Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile (1972)

Director:

Roberto Bianchi Montero

Writers:

Luigi Angelo (screenplay)
Luigi Angelo (story)

Release Date:

July 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

One day you'll get closer to the violence of death... but THIS IS AS FAR AS WE DARE TAKE YOU... with any hope of bringing you back!

Plot:

A serial killer is on the loose. His victims are unfaithful wives and he always leaves compromising photographs at the crime scene.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Serial Killer | Unfaithfulness | Topless Female Nudity | Slow Motion Scene

Cast

Farley Granger	...	Inspector Capuana
Sylva Koscina	...	Barbara Capuana
Silvano Tranquilli	...	Paolo Santangeli
Annabella Incontrera	...	Franca Santangeli
Chris Avram	...	Professor Casali
Femi Benussi	...	Serena
Krista Nell	...	Renata
Angela Covello	...	Bettina Santangeli
Fabrizio Moresco	...	Piero
Andrea Scotti
Irene Pollmer	...	Giannina
Luciano Rossi	...	Gastone
Ivano Staccioli	...	The Liar
Nino Foti
Jessica Dublin	...	Rossella - the fortune-teller

Also Known As:

Bad Girls (USA) (reissue title)
Penetration (USA) (USA) (X-rated version)
Confessions of a Sex Maniac
La morte viene dal buio (Italy) (video title)
Revelations of a Sex Maniac to the Head of the Criminal Investigation Division (Europe: English title)
So Naked, So Dead
The Slasher ...is the Sex Maniac! (USA) (dubbed version)

Runtime:

95 min | Australia:90 min | USA:88 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:X | Australia:R | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Elios Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Produzioni Cinematografiche Romane (P.C.R.)

Trivia:

A re-edited version released in the U.S. was called "Penetration", and featured hardcore porno footage with adult-film stars Harry Reems and Tina Russell. It was advertised as a porno featuring actor Farley Granger, who was in the original film but had nothing to do with the re-edited version. Granger threatened the distributors with a major lawsuit for the unauthorized use of his name in the new version, and they subsequently withdrew the film from US distribution, but not from Europe.

Derivative, but nasty enough to compensate

Released at the height of the Giallo's popularity, So Sweet, So Dead manages to take in most of the common Giallo trademarks and craft a good example of the sub-genre out of it; although it has to be said that the Giallo has been done to far better effect on numerous occasions. It would seem that director Roberto Bianchi Montero was hoping he could implement a style similar to what Dario Argento is famous for, and indeed he has somewhat as the film features a black gloved killer committing some well worked, bloody and stylish murders, although the film unfortunately seems content to revel in it's sleazy atmosphere too much and this can sometimes have a negative effect on the plot. The storyline centres on a vicious killer who enjoys slashing women who are currently engaging in an extra marital affair. Naturally, Inspector Capuana expects the murderer to be among the city's underbelly; but as the murders continue, he starts to get the idea that he may have to look to higher society; and things get worse for him when the killer sets his wife as the next target!

There's a fair amount of sex on display, although it's never overly erotic, and since the film doesn't put too much focus on red herrings and the identity of the murderer, it's sometimes unclear as to exactly what the point of the film is. It's quite possible that So Sweet, So Dead was only ever meant to be a cash-in on other, more successful Giallo's, although the attention to detail with regards tributes to other genre films makes it seem that the director has a genuine interest in this style of film-making. Indeed, the film is rather incomprehensible at times; but even when the plot does start to become tiresome, it's good to know that there's an undercurrent of sleaze to fall back on, and while this isn't exactly up there with heavyweight nasty Giallo's the likes of Giallo a Venezia and The New York Ripper, it's more nasty than a lot of it's counterparts. The film benefits from a good cast, which includes experienced Giallo actor Farley Granger and a small role for the popular Susan Scott. Overall, I can't say this is a heavyweight of the genre; but it's certainly worth seeing for the Giallo fan, despite a number of imperfections.