suspenseful moments. It delivers the bloody mutilations as well, which should make the gorehounds giddy. Ms. Kendall plays her desperate role with gusto!

Highly recommended for the true connoisseur of carnage and carnality...

"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.

Sergio Martino's "Torso" is one of the most underrated giallos ever made.A series of sex murders shock a college campus,and four young beautiful girlfriends(Jane,Daniella,Ursula and Katia)head for the safety of an isolated country villa.Soon a mysterious black-gloved killer begins to kill them one by one."Torso" is filled with plenty of sleaze and graphic violence,so fans of Italian exploitation won't be disappointed.The murders are stylish and properly gory,and Martino has populated the film with several strikingly beautiful women,all of whom,with the exception of Suzy Kendall,take off their clothes.Martino managed to generate a fair amount of suspense,especially during the breathtaking climax as Jane and the masked murderer engage in a chilling contest of cat-and-mouse.The score by Guido and Maurizio DeAngelis is pretty effective too.A must-see for fans of Italian giallos!

I admire this piece of giallo cinema because of its great style and how director Sergio Martino contrasts the gorgeously beautiful Italian countryside with the bloody activities of a mysterious gloved killer. In this film, the killer is unique because he/she casts a very unique, eerie presence whenever hinted at or briefly shown onscreen, usually wearing some sort of ski mask to hide his/her face. I also like the plot revolving around the red and black scarf, and how it ties in with the identity of the murderer. The story follows a group of young, gorgeous Italian coeds frightened when their friends start dropping like flies at the hands of a brutal slasher, who likes to strangle, stab and fondle the nude bodies of his victims (another sick, effective touch which makes the film all the more nasty). Four of the girls flee to a villa in a small, scenic village to get away from all the atrocities committed on campus. Of course, the killer has followed them there and is set on killing them off one by one. This film is very perverted in ways, the killings are all sexually sadistic in nature, and the motive basically revolves around the dangerous sexual games played by the beautiful coeds. I can't say more without revealing clues which may give away the killer's identity. "Torso" is also loaded with female nudity, as the film starts right off with a wild orgy going on as the credits roll, complete with close up shots of naked breasts. There is also a slight lesbian subplot involving two of the girls, although we don't see anything that graphic at all. No male nudity is present, which is too bad, I was really waiting for one of my fav hot actors, John Richardson, to take something off, but no such luck. Again, this movie is creepily effective, well-acted, and has great photography, and even if you do find it slow-moving, keep with it, as the finale is probably the best part of the film as the heroine has to watch the killer carve up her friends, one of the most unnerving sequences I have ever seen captured on film. The music is pretty good for the most part, but at times it seems like music better suited to a porno flick. And another thing to mention is, the uncut version of this movie doesn't seem to have that much gore at all, I just figured it would since such a big deal was made about it being uncut with all the "grisly violence" finally restored. It still seems like you're watching the R-rated version. Oh, well. This is still a fun movie, especially for those who love Italian horror.