So schön - so nackt - so tot

I'm not sure I've ever seen this and had got a blu-ray of Code Red from the US and was pleased that I got it. It is not brilliant but rather good and the dead girls are very naked for their killings. And rather nasty knifings they are, the killer is certainly in the classic style with black coat, big hat and of course black leather gloves. Roberto Bianchi Montero made many different films but I think this was his only giallo and was 65 at the time. Farley Granger is impressive and the girls lovely especially Sylva Koschina and I always love to see Nieves Navarro (Susan Scott). It was an interesting idea that the naughty girls get it and the end is really good as we get to see Farley looking on!

An interesting addition to the Giallo genre. Most commentators have concentrated on the apparent misogyny and gratuitous nudity as well as the unfortunate version with porno inserts (which I haven't seen). I'm not sure about the first criticism and as to the second aspect it's an integral part of Giallo. Why else would most of us sit through badly dubbed plodding dialogue and awful acting except for the occasional glimpse of the unadorned form of Babara Bouchet or Sylvia Koscina? To mind my far more interesting is the political undertone referencing the corruption of the upper classes in 1970s Italy which is in tune with "respectable" movies such as 'Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion' and 'Illustrious Corpses'. I wouldn't want to spoil the movie for those haven't seen it, but there are also definite similarities with later efforts such as 'Dressed to Kill' and 'Seven'.

In the Giallo catalogue, I'd put this up with 'Don't Torture a Duckling'. Not as flashy as Argento, but it has something. My DVD is I think a video transfer. Maybe time for a proper digital version?

Following a brutal crime spree, a police detective investigating a strange killer targeting unfaithful wives and adulterous spouses finds that a potential witness may help solve the case and tries to protect her when the killer starts to torment her while continuing his spree.

This was quite the fun if slightly problematic sleazy Giallo. One of the more impressive acts here is the fact that there's a decent investigation wrapped around the strong sleazy thrills. With the introduction of the photography storyline in the crimes and using that as the main basis for catching the culprit, this one offers up the kind of traditional Giallo trope needed to drive the storyline forward with some extra notes that lead rather nicely based on the confines of the action here especially once it starts to signify the killers' chosen targets as that is a nice difference from most others who go for random victims at the start before the spree is found out. This addition makes for some fun as it builds that up into the remaining segments that play off this section of the storyline. Those stalking scenes are really fun, from the first encounter chasing the victim onto the beach from her apartment, appearing in the bedroom of the victim and chasing her into the bathroom for the final murder or to the tense sequence of the wife getting ambushed inside the backyard and ending up having the whole affair witnessed secretly by the daughter which is a rather enjoyable highlight offering. A dispatch on a train speeding through the night is incredibly fun as well with the darkened compartment hiding the killer rather well, and a later scene featuring the killer striking a victim in a bathtub only to then have the husband arrive and alter his exit strategy makes for a thoroughly enjoyable and tense sequence. As these scenarios allow for a constant stream of nudity and softcore fondling in showcasing their carnal exploits before the nude bodies are shown to be hacked to pieces, it gives this a rather fine sleazy air which all make for a rather fun genre effort. There are a few problems with this one, though, in that the film mainly employs a rather distressing hypocritical air that doesn't come off that appealing. Going off on the idea that the victims are being punished for straying from their husbands, a double-standard emerges when the male characters are also shown to be doing the same thing yet they never run into any kind of retribution because of it. Depicting them as heartless and needing to pay for their actions yet allowing the men to be okay with it gives it quite an old-fashioned air and tone that openly condemns their actions even though all the extramarital affairs are given loving, leering close-ups to see their full-on nudity. It's not a very welcoming tone for a horror effort and takes a lot of air out of the film as well as the fact that there's quite a long time in between many of these deaths as the investigation takes over to the point of ignoring a lot of other aspects here that don't make for an enjoyable time here. These hold it back even though it does have some worthwhile points.

Rated X: Continuous Full Nudity, strong sex scenes, Graphic Violence and Language.

'So Sweet So Dead' is an ultra-sleazy giallo flick directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero with a simple yet effective plot, good pacing, a lot of kills and tons of nudity. All the elements that you would expect from a decent giallo movie. But what holds this back from being a great genre entry is the lack of creativity within several elements of the kills and story, but it's still an enjoyable time.

The plot follows Inspector Capuana (Farley Granger) who is assigned to investigate the case of a serial killer who is murdering unfaithful wives and leaves compromising photographs of the women with their lovers at the crime scene.

I have heard good things about this and while I was certainly entertained throughout (mostly), it just feels like its missing that something special that could have really elevated this to classic status. Of the genre. The lead performance by Farley Granger was very uneven which is a shame as he's normally great in classics such as (Rope & Strangers On A Train), but here he just seems embarrassed to be here and feels very much phoned in. Not saying that this was bad or anything in-fact there was a lot to enjoy here such as the decent visuals with some nicely stylish shots, a good amount of tension and an awesome looking killer that will delight any fans of the genre.

Overall 'So Sweet So Dead' is good enough with a solid mystery, but the movie does lose its way in several areas and could have done with a bit more imagination and a stronger lead male performance.

Someone is the classic giallo uniform (hat, gloves, raincoat, stocking over the face) is murdering the adulterous wives of the upper classes and leaving pictures of their crimes at the scene. Try not to focus on the men in this situation getting off without punishment - just go with the flow.

A moustachioed Farley Granger is on the case, which quickly becomes a serial killer case when another unfaithful woman is stalked, in slow motion, on a beach, then slashed to death. Farley finds pictures scattered about that crime scene too, although the offending male always has his face scored out. Who could be putting paid to the pampered people of the pompous populace?

So everyone that's rich is knocking boots with each other, we find out as all the surviving ladies have a naked massage thing going on. Silvano Trinquili is having it off with his neighbour, whose husband is crippled, and when she's murdered, her husband stupidly falls down a flight of stairs and dies, which may be the most pointless random death in a giallo I've watched to date.

Oh, and there's the obvious red herring. Played of course by Luciano Rossi, this red herring is the guy who prepares the corpses - he loves running his hands over them and speaking to them and tells the policeman that they are at the most beautiful in this state. I think the character's name was Reddo Herringi.

Although it is packed full of naked women, the plot kind of plods along bumping off people here and there. The ending is a cracker however - one of those out of nowhere endings you get in Italian cinema (see Black Turin for another one I didn't see coming). This is one of those gialli that you'll get to once you've watched the more interesting ones.