Torso (Blu-ray)
Starring Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda, John Richardson
Directed by Sergio Martino
Distributed by Shameless Films
Confession time: I have seen director Sergio Martino’s 1973 giallo, Torso, on at least three or four occasions and each viewing has left me wondering just what in the hell is going on half the time. Italian horror is usually light on exposition, preferring to place more emphasis on style and sizzle than crafting a comprehensible story. And that’s fine. I don’t watch films by Argento or Bava or Martino to be engrossed by a strong script; I want to revel in lurid lensing and super saturated scenarios filled with death and sex and abject violence. Torso has been hailed as a giallo masterpiece by the likes of Quentin Tarantino, and it was actually at his theater, the New Beverly in Hollywood, where I first saw it on a double-bill with Pieces (1982) back in 2008 during Eli Roth’s “The Greats of Roth” film festival. The experience of watching it with an audience completely blows away a solo screening on the couch, with the insanity of Martino’s unyielding sexuality and brutal murder galvanizing bloodthirsty grindhouse crowds. It isn’t among the genre’s best offerings, but it does occupy a place on the unofficial list of notorious shockers.
A ski-masked killer sadistically murders two young college students; his calling card being a red and black ascot used to strangle his victims. Jane (Suzy Kendall) recognizes the murder weapon and soon after finds herself a potential victim. Because of the at-large killer and the potential for her, or any one of her nubile college-aged friends, to be killed at any moment, Suzy and the gals decide to take a vacation until all of this blows over, somewhere far, far away… Just kidding. Instead, they choose a remote cliffside villa overlooking the town. Yea, sure, that isn’t a perfectly ideal place to kill four women staying alone, with no weapons or easy means of escape. Their only constant contact comes in the form of a grocery delivery guy, who brings bread and milk every day, though he’s mentally slow and clearly would be ineffective in stopping a murderer. Hell, he couldn’t even take out one of the ladies if he tried.
Things start off splendidly at the villa, with the girls drinking wine and sunbathing nude. There are red herrings aplenty (duh, it is a giallo) and while the film does attempt to misdirect viewers into the identity of the killer it should be painfully evident to anyone well versed in these films who is behind all the madness. After Suzy breaks her ankle in a ridiculously freak fall from a staircase, she finds herself in a very vulnerable position because – shocker – this is about when the killer decides to strike. Suddenly, the decision to take a stay-cation in an isolated mansion atop a cliff doesn’t seem like it was the best idea. Who knew?
Martino ramps up the Sleaze Factor to 11, and while much of the content here won’t play favorably to the 2017 P.C. crowd it does do wonders for what might have been an otherwise generic giallo. Most egregiously (again, by today’s standards) is the fact women have zero power – unless you count their ability to make men literally stop in the streets to froth at the mouth, staring at their toned legs and firm breasts. Martino isn’t interested in making any of these women complex characters; they exist to show off their tits and then die, frequently in that exact order. As a man, I’m not going to complain about his love of mammoth mammaries but it’s hard to get behind a story when the plot is little more than “death, boobs, death, boobs, boobs, death, death”.
Also, once the Big Reveal comes to light in the final moments of the film it seems like a real stretch, not to mention the motivations of the killer are not entirely apparent. His distaste for women stems from a weird childhood incident (don’t they all?) wherein a young girl promised to show off her goods if one of the two boys with her agreed to retrieve a doll hanging off the edge of a cliff. He tries, she screams, he falls, and suddenly we’re supposed to believe that was enough not only to destroy his trust in the other sex but also to motivate his killing spree some… 30-ish years later? Flimsy, but then so are most of the denouements in this genre.
The kills here are not particularly gruesome – certainly not on par with the arterial airtime provided by Argento or Fulci – but it’s clear violence is second banana to Martino’s first banana: sex. Still, a few of the murders are well shot, with atmospheric lighting and unique camera angles. In particular, when the masked killer offs a young girl in the woods, as she crawls and screams through the mud and roots, the aesthetic is grim, providing the most chilling moment of the picture.
On a weird trivial note, this is (internationally) Martino’s shortest-titled film, though in Italy it continues his tradition of making theater employees weep when it’s time to change the marquee. Torso rolls off the tongue much easier than The Body Bears Traces of Carnal Violence, though nothing can take the wind out of your lungs quite like Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972).
Blue Underground previously released Torso on Blu-ray in the U.S. and now Shameless has their own edition which, while a U.K. release, is region-free for worldwide viewing. The 1.66:1 1080p image is similar to the BU release, perhaps even a tad sharper. It does appear some DNR has been applied, giving some surfaces that telltale waxy appearance. It isn’t so much that the transfer is compromised, but videophiles will take note. There are minor compression issues, too, but again nothing worth making a big fuss about. This film has never looked pristine and I doubt it ever will. Hell, the first time I saw it was via Tarantino’s personal grindhouse print. Colors tend to run a little warm, with hyper saturation. Film grain is variable, occasionally appearing too minimized (likely due to some DNR) while at other times it can be a bit clumpy. Black levels are mostly stable and solid. Overall I was pleased with the image until the final act, when telecine wobble pops up and causes the picture to become unstable and shaky. It isn’t like an earthquake on screen but there is clearly movement within the frame.
There are two audio options: English and Italian LPCM 2.0. I tend to favor dubs on my Italian horror but in this instance the original language track is the clear winner because the English option is rife with hissing and noise. It was nearly unbearable to my ears, whereas the Italian track is cleaner and less abrasive. Guido & Maurizio de Angelis’ score is serene, employing acoustic guitar and keyboards to give this violent thrill ride a lighter tone. Subtitles are available in English, with some forced English subs for the Italian-only audio scenes.
“Dismembering Torso” is a new interview with director Sergio Martino. The audio quality is terrible but subs are included since he’s speaking Italian, so that issue is moot.
Special Features:
- Dismembering Torso: An Interview with Director Sergio Martino
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Torso
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Special Features
Categorized:Reviews
