Bezenby Holy Sheeit! Although plot wise this giallo is the old-school type where a bunch of folk in a huge mansion double cross and play mind games with each other before everything comes to a head (like The Third Eye or Libido), this one also gives everything a contemporary seventies vibe with wall-to-wall nudity from start to finish – and those getting naked are Barbara Bouchet and Rosalba Neri! Barbara Bouchet is the newly appointed secretary employed to transcribe a novel that smug writer Farley Granger is writing, and this involves shacking up at his huge mansion where he lives with his equally smug wife Rosalba Neri and their butler Umberto Raho. Seems that the police have been sniffing around for a while as Farley's last secretary Sally has gone missing, and Barbara doesn't seem too surprised to overhear this. She is surprised by finding a hulking brute standing outside of her window and is given a chill pill by Rosalba, which leads to an eye- popping scene where a half-conscious Barbara writhes about naked while Rosalba also strips off and gets busy with her – all in slow motion and immaculately filmed. But don't knock one out yet fellas, there's much, much more where that came from!The next day Barbara doesn't recall that Sapphic encounter but is clued into things right away when, during one of Rosalba's sexy parties, she puts on an adult version of Red Riding Hood ("That hood will be red from all that riding!" – someone exclaims!) and Barbara recognises the actress as her pal Sally! A brief and subtle flashback showing the two of them naked under a waterfall may or may not hint that they might have been more than friends, but I'm not sure. There is actually some sort of mystery in amongst the boobs and arses. Barbara thinks someone has killed Sally, and coincidentally the audio tapes that Farley gives her to transcribe seem to detail the plot of the film she's in, and around this time she begins to suspect that she may be next. Who can she trust? Rosalba, who at one point jumps out of a swimming pool to have a quick puff on a cigarette? Umberto, whose motives are unclear? How about the big brute guy, who guts a live eel in front of Barbara for some reason? Could have done without that bit, which is something I seem to be saying more frequently. It's not very violent and as you'd expect things kick off at the end a bit. There are twists right up until the last thirty seconds. The thing with Barbara Bouchet and Rosalba Neri is that the two of them can actually act too – especially Rosalba, who can switch from sweet to evil to sexy at the drop of her knickers. Barbara Bouchet's Boobs will return in Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture A Duckling!

Prof-Hieronymos-Grost Alla ricerca del piacere aka Amuck!(1972)Silvio Amadio***some slight spoilers***A young American woman Greta Franklin (Barbara Bouchet,Don't Torture a Duckling,Red Queen Kills 7 Times)gains employment as a secretary near Venice Italy. Her new employer is Richard Stuart (Farley Granger,Strangers on a train,Rope) an author, who lives on a remote island with his wife Eleanora (Rosalba Neri,Hercules in the Haunted World,Slaughter Hotel), even the servants are sent home off the island night, so it is no surprise that Eleanora tells Greta of her desperate loneliness. Greta has an ulterior motive for taking the job though, as her lesbian lover Sally was the previous incumbent in the job, who mysteriously disappeared without trace. On her first night in the house, Greta overhears a conversation between Richard and his friend the Commissioner of police, in which Sally's disappearance is discussed, Greta when the opportunity arrives, grabs the chance and tells him of her quest to find her friend, he warns her that it could be very dangerous and that she should leave the house, she ignores his pleas. Before her disappearance Sally sent a letter to Greta, which contained her fears and stated that she was a sex slave and that she was constantly demeaned in this house of perversions, but somehow the Franklin's had a hold on her and she couldn't escape, no matter how hard she wanted to.Greta goes to bed but is startled when a giant of man appears at her window, her screams are answered by Richard who tells her it was only the local fisherman Rocco, he then puts her in the capable hands of his wife Eleanora who gives her a drink of water into which she sprinkles an unknown powder, in the ensuing moments Eleanora makes some moves on Greta ,she responds and they spend the night making love. Next morning Greta is unsure if it was all a dream as the glass of water she knocked over during their passion is now replaced, was it all a dream?..or had she been taken advantage of, after being drugged?Greta then stumbles on a party that is happening elsewhere in the house, she's invited in, it a swingers party with drugs in abundance, Greta gets cosy with a guest who knew Sally, in order to garner some more information of her disappearance, but is then shocked when she sees Sally in a porno film being screened there, now Greta's fears for her friend grow ever more pronounced. Richard then surprises Greta by ceasing the work on his current book, in order to begin his tale of a missing girl who is murdered by the local psycho and dumped in the lagoon, this is the final straw , as this story bears more than a resemblance to the truth.Silvio Amadio was a director perhaps best known for his comedies, so this was not his usual light hearted affair, he still managed though to create a semi-thrilling and erotic tale of debauchery, he showed great skill in directing the infamous lesbian liaison which could so easily have been tacky, but is here rendered in an sublimely erotic way. Both Neri and Bouchet excel in their roles, Neri as the dark predatory and sexual deviant and Bouchet as the wide eyed and stunningly beautiful innocent, an innocent you can't help but want to be deflowered, especially when she turns up in a highly stimulating baby doll dress. Granger on the other hand is probably as wooden as he always was, but this strangely works in his favour here, although we never quite believe he is capable of anything too debauched. Highlights of the film are undoubtedly the sexual tryst between Neri and Bouchet, a finely handled duck hunting scene in the marshes, the Little Red Riding Hood porno film within the film, Greta's reminiscing of her and Sally's first love making under a waterfall and of course the final reveal. Teo Usuelli's score is at times nothing short of naff and seems to belong to some long forgotten sci/fi film, perhaps even in an elevator, but he also wrote some really funky and enticing little opuses within the film, especially the main theme which is playful and perfect in its execution. Its hard to tell though if Aldo Giordani's cinematography is any good as the Eurovista DVD is just taken from an old pan and scan VHS and a washed out one at that.Amuck! is though an enjoyable romp and a must see for all fans of the Giallo genre.

Coventry Basically, you only require two main reasons to make this "Amuck!" priority viewing, namely the starring of both female leads Bouchet and Neri, so all the cool story lines, nifty camera-work and bizarre sense of humor are just welcome bonuses. But let's focus on the sexuality aspects some more, first! The very first lesbian sequence involving both aforementioned beauties is so HOT that it nearly burnt holes in the screen of the TV. It's redundant eroticism, but extremely elegant and pictured quite tastefully. Bizarre sexual tendencies and decadence are the most prominent themes in this early 70's giallo (at least, I assume it qualifies as a giallo) and fans that like to see explicit sleaze combined with gory murders will be sorely disappointed since there isn't any of that. Young Greta travels to Venice to work as a secretary for the famous novelist Richard Stuart but her main mission is to personally investigate what happened to her vanished lesbian lover Sally. She was previously employed by Richard and Greta suspects that she had become too much of a burden in the sex-parties that involve all of the writer's acquaintances. Richard knows what Greta is looking for and messes with her mind by making the story of his new book suspiciously sound like Sally's presumable fate. The story is compelling enough to keep you interested, but some sequences, like the swamp-hunting, feel a bit overlong and tedious. A bit of gore would have been nice too, though. Still, this is a very enchanting film, professionally directed by Silvio Amadio and benefiting a great deal from the charisma of its two lead lead actresses.

The_Void I'm a big fan of the Italian thriller, commonly known as 'Giallo', but I've found that truly great ones aren't that common, which makes it all the more sweet when you do find that illusive masterpiece - and that is a term that can definitely be attributed to this film! Amuck isn't about a ruthless, black-gloved murderer or a police investigation; it's a film about mystery and the sexual tension between its protagonists. The film is a lot like the brilliant Sergio Martino film, 'Your Vice is a Locked Door...' so anyone who's seen that will almost know what to expect. While Martino's film is the most polished of the pair; Amadio's is far sexier. The film features the typical labyrinth plot, although it's all kept together nicely and despite lots of interfering emotions; Amuck always flows well. The film follow Greta, a young woman who takes a job as a secretary for a successful writer as his house is the last place her former lover; the beautiful Sally (oh yes) was last seen. While there, she is introduced to the stunning Eleanora and it soon becomes evident that all is not as it seems...This film features a number of standout scenes; from the marshland shooting, to the enacting of the writer's book, all the way down to the superb ending - but the scene that this film will be best remembered for is without doubt the seduction scene between the two female leads. Lesbian sex is only good in films if it's done right, otherwise it looks like a silly attempt to sell the movie; so I'm pleased to say that Silvio Amadio's scene is definitely done right. The two leads are stunning in different ways; we've got Barbara Bouchet, the wide-eyed, innocent blonde girl - and Rosalba Neri, the cerebral seductress, and the sequence that sees them pair up is directed with just the right amount of eroticism to ensure that it's electric on screen. The way that the plot plays out otherwise is very relaxed and nicely fits the beautiful Venetian settings in which the film takes place. The score by Teo Usuelli is haunting and sexy in the right places, and what the film lacks in suspense is made up for by intrigue emanating from the sexual tension of the lead characters. Overall, this might not do much for those who like their Giallo's tense and ultra-violent, but if you want a seductive, tightly-wound little flick; Amuck is one the best!