Before the influence of Dario Argento's 'The Bird with the Crystal Plumage' permeated every corner of the giallo genre, another strain of these distinctive Italian thrillers enjoyed considerable success. These "melodrama gialli", heavily inspired by Clouzot's 'Les diaboliques', relied less on graphic violence and high body counts and more on psychological tension. Minou ('Dagmar Lassander', 'Lucio Fulci's The Black Cat') leads a pampered but dull life with her frequently absent husband, Peter (Pier Paolo Capponi, The Cat O' Nine Tails). One night, while out walking on the beachfront, Minou is accosted by a mysterious blackmailer (Simon Andreu, 'Death Carries a Cane') who informs her that Peter is a murderer. Driven by misplaced loyalty to her husband, Minou gives in to the blackmailer's every perverted whim in exchange for his silence. But as the blackmailer ups the ante, demanding that she submit to his increasingly obscene demands, can Minou hold on to what little remains of her sanity? Written by the prolific Ernesto Gastaldi ('Torso'), infused with a seductive score by the great Ennio Morricone ('The Cat O' Nine Tails') and featuring a memorable turn by Nieves Navarro a.k.a. Susan Scott ('Death Walks at Midnight') in the role of Minou's best friend, 'The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion' is a trippy giallo delight that brings together the talents of many of the genre's leading lights on both sides of the camera.
Yasuzo Masumura based his story on prize winning Edogawa Ranpo's book [Hanayaka na shitai]. A Food Company's boss is killed and there comes the search for his murderer.
From the shadows of the sordid haunts... they slither like predatory beasts to stalk their prey! A young college co-ed, Kim Sherwood, naively agrees to pose for some glamour shots to earn a quick buck towards her tuition. But when the sleazy photographer begins to blackmail her into taking more a...
Danny Huston, Peter Weller and Lisa Enos star in this biting satire on the behind-the-scenes of the Hollywood film industry, with all its drink and drug-fuelled excess, from director Bernard Rose (Candyman, Paperhouse).
Opening with the death of its titular protagonist, Ivansxtc goes back in ti...