Perversione

When I discovered there was a film called Diary of an Erotic Murderess starring the ludicrously gorgeous Marisa Mell I was obviously going to be interested. Having seen it, it would only be fair to say that it does not live up to the promise of its title plus its star. But hey ho, it still has its moments and is a decent enough Spanish psychological thriller. In it, Gina - played by Marisa Mell - is a con artist who is hired by a millionaire to work as a nanny looking after his deranged son. She soon realises that her considerable charms are a route to the old man's money, so she concocts a plan to get her hands on it. This involves the finding of a secret diary written by the millionaire's late wife; a journal that tells tales of her husband's abuse and her plans to murder him. But like most films of this type, events do not go entirely to plan.

Well, despite the title, this one isn't really too erotic unfortunately. Its chief selling point is Marisa Mell though. She was something of a cult actress who starred in a number of interesting Euro flicks, most notably Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik. This one, along with the superior The Great Swindle, is a Spanish thriller where she was given the lead role. But even though she is a compelling presence, this movie never amounts to as much as its potential suggests it might. It's a fairly standard unremarkable psychological thriller overall, although it does have some bizarre aspects that admittedly don't really go anywhere. For instance Gina is researching the subject of Galician witches and in doing so discovers that the Holy Grail is present somewhere in the mansion she now lives. This incredible plot development is covered in a bizarrely understated manner but it doesn't really lead to anything much ultimately. Overall the mood is quite laid-back, partially because of Carlo Savina's lush score. But despite all this it does end on a commendably disturbing note. This one is probably best left to fans of Ms Mell; otherwise it's not overly memorable.

Decent thriller dealing with a gorgeous young woman : Marisa Mell who sets her sights on an elderly wealthy man : Richard Conte . She seduces him with darks purports and moves into his luxurious house with him . But her aims go wrong when the beautiful young is aware to have a son : Juan Ribo , who goes after her . At the same time she discovers a sinister past and some letters that reveal sleaze issues . When you plan a murder don't write it down...your victim might read it !

A passable and attractive drama thriller with a surprising premise , plot twists , being competently paced and made in Gialloesque style . Stars Marisa Mell who is really gorgeous as the suspect young who seduces an old man and subsequently attempts to get rid of him . The veteran Richard Conte is nice as the aging man betrayed by his young lover , while Juan Ribo plays the mute son with strange wishes . They are well accompanied by a fine support cast giving brief but enjoyable acting as the notorious Spaghetti Western antihero : Anthony Steffen , Lili Murati , Carla Calo , Beni Deus and even Carmen Maura .The twisted and surpring screenplay with full of turns and twists from Emilio Martínez Lazaro , Rafael Moreno Alba and Manuel Mur Oti himself.

It displays an atmospheric musical score in very Seventies style by Carlo Savina . As well as evocative cinematography by the prestigious cameraman Jose Luis Alcaine , Pedro Almodovar's regular, though a perfect remastering being really necessary . Being shot on lication in the Spain northwest region of Galicia. The motion picture was professionally directed by Manuel Mut Oti. He was a multifaceted man , as he was a writer , producer and director , as he started writing scripts for filmmaker Antonio Del Amo , being his film debut "Un Hombre Va Por El Camino" 1949 , he went on directing a few films as "Cielo Negro" 1951 , "Orgullo" 1955 , " El Batallón De Las Sombras" , "El Escuadrón Del Pánico" . Then, he shot comedies as "Guera Empieza En Cuba" , " Una Chica De Chicago" and " Pescando Millones" . And even Religious genre as "Milagro a Los Cobardes" with the American star Ruth Roman . His greatest success was "Fedra the devil's daughter" , and directing two films with international cast as "Morir Dormir Tal Vez Soñar" with Jane Seymour and this " La Encadenada" . Rating : 6/10 . Decent drama thriller that will appeal to Giallo and suspense enthusiasts .

La Encadenada aka Diary of an Erotic Murderess(1975) Manuel Mur Oti

Alexander (Richard Conte)a very wealthy widower wants to hire a young woman to take care of his troubled son Mark, who is prone to fits of violence ever since the death of his mother left him mute. Gina (Marisa Mell, Seven blood stained orchids,One on top of the other) introduces herself as a writer looking for a job that will allow her time to write her book about the local Galician Witches, she is also a psychologist and with such qualifications she is hired. Gina however is a charlatan and a confidence trickster with a lengthy criminal record out to gain what she can from a man with too much money. She learns very quickly the troubles that torment Mark and immediately she is calling him "Mon petit cherie" the term of endearment used by his mother towards him, this has the effect of getting her into his confidence, Mark however is soon just as infatuated with her as he was his mother and forcefully tries to cement their relationship. Alexander also falls for the charms of the new employee and Gina sees her chance to play one against the other. Gina finds a diary from the deceased mother that is full of tales of her husbands abuse and her virtual position of being a sex slave to her master,also there in is her plans to kill him off in gruesome ways so that her and her son could enjoy the tyrants wealth at their leisure. Gina's plans are interrupted though when her own abusive husband Richard (Antonio De Teffè,Crimes of the Black Cat, The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) turns up,he knows what she's up to and threatens to reveal all to her new employer and to the authorities unless she can provide him with just a little of the wealth he knows is inside the Manor, she agrees, Richard however tries to sell the jewels he is given to the same vendor that sold them originally to Alexander, he confronts her and tells her to leave,but his true feelings towards her can not let her leave. Alexander is soon dispatched in his bathtub, but before Gina and Mark can enjoy their new found wealth after the demise of Alex, a stranger turns up called Charles who introduces himself as the bastard son of Alex and as such the beneficiary of half his father's estate, he then astounds her by saying he has been investigating her on his father behalf and recounts to her all the details of her seedy past, his demands are clear she has to become his sexual slave, she agrees, but its not long however before old Charles is dispatched in the the same way as his father, Gina suspects Mark, but then the final shocking twist of the diary becomes very evident.

Diary of an Erotic Murderess reminded me a little of the Conte/Fenech film Secrets of a Call Girl in that both have an underused Conte, a female icon of Italian cinema and very misleading titles, of course the film did originally have plenty of sex scenes but they were all sadly removed, the sight of the exotic Mell in a state of undress would truly have been a highpoint of the film.The film is a hybrid of many Italian genres and is hard to define, the stately manor which also boasts a former Templar monastery on its grounds adds sufficiently to the mood and would suggest a Gothic origin, but it is also firmly in the bloodless giallo realm too. Mell with her catlike features is a delight and her performance is excellent, Conte, one of my favorite actors is good too although the voice which I'm pretty sure wasn't his is a little off putting.Carlo Savina's very romantic score is very sumptuous and reminiscent of many a Morricone opus. It's a good little thriller though and recommended to all fans of Italian Giallo/Mystery thriller films.

Despite its seen-it-a-million-times plot concerning a sexy con artist (Marisa Mell) who inveigles herself into a wealthy old man's morbid household, this Euro psycho-thriller is just creepy enough to be absorbing for most of its running time. The old guy (played by the moribund Richard Conte, whose huge earlobes dominate his scenes) has a mute son prone to violent fits whenever reminded of his deceased mama (whom the crook, naturally, resembles). To complicate matters, there's a bastard son and an ex-husband looking for a piece of the action. Most outrageous, though, is that fact that the mansion's most valuable asset is the Holy Grail itself -- a point which is stated so matter-of-factly that one wonders about the accuracy of the translation. The plot features a few neat twists, including a final sting in its tail that will revive you if you've given up on the picture. Of course, the main reason for watching is the dissolute but utterly luscious Mell (best known for her role in Bava's Diabolik), who dominates proceedings with her intelligent grace, knockout looks and subtle ruthlessness. Unfortunately, several nude scenes have obviously been shown from the American print with equal ruthlessness.

The plot of "Diary of an Erotic Murderess" is quite simple:an attractive woman(Marisa Mell)accepts a job watching a wealthy man's mentally retarded and violent son.She plans to murder the patriarch and marry the son to inherit his mansion."Diary of an Erotic Murderess" by Manuel Mur Oti plays like Spanish giallo/mystery.Unfortunately the version distributed by Something Weird Video is heavily cut.Apparently nearly 10 minutes of sex and sleaze were completely removed.There are some mildly surprising plot twists and the conclusion is quite disturbing.Marisa Mell is very sexy in the main role.Still the lack of exploitative moments was disappointing.7 cuts out of 10.