The Sister of Ursula

Sister of Ursula is a bit of an obscurity. It's not a nunsploitation film as the title suggests. It's a twisted giallo with typical themes of Freudian Daddy issues, a killer with black gloves and some gorgeous locations in Amalfi.

It really ups the sleaze factor with full frontal nudity every 10 minutes and some sex scenes. It's actually low on violence apart from the aftermath of dead bodies which are well worth seeing for shock value. The soundtrack is very good, not up there with those by Goblin, Morricone or Riz Ortolani, but memorable enough.

It's not as jumbled plot wise as "In The Folds Of Flesh", but it's also not as exciting as most Giallo. Beyond the cinematography which is easily as good as anything from the luminaries like Bava, Argento and Fulci it's difficult to recommend other than to Giallo fans who want something a bit sleazy without going into the extremes of "New York Ripper" or "Malabimba" territory.

The film was released uncut 18 by Shameless/Argent Films in the UK for DVD and features a nice print.

When it comes to most popular Italian genres - from spaghetti westerns to poliziotteschi - you can tell that they are on the downward slide when they start becoming comedies and parodying their genres. With the giallo by direct comparison, this never seemed to happen and instead the decline of the genre - which started in the late 70's - was heralded when they started making entries which were sexploitation films with giallo elements, as opposed to gialli with erotic flavour. The Sister of Ursula, similar to other examples from the period like Giallo a Venezia, was a clear example of this. Consequently, what defines it more than anything is its very explicit softcore sex scenes, which punctuate the runtime on a regular basis, with the more traditional giallo suspense aspect, a clear secondary consideration. The murder set-pieces don't dwell on the act of murder itself (given the method of murder, I can honestly say that this is a blessing) and instead rely almost exclusively on build-up (which always incorporates extended sex scenes). The story, such as it is, is needless to say a bit half-hearted. It revolves around two sisters who check into a hotel by the seaside in a pretty town after their father's death. At the same time young women in the vicinity start being murdered by a maniac with dildo weaponry.

The aesthetics of this one are dangerously close to being in Jess Franco bargain budget territory. Its far more lo-fi and lower budget than these films tend to be. The griminess of the narrative is somewhat offset by all this depravity playing out in such an attractive location (I guess you could categorise this as almost a given for the giallo genre right enough). There's a selection of odd characters populating the story, such as a drug addict, a cabaret star and a sleazy hotel owner. The mystery is very much by-the-by, albeit it does get the job done. I've seen this one a couple of times now and I can safely say that the second viewing was preferrable to the first. Once you know what this film isn't (i.e. Stylish and well crafted) it becomes a more enjoyable watch. Its not going to ascend the heights of anyone's favourite movies in the genre but as an example of a sexploitation-heavy gialli, its pretty serviceable.

People do not seem to like this one although they all seem certainly to like the Italian Amalfi coast and the stunning vistas and the pretty villages. I have to say that there are plenty of steps, balconies and little streets so lovely. Actually I also like the ladies and the sex which is really well done and I wouldn't have called it as sleazy but of course the dildo killings I would have. The beautiful, Barbara Magnolfi was in Suspiria (1977) the previously year and with The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975) but has very little else for some reason. Stefania D' Amario who plays the sister in this film was also with, Zombie (1979), Nightmare City (1980) and Identification of a Woman (1982). Whether it is down to Vittorio Bernini as the cinematography or as the director Enzo Milioni who also did the story and the screenplay, it looks wonderful, all the time.

Well, it's safe to say that The Curse of Ursula isn't the greatest Giallo ever made, but there's plenty of sex and sleaze, and the whole thing is at least enjoyable. The Curse of Ursula came rather late on in the Giallo cycle - in fact, it had pretty much dried up by the time this film came along, and as such; it would seem that writer-director Enzo Milioni was extremely keen to put as much sex and nudity into the film as possible to ensure that people would watch it; and while this sort of stuff isn't really what I watch Giallo for, it doesn't go amiss in a film such as this, which has little in the way of a plot. As the title suggests, the film focuses on a woman called Ursula. Along with her sister Dagmar, she finds herself at a hotel, where the sisters are looking for their mother, believing she has a right to some inheritance left by their father. However, a vicious psychopath, who uses a dildo to murder his (female) victims has also taken up residence at the hotel, and begins dispatching of everyone who has sex...

I had heard that this film was particularly sordid, and while I can certainly see why that is said, I have to say I was expecting more from it...though admittedly, I probably do watch a bit too much of this stuff! Sex fuelled Giallo's got more common towards the end of the cycle, which is unfortunate as the style of the earlier films was lost. As well as the sex, this film also features some pretty gruesome death scenes, which is nice but it does seem like director Enzo Milioni (with his first feature) is trying to force the film down the audiences throats a little bit as everything is completely over the top. The plot takes a backseat to the sex and gore, and typically it is a rather dull affair. There isn't much to it after the foundations are laid down, and while the twist ending isn't too bad; I have to say I didn't really care about it. There is some style in the film, the way we only see the killer's eyes, for example, shows some attempt to build atmosphere, but overall; if you're looking for a great Giallo, you really shouldn't track this one down!

Looking for some interesting Giallo and found this. Boy was i disappointed.

If you like smooth skin, silicone-less bobbies, and lots of bush, then you will enjoy the show.

The scenery was spectacular, the sets were exquisite, and the music was delightful, but that was it.

The attacks were really few and far between, as was the sex. It was a lot of talking, and I mean a lot.

Well, I got to see the murder weapon at the end, but it wasn't used in that scene.