By 1978 the giallo genre had seen just about everything. But a black leather clad killer who stalks a Mediterranean resort performing coitus interrupt-us on horny couples with an elaborate blade and a monstrous, elaborately carved extension?! Outrageous, erotic, bloody, you have to admit it's an original. This unique 1978 giallo is as compelling and sleazy as they come. It's very much in the same league as Andrea Bianchi's 1975 STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER.

The black gloves, hat, coat the killer wears go all the way back to Mario Bava's ultrastylish template BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964) which already had strong, psycho-sexual-Saden overtones. A decade later Dario Argento had updated the style and violence with his animal trilogy and DEEP RED (1975). A parallel track was being described by the more story oriented gialli of Sergio Martino (THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH) featuring Edwige Fenech and the psychedelic explorations of Lucio Fulci (PERVERSION STORY;LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN), even the conservative Riccardo Freda had turned to gore in his highly underrated THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE (1971).

Where was there left to go? THE SISTER OF URSULA answers that question. The direction was a more graphic depiction of sex and violence, sleaze, sexual violence. An early sex exhibition performed by a hooker and her pimp for the killer is simulated to look near hardcore and then we see the shadow of the phallic murder weapon on a hotel television screen. When all the sex and vaginal slaughter is tallied up there's no where left to go but to a very disappointing ending, staged with extreme indifference bringing it all to a WTF? conclusion.

The bloody results of the female eviscerations are seen rather than the act itself, which leaves something to the imagination, but it still manages a fairly vile ambience overall. Italy is a Catholic country and the murder weapon itself is a Catholic object, a fact pointed out by the director in THE FATHER OF URSULA, who also notes that it was a family heirloom! Not many sexploitation genre directors bring their own dildo to the party! Admitting that the story, while original, left a lot to be desired, the director admits to chatting up producer Armando Bertuccioli with this project as a way to get money for another film. Milioni proves as entertaining as his film.

Magnolfi, Jessica Harper's bitchy roomate in SUSPIRIA (1976), is less effecitve when called upon to carry an entire film. She is certainly convincing as the morbid, unhappy Ursula but it's a rather one-note performance. Stefania D'Amario, most familiar to European horror fans as the assistant to Richard Johnson's mad zombie doctor in Fulci's ZOMBIE (1979), looks uncomfortable during her numerous nude and semi-nude displays and seems to have been merely instructed to keep taking off and then put back on her sheer black nylon stockings. What makes the film for me is the vagrant charm of the late Marc Porel (THE PSYCHIC), on his way to his own tragic fate, as the drugged out hanger-on who is not quite what he appears to be, the moaning, orgasm-simulating song EYES, written by Mimi Uva, performed one too many times throughout the sordid proceedings (and mouthed by a trashy looking lounge singer named Stella Shining!), and Vittorio's Bernini's takes of the gorgeous Italian coastal region.

Women are either sluts or victims here, or both, certainly not politically correct today but that's what the giallo genre was all about in the 1960's and 70's and this film certainly wouldn't have a chance in hell of being made now unless Tarantino & co. were involved.

It's all seen to its very best advantage in this luminous, 1.85:1/16:9 transfer from original elements in Italian with English subtitles. The original mono track sounds remarkably crisp and clear considering the muddle I've had to deal with on various vhs dubs for years. There is some minor print damage seen at the beginning but for a thirty year old film it's an attractive, crisp, colorful transfer. For collectors of the unusual, odd, obscure and transgressive in the Italian giallo tradition this will be a must-have. Or if you just want a strong cocktail of European Trash Cinema at its most prurient this will work fine.

My only lingering question is why is this film called LA SORELLA DI URSULA (onscreen original Italian titlle)? The sister of Ursula is not the main character or even an interesting character. It's sometimes known as THE CURSE OF URSULA, which would have been much more appropriate for the story at hand in my opinion. The original, and quite amusing, Italian trailer (nearly 4 minutes and also included in the package) asks "Is she a nymphomaniac?" as Ms. D'Amario strips for a long masturbation-with-a gold-chain interlude.

And keep in mind that when Milioni displays a private greeting card from Ms. Magnolfi praising him and the role that she has reportedly made some public comments since expressing distress about the film and her participation in it.



(C) Robert Monell, 2008