Deadly Trap

Most enjoyable outing from Mr Lenzi and whilst giallo-esquire is really quite a mixed bag. Starting off as a bit of a hippy drippy affair with a young uninhibited couple using their bodies and their guile to get a free holiday, this turns into something much darker. There is real suspense including a splendid Hitchcockian scene in an aviary, lots of nudity and some pretty nasty moments. Irene Papas ( 'Zorba the Greek' and 'Don't Torture a Duckling') lends considerable gravitas with her impressive performance as the mature woman with something of a problem to sort out. Ray Lovelock is appealing as the handsome young man who likes fast cars and faster women but it is the lovely 16 year old Ornella Muti who is always catching the eye. Apparently the almost too perfect nude shots are of a body double but we still get plenty of up the shorts shots as she bends obligingly forward. All three are a great asset and with a decent script and Lenzi's constant inventiveness, this is a fine piece of exploitation cinema.

Umberto Lenzi, undoubtedly one of Italy's most diverse directors, directed a handful of Giallo's in his career, which ranged in quality from absolutely superb (Seven Blood-Stained Orchids) to rather silly (Eyeball), but Oasis of Fear was made while Lenzi still had a lot of respect for the genre, and as such it stands tall as one of his very best films. The first thing that struck me about the film was the happy pop soundtrack, and this ends up offsetting the nihilistic tone of the film beautifully once the first big twist hits. The film starts out by introducing us to two amiable British hippies, who travel to a foreign country to buy pornography. After spending all their money, the pair decides to begin making their own pornography, and it's not long before they find themselves on the run from the local coppers. After breaking down outside a lavish manor house, they decide to enter and steal some petrol. However, the lady of the house catches them and after initially wanting them to leave, she changes her mind and invites the pair in for a little three-way party...

This film doesn't adhere to the usual Giallo rules and traditions, and at first it's difficult to see where it's going. Lenzi does a good job with creating his characters, however, and although the first half of the movie is all about setting up the second half, it's interesting thanks to the handling and decent performances from all concerned. When the twist in the tale comes about, it's amazingly shocking because it appears to come out of nowhere, although Lenzi does a good job of ensuring that it doesn't feel superfluous to the plot, and the change of direction certainly suits the film. Oasis of Fear benefits from a good cast, which includes prolific Italian cult film star Ray Lovelock and future Italian beauty Ornella Muti. The pair interacts well, and provide good impressions of their characters; even though they're clearly not British. The real standout, however, is Irene Papas who is handed the meatiest role in the film (the one usually given to Carol Baker), and gets to have fun with a character who is anything but what she seems. The standout sequence of the film takes place in an aviary full of owls, and the nihilistic conclusion manages to be sad despite the lightweight nature of the movie, and overall; this is a Giallo definitely worth tracking down.

In my personal quest to track down and watch every single Italian giallo ever made, I encountered Umberto Lenzi's "An Ideal Place to Kill" (a.k.a. "Oasis of Fear") many times already, but for some inexplicable reason I always deliberately postponed my viewing of this film. I don't know why, but it always felt to me as if this wasn't a 100% genuine and full-blooded giallo, or at least that Lenzi never intended for it to be one. Along with handful of other prolific Italian genre directors, Lenzi undoubtedly was one of the masters of the giallo-sub genre and he contributed some excellent titles ("Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", "Knife of Ice", "Spasmo"…) but I'm personally persuaded that he wanted to do something more and different with this film. Rather than a giallo, I'd say this is more of a "lovers-on-the-run" thriller inspired by the huge success of Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde"; yet predating several other tremendously popular films in this theme, like "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry", "Badlands" and "The Getaway". Also, this "An Ideal Place to Kill" is reminiscent to Lenzi's own previous "Orgasmo" although that latter one qualifies as giallo a lot more.

Well, I perhaps refer to the two protagonists as "lovers on the run" but admittedly they aren't dangerous criminals at all. The handsome Dick and the more than ravishing Ingrid form a wayward and indecent hippie couple from England that are traveling through prudish Italy. They try to make some extra money by selling nude pictures of the gorgeous Ingrid and committing a couple of other petty crimes, which naturally leads to a confrontation with the local police and the command to leave the country immediately. They ignore this mandate, head further south and stop at a secluded mansion to break into the garage and steal petrol. They are caught by the middle-aged lady of the house, but instead of informing the police the woman – Barbara – invites them to the house. She claims to be nervous because her husband didn't come home, but she also shows a love-interest for the much younger couple and arranges a wild night. The next morning, however, Dick and Ingrid begin to suspect that Barbara hides a few sinister secrets and that she might even try to frame them for something they haven't done. Lenzi's semi-giallo principally thrives on style, lurid atmosphere and the downright fantastic performances of the three lead players. You'd expect Caroll Baker in the role of the mysterious Barbara, but the slightly older Irene Papas does a terrific job as well. The casting of both Ray Lovelock and Ornella Muti was a great idea, since they are incredibly beautiful kids that live fast and careless and absolutely don't have any moral or traditional values. There are a few intense sequences, notably the one in the birdhouse, but the overall tone of the film is lush and free-spirited (also steered by the unusually joyous pop-soundtrack). The climax, on the other hand, is cynically harsh and relentless, and it once more states clear that the "love & peace" sixties are over and gone!

I watched this for the first time on DVD last night, at 84:34 minutes it is apparently the longest available version. The picture quality was pretty weak at times and occasionally the language switched from English to Italian but hey, this is all part of the joys of being a fan of Euro sex, sleaze, thriller and horror movies. Directed by Umberto Lenzi, the man who started the notorious cycle of gory Italian cannibal movies, Oasis of Fear is a much different genre, it does contain one or two suspenseful moments (the one in the bird aviary is good) but I would not call this a proper Giallo movie. More of a sexy and fun thriller. Ray Lovelock and his gorgeous girlfriend Ornella Muti play a very young couple (I make her a mere 16 when she filmed this) travelling across Italy, selling pornographic photos of themselves but when their delightful little British MG sports car runs out of fuel they seek refuge at a large villa, owned by the strange Irene Papas. This is where things start to get interesting. The movie is sexy, groovy, fun and at times suspenseful, I wouldn't call it a classic by any means but for anybody who enjoys Euro movies from this period then it is worth seeing. The sex and nudity aspect is quite tame. Watch out for the crazy guy on a motorbike who speaks an curious and amusing mix of English and Italian!

I found Oasis Of Fear to be a good movie. It is about a young hippie couple that are trying to sell illegal pornography whilst they are in Italy. There is not too much nudity in the film, They drive around in a yellow open top sports car. they manage to break into the garage of this womens villa, and try to steal petrol from her car. she agrees to let them stay in her villa for the evening she then gets tortured by the young couple and they get involved in a murder case. I noticed that during some parts of the film. some sences were done with Italian subtitles, where there was no dubbed English. i thought that it was a good made exploitation film.