Non si sevizia un paperino, "Don't Torture a Duckling"

Original movie poster.

The American trend of 70's & 80's horror and slasher films clearly owes a lot to the Italian Giallo genre. In previous entries, you can check some of the obscure cult films made by many great Italian film makers that mastered the genre like no other. Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, Sergio Marino and many more created such a genius atmosphere in each of their films, that American producers and film makers inevitably took the best elements from the old continent directors and made them more or less, their own genre.

Non si sevizia un paperino, AKA Don't Torture a Duckling (originally titled Don't Torture Donald Duck but changed at the last minute for possible copyright issues) rises above what some might think of the Italian horror film, or in the more specific connotation "Giallo", which refers to mystery/crime stories. Perhaps some of it was director Lucio Fulci's own doing, as he sort of merged Giallo and bloody Horror in the prime of his career and made it over the top (perhaps even other masters like Argento could be partially guilty). But here is a film that takes its subjects seriously, doesn't scoff at anything, and really how could it? It's a story of young boys murdered and a small village in uproar, with a local Priest, a crazy witch-lady with voodoo dolls, an interested Rome-based journalist and an attractive (maybe too attractive) young woman the main figures. When it's violent it stays true to itself- it's not the kind of horror movie where you expect it to go super bloody and gory, but when it does its visceral in impact- and there's even some really good acting, which is hard to find in some of these Italian procedural. 

Bad kids had it coming...

Kids who lie don't end up well.

But what makes it a "lost" classic? (Lost as in only discovered for American audiences in the year 2000) For one thing, it rises not only above its expectations of silliness and carnage, as one might see in other Fulci work (not least of which a movie more on common with ducks, New York Ripper), and even its set-up of the usual sort with the crimes being committed and the police being only somewhat apt to investigate leaving open an outsider- i.e. a journalist- and an attractive young woman to look into it themselves doesn't feel worn out or too typical. Maybe it's the setting of the village, and how the people in it respond to the crimes. They're not the more sophisticated or weird types one might find in Deep Red. These are rural folk who have a deep religious feeling to them, and feel real fear at this killer who walks among them but can't really know who is who.

Fulci leaves the audience guessing up until the end, but it doesn't feel cheap or cheating. Far from it, it is a shock that makes perfect sense, and adds a whole other, deeper, philosophical dimension to the film if it was just who we are led shallowly to believe it is (hint, it's not the attractive young woman, played by Barbara Bouchet, who appears stark naked in a staggering, inappropriate but oddly seductive scene in front of one of the boys). What also makes it fascinating to watch is how Fulci shoots and edits his scenes. Sometimes it seems like a scene will cut off short, but it's really a method of editing that is like pre- post-modern cross-cutting, if that makes sense. In other words, Fulci's film feels fresh, like it could have been shot yesterday. Dutch angles, responsible zooms, and a sense of using music that is invigorating and involves the viewer in the suspense and, at one tragic moment, the sadness (hint, it's three songs from a radio). 

What do these voodoo dolls have to do with the killings?

Who's holding this dead baby's corpse?

And yes, the acting is somehow better than usual. Some of it comes from that 'witch woman' played by Florinda Bolkan, and also some from Irene Pappas, or the actor playing the Priest. They take the material and the drama therein as serious as Fulci, and it pays off. What should be just a pulpy mystery story has a soul and a presence cinematically. You can feel the tension as Bouchet drives at night or is at the phone booth, or the terror (unintentional or not) when Bolkan is chased by the dogs into a circle where they all are barking, all at once at her. 

Another impressive element this film holds is how an Italian film maker can get away with a plot involving one of the most beloved institutions Italians have as a part of their traditional culture, and it's because of this controversial storyline, that the movie was blacklisted and received a limited theatrical run throughout Europe and was never released in theaters in the United States. In 2000, Anchor Bay secured the rights and released the film for the first time in the United States on DVD. 28 years after the theatrical release!  

Who is this crazy woman?

Who's truly behind these cold blooded murders?

Lucio Fulci has said in numerous interviews that he ranks this movie as his most personal favorite of all the movies he directed in his career, and it definitely shows. The way Fulci plays with all the mysterious characters that live in the small village of Monte Sant' Angelo is absolutely efficient at misleading the viewer not one, but 4 times into thinking who the children killer is.  Also, Fulci delivers a grand finale that everyone will be pleased with. How would a children murderer pay for his crimes? in jail? no way! he will die suffering in the most violent possible way he can. Another fantastic character present through all the film from start to finish, it's the background music, masterfully composed by Luis Bacalov, the famous Argentinian-Italian composer of unforgettable Spaghetti Western soundtracks, including a personal favorite, the theme to Django! In Don't Torture a Duckling, his compositions are haunting and help us understand Fulci's vision of the film even in the scenes where there seems to be not much going on, while there is actually a lot going on.

For newcomers the film may seem a bit uneasy at times, specially when the children strangling/children murdering scenes happen, and you can easily see why since it's not very often you get to see innocent kids murdered by a vicious mysterious being. Another dated, yet shocking element, is the way characters refer to people with special needs. Words like "retarded", "imbecile", "handicapped", and "gimp" among others I don't remember now, are used to refer to several key characters throughout the movie. More shocking stuff? Children smoking? check, nude women trying to fuck a boy? check, insinuating the church is full of pedophiles and murderers? check (and true BTW)   

Hey kiddo, come closer!

Do you like my ass?

If you're new to Lucio Fulci's rich filmography I strongly suggest you start with this 1972 rare masterpiece. Although we haven't reviewed a lot of his films, rest assured that we will in the upcoming weeks as my wife & I are feasting with  home Giallo movie weekends. 

Is it true this film was banned due to graphic violence? No, no it isn't. The film was widely available everywhere with a few countries being the exception not for the graphic violence scenes (there are a few but, c'mon! what about gore movies?) as stated above, some distributors and censors thought the fact that this movie deals with child murder in the hands of the Catholic church, could offend religious bigots, but what the hell, it's only a movie, and unfortunately for Church cocksuckers, religious crimes have happened and continue to happen in real life. Latin American countries are infested with pedophile priests and the Vatican hasn't done anything to help law put them behind bars, but that's another story.

My children, I must preserve your innocence.

Smoking kills father, did you know that?

I tend to get furious when hearing about Lucio Fulci's reputation as a director. Too often he's categorized as a no-talented filmmaker, only out to shock and disgust entire audiences with images of pure gore. True, his films contain more explicit filth and sickness as your average mainstream American production, but his films always are of wide range and the plots are gruesomely morbid. Don't Torture a Duckling is yet another story! This film is a pure gem of the Italian shock cinema! I easily dare to call this film a masterpiece…it's an old-fashioned giallo that includes all brilliant aspects of genuine horror. Like a true mastermind, Fulci knows to find the right creepy tone for his film. He portrays the small town as a claustrophobic and inescapable setting of macabre happenings, supported by a giddy soundtrack. Fulci also develops himself as a genius storyteller here. The script always is one step ahead of you and the complex plot will mislead you more than once. In other words, this is a unique giallo (horror slash murder mystery). The gore isn't presented as grotesque and explicit as in Lucio's later milestones (among them are the legendary Zombie 2, The Beyond and the New York Ripper), although there still are a few nauseating and hard-to-watch shock-sequences shown.

Don't torture a Duckling is the most compelling and effective achievement Lucio Fulci ever brought forward and it easily ranks among the greatest Italian horror movies ever made. Right next to the masterpieces made by Mario Bava and Dario Argento. The film is fascinating from start to finish, some plot aspects are alarmingly realistic and the tension is adrenalin-rushing at all times! A must see for horror fans and an absolute priority for Italian shock-lovers! 

The villagers are willing to lynch the suspects.

How about a threesome and we stop this interrogation business?

Here's the movie trailer: