A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971)

The potentially unhinged daughter of a British politician is accused of killing her hedonistic neighbor after she witnesses the murder in a dream.

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Lucio Fulci (story), Roberto Gianviti (story)

Stars:

Florinda Bolkan, Jean Sorel, Stanley Baker

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Florinda Bolkan	...	Carol Hammond
Jean Sorel	...	Frank Hammond
Stanley Baker	...	Inspector Corvin
Silvia Monti	...	Deborah
Alberto de Mendoza	...	Sergeant Brandon
Penny Brown	...	Jenny
Mike Kennedy	...	Hubert
Ely Galleani	...	Joan Hammond (as Edy Gall)
George Rigaud	...	Dr. Kerr
Ezio Marano	...	Lowell - Scientific Squad
Franco Balducci	...	McKenna
Erzsi Paál	...	Mrs. Gordon (as Ersi Pond)
Luigi Antonio Guerra	...	Policeman
Gaetano Imbró	...	Policeman
Leo Genn	...	Edmond Brighton

Storyline

In London, Carol Hammond lives in a fancy building with her husband Frank Hammond and her stepdaughter Joan Hammond. Carol is the beloved daughter of the wealthy and prominent lawyer and politician Edmond Brighton and Frank is his partner in his office and has a love affair with Deborah. Carol's next door neighbor Julia Durer is a depraved woman that promotes parties with drugs and orgies. Carol has psychoanalyze sessions with Dr. Kerr and is intrigued with a nightmare where she stabs Julia to death three times with a couple watching the murder. When Julia is found dead in her apartment, the efficient Inspector Corvin and his partner Sgt. Brandon are assigned to investigate. All the evidences point out to Carol, but was a dream or reality?

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Plot Keywords:

orgy | lesbian | lesbian lover | topless female nudity | giallo | 

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Taglines:

Terror Claws at Your Brain!

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy Spain France UK

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

20 March 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lizard in a Woman's Skin

Filming Locations:

Temple Church, Temple, Holborn, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Apollo Films, Les Films Corona, Atlántida Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene in which Carol encounters the disemboweled dogs in the clinic became quite controversial because of the startlingly realistic (and graphic) appearance of the fake prop dogs. Director Lucio Fulci was nearly sent to prison because it was believed that the dogs were real and Fulci had allowed animal cruelty on the film. However crew members were able to testify in court that the "dogs" were indeed fake and no animals had ever been harmed. Special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi even presented the dog props in court to convince the jury. This was the first time that an effects artist had to testify in court that their work was fake.

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Goofs

Despite being credited in advertising, Anita Strindberg doesn't receive an onscreen credit in the film itself.

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Quotes

Hubert: What do you expect us to do with all that acid inside us, huh?
Jenny: We were filled with acid from our heads to our toes. And you know something? Under the effect of acid, I look at you here and all I see is a red blob. Or a galloping horse.
Inspector Corvin: You don't remember anything at all about that night?
Hubert: Yeah, I remember. Yes, I remember, seeing that night, a lizard - in a woman's skin.
Inspector Corvin: Shit!
Hubert: No, beautiful. Just beautiful.

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Alternate Versions

The American version released in 1973 (as Schizoid) was actually seven minutes longer than the current Italian print of that time. AIP restored some self-censored erotic footage (mostly in the orgy and dream sequences) and marketed the film to the swinging Euro/trash/nudity enthusiasts of the era.

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Connections

Referenced in No Telling (1991)

User Reviews

Delirious murder mystery filled with bat attacks, drug trips and disemboweled barking dogs.

This rarely seen Fulci offering brings to mind many comparisons with Dario Argento's earlier works.

A woman (Monti) dreams in slow motion of murdering her somewhat libertine neighbor and relates it all back to her therapist; some time later, her neighbor indeed turns up dead, and the details all match those in the dream. The police are called in, many red herrings are thrown in, and as the false resolutions arise, the police procedural turns into an unbelievably convoluted and confusing spiral. Two hippies, whacked out of their minds on LSD, witness the murder but make unreliable witnesses due to their state at the time. The line between reality and hallucination becomes increasingly blurred throughout the whole film, as the mentally unbalanced Monti tries to reconcile her shifts in perception.

The strength of the movie lies in the visuals, however; Fulci's wild camera work helps reinforce the sense of illusion throughout.

Ennio Morricone's score complements the picture's strange mood perfectly.

Fulci found himself in court over an unusually ugly scene of vivisected dogs (during a hallucination); his SFX man Carlo Rambaldi had to bring in the animatronic models of the dogs to get him off the hook.

At times it's a bit slow, but at other times Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a very wild ride indeed.