Torso [Blu-ray]

This is a brilliant and massively underrated italian slasher and is definitely up there the best horror films such as "Halloween" and and "Psycho" for pure creepiness, it is also a brilliant stalk and slash style horror movie and probably of the best of that kind, its also really clever how you get to know who the killer is in the end and how surprising it is!!

Absolute tripe, couldn't sit through more than 20 minutes.

I have to admit that I was somewhat put off by the title of this one. If that sounds somewhat dismissive, it is mean to. Titles like this were meant to capture the unadventurous imaginations of a jaded public who would rather indulge Hollywood's latest trite outpourings than take the chance on a little, otherwise unheard of film lurking on the bottom shelf of their local video rental store. In addition, Shameless Video, all too aware of this, have done their best to take us back to those heady times, of standing round in crowded, smoky rooms staring at row upon row of uncertified films, by presenting Torso with a particularly lurid cover and citing the by-line "Where whores meet saws". The fact that the original Italian title is hidden in the small print only confirms their commitment to its one-time-notorious video nasty status. On the other hand, the fact that the Italian title, I Corpi Presentano Tracce Di Violenza Carnale, translates as "bodies bear traces of carnal violence" means that they needn't have gone to so much trouble.At its heart, Torso is classic giallo, no more and no less. The basic premise is of a killer with a damaged childhood killing off women and men (just for a change) in a variety of gruesome ways for reasons that are disclosed in the film's closing minutes. No surprises there then. However, what lifts this particular giallo out of the mire, if not to the dizzy heights occupied by the likes of Blood and Black Lace and Tenebrae, is solid direction from Sergio Martino and the ingenious editing skills of Eugenio Alabiso. Together, they have conspired to create a cracking thriller that moves from admittedly sketchy early scenes to a tense trapped-in-a-chateau final that would have tickled Hitchcock.There are the usual shortcomings, of course. The acting is mostly functional. This is hardly a surprise considering the characters are little more than a parade of victims and red herrings. Still, since I mentioned Hitchcock, you could hardly call the likes of Lila Crane and Sam Loomis three-dimensional creations. The special effects leave a lot to be desired, too. Rubber heads are crushed in close up and latex limbs are sawn off with little realism. Taking into account the limited number of special effects technicians working in Italy at this time (the days of the great Sergio Stivalletti were still some eight years away), the parade of crude effects can easily be forgiven.I know it seems that I am now running off a set of excuses for the film's various shortcomings, and, yes, I could go on... But if you are reading this review, chances are that you probably have a penchant for low budget horror and know what to expect. So do yourself a favour and check out this satisfying entry in the great giallo tradition. If nothing else, you can be assured of a more entertaining time than with Hollywood's recent disappointing efforts.

I have bought this film three times and ended up with this version.This has been touted as an uncut definitive version. This is the same runtime as the Shameless edition, so therefore cut.I wasn't sure until the last reel. In the villa the girls are retiring to bed and then we fade to black and it's the morning. I would hazard a guess at a 7 minute edit in Runtime at least. The only good point is the inclusion of fit Brit actress Suzi Kendall.

very good

very good. product as described and delivered quickly.

Correct sending of this classic giallo-movie, Very recommendable and entertaining !

This is by far one of the best Slasher/Giallos I've seen outside an Argento or Mario Bava effort. Its lethargic but never tedious, full of suspense and has some genuine edge-of-the-seat moments. There is a highly intense scene where the beautiful Suzy Kendall must hide from the killer while he dismembers three of her friends. The plot is simple but there are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. There is a very eye-catching female cast and the acting is pretty good. The only down side is the mediocre special FX. But this can be forgiven as the story is so good.

Sans conteste, cette perle de Giallo demeure moderne et passionnant, sans jamais avoir recourt à l'outrance gratuite (ou facile) que ce soit dans le crime ou la séduction: Dans ce film, comme dans quelques rares autres de ce genre, pas besoin de se mettre plus ou moins en condition avant de le visionner, signe de sa qualité pérenne, et son influence évidente dans tel ou tel film futur de ces années là n'est que justice et bon sens. Très agréable, la distribution s'avère foisonnante et l'on retrouve avec plaisir, par exemple, Roberto Bisacco acteur assez peu fréquent et sympathique ('camille 2000' de Metzger); Ajoutons par ailleurs que les lieux et décors du tournage sont des plus attrayant! Pour nous faire découvrir ou redécouvrir ce superbe opus, l'éditeur s'est bien "décarcassé" et l'on peut l'en remercier: tout d'abord l'image de ce Blu-ray n'a pas à rougir face à la sortie US (Blue underground), le rendu étant vraiment superbe et l'on imagine aisément ce qu'aurait pu donné le résultat sans les contraintes inévitables de la compression! Ceci dit, elle est bien gérée et le bitrate d'un niveau convenable; La sonorité globalement est sans reproche particulier et à part les quelques minutes où le son glisse et reste sur un seul canal (V.A) un peu gênant à l'écoute au casque, c'est du billard! Quant aux suppléments, c'est tout simplement inespéré et LARGEMENT à la hauteur de ce que l'on pouvait trouver chez feu Neo publishing. Alors pour l'aficionado, cette édition est simplement incontournable, et que les néophytes sachent que ce giallo se redécouvre toujours avec le même intérêt, vision après vision et de bout en bout: Pas si fréquent! ..

"Torso" is to Sergio Martino what "Deep Red" is to Dario Argento. It is a wonderful slash-and-stalk giallo with a delightfully high body count. Numerous American movies during the slasher frenzy era, especially "Friday the 13th," were influenced by this Italian giallo. Instead of a hockey mask, the serial killer wears a ski mask. Also, some of the musical score for "Torso" reminded me of that found in "Halloween." "Prom Night" was similar to "Torso" in that both movies involved a killer who had suffered a traumatic experience as a child. Suzy Kendall (star of Dario Argento's "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage") is June, the blonde, virginal heroine in "Torso." She, like so many beautiful blondes in the slash-and-stalk thrillers of the slasher frenzy, is the last to survive the killer's fury. At a secluded villa, she awakes to discover the mutilated bodies of her friends. The killings throughout "Torso" are imaginative and gruesome. However, they lack the realism found in Lucio Fulci's gialli such as "Don't Torture a Duckling" and "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin." Sergio Martino directed "Torso" as well as other famous gialli such as "Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key" and "The Case of the Scorpion's Tail." It is understandable why he said that "Torso" was his favorite film in the seventies. He must have been constantly surrounded by beautiful, naked women. "Torso" has a stronger sexual content then most of his other gialli. However, the nude scenes are essential to the plot. They are also understandable considering the "sexual awakening" of the seventies Naturally, the movie also has plenty of drug use, promiscuity, and lesbianism, as much as there was in other gialli of that time period. European directors must've loved watching beautiful women kissing each other. Those crazy seventies. The plot, characterization, acting, scenery, and musical score are superb. "Torso" is a great giallo and I highly recommend that you buy if for your giallo collection. The out of print Anchor Bay edition is very expensive, but there is a more affordable import. However, I've read that the audio and video are of higher quality from Anchor Bay. Hopefully, "Torso" will be given a new release either from Anchor Bay or Blue Underground.

The average Sergio Martino afficianado would consider this his best. (This viewer agrees.)Definitely worth an upgrade from the Blue Underground release. The sound and picture are fantastic. Lots of extras and great (as always) packaging from Arrow.Fantastic film! Might be Sergio Martino's best. A hyper-sexual sadist (right out of Psycopathia Sexualis) is on the loose in one of the best films of its kind. The extreme misogyny doesn't only apply to the killer; every male in the film is a borderline rape-o. Martino did the right choice, in that he doesn't pay hypocritical lip service to female "empowerment" - the thrills might take a psychic toll on some of the viewers (voyeurs?) amongst us.As to the voyeurism: lots of it. Surreptitious peeling or blatant leering from every male in the cast - on the street, through wondows, crowded rooms and all-girl slumber parties, indoors and out. And some great POV. The camera - and by extension - the audience, is complicit. Lots of fetishistic upskirt shots. Lots of leg shots befitting an issue of "Leg Show." (Not to mention down blouses.)In case I wasn't clear:More than enough sex and nudity for three movies. And the grisly sex murders.Lots of sexually charged (is there any other kind) violence towards women, natch.Excellent as a mystery/suspense-thriller. Or as exploitation/slasher. Or Infantile(wink wink) Horror - it depends on the viewer's sensibilities.Very high production values, as good as any mid-budget 70s H'wood flick. The camerawork if terrific; above beyond the beyond the conventional cinematography of the era. Shockingly (even today) b!unt, crude and sexually regressive dialogue aimed at our hapless heroines.The entire female cast are wildly attractive. Suzy Kendall a dead ringer for Julie Christie. Tina Dumont and the rest equally foxy. The cast is filled with familiar genre faves.Arrow did an amazing job here. One of their best releases/restorations. The bonus interviews are great and the entertaining/insightful audio commentary by scribe (and Martino authority) Kat Ellinger is wonderful, as always.

Je ne connaissais pas ce film, étant amateur du genre j'ai été surpris par le mise en scène habile du réalisateur (Sergio Martino) et la manière dont il amène son histoire (voir les 20 dernières minutes du film c'est du pur suspens).Un film à découvrir, pour ceux qui ont adoré les films de Dario Argento réalisateur du même genre.

Sergio Martino takes a...ahem...stab at a giallo flick. And why not? Like most Italian directors, he's directed films in practically every genre anyway. It's not his only genre offering, but probably his best, and definitely his most well known.A string of murders occurs on a college campus by a masked killer, and a group of female art students decide to escape the madness by taking off to a remote villa. Guess who follows?The Italians really had this slasher thing down well before Friday the 13th came along. The murders are bloody and violent(for the time it was rather extreme, but not so much now for the typical horror fan), and there is a great deal of female flesh on display, including a lesbian scene! Whoopee!! Of course, this makes it easy to predict who will get slaughtered by the killer, as pretty much all the victims are shown nude at some point except Kendall, who naturally doesn't appear nude. The killer's identity is rather easy to figure out, but it's all about the journey, not the destination, right? In the giallo tradition, there is a heavy attempt to make a particular character seem the most likely candidate for the killer, but it's so obvious that he isn't the killer because of how disturbed and messed up they make him. And the fact that all the evidence points to him too! The last act with Kendall and the killer playing a game of cat and mouse in the villa is actually rather suspenseful at times. Like many giallos, it's stylish, and looks great.The film's title more than likely refers to the fact that the killer likes to cop a feel on his victims after he murders them. Tasteful.It may not quite be Argento, but Torso is required reading for the giallo fan.