Nothing Underneath

Yellowstone Park ranger Bob Crane (Tom Schanley) shares a psychic connection with his sister Jessica (Nicola Perring), a top model working in Milan. After he 'sees' Jessica being attacked in a vision, Bob flies to Italy where he discovers that she has mysteriously vanished. Local police commissioner Danesi (Donald Pleasence) is unconvinced by Bob's bizarre story, at least until another model is murdered in the same hotel from which Jessica disappeared.

'A little bit of make-up, a beautiful dress, and nothing underneath'—so says a fashion photographer about the models he photographs in this glossy but unexceptional giallo from director Carlo Vanzina. Although the lens-man is talking figuratively, he might as well be speaking literally, for the girls in this film seem to have little call for underwear, revealing their hot bods in several sexy scenes (including one particularly gratuitous moment in which a model walks over a street grate to reveal her bare ass to the camera below!).

If only the violence had been as unrestrained as the nudity...

Although the hilarious 80s fashion and music, and the regular display of female flesh guarantee a reasonable time, Nothing Underneath is crying out for a few Argento-style moments of bloody excess; however, despite the film's killer brandishing a wickedly sharp pair of scissors, this is a frustratingly 'dry' giallo, a fact that will most likely disappoint the majority of the genre's fans (for whom a few really juicy kills are usually considered a must).

5.5 out of 10, happily rounded up to 6 for the use of a power drill in the fun finale and the hilarious scene in which Bob spies a woman in the building opposite indulging in a spot of masturbation, but rather than stand there gawping like most blokes would, he pulls the curtains and proceeds to fondle a pair of his dead sister's skimpy knickers!

Nothing Underneath is a stylish slice of mid-'80s Italian giallo that struts confidently down the catwalk of mystery, even if its heels occasionally wobble. Directed with cool detachment by Carlo Vanzina, this thriller bathes in the moody glow of Milan's high-fashion underworld, offering a glossy but slightly hollow meditation on beauty, danger, and voyeurism.

Set against the shimmering backdrop of designer studios, neon-lit cityscapes, and echoing marble hallways, the film wraps its mystery in layers of visual polish. From the icy stillness of secluded forests to the angular geometry of urban architecture, the cinematography by Giuseppe Maccari evokes a chilling sense of detachment. His lens lingers just long enough to make the viewer uncomfortable, even when nothing overt is happening.

The story benefits from a haunting turn by Donald Pleasence as a weary police inspector, injecting much-needed gravitas into an otherwise surface-level ensemble. American actor Tom Schanley, as the film's central figure Bob Crane, delivers an earnest if occasionally stiff performance, carrying the emotional arc of a man driven by obsession and eerie intuition. Renée Simonsen, a real-life model in her screen debut, has a compelling presence, though her character feels more symbolic than fleshed-out.

The film leans heavily on its atmosphere, and at times that works against it. Dialogue can veer into the mechanical, and suspense builds in fits and starts. But for fans of vintage Euro-thrillers and glossy murder mysteries, there's enough here to savor: ominous dream sequences, voyeuristic tension, and a parade of gorgeous people with deadly secrets.

Not quite a hidden gem, but certainly not throwaway either, Nothing Underneath is a photogenic murder mystery that's more captivating in frame than in depth. It's a thriller draped in designer fabric but stitched with familiar threads.

Not a top notch giallo but colourful and stylish enough and if the kills are not particularly stunning, the build ups are good and there is enough momentum to keep the film moving on. Very much a latter day entry to the genre, Mr Vazina happily includes many of the much loved elements from earlier gems, so much so that a lot of the time I found myself smiling as the good to see cinematic clichés appeared every now and again like money shots. The provocative title turns out to be rather delightfully appropriate, even if, of course, irrelevant to the story. Donald Pleasance just about keeps his end up, Tom Schanley is fine and the girls all lovely. Most enjoyable.

Okay, I admit: the eighties is a guilty pleasure for me and most of of the horror movies I watch are from those years.

I´m very fond of giallos from the eightes and this is one of my guilty pleasures. Not as good and stylish as You´ll die at midnight, but good entertainment and quite a good story.

Someone is killing models in Milano and the brother to one of them comes to town to find out what happened to his sister. He get´s help from the soon-to-retired police Donald Pleasence. Because he and his sister are twins, he can sense things that happened to her and that helps him a lot during the investigation.

Carlo Vanzinas direction is simple and very effective and he makes the movie work. I enjoyed his work before, the strange espionage-giallo Mystère (with Janet Ågren, Carol Bouchet and John Steiner).

Blood? Yes, a small amount is shed with happiness and those scenes look really good. But most of the stuff is off screen or just not-so-graphic.

The ending is fabulous, I love the use of slowmo there.

Recommended for the die hard giallo-fans :)

Sotto Il Vestito Niente or Nothing Underneath is one of those releases that never had an official uncut release on DVD. Even the US DVD clocks in at 90 minutes. To find it uncut you will have to search the Japanese VHS release on the obscure 'Suncrown' label. It clocks in at 94 minutes and 14 seconds. 4 minutes more then all DVD releases worldwide. The VHS is very hard to find but still is it all worth searching?

If you are a giallo buff you will need this version and also the Donald Pleasance fans should search for it. He has a weird Italian accent. You can easily spot the extra 4 minutes throughout this flick, they have more drops and scratches. It's indeed a pure giallo with the black gloves and scissors but it's low on red stuff. Don't expect to see a Argento styled giallo.

The story is also rather simple. When Bob Crane (Tom Schanley) hears that his sister is in danger he immediately goes to Milan, Italy to find Jessica (Nicola Perring). Of course nobody believes Bob and detective Danesi (Pleasance) doesn't want to help until other models do disappear. Together they go hunt the maniacal killer as it's Danesi's last case.

When the killings happen it's all done off-camera except with the brown girl. And that doesn't help the giallo to become a classic. But it's full of gratuitous nudity and Pleasance with his worth voice is worth watching. A late entry in the giallo genre and not that good for the red stuff but the story flows smoothly, somehow you keep watching.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 2,5/5 Effects 1/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5