Una lucertola con la pelle di donna

Trippy Italian murder.

Better late than never! I had today's review ready to upload before Halloween, but real life entertainment kept me away from  my laptop and the (unusual) recommendation I had for you to enjoy during Hallows Eve was delayed until today. Anyways, we all know that is never too late to enjoy a magnificent Italian Giallo.

Although Lucio Fulci had flirted with violence before (1966's brutal western Massacre Time and 1969's pessimistic medieval family drama Beatrice Cenci), Una Lucertola Con La Pelle Di Donna, AKA a Lizard in a Woman's Skin, AKA Schizoid,  represents his first venture into hardcore gore.

Intended as one of hundreds of cash-ins on the then-popular giallo thrillers popularised by Dario Argento's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, Lizard isn't only Fulci's best movie by a mile - yes, I would include in that statement The Beyond, Zombie or Don't Torture a Duckling, all of which have slow spots that Lizard doesn't - it's on an equal with anything Dario Argento ever did. Indeed, Argento's Suspiria, the maestro's most well-known movie, borrows several touches and ideas from this movie.

Carol is afraid of sleeping.

She doesn't want to fuck an unknown lady in her dreams.

Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) is a born-into-privilege London woman who has a lawyer husband (Jean Sorel), an aspiring politician father (Genn), and a lush flat in Belgravia. She also has a tendency to suffer repeated weird/violent/sexual fantasies concerning her slutty next-door neighbour (Gorgeous bombshell Anita Strindberg). When the woman turns up dead in exactly the same way Carol describes to her psychiatrist (Rigaud) in one of her dreams, all the evidence points straight to her. But the smart Inspector Corvin of Scotland Yard (Baker) doesn't think the case is quite as simple as it appears. When a red-haired hippie, who was also an important part of Carol's dream, shows up for real, it seems that the good detective does have a point. Meanwhile, Carol's state of mind is worsening quickly, with dreams involving the rotten corpses of family members, swarms of bats, and a hostile giant swan...

Few films use London locations as well as this one does, and Fulci demonstrates a talent and virtuosity that he'd never achieve again, even though he'd work with much of the same crew on later movies. I won't go into how Fulci squandered his talent on absolute crap later on (his post-1982 career demonstrates very little that's of interest), but watching this side-by-side with something like Aenigma or Touch Of Death, you wouldn't believe they were done by the same guy! Good acting helps also, with Bolkan's paranoid 'heroine', Baker's sarcastic chain-smoking detective, and Genn's stuffy father in particular standing out - it's a shame this would be one of the last movies for the latter two, both long since deceased. Sorel is under-used, as is Anita Strindberg, though Fulci has the good sense and taste to ensure she's naked for most of her role.

Die you fucking cum swallowing whore!

Poor Boob! who hates boobs anyways?

The gore is used sparingly, but it's extremely well-achieved (apart from this movie, Fulci's movies do tend to have very unconvincing gore FX), though most of it was snipped out of many prints of the movie, chiefly the entire 'notorious slit-open dogs sequence', and close-ups of a knife whacking into Strindberg's tit. So was a lot of sex and nudity, including a neat split-screen edit between a drug-fuelled orgy and a mechanically formal yuppie supper.

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. 

Listen funky junkie, it's murder I'm talking about.

Diddle her skittle.

Other pluses include Luigi Kuvellier's exceptional camera-work, which showcases some great shots and angles, Vincenzo Tomassi's superb editing, and one of Ennio Morricone's best and most varied all-round scores.
Even though Lucio Fulci's name is usually uttered in the same breath as those of Mario Bava and Dario Argento in "who's the best Italian horror director?" discussions, he's just as likely to be dismissed as an incompetent hack that couldn't direct traffic. "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin", like the rest of his gialli efforts from the 70's is solid proof of the opposite. Unlike other genre efforts that leave the viewer baffled with ludicrous plot twists and impossible endings, "Lizard...", convoluted as it may be, ranks among the most solid crime mysteries the Italian scene produced.

Dead hippies.

Near miss!

Of course that doesn't mean the final 20 minutes aren't bound to give you a headache as the plot unfolds its myriad twists and turns. Every character is a suspect. In turns Carrol, her husband, two hippies, Carrol's step daughter and her father. Yet all the loose ends are tied very neatly in the end. Beautifully staged gore, great cinematography and hot European babes shedding their clothes are other genre staples and "Lizard.." doesn't disappoint, even though it's gore-lite. It certainly doesn't live up to Fulci's rep (a rep not entirely representative of his vast work, spanning many different genres from westerns to crime action and comedies), but I have no problem when the overall quality is so good. Coupled with a languid jazzy score by the maestro, Ennio Morricone, solid performances, intriguing set pieces and delirious dream sequences, Fulci here weaves a beautiful tapestry that will leave no fan of bizarre Italo-horror disappointed. And if anything, it just goes to prove that Fulci was a great director, even if his post New York Ripper catalog may suggest the opposite.

Apart from the final 20 minutes, where the labyrinthine plot unfolds through remarkable detective work, the first sequence is great. It's Carol's dream. She's pushing her way through a narrow (train?) corridor full of people, in slow mo, with an anguished look on her face. Suddenly the corridor is full of naked people (also known as hippies). Then she's falling into the void with darkness surrounding her. She lands on a lavish velvet bed, dressed in a grey fur, and makes out with the gorgeous Anita Strindberg. I haven't been thrown off so much by an opening scene since Martino's "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh" (another great sleazy psychedelic opening). The rest of the dream scenes, including the murder, are all dizzying and off-beat.

Anita Strindberg, the mysteriously murdered girl in the film.

Carol Hammond not giving a single fuck.

Carol's sister washes off hippie cum of her body.

Overall, this is a must see for giallo fans, Fulci fans that want to discover his other side and all the nay sayers. If possible, try and find the uncut Italian version. It might be full-screen but you get 5 minutes of additional gore and nudity.
Even in its cut version released in the States, it garnished good reviews but was unseen for many years. For Fulci's true vision, only uncut and widescreen does the film the justice it deserves. 

Here's the movie trailer:

So you liked Morricone's soundtrack? well, here's a piece from the main titles of the film, AKA "La Lucertola":