THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS - UHD REVIEW

After appearing together in Sergio Martino’s THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH (1971) and ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK (1972), the riveting tandem of Edwige Fenech and George Hilton returned in THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS (1972), another first-rate giallo written by genre luminary Ernesto Gastaldi. Although once more produced by Sergio’s brother Luciano Martino (who was also married to Fenech at the time), the directing chores were this time handed over to “Anthony Ascott”/Giuliano Carnimeo, who had previously collaborated with George Hilton on numerous upmarket spaghetti westerns. Easily ranking with the very best of its kind, Carnimeo’s classic whodunit now makes its worldwide 4KUHD debut in a stunning new edition thanks to newcomer Celluloid Dreams. 

Following the murder of two women in quick succession at a high-rise apartment block, Andrea (George Hilton), the building’s owner and architect, rents one of the victims’ apartment to Jennifer Lansbury (Edwige Fenech), a visiting English model living in Italy (the city is never named, but the film was shot in Genoa) who promptly moves in with her friend and fellow model Marilyn (Paola Quattrini). However, their good fortune soon takes a turn for the worse as more murders continue, and they too, get caught up with the buildings’ tangle of characters including signora Moss (an uncredited Maria Tedeschi) an elderly war widow who enjoys reading “blood and gore” horror comics, a reclusive lesbian (Annabella Incontrera) living with her father (Jorge Rigaud), and Jennifer’s possessive ex-husband (Ben Carrà), who had a “mania for group sex.” And even Andrea is subsequently caught up in the investigation’s impersonal machinations as detective Enci (Giampiero Albertini) must wade through a maze of false leads, tons of red herrings and several potentially vital clues, including a bloody iris…

 

As can perhaps be deduced from the busy if slender plot synopsis given above, THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS is akin to an Italian adults-only horror comic come to life whose strong audiovisual components (including a magnificent easy-listening score from maestro Bruno Nicolai) immediately draw the viewer into its decidedly intricate web. Right from the get-go, the film’s opening murder of a young woman (Evi Farinelli) in an elevator sets the appropriate tone and offers all the expected stylistic flourishes, sadistic violence, and convolutions of a typical giallo. However, Gastaldi’s witty script (which borders as a kind of self-reflexive critique of the genre), for which every character involved has got a dirty secret, keeps Albertini’s detective and onscreen aide Renzi (Franco Agostini) very busy interrogating all the potential suspects, a fact which later justifies Renzi’s exclamation elsewhere in the film, “We live in a degenerate age, commissioner!” Naturally, the film doesn’t skimp in the skin department either: a fashion shoot introduces Fenech’s character in nothing more than body paint (which causes a double-take for both Hilton’s character and the viewer), while her photographer friend (Oreste Lionello) insists on always having a “nude in there somewhere,” a sly bit of commentary on the usual stereotypes of this influential genre. Highlighted by several impressive set-pieces (including a dazzling flashback sequence involving the titular irises) and some vicious murders, the overall mood of the picture is generally playful and pleasant to watch thanks to Carnimeo’s spot-on direction, Stelvio Massi’s vigorous camerawork, and Eugenio Alabiso’s kinetic cutting, which keep the narrative barreling unstoppably along right up to the effective – yet amusing – twisteroo ending. 

 

Prior to the digital age, the only way to see this film for North American viewers - other than crummy bootlegs – was General Video Recording’s long out-of-print Italian VHS videocassette. Released under its colourful, but somewhat misleading Italian title, PERCHÉ QUELLE STRANE GOCCE DI SANGUE SUL CORPO DI JENNIFER?, this VHS tape was available at some ethnic Italian video stores, but was definitely one of the more difficult-to-find titles from GVR’s large catalogue. First released on DVD in 2002 by Anchor Bay (as part of their 4-disc Giallo Collection box set), this edition was a real godsend for fans of the film, which not only saw the worldwide home video debut of the English-language version, but also presented the film in its intended 2.35:1 aspect ratio (the Italian VHS tapes were cropped at 1.85:1). Subsequent DVDs soon followed around the world including a re-release from Blue Underground in 2008. Ten years later, a Region B Blu-ray was issued in the UK via Shameless Screen Entertainment with a new 2K restoration, which greatly improved the image, and included some much-needed colour correction that finally mellowed out all those blown-out whites from AB’s otherwise excellent DVD. As with the transfer, the LPCM 2.0 mono audio, in both English and Italian (the latter with English subtitles), was also clean without any discernible issues. Shameless also included a couple of excellent on-camera interviews beginning with actor George Hilton in Drops of Blood (20m43s) in which he talks about his start in the Italian film industry after moving from Argentina, his numerous spaghetti western roles, his life-long friendship with Edwige Fenech and Luciano Martino, and how he “wanted a change of scene”, which eventually led to Romolo Guerrieri’s THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH (1968), his first role in a giallo. In Marilyn (11m51s), theatre actor Paola Quattrini is very enthusiastic - and a little surprised - discussing the film, but she recalls the “joyful atmosphere” on set, yet she never felt entirely comfortable in the front of the cameras. She also goes on to talk about her many co-stars including Edwige Fenech who was “in a moment of great fame” at the time.

 

Moving forward, Celluloid Dreams’ inaugural 4KUHD/BD combo of this very enjoyable giallo (which was taken from the film’s original camera negative) is nothing short of phenomenal. Outside of one brief scene of irreparable damage around the 14m mark (which was also present on Shameless’ disc), the transfer is pristine with very pleasing grain structure, superb detail, deep blacks, and beautifully rendered colour schemes, which are ably supported by HDR on the UHD. The DTS-HD MA 1.0 mono audio tracks in English and Italian (again with optional English subtitles) both sound excellent with Nicolai’s memorable score adding plenty of flavour and tension. As always, the English audio includes many familiar voice talent actors such as Ted Rusoff, Carolyn De Fonseca, Edmund Purdom, and Tony La Penna, but purists are advised to stick to the Italian-language version, which lends the film a patina of class missing from the clunkier – but still enjoyable - English audio. 

 

Beginning with a newly-recorded audio commentary with CD’s Guido Henkel, he provides plenty of detailed info and well-researched insight into the film, which includes the production’s “spur of the moment” location shooting (it was shot in Genoa, Rome and Elios Studios in Rome), the stunning opening murder sequence and the “Brian De Palma connection”, the “show don’t tell” tenet of Gastaldi’s writing who “breathed life into a relatively straightforward story”, Carnimeo’s staging and camerawork and the “depth and shadow play” of Massi’s photography, the excellent “colour-matched” production design, the various cast members, the minimalist sound design of Italian films at the time, and some of the film’s technical aspects including the cost-effective Techniscope framing and its inherent drawbacks, and plenty more besides. It’s an engrossing listen, and a very strong audio commentary debut for Mr. Henkel, which adds a greater depth of appreciation to this already excellent film. In Drops of Giallo (29m26s), a new on-camera interview with Ernesto Gastaldi (with some added input from the late Giuliano Carnimeo), Gastaldi talks about his start in the industry as an assistant to director Giorgio Simonelli, his life-long relationship with Carnimeo (they met at film school in 1955), the many western pictures and comedies Carnimeo directed (Carnimeo's last film turned out to be the enjoyably trashy RAT MAN [1988]), his writing process, the high demands during the giallo craze of the early ’70s (“The phone was ringing off the hook with people asking me to write another, and another, and another story!”), the “element of ambiguity” in the pictures, and his thoughts on the film itself. In a nice gesture, CD have also included both the aforementioned Drops of Blood and Marilyn featurettes from Shameless’ earlier release alongside a new outtake reel consisting of “excess trims from the original 2-perf negatives” (1m43s), a thorough image gallery (5m16s), which even includes stills and posters from the film’s UK theatrical release as EROTIC BLUE, and the Italian and English trailers (both 2m54s). If ordered through the CD website, a nice slipcover is also included along with a set of six 12” x 8.25” high-quality re-productions of the Italian lobby cards.

 

An easy buy for fans and newcomers alike, Celluloid Dreams’ debut release is a real knockout which comes highly recommended!

SEX APOCALYPSE - BLU-RAY REVIEW

In 1975, following the death of Spanish dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco, and decades of accumulated repression, several Spanish filmmakers took advantage of this newfound liberation and embarked on a succession of modest, intensely sexual programmers. Incorporating large doses of sex and/or violence into their sleazed-out, pulpy scenarios, this freedom from censorship or “legal vacuum” eventually led to the introduction of the “S” classification, a new rating that warned of a possible “offence to the viewers’ sensibility.” In Alain Petit’s indispensable tome Jess Franco: ou les prospéritiés de bis (Artus Livres, 2015), author Petit discusses this prolific period in his review for Franco’s MACUMBA SEXUAL (1982) as “rich and interesting” and “a period during which Jess had free reins and wasn’t under the stranglehold of producers and censors alike – a sort of Golden Age.” With small budgets, faster-than-normal shooting schedules and quick turnarounds, several producers, directors and actors were not only earning a comfortable living for the next few years (the legalization of hardcore pornography in 1983 pretty much ended this creatively fertile period), but were honing their filmmaking skills as well. Director, screenwriter, and actor Ricard Reguant (interviewed elsewhere on this disc) likewise commented on this trend: “It was a time of great apprenticeship”, but also cheekily admits, “It was all a bit sleazy.” Well, more nadirs of human behaviour are plumbed in Carlos Aured’s SEX APOCALYPSE (1982) than in any number of Spanish cult films, and by virtue of its look and overall tone, this may be the quintessential example of a “S Clasificada” film. 

 

Upon securing a large unused villa, Clark (Ricardo Díaz) and his band of enterprising criminals (which also includes Ajita Wilson and Jess Franco’s wife and muse Lina Romay) hope to obtain a one-million-dollar ransom after abducting the daughter (Katy Ballari) of a wealthy businessman. As they wait to coordinate an exchange, this highly oversexed gang of opportunists can’t wait to shatter their hostage’s “sheltered, genteel upbringing” and turn her into the “most depraved slut in town.” But in a sudden turn of events, the young woman begins to fall for Clark (an obvious nod to the real-life Patty Hearst case, even if, the opening film-noir-styled narration compares the events to the Manson murders), which raises the already simmering tensions among this close-knit group to boiling point…

 

Peppered with various nuggets of existentialist, porno-fueled dialogue (“We’re evil, depraved daughters of life!”) and plenty of idealistic – yet frequently lopsided - social commentary (“We have nothing against you. We’re only against the respectable members of the vile, corrupt society you belong to!”), Clark seems determined to overturn society’s status quo, but his morose countenance gives the impression of someone that has given up the fight. Finding solace in the arms (and thighs) of his captive, much of the narrative concerns itself with psychological stress and a transferral of loyalties within the gang, and this central idea of two ‘enemies’ drawing closer to each other is an interesting one, but everyone is so unlikeable, you can’t even root for its supposedly sympathetic characters. Ultimately, the film exists solely for sexual titillation, so don’t expect any positive messages or niceties (the film’s mandatory moralistic coda is laughable) cause you won’t find them here. However, Aured serves everything up with such scuzzy, unapologetic gusto, that it keeps you watching. It’s utter depravity that we’re here for, and that’s what we get!

 

For anyone that has suffered through Video Search of Miami’s smeary, decades-old VHS of this outrageous sexploitationer will be absolutely gobsmacked at the clarity and picture-perfect presentation of Mondo Macabro’s Blu-ray. Disc one features the film’s preferred Spanish cut from a “brand new 2K restoration of the “S” rated version of the film from the original negative,” which looks exceptional with rich, nicely-balanced colours, and razor-sharp detail ensuring you’ll see every bead of sweat on all the writhing body parts. The DTS-HD MA 2.0 Spanish mono audio track with optional English subtitles also sounds very good, even if, much of the ‘action’ comes from the film’s canned soundtrack, which is rife with raucous guitars, synthesizers, and plenty of horn sections. 

 

The plentiful extras begin with a much-welcome and informative audio commentary from author Troy Howarth and Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson, who provide the necessary context related to “S” films, and some of the similarities to US made roughies (an exploitation genre that also mixed sex and violence in a controversial manner), which eventually “filtered into European productions.” They also refer to this film as a “chamber piece” with a cast of “eurosex all stars of the early ’80s”, which leads into an enthusiastic discussion about Romay’s prolific career, her uninhibited nature, how she went into a “different dimension on camera”, the “insanely photogenic pairing of Wilson and Romay”, and several of Wilson’s other sexploitation films she made throughout Europe. Of course, they also discuss director Carlos Aured and the “short but brilliant run of horror films he made with Paul Naschy”, which for the record, include HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1972), CURSE OF THE DEVIL (1973), BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL (1974), and THE MUMMY’S REVENGE (1975). Given the different versions that have circulated on home video, they also talk about the alternate hardcore variants of popular Eurocult films and some of the directors that ventured into this still-controversial area including Jess Franco, Joe D’Amato, Jean Rollin, and even modern-day auteurs such as Lars Von Trier and Gaspar Noé. As a nice bonus, MM’s 2-disc limited edition also includes a whopping 106m hardcore version [!], which has been compiled using various VHS sources, and while it’s great to see all the differences, the sheer padding of the extended sex scenes and close-ups of people’s nether regions become tiresome very quickly. Unlike the long-drawn-out hardcore version, Howarth’s and Thompson’s commentary is a fast-paced, enjoyable listen, which comes highly recommended!

 

The other extras on MM’s disc are no less significant and include Richard Vogue – The History of “S” Cinema (45m42s), an on-camera interview with the aforementioned Ricard Reguant who provides a very thorough history of these sex-filled extravaganzas (and their eventual decline) including his time working with trailblazing “S” directors Enrique Guevara and Ignacio F. Iquino (“Everything was a disaster with him!”) and how they managed to develop a “formula to deceive audiences.” He also has plenty of amusing anecdotes about director Andrea Bianchi (“He was a somewhat difficult person.”), director Guevara, and the tireless Italian hardcore actress Marina Frajese. In Carlos Aured Cinema as Survival (30m45s), Aured biographer Miguel Ángel Plana is interviewed via zoom wherein he talks about Aured’s early love of films, how he worked his way up in the industry, and how he landed on one of veteran director León Klimovsky’s crews. He also discusses Aured’s long-standing relationship with Paul Naschy, and the quartet of horror films they made together, the Sadean aspects of SEX APOCALYPSE and how much it borrows from Klimovsky’s earlier SECUESTRO (1976), which also starred Paul Naschy. Lastly, the limited edition set also contains a fantastic 20-page booklet with an excellent – and very detailed - essay from Spanish film critic Ismael Fernandez, which sheds even more light on the film, and the entire “S” film genre. 

 

Oozing sheer, undiluted sleaze, Carlos Aured’s SEX APOCALYPSE is certainly not for all tastes, but Mondo Macabro’s pristine Blu-ray easily ranks alongside some of the label’s most unforgettable and eye-opening releases to date! Order it from Mondo Macabro’s big cartel site.