DAW-8 Unlike most of the early 1970s gialli this film has several classic elements of late 60s films, from the go go dancing to the sultry, almost cheezy, jazzy orchestra soundtrack, to the melodramatic, emotion-laden lovemaking scenes. It's more erotic than most gialli, and clearly straddles the boundary between Mario Bava's visual style --emphasizing shadows and contrast, and typical early 70s gialli. What really makes the film so great its ability to hold a level of tension -- visible in various characters' expressions and actions, especially the main character -- and suspense to make it a truly great thriller. And to do so relatively bloodlessly. The dialogue while dubbed is also quite clever and there are many scenes that are smart in their own right -- such as when Monica and George are hanging out in her San Fran 'pad' while he is confused and she is playing solitaire and telling him to answer the door. Definitely worth watching, for any fan of Italian thriller/gialli!

Coventry "One on top of the Other" predates the biggest successes of Lucio Fulci as a director and definitely his still on-going reputation as The Godfather of Gore. Yet, this is one best films he ever made and it unquestionably ranks among the most solidly plotted gialli ever! From the first minute to the very last, "One on top of the Other" is a compelling thriller that constantly introduces mysterious characters and features clever red herrings until everything sorts out nicely in the astonishing denouement. The story is suitably set in San Francisco, where the infamous doctor George Dummurier owns a private clinic but spends most of his time on the road with his mistress Jane. When George's actual wife unexpectedly dies from a fatal asthma-attack, he receives a two million dollar paycheck from the insurance company. This naturally raises questions, as everybody knew that the couple wasn't happily married. The police suspects George of murder, but things get even more complicated when a nightclub stripper, who's the reflecting image of George's dead wife, is frequently spotted in his company. Despite also being known as "Perversion Story", this movie mainly focuses on style and tension, and the only remotely gore sequence involves an autopsy on a decomposing body. The lack of further murders or sleaze is a bit of a weakness, but this is widely compensated by Fulci's concentration on coherence for a change, and the multiple tributes to classic Film Noirs and Alfred Hitchcock's repertoire. The acting performances are at least ten times better than usual in Italian horror productions, with Marisa Mell ("Danger: Diabolik!", "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids") and Jean Sorel ("Short Night of the Glass Dolls", "Lizard in a Woman's Skin") really leaving a good impression. The music by Riz Ortolani is mesmerizing, as always, the choreography is often very imaginative and there's some splendid camera-work with multiple great shots of San Francisco locations. In case you're an admirer of story-driven crime films, or just Italian cinema in general, this is definitely a movie you should keep an eye open for! You were the man, Lucio... And we miss miss you more every day!

The_Void It's hard to believe that this thriller was directed by the same man who would go on to create such gory highlights as Zombie Flesh-Eaters and City of the Living Dead, but indeed this is a film from the Lucio Fulci that us gore hounds know and love. His later Giallo, such as A Lizard in Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling weren't as bloody as Fulci fans are used to, and this one is even less so; in fact, it isn't even a horror movie. Fulci does find time for graphic images, however, but things such as a badly decomposed corpse look out of place in a movie that is much more about mystery and suspense than shocking its audience. Fulci often doesn't get the respect he deserves when it comes to movie-making, and that's unfair as he really does know how to tell a story. One on Top of the Other focuses on themes of love and revenge, and follows the story of a doctor with a wife who suffers from chronic asthma. After her death, he is enticed to a nightclub along with his mistress, where he meets a young woman who is the double of his dead wife. Shortly thereafter, the corpse of his wife is unearthed and traces of poison are found in the body...The film takes obvious influence from the great Alfred Hitchcock film 'Vertigo', but unlike a lot of Italian films from the sixties and seventies; this one is not merely a retread of its popular American influence. Fulci injects his own style and verve into the plot, and common Giallo elements such as crossed loyalties and compromising situation for the lead victim start to creep in. The acting on display here is superb, with Jean Sorel putting in a fabulous performance in the lead role in which he manages to captivate the audience and be convincing at the same time. The female leads are more striking; however, and both Marisa Mell and Elsa Martinelli get to act as well providing beautiful eye candy for the audience. Unlike a lot of Giallo's, this one takes place outside of Italy and makes San Francisco the central location. The landscapes look great, and the original jazz music by Riz Ortolani helps to ensure that swinging sixties feel comes across. There is a lack of murders in this film, which may disappoint Giallo and Fulci fans; but the intrigue that appears instead offsets this nicely, and overall I don't hesitate to say that One on Top of the Other is one of the great Giallo films!

Battledragon Una sull'altra, which is more likely better known as One on the top the other is hard movie to categorize to a single genre. It has as much erotic and exploitative elements as it has elements from pre-giallos like Mario Bava's excellent Blood and black lace and his older work, Girl who knew too much. It isn't as psychedelic as Fulci's other giallos like Lizard in a woman's skin or as tense as his Don't torture a duckling or Sette notes in nero. Una sull'altra doesn't contain any gore or splatter either. Still, however, I found it very entertaining and I would even say it's one of the best non-gore movies from Fulci I've seen (and trust me on this one, I've seen lots of them too).Movie follows a basic giallo structure, even though it was made in the same year with "the first actual giallo", Dario Argento's fabulous L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo, and in the way that it doesn't rip-off that movie as many other giallos does. That's why I cannot really say honestly that I found this one to be real giallo, but more like pre-giallo.What comes to the plot of the movie, it's not really as simple as it might seem, but has many twists and misleads when police are trying to find out how the things really are (who is lying, who is telling the truth). Really nice twists and turns, I couldn't tell at the whole time how did what (and what comes to that matter, even who was who). Ending was really nicely surprising too, I really enjoyed it.So, if you are bored with Fulci's not as good non-gore movies or if you just want a quick peak to the fantastic world of pre-giallos, One on top of other is highly recommended. At the scale of 1 to 10, I would give it 9, this movie really deserves it.