Burial Ground – 88 Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1981
Director: Andrea Bianchi
Writer: Piero Regnoli
Cast: Karin Well, Gianluigi Chirizzi, Simone Mattioli, Antonella Antinori, Roberto Caporali, Pietro Barzocchini, Claudio Zucchet, Anna Valente, Raimondo Barbieri, Mariangela Giordano

Release Date: June 19th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 85 Minutes 13 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"When they arrive to spend the weekend in a large country villa, the guests are expecting a chance to unwind and make merry. Unfortunately, their host has neglected to mention that there are zombies in the basement. They're feeling peckish too..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K Restoration From the Best Surviving Element (35mm Blow-up Interpositive)".

Burial Ground comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.1 GB

Feature: 60.8 GB

Considering the limitations of the best available source materials, this new 4K transfer looks fantastic. The source has been cleaned up, the grain remains intact, and the image always looks organic. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong throughout, and compression is solid. That said, this new 4K transfer is a marked improvement over all of Burial Grounds previous releases.

Burial Ground comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 20.7 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with distortion or background hiss. Also, dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, these two tracks are comparable; ambient sounds are well represented, and the score sounds robust. That said, tone-wise, these two tracks could not be further apart; the Italian-language track is more serious than the English-language track, which is unintentionally funny. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an archival audio commentary with Italian cinema experts Calum Waddell and John Martin, and an audio commentary with film critics Nathaniel Thompson, Troy Howarth and Eugenio Ercolani.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Italian credits sequence (2 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), deleted scenes/trims (9 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with music from Burial Ground playing in the background), 35mm blow up print of Burial Ground titled “Grindhouse Version” (84 minutes 19 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic Mikel Koven titled What the Fuck?: The Films of Andrea Bianchi (26 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Pierpaolo De Sanctis CEO and founder of Four Flies Records who discusses Burial Grounds score titled Zombie and Melodies (27 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Eugenio Ercolani titled The Borders of the Extreme (22 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Peter Bark at Villa Parisi titled Return to the Burial Ground (13 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Calum Waddell and John Martin, and an audio commentary with Nathaniel Thompson, Troy Howarth and Eugenio Ercolani.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slipcase (limited to first pressing), A3 fold-out poster (limited to first pressing), and 40-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Back From The Grave written by Daniel Burnett, and an essay titled Le Notti Del Terrore: Terror Night(s) Between Trash and Cult written by Martin Beine.

Summary:

The Burial Ground was directed by Andrea Bianchi, whose other notable films include: Cry of a Prostitute, Strip Nude for Your Killer, Naughty Teen, and Malabimba: The Malicious Whore. The screenplay for Burial Ground was written by Piero Regnoli, a prolific screenwriter and director in his own right, whose filmography covers just about every genre. Some of his more notable credits include, as a director, The Playgirls and the Vampire; and as a screenwriter, I Vampiri, Navajo Joe, Patrick Still Lives, and Nightmare City. Other key collaborators on Burial Ground include special effects master Gino De Rossi (City of the Living Dead) and composer Berto Pisano (Giallo a Venezia).

Over the years, zombies in cinema have taken on many shapes and forms. Initially, they started off as slow, shambling brain-eating machines, but as they evolved, their mobility greatly improved, making them an even more formidable foe. And by the time that the Italians latched onto the zombie bandwagon, George A. Romero had already made the definitive zombie film with Dawn of the Dead. In the wake of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, Italian cinema would spend the next three years flooding the market with its own brand of zombies. With Lucio Fulci’s Zombie being the film that ignited the fuss and Andrea Bianchi’s Burial Ground being a clear example that this film cycle was on its last legs.

Content-wise, Burial Ground sticks with the essentials of the genre and does not attempt to bring anything new to the table. In most instances, such a by the book approach would spell disaster. Fortunately, the main creative force behind Burial Ground, Andrea Bianchi, is far from a conventional filmmaker, and the end result is something that far exceeds expectations.

From a production standpoint, the narrative, like its zombies, moves at a snail-like pace. And when it comes to creating moments of shock, Burial Ground often comes up short in this regard. With an overwhelming amount of what occurs in the burial ground, the viewer is left more bewildered than frightened. Surprisingly, the moments of gore are oddly effective, even if they do come off at times as crudely executed.

The area that is hardest to gauge is performance. The characters are all one-dimensional caricatures, and the dialog they speak is often unintentionally humorous. Basically, the actors are not much more than props. Notable cast members include Mariangela Giordano (Satan’s Baby Doll) in the role of Evelyn, an overbearing mother that coddles her son Michael, and Pietro Barzocchini (Peter Bark) in the role of Michael. And without a doubt, the scenes that they share together are the moments that linger on in your brain, and they are also tied into the incestuous themes that run throughout Andrea Bianchi’s filmography.

Through the years and their many incarnations, there is no denying the lasting durability of the zombie. And every now and then, a film like Burial Ground comes along and flips this genre on its head!

Burial Ground makes its way to 4K UHD via an exceptional release from 88 Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Malabimba - Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1979
Director: Andrea Bianchi
Writer: Piero Regnoli
Cast: Katell Laennec, Patrizia Webley, Enzo Fisichella, Giuseppe Maroccu, Elisa Mainardi, Giancarlo Del Duca, Pupita Lea, Mariangela Giordano, Claudio Zucchet

Release Date: March 31st, 2020
Approximate running time: 100 Minutes 28 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $32.98

"Bimba (Katell Laennec) lives in a gothic castle with her parents. However, when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances while involved in a seance, Bimba begins acting in increasingly strange and perverted ways. With her father at a loss for what to do, he invites a beautiful nun into the castle to try and get her under control. However the sister soon suspects that Bimba has become possessed by an insatiable, sex starved demon which will stop at nothing, including murder, to fulfill its depraved and unholy desires.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 2k from its 16mm original negative".

Malabimba comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30 GB

Feature: 27.8 GB

Here’s additional information provided about the transfer, “The long unseen Super 16mm camera negative to Malabimba was scanned in Rome by Eurolab, the only laboratory authorized by the rights holder. The negative had suffered extensive handling damage and was poorly stored, resulting in mold as well as some moisture-based flicker. Although we spent well over 100 hours removing thousands of instances of damage, many sections were too severely impacted to restore to our normal standards. In addition, for some segments the audio is video sourced as no matching sound elements could be located.”

Though there are some instances of source-related imperfections, none of these imperfections are intrusive. Details look crisp, colors look very good, black levels fare well, and grain remains intact. That said, considering the limitations of the source, Vinegar Syndrome has done a remarkable job.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian, and included with this release are removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; the dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a German promotional still gallery, a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled Malabimba Uncovered (16 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles) and an audio commentary with film historians/authors Samm Deighan, Heather Drain, and Kat Ellinger.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo.

It should be noted that there was a limited-edition slipcover that is not OOP.

Summary:

The story of Malabimba, like many Italian films from this era, borrows heavily from a successful American production, and in this case, the film being cannibalized is The Exorcist. In two main things, like the two films, the possession of a teenage girl and a priest (The Exorcist) or a nun (Malabimba), perform the last exorcism rights. With that being said, the rest of Malabimba is overflowing with elements that have become synonymous with Andrea Bianchi.

If you are looking for bloodshed or moments of fright, then look elsewhere. Malabimba is a film that’s all about atmosphere, and its best moments are erotic in nature. With Malabimba’s best moment being the scene where Daniela and Sister Sofia get to know each other better by exploring every inch of their bodies.

However, the cast are all more than adequate. Ultimately, it is the film’s two leading women who steal the show, especially Katell Laennec in the role of Daniela (Bimba). Where lack of experience can work against an actress, it actually works in her favor. The other performance of note is Mariangela Giordano (Giallo a Venezia) in the role of Sister Sofia.

There are two versions of Malabimba: a one-hundred-minute version that has hardcore content and an eighty-eight-minute version that omits the hardcore content. Despite the fact that the twelve-minutes are mostly comprised of hardcore content, its inclusion ultimately further enhances the story at hand. Ultimately, Malabimba is a delirious slice of Euro-sleaze cinema that fans of depraved cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

Malabimba gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Burial Ground - Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1981
Director: Andrea Bianchi
Writer: Piero Regnoli
Cast: Karin Well, Gianluigi Chirizzi, Simone Mattioli, Antonella Antinori, Roberto Caporali, Pietro Barzocchini, Claudio Zucchet, Anna Valente, Raimondo Barbieri, Mariangela Giordano

Release Date: October 25th, 2016
Approximate running time: 85 Minutes 12 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, Dolby Digital Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.98

"Mariangela Giordano (of SATAN’S BABY DOLL and MALABIMBA fame) stars in the splatter classic about a cursed country estate besieged by horny houseguests, undead Etruscans and the unusual relationship between a mother (Giordano) and her mega-creepy young son (disturbingly portrayed by diminutive adult actor Peter Bark) that will trigger perhaps the most jaw-dropping scenes in grindhouse history.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New restored 2k scan with full shot by shot color correction".

Burial Ground comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23.2 GB

Feature: 16.8 GB

This release’s transfer improves upon all previous releases in every way. Colors look more vibrant, shadow detail is greatly improved, and the grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 3.75/5 (Dolby Digital Mono Italian)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in Italian. Both audio mixes are in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range wise, the film’s score and more ambient sounds are well represented throughout this audio mix. Included with this release are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), deleted/extended scene/shots (10 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a locations featurette titled Villa Parisi: Legacy of Terror (15 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with  actor Simone Mattioli Just for the Money (8 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Gabriele Crisanti and actress Mariangela Giordano titled The Smell of Death (9 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a Q & A with actor Peter Bark titled Peter Still Lives (7 minute 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an Easter Egg - opening / closing Italian credits for Burial Ground (2 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to the first 3,000 copies).

Summary:

The Burial Ground was directed by Andrea Bianchi, whose other notable films include: Cry of a Prostitute, Strip Nude for Your Killer, Naughty Teen, and Malabimba: The Malicious Whore. The screenplay for Burial Ground was written by Piero Regnoli, a prolific screenwriter and director in his own right, whose filmography covers just about every genre. Some of his more notable credits include, as a director, The Playgirls and the Vampire; and as a screenwriter, I Vampiri, Navajo Joe, Patrick Still Lives, and Nightmare City. Other key collaborators on Burial Ground include special effects master Gino De Rossi (City of the Living Dead) and composer Berto Pisano (Giallo a Venezia).

Over the years, zombies in cinema have taken on many shapes and forms. Initially, they started off as slow, shambling brain-eating machines, but as they evolved, their mobility greatly improved, making them an even more formidable foe. And by the time that the Italians latched onto the zombie bandwagon, George A. Romero had already made the definitive zombie film with Dawn of the Dead. In the wake of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, Italian cinema would spend the next three years flooding the market with its own brand of zombies. With Lucio Fulci’s Zombie being the film that ignited the fuss and Andrea Bianchi’s Burial Ground being a clear example that this film cycle was on its last legs.

Content-wise, Burial Ground sticks with the essentials of the genre and does not attempt to bring anything new to the table. In most instances, such a by the book approach would spell disaster. Fortunately, the main creative force behind Burial Ground, Andrea Bianchi, is far from a conventional filmmaker, and the end result is something that far exceeds expectations.

From a production standpoint, the narrative, like its zombies, moves at a snail-like pace. And when it comes to creating moments of shock, Burial Ground often comes up short in this regard. With an overwhelming amount of what occurs in the burial ground, the viewer is left more bewildered than frightened. Surprisingly, the moments of gore are oddly effective, even if they do come off at times as crudely executed.

The area that is hardest to gauge is performance. The characters are all one-dimensional caricatures, and the dialog they speak is often unintentionally humorous. Basically, the actors are not much more than props. Notable cast members include Mariangela Giordano (Satan’s Baby Doll) in the role of Evelyn, an overbearing mother that coddles her son Michael, and Pietro Barzocchini (Peter Bark) in the role of Michael. And without a doubt, the scenes that they share together are the moments that linger on in your brain, and they are also tied into the incestuous themes that run throughout Andrea Bianchi’s filmography.

Through the years and their many incarnations, there is no denying the lasting durability of the zombie. And every now and then, a film like Burial Ground comes along and flips this genre on its head!

Burial Ground gets a definitive release from Severin Films, highly recommend.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Maniac Killer – Full Moon Features (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1987
Director: Andrea Bianchi
Writers: Georges Friedland, Marius Lesoeur, H.L. Rostaine
Cast: Bo Svenson, Chuck Connors, Robert Ginty, Suzanne Andrews, Stanley Kapoul, Henri Lambert, Olivier Mathot

Release Date: November 9th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 83 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $21.95

"A malevolent religious cult stalks a French village, kidnapping prostitutes and subjecting them to unimaginable torments under the guise of saving their souls. When a young man's girlfriend is taken by the sect, he teams up with a mob of angry pimps to track down the maniacal, holy rolling killers and put an end to their bloody mission, once and for all." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 2.75/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "uncut and remastered from the best available materials found in the Eurocine vaults."

Maniac Killer comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 18.9 GB

Feature: 17.5 GB

The source is in good shape and generally free of any source-related damage. This transfer has many of the same traits that Full Moon’s other transfers have. Colors look correct, the image generally looks crisp, black levels are best described as adequate, there are some moments where blacks look milky, and there are some minor compression related issues.

Audio: 3/5

This release comes with two audio options: a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. There is not much difference between these two audio mixes. The inclusion of a 5.1 mix is actually redundant. Both audio tracks sound clear and balanced, albeit limited in range at times. This release comes with no subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release are limited to trailers Barb Wire Dolls, Naked Girl Murdered in the Park, Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun, Sexy Sisters, Voodoo Passion and Women in Cellblock 9.

Summary:

The Maniac Killer was directed by Andrea Bianchi, a filmmaker most known for directing Schlock masterpieces like Strip Nude for Your Killer, Malabimba: The Malicious Whore, and Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror.

What started off as a giallo quickly morphed into something completely different. The narrative revolves around a cult that abducts women for their rituals. There is a subplot that involves a professor who is conducting experiments on animals. Though the police looking for the missing women cannot see which one is an obvious red herring, one would have to be blind not to guess who the red herring is.

The Maniac Killer’s cast is anchored by three American actors: Bo Svenson (The Inglorious Bastards) in the role of a count named Silvano; Chuck Connors (Kill Them All and Come Back Alone) in the role of an eccentric professor named Roger Osborne; and Robert Ginty (The Exterminator) in the role of Gondrand, the leader of the cult abducting women.

From a production standpoint, Maniac Killer is everything you would expect from a Eurocine production: an anemic budget, a few recognizable actors, and a by-the-numbers approach to filmmaking. Though there are no areas where Maniac Killer comes ahead, a few of its biggest flaws include a meandering plot that is void of any murder set pieces; all of the kills are in shootouts; and a score with laser sounds and music cues from other films composed by Luis Bacalov (Django). Ultimately, Maniac Killer fails to live up to the delirious insanity that Andrea Bianchi’s most celebrated films are known for.

Maniac Killer (misspelled on the cover art as Mania Killer) makes its way to Blu-ray via a serviceable release that leaves a lot of room for improvement.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Giallo Essentials Collection (Yellow Edition) – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Italy, 1973 (Torso), Italy, 1974 (What Have They Done to Your Daughters?), Italy, 1975 (Strip Nude for Your Killer)
Directors: Sergio Martino (Torso), Massimo Dallamano (What Have They Done to Your Daughters?), Andrea Bianchi (Strip Nude for Your Killer)
Cast: Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda, John Richardson, Roberto Bisacco (Torso), Giovanna Ralli, Claudio Cassinelli, Mario Adorf, Franco Fabrizi, Farley Granger (What Have They Done to Your Daughters?), Edwige Fenech, Nino Castelnuovo, Femi Benussi (Strip Nude for Your Killer)

Release Date: December 21st, 2021
Approximate Running Times: 93 Minutes 36 Seconds (Torso Italian Version, English/Italian Hybrid Version), 90 Minutes 12 Seconds (Carnal Violence, Torso), 90 Minutes 50 Seconds (What Have They Done to Your Daughters?), 97 Minutes 59 Seconds (Strip Nude for Your Killer)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Torso), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (What Have They Done to Your Daughters?, Strip Nude for Your Killer)
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English (All Films), LPCM Mono English/Italian Hybrid (Torso)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $99.95

"Arrow Video continues its exploration of Italian cult cinema with this volume of Giallo Essentials, bringing together three more suspense-filled exemplars of the genre!

In Massimo Dallamano’s What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (1974), hot-headed Inspector Silvestri (Claudio Cassinelli, The Suspicious Death of a Minor) and rookie Assistant District Attorney Vittoria Stori (Giovanna Ralli, Cold Eyes of Fear) investigate the apparent suicide of a teenage girl, leading them to a sordid prostitution ring whose abusers occupy the highest echelons of Italian society. Sergio Martino’s Torso (1973) helped lay the groundwork for the American Slasher Movie: when a ruthless killer begins to target the female university students of Perugia, Jane (Suzy Kendall, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) and her friends flee for the peace of the countryside, only to discover that the threat isn’t far behind. Andrea Bianchi’s Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975) delivers depravity in droves as ambitious photographer Magda (Edwige Fenech, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key) and her on-off boyfriend, love rat Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo, The English Patient), team up to solve the spate of highly sexualized murders that are rocking a prestigious Milanese fashion house." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Torso, What Have They Done to Your Daughters?, Strip Nude for Your Killer)

Here’s the information provided about Torso and Strip Nude for Your Killer's transfers, " The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, picture instability and other instances of film wear were repaired or removed through a combination of digital restoration tools and techniques."

Here’s the information provided about What Have They Done to Your Daughters? transfer, "The restored HD master was provided by Camera Obscura."

Torso comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB 

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.3 GB

Feature: 28 GB

Strip Nude for Your Killer comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.2 GB

Feature: 23 GB

The sources used for these films’ transfers are all in great shape. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels look solid throughout, and grain remains intact. These transfers are direct ports of Arrow Video's earlier releases for these films.

It should be noted that there are four ways to view Torso: the Italian theatrical version, an English/Italian language hybrid, the U.S. theatrical version under the title Carnal Violence, and the U.S. theatrical version under the title Torso.

Audio: 4.25/5 (Torso, What Have They Done to Your Daughters?, Strip Nude for Your Killer)

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? and Strip Nude for Your Killer comes with two audio options: an English LPCM mono mix and an Italian LPCM mono mix.Torso has four audio options: a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono English/Italian hybrid for the ninety-four minute version, and a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English for the ninety-minute version. All the audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, the Italian language mix is the more robust of these two audio mixes. There are two subtitle options for this release. English SDH subtitles for the English language track and English subtitles for the Italian language track.

Extras:

Extras for Torso include reversible cover art, English language trailer under the title Carnal Violence (3 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Italian theatrical trailer (3 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), a Q&A with Sergio Martino from the 2017 Abertoir International Horror Festival (47 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with English translation for the Italian), an interview with Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film titled Saturating the Screen (25 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with filmmaker Federica Martino, daughter of Sergio Martino titled Women in Blood (24 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi titled Dial S for Suspense (29 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Luc Merenda titled The Discreet Charm of the Genre (34 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with co-screenwriter/director Sergio Martino titled All Colors of Terror (34 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles) and an audio commentary with Kat Ellinger, author of All the Colors of Sergio Martino.

Extras not carried over from Arrow Video's 2018 Torso Blu-ray release is a thirty-two-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Violence Brings in the Bucks’: Joseph Brenner the Forgotten Hero of 42nd Street written by Adrian Smith, an essay titled Songs for Europe: The Music of Guido and Maurizio De Angelis written by Howard Hughes and information about the restoration/transfer.

Extras for What Have They Done to Your Daughters? include reversible cover art, Italian theatrical trailer (3 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an image gallery (posters/lobby cards/other promotional materials), English language opening and closing credits (3 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), unused hardcore footage (5 minutes 5 seconds, this extra has no sound), a featurette is titled Eternal Melody (49 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a featurette titled Dallamano’s Touch (22 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a new video essay by Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine titled Masters and Slaves: Power, Corruption & Decadence in the Cinema of Massimo Dallamano (19 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films.

Extras not carried over from Arrow Video's 2018 What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Blu-ray release is a twenty-four page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled What Have They Done to Society? written by Michael Mackenzie and information about the restoration/transfer.

Extras for Strip Nude for Your Killer include reversible cover art, an image gallery (posters/lobby cards/stills), Italian theatrical trailer (3 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), English language trailer (3 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor and production manager Tino Polenghi titled Jack of All Trades (21 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with assistant director Daniele Sangiorgi titled The Art of Helping (44 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Erna Schurer titled The Blonde Salamander (18 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Nino Castelnuovo titled A Good Man for the Murders (14 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a video essay by author and film critic Kat Ellinger titled Sex and Death with a Smile (23 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Adrian J. Smith and David Flint.

Extras not carried over from Arrow Video's 2019 Strip Nude for Your Killer Blu-ray release is a twenty-four-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Strip Nude for Your Voyeur: Sex and Voyeurism in Andrea Bianchi’s Strip Nude for Your Killer written by Rachael Nisbet and information about the restoration/transfer.

Other extras include a rigid box packaging with newly designed artwork by Haunt Love in a windowed Giallo Essentials Collection slipcover.

Summary:

Torso: Torso was directed by the versatile Italian filmmaker Sergio Martino, who worked in whatever genre was popular at the time. That said, he is best known for his work in the Giallo and Commedia sexy all'italiana genres. Notable films he directed include The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Case of the Scorpion’s Tail, All the Colors of the Dark, The Violent Professionals, Torso, and The Suspicious Death of a Minor.

A sex maniac targets the female students at a university.

The Giallo genre is often cited as an influence on the American slasher film. And out of the dozens of Gialli that I have seen, none more than Torso comes closer to what is now referred to as the slasher film. That said, Torso foreshadows the slasher film, making it a likely prototype for the genre.

Torso, like Sergio Martino’s other Gialli, is a well-made film that features stylish cinematography, inventive murder set pieces, and a bevy of beautiful women in various stages of undress. Torso is Sergio Martino’s most graphic Giallo. And the scene where the killer stalks a woman in the woods is Torso’s most memorable death scene.

When discussing the Giallo genre, one of its main draws is the murder-death set pieces. Though most Gialli from this era are known for their stylized kills, a film like Torso goes the opposite direction. That said, few Gialli from this era rival the gruesomeness of Torso’s murder-death set pieces.

When it comes to casting, Torso has a few recognizable faces like Suzy Kendall (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) and Tina Aumont (Lifespan), who portray college students; John Richardson (Eyeball), who portrays their professor; and Luc Merenda (The Violent Professionals), who portrays a doctor. The cast of colorful characters that populate Torso offer a wide variety of suspects and red herrings. No one performance stands out; that said, none are lacking.

From a production standpoint, Torso is a film that fully exploits its resources. The well-constructed narrative has an ample amount of tension, and it does a superb job building to the finale. The narrative hits its stride when the four girls arrive at a secluded villa. Another strength of Torso is Guido & Maurizio De Angelis' (Street Law) exemplary score, which does a phenomenal job of reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Torso is a well-made giallo that fans of this genre are sure to enjoy.

What Have They Done to Your Daughters?: What Have They Done to Your Daughters? is more of a crime thriller then a Giallo like its predecessor. What Have You Done to Your Daughters? is a sequel to Massimo Dallamano’s hugely successful Giallo What Have They Done to Solange?.

With What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Massimo Dallamano takes the violence up a notch as he expands on ideas and themes he explored earlier in What Have They Done to Solange?. Thematically What Have They Done to Your Daughters? tackles some controversial issues like birth control, underage sex and abortion.

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? moves a brisker pace then its predecessor What Have They Done to Solange? and Massimo Dallamano many years as a cinematographer is clear as every frame are interesting compositions that add to the films dark undertones. One of my favorite moments in the film is when the killer stalks assistant district attorney Vittoria Stori in a parking garage. The Film Noir like lighting sets the mood as tension filled game of cat and mouse ensues with Vittoria narrowly escaping the killers’ meat cleaver on more than one occasion. Massimo Dallamano uses this shadow like lighting to great effect many times throughout the film.

Stelvio Cipriani’s has composed several classic scores like Rabid Dogs, Twitch of the Death Nerve, The Frightened Woman and Execution Squad. Stelvio Cipriani’s score for What Have They Done to Your Daughters? is one of his best scores as a composer. And the main theme is the closest I have heard anyone come to mimicking Ennio Morricone.

What Have They Done to Your Daughters? feature’s a strong cast of euro regulars Giovanna Ralli (Cold Eyes of Fear, The Mercenary), Claudio Cassinelli (Flavia the Heretic, The Suspicious Death of a Minor) and Mario Adorf (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Short Night of the Glass Dolls).

Farley Granger (Amuck!) has a cameo in What Have You Done to Your Daughters?. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Guy Haines in Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. Farley Granger’s role is all to brief and he is never given enough screen time to make his character nothing more than a plot device that furthers the story.

Content wise, What Have They Done to Your Daughters? has everything one would expect from a Giallo. It has a black gloved killer dressed in biker gear and the paring of a male and female who are throw together to solve the mystery. Another strength of this film is how it perfectly fuses the Giallo and the Polizioteschi genre’s.

Though What Have They Done to Your Daughters? is a complete departure from its predecessor What Have You Done to Solange?, I still found it too be just as engaging and in many ways more disturbing. Massimo Dallamano only made a handful of films before his untimely death due to a car accident, still it is clear in every film that he directed or worked on as a cinematographer that he was a gifted filmmaker.

Strip Nude for Your Killer: Giallo’s are known for their exotic and strange titles, as much as they’re remembered for their violent set pieces and excessive amounts of naked flesh on display. Strip Nude for Your Killer is more than just some suggestive title thrown together by a producer. Director Andrea Bianchi (Cry of a Prostitute, Burial Ground) has the actors do just what the title suggests “Strip Nude for Your Killer”, as victim after victim is murder with little or no clothes on.

Strip Nude for your Killer is sleazy and has more full-frontal nudity then any Giallo I have seen so far. Strip Nude for Your Killer is not as bad as Mario Landi’s sleaze classic Giallo a Venezia and in many ways it is similar to another Edwige Fenech Giallo The Case of The Bloody Iris.

Performance wise the cast are not much more than objects that are strategically placed throughout. There are an ample number of attractive women who all take their clothes off at some point. Most notably Edwige Fenech, the main attraction of Strip Nude for Your Killer. Other notable cast members include, Femi Benussi (A Hatchet for the Honeymoon, So Sweet, So Dead) and Nino Castelnuovo (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Camille 2000).

Surprisingly Andrea Bianchi’s Strip Nude for Your Killer is well crafted film that exhibits some inspired moments like, when the obese Maurizo tries to seduce one of the models Doris and he at one point threatens to hit her with a vase before she agrees to have sex with him. Only when he can get it up Doris leaves him alone and in his frustration he starts talking to a deflated blow up doll ‘You are the only one for me’, before the killers puts him out of his misery.

While I am not going to call Strip Nude for Your Killer a masterpiece. It certainly is far from one of the worst example’s the Giallo genre has to offer. There are several murder scenes that rival some of the most violent Giallo’s ever released. Another aspect of this genre that has long been one of its strongest selling points is nudity and there is plenty of it on display in this film. And though, Strip Nude for Your Killer’s plot is not its strongest asset, there is enough going on that there is never a dull moment. Overall Strip Nude for Your Killer has enough sleaze and nudity to enchant even the most dedicated Giallo fan.

Arrow Video continues their Giallo Essentials Collection with the yellow box that contains three films that they originally released separately. All three films in the Giallo Essentials Collection come with solid audio and video presentations and a wealth of extra content. That said, the only content new to this release is the box that houses the three films and a slipcover for the box. Though most Giallo fans already own Arrow Video’s original releases for these three films, The Giallo Essentials Collection is a convenient way for anyone who has not already purchased Arrow Video’s original releases to add more Gialli to their collections.

Written by Michael Den Boer