The Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978)

aka Slave of the Cannibal God

Sergio Martino delves deep into the jungle and takes a crack at the once burgeoning cannibal genre. On the search for her lost husband, the beautiful Ursula Andress enlists the help of a seasoned guide (Stacy Keach). Her allure seems to mesmerize not only the primitive natives but nearly every man in the film. It's not as repulsive as later entries like Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and Cannibal Ferox (1981), but it still manages to disgust with scenes of savagery and human peril. While the moments of wildlife in combat peppered throughout fail to progress the story, they add a touch of realism to the exotic setting. Martino never truly delivers on the explicitness promised in the title, yet nevertheless manages to produce a harrowing adventure film.

3 pig lovers out of 5

Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)

When a film's title is that amazing it's a pretty safe bet that we're in giallo territory, and, sure enough, we are. But it's not fully in that camp. It's the story of a writer who abuses his wife and desires his niece, but by incorporating elements of Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat (1843) it attempts a more layered, sophisticated narrative. Unfortunately, with many subtexts fighting for attention it often feels like the component parts don’t merge together as well as they should've. It's a feeling that's somewhat overturned by the last third, although not completely. In spite of that, the performances from the principals are all great, which is something that gialli can't always claim to have.

3 surprise eyes out of 5

Scorpion with Two Tails (1982)

aka Murder in an Etruscan Cemetery

Director Sergio Martino is well-known for his giallos, but unfortunately I stumbled upon his worst film. It's set off by the murder of an archaeologist (John Saxon) after the discovery of an ancient Etruscan tomb. In a seemingly ritualistic manner, someone is snapping necks to keep people away from a fabled treasure. The deaths are all quite laughable as we are treated to each victim's stark terror as their heads are twisted 180 degrees. The story is interesting enough at first as the archaeologist's beautiful wife (Elvire Audray) travels to Italy to investigate his murder. The plot thickens like aged molasses as the pacing suffers from insignificant b-stories which lead nowhere. Fabio Frizzi's effectively foreboding and catchy score is wasted on such a dull affair. In the third act, the film finally decides to get back on track, but by then interest in the initial conflict is lost.

1 maggot out of 5