The following is the second of three reviews which I'll be posting for the "Shameless Slasher Nasties Box Set" - it's a 3-disc DVD comprised of Killer Nun, Torso, and Night-Train Murders.
Like Killer Nun (included in this box set), this Italian
giallo flick is presented uncut in anamorphic widescreen with a handful of
newly re-inserted scenes that were previously expurgated – scenes that provide some extra connections between the dots. Sergio Martino had previously delivered The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh (1972) starring giallo legend Edwige
Fenech, and would go on to unleash Mountain
of the Cannibal God (1978)
starring Stacy Keach and a certain Bond Girl by the name of Ursula Andress.
However Torso (appropriately sub-titled “Carnal
Violence”) has perhaps brought the director the most acclaim in wider circles, as it
stands as an excellent example of the slasher movie during the early gestation
of the sub-genre.
In advance of early American slashers like Black Christmas (Bob Clark, 1974) and The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper,
1974), Martino’s film features examples of some of the most common themes
and iconography found in such fare. Writers such as Carol J. Clover, Reynold
Humphries, and many more have discussed these elements – particularly the
so-called ‘final girl’ – the one
female to make it out alive due to her superior moral standing. Indeed here the
femme who escapes fatal consequences is played by Suzy Kendall – who also
starred in Dario Argento’s superb debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1971).
However, Martino and his screenwriting partner Ernesto
Gastaldi, and his Director of Photography Giancarlo Ferrando seem far more
interested in gazing at any one of the other girls who populate the film’s bevy
of gorgeous babes – gals who are no strangers to getting their kit off at a
moment’s notice. That all said, once we move into the second half of the movie
the focus finally lands squarely on Kendall’s shoulders – indeed it’s very much
a film of two halves.
The first half rapidly makes it way through a whole
succession of tense stalkings, bared breasts (even in the very first shot!), violent murders, and no end of red
herrings and possible suspects. True to gialli, practically anyone is a suspect,
and in a film populated by sex-obsessed men who lustfully/creepily leer at the
central female cast non-stop, there’s no end of potential slashers. It is then
with the second half that the pace slows and the spotlight lands on mystery and
suspense – indeed a triple-slaying is entirely off-screen – but Kendall more
than makes up for it as she becomes a captivating captive.
Making exceptionally good use of locations, Martino’s film
certainly isn’t lacking in the looks department, but pleasingly it’s no “F
Grade” student either. “Carnal Violence” might not be especially
catchy as a title, but it matches the content perfectly. Themes of sex, death,
and where the two collide are central to the plot, which also features an
underlying dose of socio-political commentary. Not only is there a clear gender
gap on display (many of the surviving
males are sexually defunct, unlike the females), but so too is there a
distinct generation gap (the students
versus the ineffective police).
Shameless Screen Entertainment provides a solid transfer,
however it isn’t without some problems: the audio source shows wear & tear
at times, as does the video source – but being that this is the sort of film
that epitomised the video nasty era (while,
incredibly, never becoming one!), the slightly rough look only adds to the
experience. We’re unlikely to get a prettier looking Torso in the future; finally, a series of trailers round out the
disc. The 3-disc 'Shameless Slasher Nasties Box Set' also comes with an essay insert from noted film writer Kim Newman (providing brief but informative context), and the set itself comes with impressive cover art that mimics a rental videotape (complete with "Be Kind and Rewind" sticker).
Slasher fans and giallo fans are both exceedingly
well-served here, as Sergio Martino crafts a murder mystery that is as sleazy
as it is involving; a must-see.
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