Scarecrow-88 Models who work on the nude shoots of the adult magazine "Pussycat" are being murdered by a deranged psychotic who sees various colors before confronting them. Two of the first female victims, appear to the killer with grotesque faces commenting to us that he's quite mad(one model has the face of an eye with veins bulging;another victim has the face of an insect). After they are murdered, the psycho sits them on a sofa in front of the massive blown-up photos of Gioia(Serena Grandi, one hot mama with curves..think Anna Nicole Smith, except much prettier)a former model who is now in charge of her late husband's company of the Pussycat mag. Meanwhile, Gioia receives naughty phone calls from a wheel-chair bound cripple, Mark(Karl Zinny)who lost his girlfriend in an unfortunate car crash that has left him embittered and angry. Who could be the one threatening Gioia? And, what is the killer's motive for sending photos of dead victims in front of her old photos? This late 80's giallo is long on style and nudity(LOTS of flesh is shown and the camera glides so lustfully down Grandi's naked flesh..Grandi's naked body is shot by Lamberto Bava's camera in every lascivious way possible), but short on nasty violence. Much of the violence is non-gory(even the first victim's death by being stabbed through with a pitchfork isn't all that gruesome)and this particular giallo seems to concentrate on the story/mystery elements. The camera-work in this film is exceptional. The cast has Dario Argento vet Daria Nicolodi as Gioia's assistant Evelyn and Capucine has a small role as Gioia's rival Flora who wishes to buy the magazine from her. Most of the supporting roles are minor diversions such as George Eastman as hulky actor Alex who is offered as a promising love-interest to Gioia, but he stays away on shoots for most of the film's duration and David Brandon as Gioia's photographer Roberto. The only other real meaty part goes to Vanni Corbellini as Tony, Gioia's brother and the one responsible for getting the most out of the models who work on the mag's nude shoots.My favorite sequence is in the massive multi-floored clothing store where Gioia runs for her life as the female cackles of the psycho echo throughout. The identity of the killer is quite an interesting little twist, if a tad bit far-fetched.

MARIO GAUCI The younger Bava's films never scaled the heights of his famous father's influential work; this giallo is a largely mediocre effort (the one good example from the sub-genre to emerge during this decade was Dario Argento's TENEBRE [1982]) with little to hold one's attention - apart from the actresses' physical attributes and especially star Serena Grandi!Here, the director even borrows a page from his father's book by utilizing the oft-used fashion-house setting (providing a cheap excuse for ample gratuitous nudity). He even strives for a distinctive color scheme during the murder scenes, but the killer's POV produces a weird gimmick involving the victims wearing laughable make-up and underscored by equally exaggerated sound effects! The cast (including Daria Nicolodi, George Eastman and Capucine), at least, provides enough suspects to keep the audience guessing and the electronic score by Simon Boswell isn't too bad either, under the circumstances.

aaronpynn32-1 This is a better than average Giallo and is packed with solid actors. There are scenes that you will remember from this one. George Eastman has a small part in this so don't go in expecting a large amount of him in this one. If you are a fan of this style of film or even just a fan of Serena Grandi you must see this film. George Eastman and Serena Grandi get along way better in this film than in Grim Reaper. ;-)The killer is plagued with delusions and these are worth seeing. There is a nightmarish feel too the film. The pacing is very well done. Look for one of the lead actors of Demons to have a prominent part in this film. Lamberto Bava did a great job with this one. See the Shriek Show DVD version of this one.

The_Void Lamberto Bava may not be as great as his father; master director Mario Bava, but you can always count on a good time when it comes to his movies - and while Delirium is certainly no masterpiece; Giallo fans will be satisfied with this sleazy story of murder and naked women! Italy's answer to Dolly Parton, Serena Grandi, stars as Gioia (the Italian answer to 'Gloria'), the owner of a porn magazine known as 'Pussycat'. The porn industry attracts a lot of attention for it's stars, and Pussycat magazine is no exception. One of Gloria's admirers is a wheelchair bound young man who spies on here from the sanctity of bedroom, and another 'admirer' is someone a little more psycho - someone that likes to kill Gloria's models, and then send her pictures of their mutilated corpses in front of a six foot picture of herself! Obviously, this leads our leading lady to assume that she's the next victim; as more and more of her models are killed, who could be the killer? And what could possibly be their reason for slicing up such fine looking ladies? Lamberto Bava seems to know what audiences like - and this is shown by the way that Grandi's breasts are shown often. I have no problem with this; and I doubt anyone else with a will to see this film will either. The Giallo is a sub-genre soaked in sleaze, and Bava does a good job of implementing that style into this film by way of lots of nudity, and some graphic murders. The murders are a big part of any Giallo - and this one features the likes of murder by pitchfork, and the (apparently) famous bee murder scene! Really, the murders aren't the best ever seen in a Giallo; but they do the job. The acting is typically trashy, and it's always obvious how Serena Grandi won her role (clue: it wasn't acting talent). The cast is made up of unknowns (Giallo standard), with the exception of Daria Nicoladi. Dario Argento's frequent collaborator lights up the support cast, and gives the film an extra little bit of cult class. Lamberto Bava's films are often rated poorly by critics (both professional and amateur), but as usual; Delirium isn't all that bad. No masterpiece; but well worth seeing for the Giallo fan.