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In Renato Polselli's bonkers giallo Delrium, Mickey Hargitay plays Dr. Herbert Lyutak, an impotent deranged lunatic who cannot stop himself from murdering pretty young women. When his devoted wife, still a virgin due to her husband's 'problem', discovers his secret, she decides to help rather than inform the police.

Delirium certainly showed promise at the beginning, with a vicious murder scene that delivered both the requisite nudity and violence one expects from a 70s giallo. Unfortunately, what begins as a sleazy little thriller quickly descends into a mess of histrionics and incomprehensible craziness that ultimately leads to disappointment.

Polselli packs his film with tasty young totty, with nearly every woman either wearing a mini skirt or a pair of hot pants, and all willing to get their kit off at the drop of a hat, but even these pleasing visual distractions couldn't make me overlook the dreadful acting, poor plot and just plain silly ending. The usual red-herrings abound, and there's even more than one killer just to make things more confusing, but as giallos go this one is definitely second rate.

4.5 out of 10 (very generously rounded up to 5 for IMDb).

Not exactly a movie for the kiddies, I would consider 1972's Delirium to be some what of a grade B Giallo. The production is okay, the acting not bad, the dialogue average, but the violence is over the top with several grisley murder scenes. There is also way more nudity than your average Giallo.

There are two versions, the American (85 minutes) and the European (102 minutes). The American version starts out with the main character, Herbert Lyutak, getting wounded in Vietnam. The movie mixes stock footage from the war with newly filmed scenes in a pretty ungraceful job of editing. But we

do learn that Herbert was born in Hungary and immigrated to the US in 1961 and joined the army in 1962. He has done three tours of duty in Vietnam and is a decorated, model soldier. He has been wounded and is being taken away in a helicopter. He is looking at a nurse and she changes into another woman who we soon find out is his wife, Marcia, played by the lovely Rita Calderoni (The Reincarnation of Isabel, Nude for Satan). Right after the credits we get to see Herbert pick up a girl in a bar and drive her out to a remote spot, chase her into a stream and then strip her and beat her to death. It's a pretty violent scene and not for the squeamish. Of course that could apply to almost every murder in this movie.

The European version really is quite different than the American release and I thought it had a more coherent story. Both versions are a bit confusing but the European version is more consistant. It also skips the whole Vietnam segment which wasn't very well done anyway. The endings are both quite different as well and a couple murders are filmed differently also.

I don't want to give away too much but we do know that Herbert murders a girl at the beginning of both versions and after that it is a bit of a cat and mouse with the cops who are trying to solve the murders along with Herbert who is a criminal psychologists and suposed to be helping them in the investigation. His wife starts having weird S&M dreams invloving her husband as the sadist and their maid and another woman who we later find out is her niece. Ther three women fondle and kiss each other while Herebert watches. The editing from the dreams to reality is a bit confusing and at one point early in the film Herbert does beat and cut Marcia as a substitution for sex which he can't perform with his wife. He does seem troubled about his violent tendencies and does not want to unleash his murderous ways on his wife. But he does like looking at her throat which is a very enticing part of female anatomy for him.

The picture on the European version looks fine and is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. The American version however is missing a couple sections of the original so Anchor Bay had to take some Dutch footage from a VHS copy and splice it in. So you are watching and all of a sudden the picture gets worse and there are Dutch subtitles! But we are talking only a couple minutes worth so it is pretty minor actually. There is also a recently filmed 14 minute interview with director and writer Renato Polselli and Actor Mickey Hargitay which is pretty good really. I watched the US version, then the interview, and then the European version of the film. I did have more of an appreciation for the film after the watching the interview and as I said earlier, the European version is overall a better and more coherent storyline. The US version is dubbed in English and the European version is in Italian with English subtitles. Overall not too bad if you like extreme Giallo. Not nearly as good as say, What Have You Done With Solange, or most Bava's or Argento's, but certainly worthy of $15 or so.

Major Spoilers!!!

DELIRIUM is more like a trashy, super sleazy twisted soap opera than a giallo. The overwrought direction/script/acting/sleaze sends DELIRIUM in the irremediably silly and worthless category. If you thought BASIC INSTINCT was misogynistic in its view of women and lesbians, you have seen nothing yet compared to what DELIRIUM has to offer. Every woman is a "helpless" killer or a helpless victim. They're all lesbian, unfaithful, and insane. And more importantly, naked. This might sound shocking to some and some scenes do shock a little but it's because the film/scenes are more annoying than anything else. DELIRIUM is very typical 1970s Italian provincial style of film-making. The overacting and over everything is something more akin to the style of acting seen in cheap Italian soaps than movies, which is why DELIRIUM ends up looking like a twisted version of DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

The story and direction are remarkably convoluted and confusing, and deliberately so. This in order to hide the obvious potboiler storyline: An important and rich doctor is married to a beautiful young woman. The problem is, the doctor is IMPOTENT and the wife is still a VIRGIN. The two have never consumed their marriage (gasp!). The frustration of being an impotent man married to a virginal wife is shown as the main reason for the doctor's dementia and why he goes around killing young women, as seen during the opening sequence when he brutally kills a young girl in river. After this murder, the doctor becomes a suspect and is interrogated by the police. The wife, who knows her husband is the killer, is madly in love with him, and will stand by him no matter what. As the police are interrogating him, another woman is strangled at a phone booth. Because of this one murder (and subsequent murders), the doctor is not seen as the main suspect anymore. Who is behind these new murders? Who doesn't want the doctor to be found guilty by the police? Who wants to protect him? Yes, you've guessed it. The wife, of course. The story is so melodramatic and stupid that the film actually tries to make the sick doctor look like the hero by the end of the movie by portraying every woman (the wife, her friend and the maid) as total nut cases and whores. The doctor's massive serial killing streak (at the beginning of the film, we are told that there had already been 17 murders) is suddenly trumped by the protective wife's recent serial killings. Needless to say, the end result makes it look like that it's okay if a man kills tons of whorish women because he's impotent, but it's wrong for whorish, insane women who kill for love. But the really funny thing about all of this is that even though the wife is shown to be totally devoted to her husband, to the point of wanting to kill in order to save him, she is having an affair with the maid AND her best friend. This begs the question: how much in love is she really with her husband if she's having sex with two women? I guess the virginal wife needed to get her kicks somewhere.

So, the husband kills because he's impotent (what's with Italian movies and impotence anyway?). And the virginal but whorishly bisexual wife kills because she loves & wants to save her impotent, serial killer husband. Does that make any sense to anyone?!?! The storyline is so divorced from logic that it's pointless trying to make any sense of it. Throughout the movie, we see the wife crying because their marriage is less than perfect. Boo-hoo! Who freaking cares. I don't know what kind of message the movie tries to send (if any) but it seems to say that having a fulfilled marriage is the ultimate raison d'etre in life. Yeah, sure!

And to think, all of this mayhem could have been prevented if viagra had existed back then.

Anyway, to make things even worse, not only is the direction convoluted but, technically speaking, it's really terrible too. Some scenes are totally disjointed. In one scene, the husband is fully clothed. In the next scene, he's bare-chested and seemingly naked. The sloppy editing and direction reminds me of the style of direction seen in old Bollywood movies, where people would be seen entering an elevator with one type of clothes and leave the elevator with a totally different wardrobe. Those looking for sleaze might get a kick out of DELIRIUM but the trashy romance style of film-making might hinder any fun to be had from the shameless exhibitionism on display from time to time. Watching DELIRIUM is a more frustrating experience than an entertaining one, even in the "it's so bad it's good" way. I know, you can't take a film like this too seriously but that doesn't change the fact that it's almost totally worthless. The only good thing about this crappy, twisted soap-opera-disguised-as-a-giallo is the beautiful Rita Calderoni. She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She even comes out looking pretty good from this stinking pile of crap, which is hard to believe!

This is a somewhat crazed and depraved giallo. The Anchor Bay DVD contains both the international and the American versions of the film. Both are very different. The U.S. version has a Vietnam War framing device similar to that used in Jacob's Ladder almost 20 years later. It also contains two more murders and is slightly more coherent than the international version, despite being about 20 minutes shorter. But both versions of Delirium are, well, delirious.

The film concerns a homicidal doctor who is a serial murderer of young women. Just when he starts to be questioned by police for his involvement in the killings another maniac starts a murdering spree that confuses the issue.

The whodunit aspect of this movie is a little obvious. So the mystery element is less important. Instead, the film works best as a demented series of shock scenes, all strung together by a loose plot. The editing is not very good but it adds a bit to the haphazard nature of the film as we are jerked around from scene to scene. The music score by Gianfranco Reverberi is very effective in sustaining the delirious atmosphere.

This is a very sexually explicit giallo. There is a multitude of female full-frontal nudity on display. The murder scenes are often pretty misogynistic, not something uncommon to the genre, but a little more extreme here than normal. There are also some well shot S&M dream sequences that feature writhing naked women! The plot is a little over-convoluted. Once again, this is a common giallo feature but, again, more-so here than normal. It can be quite difficult to follow the narrative as the story is all over the place. This fact is made even more apparent when watching both versions of the movie, you will see that scenes are ordered quite differently.

Overall, this giallo movie is weak on narrative but compensates for that with, well, excess. The effect is a film that is true to it's title. It really is delirious.

This is another dire film that could have been much better as the story has a good premise.

Dr Herbert Lyutak is a doctor of psychology and he is suffering from shell-shock after he returns from the war. While suffering from this psychological ailment he kills a woman he's given a lift too as she's rejected his sexual advances, though his mind blanks out the incident. As time passes he gets glimpses of the murder and informs the police of his visions. They, in turn, start to suspect that something isn't quite right with the good doctor. As we progress through the movie we get an insight into his newly formed sexual deviations and his wife's' ability to conform to them because of her love for him. There are a few twists and turns though it's the last twist which really makes this a "Throw- away" movie.

Unfortunately, it's the unbelievably appalling acting, especially from the lead actors, and the abysmally bad writing along with awful direction and cutting that really kills this film.

Mickey Hargitay (Dr Herbert Lyutak) acting skills come straight out of the redwood forests. There are actually times you think a makeup artist will come on with a sander as a puppeteer appears to move him into his next position. His wife, Marcia Lyutak, played by Rita Calderoni, is so over-the-top that it passes from amusing into dreadful.

The pace is all over the place and there are some scenes that appear to have been thrown in just to titillate, especially the light S&M and lesbian scene as there's no sense or reason for them being in that section of the film. The lesbian scene is also one of the longest segments in the film. This is a shame as the opening sequence, the pickup and murder of the girls is done really well - nicely shot and thought out. I thought I was going to be watching a respectable movie... boy was I wrong.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, not even fans of Italian Gallo as there are much better examples of it out there to watch.

Renato Polselli's "Delirio Caldo"/"Delirium" is a sleazy giallo made in 1972.Of course the film isn't as good as Dario Argento's masterpieces but if offers plenty of sleaze to satisfy fans of Italian smut.The acting is pretty bad(really,this time it's horribly over-the-top,not even amusing!),but some killings are pretty nasty.According to my reliable friend the original edit of the film(the true "director's cut")is the Italian version that is on Anchor Bay's DVD release.The French video version under the title "Au Dela Du Desir" is the most explicit version available.This version,which is not the director's intended original cut has extra footage shot for a European market that demanded more X-factor in content.There are at times extra seconds to the violence and some much stronger sexual content(such as the bath murder where the victim enjoys the assault,even allowing herself to be masturbated with the end of a whip and sucking it before being lashed savagely to her death!).The re-arranging of the order of some sequences as well as the usage of alternate edits and new footage does create a different tale to an extent...Anyway,give this one a look.Oh,and Rita Calderoni is very cute.

OK, what the hell was that? This story of a killer who kills out of impotence is way too disjointed to be comprehensible, way too tedious to be enjoyable, and way too asinine to be watchable. When a film has tons of nudity and perverseness AND you still find yourself drifting to sleep!! Well that my friends is a huge telling sign to do something better with your time. May I suggest watching paint dry? Avoid the American version that's shorter & turns it into a story about an insane Vietnam vet. Avoid the international version and i have no clue about the French version as I haven't seen it, but that probably sucks as well.

Anchor Bay DVD Extras: Both American & Iternational versions; and a short documentary

My Grade: F

Renato Polselli's 1972 film "Delirio caldo" is a polarizing entry into the giallo genre, offering an experience that is equal parts perplexing and fascinating. The film's chaotic narrative and stylized presentation make it a noteworthy piece for fans of Italian horror, though it might not appeal to a broader audience.

Set against the backdrop of a psychosexual murder mystery, the film dives headfirst into the twisted mind of Dr. Herbert Lyutak, played by the intense and memorable Mickey Hargitay. Hargitay's performance is a standout, delivering a portrayal that oscillates between chilling and absurd. His portrayal of a disturbed psychologist who grapples with violent urges adds a layer of psychological depth to the film's otherwise disjointed storyline.

The film's plot, however, is a labyrinthine mix of subplots and red herrings, making it difficult to follow at times. Polselli's direction leans heavily into surrealism, creating an atmosphere thick with tension and unease. The non-linear narrative structure, coupled with abrupt shifts in tone and pace, can be disorienting, yet it also contributes to the film's unique charm. This erratic style is both a strength and a weakness, showcasing Polselli's ambition while simultaneously alienating viewers who prefer coherent storytelling.

One particularly stand-out scene involves a dreamlike sequence where Dr. Lyutak's psyche unravels in a visually striking montage. The use of vivid colors, rapid cuts, and unsettling imagery captures the essence of his internal chaos, leaving a lasting impression. This scene exemplifies Polselli's knack for visual storytelling, even if the narrative itself falters.

The supporting cast, including Rita Calderoni as Lyutak's wife, Marzia Damon, delivers commendable performances, adding layers to the film's exploration of trust, betrayal, and madness. Calderoni's portrayal is nuanced, bringing a touch of vulnerability and strength to her character, which contrasts sharply with Hargitay's more bombastic presence.

"Delirio caldo" is also notable for its bold and often controversial approach to themes of sexuality and violence. The explicit content, while shocking, serves to underscore the film's exploration of human depravity and psychological torment. However, the excessive nature of these elements can feel gratuitous, detracting from the film's more profound moments.

Visually, the film is a feast for fans of 70s Italian cinema. The cinematography, with its use of stark contrasts and shadowy compositions, creates a sense of foreboding that permeates the entire film. The score, composed by Gianfranco Reverberi, complements the visual style with its haunting melodies, further immersing the audience in the film's unsettling world.

Despite its flaws, "Delirio caldo" remains a compelling watch for aficionados of the genre. Its audacious approach and the memorable performance by Mickey Hargitay elevate it above many of its contemporaries, even if it doesn't quite achieve the coherence or impact it aims for. The film's fragmented narrative and provocative content ensure that it will remain a topic of discussion among fans and critics alike.

It is a film that strives for greatness through its ambition and style but falls short due to its convoluted plot and occasional overindulgence in shock value. Nevertheless, it stands as a curious artifact of its time, reflecting the experimental spirit of 70s Italian horror.

Whenever I take a look at today's big multiplex cinemasm playing nothing but dreck, I'm really happy, that, in better times, films like this one have been made: "Delirio Caldo" is a sick, a-logical and hilariously funny thriller, the nightmare of any "cineaste". There's lots of violence, psychedelic colours, stylish cinematography and enough of that naive "misogyny" prevalent in 70ies cinema to make any PC-feminists break out in tears. What else could one ask for? Be sure not to miss this treat. And, by the way, watch the continental cut, as the english-dubbed version has been shorn of nearly 20 minutes of fun!

Respected doctor Herbert Lyutak (Mickey Hargitay - former Mr. Universe!), who regularly works with the police in helping solve murders, picks up a girl at a bar and brutally murders her. He is identified by an eye witness when in police custody, but then another murder takes place in the same fashion. The police are forced to release Lyutak, who we begin to learn is a very disturbed man. His wife knows of him murdering the girl, but is so in love with him that she is prepared to satisfy his violent desires. As the murders build up, a bizarre cat- and-mouse game starts between the police and Lyutak, where apparently no-one knows what is really going on.

First of all, I watched this believing it was the Delirium from the Video Nasty list, made in 1979, only later to find out I had watched the wrong film. But it was a welcome mistake, as the 1972 Delirium is actually quite good. This is one of the more extreme giallos I've seen. Usually the style eclipses the gore, and if the gore is heavy, then it usually comes with paint-red blood and an extra slice of cheddar. Here, although most of the violence is far from convincing, it is certainly unpleasant. One scene sees a girl being masturbated as she lies doped up and being strangled. It is the sexual edge that gives the film its unpleasantness, and the film is carried by a pretty good performance by Hargitay.

Even for a giallo, the focus on the sexual is heavy. These type of films are always filled with beautiful 70's Italian women who are not afraid to show a bit of flesh, but here it dominates practically every scene. More disturbingly, it features highly during the murder scenes. Shirts and gowns open to reveal breasts, and legs twist and bend to reveal panties, all as they lie dying or dead. As well as being heavily exploitative, it also adds to the sleazy tone of the film, and makes the film just that bit more unnerving. This is one of the most bonkers giallos I've seen - there were moments when I just didn't know what was going on - but stick with it and it's lots of fun.

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Thanks to a certain gray market outfit in south Florida that searches for obscure videos, I got stuck with the shorn American print of this movie, but it does have some very ridiculous added "Vietnam" footage which might make it the first movie ever to deal with the fallout from that war. A deranged Vietnam vet and forensic psychologist is driven by his traumatic war experiences (and implied impotence) to murder mini-skirted Italian co-eds (just like he did in 'Nam I'm sure). His loyal wife tries to cover up for him the only way she knows how. Mickey Hargitay is the name star. After seeing "Bloody Pit of Horror" I had no trouble buying him as a deranged killer, but a police psychologist?--c'mon. Mickey had apparently been making bad movies in Italy for so long by this point that he'd started speaking with an Italian accent. (Seriously, why did they cast third-rate American actors in these movies and then dub them when they're speaking English?). Rita Calderoni plays the wife. She wasn't a bad actress, but the enjoyment of her performance varies inversely with the amount of clothes she is wearing, and she's a little overdressed here (if you want to see a lot more of her check out the appropriately named "Nude for Satan"). There are also a lot of anonymous Italian girls in impossibly short minis (unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of sleazy movie that looks up their skirts while they're being strangled or shows them topless after they're dead). There's also a strange, recurring dream sequence where a shirtless Mickey strangles himself with a chain while his naked wife, maid(!),and college-age niece(!!) all writhe around on the floor at his feet.

Anchor Bay apparently has included both this version and the longer European version on their legitimate DVD and it costs half as much used as what the more unscrupulous bootleggers are charging. Avoid just getting the American version, but I would recommend this to moral degenerates who enjoy this kind of sleazy, Italian-made filth (you know who you are).

There are some murder and orgy scenes in "Delirio caldo" (simply called "Delirium" in English), but it seems like large portions of the movie pass with no action. It focuses on a series of murders and a certain man's possible involvement, but there's far less going on than I like to see in Euro-horror. Probably the most eye-opening aspect is the casting of Mickey Hargitay, better known as Jayne Mansfield's husband (and Mariska Hargitay's father); in a movie about Mansfield, Arnold Schwarzenegger played him.

I watched the international version and bypassed the American version, so I can't comment on the differences between the two. But seriously, this is far from the best Euro-horror flick that I've ever seen. It's barely more than a way to pass time.

I bet that they never imagined that the star would get played by a man who would later be in control of the world's sixth largest economy (if I remember right, California has that rank).

Filthy little film which sticks to the giallo standards to offer a collection of brutal murders of few-clothed young women by all available means. In the mood of a sophisticated and rich family, the husband Herbert, a doctor in psychology (Mickey Hargitay), his wife Marzia (Rita Calderoni, Un tranquillo posto di campagna), and his niece Joaquine (Christa Barrymore) are involved in perverted fusing relationship raising sadomasochistic fancies, and we are quickly led to wonder who is the madest.

For giallo lovers, the enigma won't happen to remain quite difficult, but good news for mad killers, the police and its elegant officer (Raoul Lovecchio) are very professional regarding incompetence, systematically adding dreadful mistakes and enjoying rather a good coffee while victims are decimated. Only the working class members, the maid (Cristina Perrier) and the parking lot attendant (Tano Cimarosa) are sufficiently insightful and persistent to take the track of the mysterious murderer.

The Vietnamese prologue and epilogue of some versions, which turn the affair in a kind of nightmare linked to the war trauma, do not seem compulsory. Indeed violence was anyway present at this time, whether through American oversea wars or Italian home terrorism, and shall weigh on western societies, urging them to develop relieving outlets. As Marzia could have concluded: «It has been a mad day!»

Delirio caldo is a feverish plunge into the lurid heart of early 70s Italian giallo cinema, a film that embraces its own excesses with both arms and never once looks back. The atmosphere is thick with sleaze and psychosexual tension, as the camera prowls through dimly lit rooms and garish settings, painting each scene with a palette that veers from sultry reds to sickly greens. Polselli's direction is anything but subtle; he leans hard into the genre's trademarks, filling the screen with violence, nudity, and a sense of mounting delirium that sometimes borders on the absurd. The cinematography, while occasionally inventive with its use of color and point-of-view shots, is often let down by repetitive editing choices and a tendency toward visual chaos that can leave the viewer more bewildered than immersed. There are moments of striking artistry, but these are frequently undercut by clumsy execution and a low-budget feel that seeps into every frame.

The acting is a mixed bag, with Mickey Hargitay taking center stage as the tormented psychologist Herbert Lyutak. Hargitay's performance is earnest but wooden, his attempts at conveying inner turmoil coming off as stiff and unconvincing, especially when the script demands a descent into madness. Rita Calderoni, as Lyutak's wife Marzia, fares better, bringing a raw vulnerability and intensity to her role that occasionally elevates the material. Calderoni's portrayal stands out as the film's strongest, her emotional unraveling both believable and oddly sympathetic amid the surrounding hysteria. The supporting cast oscillates between campy and forgettable, with most characters serving as little more than fodder for the film's next lurid set piece.

Despite its flaws, "Delirio caldo" does manage to sustain a certain trashy energy that will appeal to die-hard fans of the genre. The film's atmosphere is thick with erotic menace and pulpy intrigue, but the narrative's logic quickly unravels, leading to a climax that is more baffling than satisfying. The music, a blend of dodgy European lounge and uninspired cues, rarely matches the intensity of the visuals, further contributing to the film's uneven tone. While there is fun to be had in its outrageousness, the film's lack of coherence and polish keeps it firmly in the realm of cult curiosity rather than genuine classic.

I recently watched the Italian film 🇮🇹 Delirium (1972) on the Full Moon app on Prime. The storyline follows a serial killer on the loose, with a criminal psychologist and the police working together to stop him. The killer always seems one step ahead, raising suspicion that the psychologist may somehow be involved. To clear his name, the psychologist may have to catch the killer himself... unless the police are right about him.

Written and directed by Renato Polselli (The Monster of the Opera), the film stars Mickey Hargitay (Bloody Pit of Horror), Rita Calderoni (War Goddess), and Tano Cimarosa (How to Kill a Judge).

This film is an intriguing blend of giallo and exploitation. The cinematography feels a bit dated, with some scenes shot too dark. The acting is solid, the women are stunning, and there's no shortage of nudity, sex, and rough torture scenes. The torture sequences, in particular, are well-executed and quite intense. However, the killer can be a bit annoying, which makes parts of the plot predictable. On the positive side, the soundtrack is great, a classic giallo score from this era.

In conclusion, Delirium is an unusual Italian serial killer film with some concepts that work better than others. I'd score this a 6/10 and recommend it only if you know what you're getting into.

Renato Polselli's 1972 Italian giallo film "Delirio caldo" (Hot Delirium) is a feverish blend of eroticism and horror that titillates and disturbs in equal measure. This lurid exploration of desire and madness pushes the boundaries of taste and coherence, resulting in a film that is both mesmerizing and deeply flawed.

The story follows Dr. Herbert Lyutak, a respected psychoanalyst with a dark secret: he's a sadistic killer who derives sexual pleasure from murdering women. His wife, Marcia, is complicit in his crimes, participating in elaborate roleplay scenarios that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. As the body count rises, a determined police inspector closes in on the couple, setting the stage for a climactic confrontation.

Polselli's direction is characterized by a hallucinatory style that mirrors the protagonists' psychological instability. Rapid cuts, extreme close-ups, and disorienting camera angles create a sense of unease that permeates the entire film. The vivid, oversaturated color palette further enhances the dreamlike quality of the proceedings, with deep reds and electric blues dominating many scenes.

Mickey Hargitay delivers a memorable performance as Dr. Lyutak, oscillating between cool professionalism and unhinged savagery with unsettling ease. His imposing physical presence and intense gaze lend credibility to the character's more monstrous aspects. Rita Calderoni, playing the dual roles of Marcia and her doppelganger Susan, brings a raw vulnerability to her performances that contrasts effectively with Hargitay's menace.

One particularly stand-out scene involves a surreal nightmare sequence where Marcia is pursued through a labyrinthine series of rooms by a masked killer. The frantic editing and discordant soundtrack create a palpable sense of panic that lingers long after the scene ends.

However, "Delirio caldo" is not without its flaws. The plot often veers into incomprehensibility, with subplots and characters introduced and abandoned with little regard for narrative cohesion. The dialogue is frequently stilted and overwrought, though this may be partly attributed to the dubbing in some versions of the film.

Ultimately, "Delirio caldo" is a film that will polarize viewers. Its bold visual style and unflinching exploration of taboo subjects make it a noteworthy entry in the giallo canon, but its narrative shortcomings and dated sensibilities prevent it from achieving true greatness. For fans of Italian horror and those interested in the more extreme examples of 1970s European cinema, it offers a visceral, if flawed, experience.

Hot delirium from Italy

What a psychedelic sex nightmare! Only the Italian film industry from the Cinecitta of the 1970s offers something like this.

After his deployment in the Vietnam War, Herbert Lyntak (Mickey HARGITAY) returns to work as a psychiatrist. He often advises Inspector Edwards (Raoul LOVECCHIO) in finding the perpetrators of his murder cases. What no one knows except Marzia Lyntak (Rita CALDERONI): Lyntak suffers from post-traumatic stress, is impotent and has hallucinations. One day he seemingly murders a young girl. Or is this all just a bad dream? But the girl is actually dead. More murders occur, but Lyntak cannot be responsible for them. A strange game of cat and mouse begins...

In the revealing seventies, the psychedelic dreams of Italian cinema could show many a naked female body. Mickey HARGITAY (1926-2006), Hungarian muscle man, Hercules actor and husband of Hollywood diva Jayne MANSFIELD (1932-1967), really turns it up here. Whether tied to a dog chain or denigrating his reflection as a hyena: HARGITAY delivers the performance of his life. It's not all very believable, but it's definitely entertaining.

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO serves the version with the Vietnam scenes (there are probably different cut models of the film) and there are also more than enough sexualized scenes, so the original version is probably available here. The German dub is even stupider than usual, but that perhaps increases the giallo trash factor.

This is just nasty. Micky Hargity plays a psychologist who is helping the police investigate a spate of killings of young woman, only they don't know that he is the killer! We first get to see Hargity endear himself to us by bludgeoning a young woman to death under a waterfall. Which quickly sets the tone for this nasty film. This is after he failed to rape her, mind.

Hargity is a killer, sure, but what do his closest kin think? His wife is sexually frustrated and regularly imagines bizarre lesbo/sado-mach trysts between herself and her hubby, but then Hargity's maid gets all hot about it all and starts feeling herself up (including some shoulder licking for some reason!). There's also someone that gets so worked up they start killing folk, which alarms Hargity as he's also a killer, like.

It was hard enough to keep track of things without the aid of coherent subtitles, but then again the general tone of the film isn't hard to grasp either. This is a giallo with some very nasty deaths thrown in.

You know what: I'm beginning to think that folks watching these films might think they are, just a little bit, sexist. Just a wee bit.

The best translation for "Delirio caldo" would be hot delirium. When a desire (specially when it is a deep desire) is not fulfilled, it may turn into delirium.

The film begins with sexual violence followed by murder and the identity of the killer is revealed right away. Well, I'm not giving anything away - this is the very beginning of the film. The killer is Dr. Herbert Lyutak (Mickey Hargitay). And this murder is just another one of a series of murders committed against pretty girls. When Dr. Herbert Lyutak returns home, his wife Marzia (beautiful Rita Calderoni) is waiting for him. Their marriage is not working, but she loves him very much. Marzia has suspicions about his alternative life, but she'll do everything for him.

Other murders will happen and suddenly we are not so sure anymore about who really is the murderer. There are other characters, such as Joaquine (Marzia's niece) and the maid who works for Dr. Herbert and Marzia. Dr. Herbert is a psychiatrist that, ironically enough, helps the police in their investigations. From then on the story will unfold in many directions.

"Delirio Caldo" is a very sensual film. The actors are committed to their roles. Rita Calderoni seems to melt all over when touched by Mickey Hargitay - Her liquid eyes roll and seem to vanish in an expression of ecstasy.

Marzia dreams a lot. In her night dreams strange and erotic visions go through her mind, but in her daydreams, Marzia conjures kitschy visions of a normal happy life.

Marzia's niece, Joaquine (Christa Barrymore) has also intense feelings for someone and even the maid will have her moment of divine ecstasy.

The soundtrack is very good and underlines the different moods of the film - frenzy, tenderness "noir", romanticism etc..

"Delirio Caldo" is at the same time wild, tragic, pathetic and romantic, if I'm allowed to use so many adjectives. Open up your heart and mind and see this sensual and delirious masterpiece.

Dr. Herbert Lyutak (Mickey Hargitay) is off his rocker as he picks up and kills a young girl in the film's opening minutes. The police are baffled by this murder, the latest in a series of strangulation deaths in the town. The only person offering any insight into the killings is police psychologist -- dramatic pause -- Dr. Herbert Lyutak! Unable to please his wife (Rita Calderoni) sexually, Herbert decides to give himself up by hinting to the police he knows when the killer will strike again. He shows up to attack a decoy but his plans get sabotaged when another women is murdered in the same vicinity. This is one seriously demented giallo from director Renato Polselli and really goes to extremes when doing the whole sex/death connection. The revelation of the mystery killer isn't going to surprise anyone since the cast is so small, but there are some standout scenes. Hargitay, the former Mr. Jayne Mansfield, is good in the lead role and gives the right emotions for mentally unstable man. What is really fascinating about the film is the Blue Underground DVD offers two versions to watch and they are very different. The shorter American version opens and closes with scenes set in Vietnam with Hargitay as a wounded soldier and Calderoni as a helicopter nurse. There is also an extra killing and a different denouement inside the lovely family S&M torture room.

Because the Italian version that I stopped watching because of the stiff as a board male and female actors sucked. I mean really and truly sucked or was this intentional lack of any type of realism here? The very first girl did the usual oops, lookie I tripped and fell and couldn't get up. My take on this nonsense was the directors way of padding the run time. I quit watching not too long after the interactions between husband whose old enough to be her father and the wife. The wife and the maid were equally without emotion, facial expressions, like two cardboard dummies. It was the set up for the second victim that made me push the stop button, because I had had enough of this garbage that some claim as highly entertaining and of gothic proportions. Me, I saw it as a waste of my time and not worth a re-watch as some suggested.